Here I Am

GOOD NEWS

2006-11-01T08:15:00.000-06:00

Finally….some hap hap happy news! But first the build up…..

For the past year and a half my sweet little brother (at the ripe age of 22) has been putting his life on the line for this country. While I may not agree with the reasons that we are still at war, I have supported him with every step of the way. These men and women really believe in their efforts and I am so damn proud of my brother it hurts!

When I hear the news of another soldier killed in Baghdad I cringe, I get sick to my stomach. To be so young and exposed to so much hatred and revenge…what a great man he has turned into. When the phone calls were coming in from my dad in California sometimes I couldn’t even answer because I was so scared of what he would tell me! Did C get hurt; is he okay; when is he coming home? These were just a few of the questions that would run through my head.

There was the dreaded day when I got a call and the first thing said was, “Don’t worry, your brother is going to be okay.” Going to be? What the hell was that supposed to mean. Panic, fear, sweat pouring down my face, nausea…I thought I was going to pass out. His unit was part of a caravan and his Hum-V (?) hit an IED (underground explosive). Shrapnel to his face, some deep cuts and some scaring but he is okay…he still has his life…and his eyesight (because he has a pair of Oakley’s with titanium lenses that deflected the shards of metal that came towards his eyes).

Then we find out that he is coming home…back to the land of the free and the home of the brave. He couldn’t tell us when he would be home just that it would be sometime within the next twenty days. So, from that point we counted down.

Remember hearing the news of the 172nd Infantry from Ft. Wainwright Alaska that thought they were coming home but were instead taken to Baghdad on an extension? Well, sure enough that was C’s unit. Instead of a call saying he was back in Alaska we got a call saying that he was in Baghdad for 4-6 months!

Since his tour in Baghdad his unit has lost a soldier. This was the first fatality in the entire time he has been there. It was hard on him and his fellow soldiers. They are all tired and lonely, and it’s due time for them to return to us.

Yesterday I received a message from C. It read, “I’m sure you’ve heard the big news. I’ll be home soon.” I was at work, it was about 8:30 am here and my dad lives in California so it was 6:30 am there. I didn’t care…I had to call and find out what was going on.

The final word is this…C is due back in the United States sometime within the next two weeks. He will have to return to Alaska to get re-settled for a few weeks and on December 19th, he will fly to California to be reunited with his family! Unfortunately, I will be unable to be there upon his initial arrival but once the first of the year passes I will be on my way to Cali to see the man that I know as my “little brother”.

Wait….there’s more!

We have also recently found out that T will NOT be going to Iraq. He will be staying right here where he belongs…with his wife and with his recruits!

One more thing (it must just be the time of year for good things)….

In only 10 more days one of my bestest friends will be saying “I do”! I just know that she’s going to be the most beautiful bride ever and I couldn’t be happier for her!

Money Pit…Revisited

2006-10-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

If you have ever read my blog you know that my house has been quite the money pit. Just when we thought it was all under control…welcome to winter in Northern Illinois!

Yesterday’s high temperature was a balmy 42 degrees. Hello people…it’s not even Halloween yet. I have been out of town for the past two weekends and when I arrived home (from an unbelievably ridiculous trip) T said to me, “the furnace hasn’t been working right.” My first question to him, “Did you call the HVAC guy?” I must have been delusional because I know better than that. I do everything...rather I’m there or not! I get home from work last night, exhausted from a weekend of traveling hell and all I want to do is relax. But…I can’t because it’s freezing cold in our house!

A few weeks ago I called the HVAC guy and told him what was happening (this has been a reoccurring issue). He told me that it sounded like there was a problem with our thermostat and for whatever reason it wasn’t running the program properly. Since we have replaced the thermostat within the past year T was absolutely 100% convinced that the thermostat was not the problem. So, instead of replacing it then to see if that would fix the problem he did NOTHING!

Well, I got so frustrated last night that I called the HVAC guy. I told him that I know he thought it was just the thermostat but that I didn’t care. If he had to come and charge me $500 I didn’t care, I just wanted it to work! I also called T to inform him that I was sick of it and it was getting fixed. I told him that if it did end up being the thermostat that I was going to pay the HVAC guy to fix it and that I didn’t want to hear him bitch one time that I spent money on something that he could have done. He had his chance to try and replace the damn thing and frankly I was over it!

So, at 8:15pm he showed up to address my problem. He went to the basement and looked at the unit and found one minor thing that needed attention but assured me that what he had found was NOT causing the problem we were having.

He still felt very strongly that the thermostat was bad so he unhooked it and tested the wiring to see if he could get the unit to kick on and off…and sure enough…it worked. I told him to go ahead and install a new thermostat. He went to his little work truck, got a new thermostat, installed it and within the next 5 minutes my house was warmed up! Absolutely freaking amazing isn’t it?

T arrived home impressed that the house was warm and still convinced that there was some other problem with the furnace and that the thermostat was fine. However, the first thing he noticed upon entering the living room was the old thermostat on the coffee table and the new one that was on the wall in its place!

I got lucky and the guy only charged me $150 to fix the small problem he found, install the new thermostat and for the service call after hours. I’m sure that it’s normally a bit more expensive than that but the same guy installed our central air system this past spring.

Now the furnace is fixed (at least it seems to be). The true test will be if it’s working tonight when I get home from work. I’m sure that the problem has been remedied and it just goes to show what a stubborn boo boo head T can be sometimes…but I love him anyway!

Vent

2006-10-12T14:36:00.000-05:00

Let me just vent a bit about stuck up snobby ass bitches! I am an adult, I have a career, and I work in what I though was supposed to be a professional office environment. As of today I have become a bit angry.

We have a lady in our group out on medical leave. She is fighting a tough battle with cancer. We all try to keep in touch with her but at the same time I don’t want to bombard her with calls. I think it’s appropriate for one person in our group to call her each week and then update the others on how she is doing. That’s not how it works. There happens to be one individual that absolutely will not tell anyone when she has spoke to her! It’s like it’s top secret or something. Even when our boss asked if anyone had heard from her this particular person just looked away and didn’t say anything! Why be such a f’in stuck up, bitch ass prude?

Then, this afternoon several of us were going to the mall for lunch. It was planned by me and a co-worker from another group. We were planning on getting our eyebrows threaded and then grabbing a bite to eat. When it was time to leave my co-worker was in a meeting. Everyone else left and I said that I would meet them. They asked when and I said, “I just need five minutes to get my eyebrows done.” The next comment was (with a scrunched up face), “Well, I’m not interested in that anyway!” Well…guess what…we invited you to begin with so f off!

And lastly, today is caramel apple day at work. All of the money earned is donated to the United Way. After we all returned from lunch someone from my group asked if I was ready to go down and get an apple. I said yes and then began to collect my money. By the time I got my money ready and got up from my desk they were all gone! Needless to say, I was not very happy. Really, can you not wait 5 more seconds to get your damn apple?

My quote for the day….”F everyone”

How Bizarre..How Bizarre

2006-10-03T11:52:00.000-05:00

At work we have informational luncheons called “Brown Bag” Seminars. You bring your lunch and they train you on a new product or a specific topic of interest.

We just acquired a new product called the Zassi Bowel Management System. Does anyone else think it ironic that I am going to learn about a bowel management product at a “Brown Bag” seminar?

It just makes me laugh….and it also makes me not so interested in actually eating while learning!

What a Night

2006-10-03T09:09:00.000-05:00

I have decided that in preparation for the upcoming month of weddings that I will be attending that I am going to exercise. So, last night I went home from work, got the dogs ready, and off we went. We walked for about 2.5 miles at a rather quick pace because there are LOTS of squirrels in the area and my dogs love to run after them.

I got home, sat on the couch for a few and then I heard the thunder off in the distance. T was at work and I was at the house with the pups. My Buddy dog hates storms so he started to get a bit nerved up. He’s not the slimmest dog on the block but he sure figured out how to wedge himself between the loveseat and the wall. I let him be because I knew he was real scared. I got up to go to the bathroom and he followed me. He was just a basket case and when he gets worked up he sheds uncontrollably. Needless to say, my bathroom is covered in dog hair…fabulous!

It was still only about 8:00pm but it was windy and raining like mad. I decided to watch some television in bed so that Buddy could be up real close to me. That worked for about ten minutes until it thundered so loud that the house shook. After that he was shaking and couldn’t sit still. I opened T’s closet and moved his shoes out of the way and Buddy went right in and laid down.

T usually gets home from work around 10:30pm so I started to worry around 10:50pm when I hadn’t heard from him yet. He did show up at 11:00pm, wet and exhausted. He had been up since 3:00am and at work since 4:00am! He had a recruit that claimed he needed to go to the hospital last night right as he was trying to head home. It’s his duty to make sure that the recruits are okay so he called medical. This particular recruit has been to the hospital for the past three nights…each time being released with nothing wrong! He’s one of the type of recruits that will do anything to get out of physical training or anything to upset his drill commander. Well, guess what recruit…now you have pissed off Mrs. Drill Commander! Yes, boot camp is tough…but you signed up…this shouldn’t be a big freakin’ surprise to you! You think that you don’t get enough rest, think about my husband….he gets up at 3:00am to be at work by 4:00am to wake you up and get you started on your day…he trains right along with you all day…then he makes sure you’re in bed and finishes any daily paperwork before he can even begin his drive home….he drives 30 minutes….gets home and gets out of his uniform and usually still needs to have a bite to eat…he gets to bed around 11:00pm and it’s up again at 3:00am. Oh, did I mention that in the process of his daily routine he barely even has five minutes that he can even talk to me? I don’t see my husband or get to talk to him. My message to you recruit is this….Suck it the F@%$ Up! You’re in the Navy now…

Did I mention that a very large portion of the neighbor’s tree was in our driveway last night when T got home? Thankfully my car was in the garage and T wasn’t there or it would have most definitely fallen on one of our vehicles.

I got to work this morning and a co-worker said, “Did you go to the basement last night”? I guess I looked a bit confused…because she followed with, “There was a funnel cloud formation sighted in Zion last night.” Hello…where the hell was I? I must have been too busy trying to calm Buddy down to realize that I needed to take cover….no wonder my poor dog was so worked up….his mom’s a dumb ass!

Contemplation

2006-09-23T01:54:00.000-05:00

I can tell you the pros and cons all day lomg and I still just can't grasp the concept of what is happening in my life right now. I'm in a really hard place and frankly I'm having a real difficult time with the whole situation. One minute I'm fine, I can talk about it and share my feelings and the next I'm a basket case! At graduation today I was looking at all of the "newest members of the US Navy" and it took everything in me to hold it together. Luckily T has been wonderful and I feel closer to him now than I have in a long time...but is this closeness that we are experiencing going to be ripped away if he goes to Iraq...will I be able to survive if something were to happen to him...will I lose my husband and my best friend...or will it make us both stronger...better...more loving...more grateful human beings? Why me...why, just this one time can't we settle in to our new lives here and enjoy the things we have worked so hard for...why? All I have ever wanted is a husband who loves me more than anything on earth and I have that so why is God toying with that...why can't I just continue to be happy and live my life peacefully with T by my side? I've made mistakes in the past...some big ones...but I never physically hurt anyone and I never took away something that someone loved and cherished so why take away my biggest most cherished love? I have promised myself that I would never tell him that he could not go (since this is a volunteer situation I do have that option)...but I want to look at him and beg and plead with him not to go. I believe that by being a drill commander and putting the time and the effort into training these young men and women the way that he does that he should be proud of what he is doing now. He is shaping the sailors of the greatest Navy on earth. He is preparing them for all that is to come...and did I mention that he's damn good at his job. He puts a lot of time and effort into his recruits and I feel that he is doing his duty by training them as he does. I know that for him, he sees it differently than I do but I just can't handle it. Bottom line is this; I may bitch at him for not doing enough around the house, I may bitch at him if I think he sleeps too long on his morning off, and I may tell him that he hurts my feelings a lot...but never ever would I wish anything bad to happen to him. Yes, I do handle it all...the bills, cleaning, laundry, yard work, taking care of the dogs...but I do still need him! I love him, he is my husband and my best friend. I know that this will all work out the way it was meant to and that everything happens for a reason...at this point I just don't understand it though!

Survival

2006-09-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

For those of you who know me you are well aware that I am definitely a very strong, independent individual. Yes, I am married but because of my husband’s job I take care of everything…the bills, the house, the laundry, the dogs, the cars…you name it, I do it! I really don’t have a problem doing all of this stuff (most of the time anyway)!

A new opportunity has arisen for my husband and frankly, I don’t think I can handle it! He is in the Navy and there has been a notice put out for his rate asking for volunteers to go to Iraq and work as security for the Army convoys! I knew that this was happening at various duty stations around the country but I honestly never ever thought that it would be anything that we would honestly have to think about!

T wants to go…he wants to do his time and fulfill his duty! Do I want him to go? Hell no! He’s not just my husband; he really is my best friend. Because of the risks involved we really have to face all the possibilities, and one of those possibilities is the chance that he won’t make it home, that he won’t ever make it back to me. I just don’t know if I could survive.

There are benefits…..tax free pay, career advancement, combat pay, hazardous duty pay, family separation pay….but is all of that worth taking the chance of losing your life. We have discussed it until I cried (he may have been sniffling a bit but he hides it well), and to the point that I think now he’s confused about what he wants to do!

One thing that he absolutely does not have to worry about is that I would be unfaithful to him while he was away. Unfortunately most military personnel have to wonder when they go away. T does not….I am completely 100% madly, insanely, crazy in love with him! I’ll be right here with open arms waiting for his return! I might go crazy while he’s away, missing him and wishing he was here with me but I’ll stay positive and I’ll stay away from the news!

I know that not everyone agrees with the war (I’m not so sure that I agree), and I know that there are a lot of people who are anti-Bush. I’m not asking for anyone to support the war or support the President, I’m asking that you support the men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line to fight for something that they believe in! These men and women believe that they are making a difference and I support each and every one of them!

I know that T really wants to go and I will support him forever! I will not resent him if he does go…instead I will pray for him and love him with all my being!

Money Pit

2006-09-14T12:15:00.000-05:00

When T and I transferred to Northern Illinois we purchased our first home. It was originally built in 1907 and for the most part has been completely remodeled. We have a basement, which is the greatest thing ever. However, we have a minor seepage problem in the basement during heavy periods of rainfall….at least that’s what the disclosures stated when we signed our contract for the house. Well, there were some things that we really wanted to do to the house and since we have never had a problem with water pooling in the basement or with it ever being really wet after lots of rain we decided to hold off on the waterproofing of the basement! Instead we got central air, a deck, a privacy fence, a new garage door, and electrical in the garage. So, I’ve spent all the money we had set aside for home improvements. Well, it’s been raining here…a lot! Our yard is clay so it really doesn’t soak the water up like some lawns do. This past Tuesday night it rained…and I mean rained like mad! Our yard flooded, it was like a pond! T went to the basement to throw in a load of laundry and beckoned me to come down. I figured he wanted something stupid like how much detergent to use or what setting was best. Boy was I wrong….what he wanted was to show me that gallons…yes gallons…of water were spewing into our basement. I guess that there is a rather large crack in our foundation that is above ground level and since the yard was flooded it just came pouring in. Luckily where the leak was occurring was just a few feet from the floor drain so it just ran down the wall and to the drain. Nothing got ruined (although I was paranoid about my tanning bed and my washer and dryer), and it’s all dry now but what to do? I called our realtor that sold us the house. She told me to call our lawyer and see if he feels it’s something we can go after the previous owner’s on. We are going to try to go the route of….minor seepage is different than major leakage! Hopefully we have some ground to stand on and can get it fixed. I also called our insurance company to see if they will at least cover some of the cost. They are going to send an appraiser out to see what’s going on and said they might cover the costs. So, hopefully the previous owners or our insurance company will come through….otherwise get ready VISA!

All I can say is this…it’s a good damn thing that I like my house!

TGIF

2006-09-08T14:09:00.000-05:00

I can honestly say that it’s been a long damn time since I have been so excited that it’s finally Friday. Last weekend was busy with the two-year old at the house and work has been stupid crazy this week…not to mention that sometimes I feel like I may possibly be the only person in the company that takes pride in doing things properly and in a timely manner!

Tonight I have having a “spa” party at the house. I figured that maybe five or six people would come…I have confirmed that fourteen people are coming! I made buckets of margarita…yes buckets and I have lots of good Mexican themed snacks. T made some pico de gallo last night and also some salsa. It’s so yummy! I also have soda, wine and beer if anyone wants some.

I have a friend at work that’s in a band and they are real good. They have a gig tonight at a local bar and a bunch of us are going after my party. It’ll be such a good time. I have requested to ride to the bar with someone. It’s just been a rough week and I don’t feel like being all that responsible this evening so I don’t feel that driving myself would be the best idea!

Tomorrow night my mommy dearest is flying into the Chicago area for a conference. I will meet her at her hotel tomorrow night and I’ll stay there with her. It will be nice to see her. We are going to shop all day on Sunday…maybe she’ll buy me something nice!

I told my mom that on Saturday night I would take her out for a drink at the hotel bar. She quickly agreed which surprised me because my mom really doesn’t ever drink. At least it won’t cost me much!

Sunday evening I will head home and relax for a few before I have to head back to the office for another week of struggling with others to get what I need. I hate depending on other people to give me information but unfortunately that’s how my job works. I need labels so I have to get them from the Label Coordinator…who seems to have trouble giving me the correct information! Anyway…that’s a story for another day. For now I am off to have some birthday cake for a guy I don’t know and then I’m headin’ to the house to get started on my weekend!

Decided

2006-09-06T12:06:00.000-05:00

I’ll make this quick….

After a weekend full of early mornings, late nights, messy pants, soggy bread and spilled milk we have decided that we will wait to have a baby. We are not saying that it will never happen; it’s just not going to happen anytime within the foreseeable future. We are finally financially stable and are able to do things that we want. I guess maybe we’re just selfish! At least we recognized it before we made the decision to have a baby!

Undecided

2006-09-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

As of recent, I have been up in the air as to rather or not I wanted to have a child of my own. I have always thought that I did until recently. For one my step kids were not well behaved when they were at my house this summer. They weren’t “bad”, they were just very impolite, not well mannered and not respectful of my husband and I and our home. At that point I just became very unsure as to if I really wanted to have my own child someday.

It’s a lot of responsibility. Not that I am not responsible but I do really enjoy my freedom. I enjoy my space and my own time and a child would definitely change that. I hear everyone say, “It’s different when you have your own”. Maybe it is different because at that point I….let me rephrase that…T and I would be in control. We would be the ones making the rules and dishing out the discipline.

Another concern I have is that I am unsure if I want to raise a child in the environment we live in. Okay…let me rephrase again….in the world we live in. There is just so much hate and disorder in the world and why would I want to expose and innocent little human being to such chaos. Deep down part of me is convinced that this country we live in is going to be at war forever. We will either be fighting for the rights of another country and another culture or we’ll be at war with ourselves. It’s just downright scary.

Just when I have convinced myself that having a child is not what I want to do something tends to make me sway in the other direction. I have a friend here that is having a baby very soon (as in…on her way to the hospital as we speak). She and her husband already have a two year old and he is so great. He is well mannered and smart. He’s two, and says things like, “May I please have some ice cream?” And of course I’m a pushover for a cute, smart, polite, well mannered child so the answer is, “Yes you can.” It’s usually at this point that I realize he didn’t actually eat any of his dinner and that he’s been sneaking pieces to my dog! He’s just such a good little boy. He makes me realize that it is possible to raise a “good” kid in today’s society.

Oh, I almost forgot...I’m picking the little guy up today after work and keeping him until his mommy and daddy come home from the hospital with his new brother! Maybe after this weekend I’ll have a better idea of what I really want to do! It’s just not and easy decision to make.

Blah

2006-08-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

Blah

Today for lunch we went out to celebrate the birthdays of a few lady’s at work. Now I feel like a fat, bloated, overweight, good for nothing, needing a nap….pig! I just feel blah. I would rather be at home vegetating in front of the television and napping intermittently if necessary.

Note to self: Work on eating moderation skills…more specifically…portion control. Yes, must work on portion control.

The problem is that I had control. Complete, total, unbiased control. I was well aware of how much I was eating and also of how it would make me feel. So, I did technically have control of my portion intake at lunch. I just chose to not let it matter to me at the given time.

And now, I sit here, almost in a food induced coma, trying to gain the motivation to work. Why is it that when you over eat you tend to under achieve? Hmmmmmmmmm…..

October Dilemma

2006-08-28T13:29:00.000-05:00

In October I have some major dilemmas. To you they may seem silly and petty but to me they are pretty major. I have three big events to attend in October.

On the 14th, one of my best friends from back home is getting married. We have been friends forever and he has always come to me for advice and vice versa. Finally, he has found someone equally as terrific as he is! For this event I will take the train home on the 13th after work and back on the 15th. It’s just too expensive for gas and driving through the city of Chicago is a nightmare on a Friday night.

On October 20th is the Navy Birthday Ball. Since T and I have been married we have never been able to go to the birthday ball because he was always gone somewhere. This year he will finally be home so we will be able to go.

The very next day, another one of my dear friends is tying the knot…also back home! This left me in a pickle! It’s a friend that I worked with before I met my husband and we have stayed in contact. She is actually marrying a guy that I went to high school with. So, the morning of her wedding I will board a train to the city at 5 am to catch a 7:50 train to Michigan, where my rental car will be waiting for me. From the time I arrive in Michigan I will have two hours to change and be at the wedding. Did I mention that the wedding is more than an hour from the train station?

Not that all of that isn’t enough to cause a person a bit of stress but what am I going to wear?

T thinks I should just wear something I already have. Is he crazy?

The first wedding will have lots of people that I know. Therefore, I must look good. I want to wear something simple but elegant.

Then there’s the Navy Ball. I need a nice evening type gown. One that is floor length and fabulous. This will be the first time I meet most of the people that T works with and I want their mouths to hit the floor.

And lastly, the second wedding. Due to the fact that after I graduated from high school I really didn’t stay in contact with anyone, I want to look stellar! I got picked on a lot…and I really mean a lot when I was in school. Since then I have had jaw surgery to correct an under bite and nose surgery to correct a deviated septum (and they straightened it while they were in there). Lets just say that I look a whole lot different than I did back then. I have learned how to style my hair better, and I wear make-up now. Really I want all the people that were mean to me to eat crow!

So, the dilemma….where am I gonna get the money to buy all these dresses and train tickets and rental cars?

Okay, don’t get me wrong, by no means am I a beauty queen but I’m not dog shit either. I also realize that on my friends wedding days that it’s their day and not mine but I’d still like to shock some people!

So…there it is…the October dilemma!

FL vs IL

2006-08-24T08:53:00.000-05:00

T and I moved here from Florida (hurricane central) in late December last year. I was so happy to be away from that place, the hot weather, the humidity and the hurricanes. Well….guess what…it all happens in Illinois. We live right off Lake Michigan so when we bought our house and it had no central air we thought we’d be fine with the breeze from the lake. Wrong! One weekend when T was at work it was 95 degrees and humid…like Florida. I called and said, “I’m calling an A/C guy, I can’t take this. Two days later we had central air. Granted it’s not hot like that all the time but there have been a few weeks that were unbearable….heat index in the 100’s! One week, for example, I was sick. My boss told me to go to the doctor. I walk into Navy Hospital and the A/C is broke (yes, broke)! The heat index is 112 degrees and I’m sick as a dog! By the time they finally call me back to see the doctor I have sweat through my shirt! Not armpit sweat…all out boob sweat and boy was it sexy! And now, today, we have wind gusts that are reaching upwards of 70-80mph. Just south of here in Indiana they recorded a wind gust of 106mph! So, it’s not a hurricane….it’s a mini burst. Either way, WTF? Can a girl get a break? I knew it was nasty out this morning so I got up early. I already drive about 45-50 minutes to work. I left at 6:15 this morning (I am supposed to be at work by 7:30). I rolled in at 7:55 this morning! Luckily, I wasn’t the only one! Oh, did I mention the flooded roads, the lights out, the trees down, and the flat out dumb asses on the roadway? Literally in places it was raining sideways and you couldn’t see in front of yourself. The number of people driving without their lights on floored me! What a bunch of jack asses! Anyway, Happy Freakin’ Thursday! It’s a good thing today is payday!

Muskrat Love

2006-08-22T15:36:00.000-05:00

Today I got the giggles. I was remembering the good ol’ days with KT, G, Ed, Big Mo, and my hubby at the local redneck joint in P’cola. What a great little bar that was. Good times, good friends and good laughs.

KT, Big Mo, and I spent quite a bit of time there. Some of the times were absolutely priceless and this day I choose to share them with all of you!

Funniest moment ever…..when an old man at the bar said to KT, “I’ve heard about those Blue Angels and their women”, and KT fired back with, “Listen here ol’ man….I can suck the carpet through that boys ass!” I’m laughing just thinking about it.

Then there was the time (I think this was the same night as the previous event) when KT had some random guy hitting on her at the bar and she looked him straight in the eye and said, “Wanna know what her pu**y smells like?”, and then looked over at me! Of course he said, “YES” and she blew her breath in his face! I could have died….KT is the funniest!

Oh, and the time that Big Mo got hit on by a girl and KT and I played along. He had gotten mad at us earlier that day for “always calling him out”. So, we were doing as we were told! We invited her to sit with us at our table and convinced the two of them to dance. She even slipped him her number at the end of the night! To our surprise at the end of the night he was like, “why did you guys play like I was straight?”

And last but not least, karaoke night with hubby and the rest of the gang. My hubby loves to sing so he belted out an incredible rendition of AC/DC’s For Those About to Rock. It was so good that G and I did some head bangin’. Then Ed would tell G it was his turn to sign (and it wouldn’t be), and G would go up and it would be someone else’s turn. This went on for quite some time. And then to top it off, Ed asked the karaoke lady to change G’s song to Muskrat Love. Funny, funny stuff. Of course she swapped it back and let him sing what he originally requested.

It’s really too bad that most of the stories I have from P’cola don’t involve my hubby. It’s just unfortunate that way. KT and I sure did have some good times though while the boys were away. And no, not all of them stem from a night at the bar.

Example….KT and I at David’s Bridal looking for her a wedding dress. When I got married I knew what I wanted…and bought it off the internet! KT however, had no idea what she was looking for in a dress. Being that I love my friend dearly I would have stayed at that store while she tried on every dress there if that’s what she wanted to do. One of the dresses in particular weighed…I don’t know….700 pounds (okay that might be a slight exaggeration). Did I mention that the changing rooms are not large and the platform they are on has high intensity lighting, which made it hot. It was a chore just getting the dress unzipped and off the hanger. By the time KT was ready for me to lift it up so she could step under it I had officially “pitted out” in my shirt! Because of this we were now laughing like two little school girls and couldn’t accomplish anything! We did eventually get the dress on her, at which point she looked in the mirror and said, “Nope, don’t like it!” But, that’s what friends are for…and I’d do it all again if she asked!

Son of a......

2006-08-20T16:21:00.000-05:00

About an hour ago my plans for the next five weeks have blown up! Tomorrow is the beginning of week four for my husbands division of recruits. This means that they still have five weeks of boot camp left before graduation. Each division has three division commanders (the Navy's term for a drill instructor). Sometimes they get lucky and have a "4th wheel", someone to help out and fill in when needed. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it is summer surge (when most of the recent high school graduates come through boot camp) the 4th wheel for my husbands division is still in his training school and cannot be alone with the recruits until his graduation from training! Thus far, this has been a a great "push". His partners are great and they have been splitting the time very well. It's been nice having my husband home once in awhile.

Well, today that has all ended! One of his partners got wasted, and thought he should jump off of a roof! This jump caused him to break one foot and shatter every bone in the other! To make it even better, he was so wasted when it happened that he didn't even know he was hurt! It was this morning when he tried to get up and walk that he realized there was a problem!

So, obviously he can no longer come in to work. This leaves my husband and his other partner to finish out the next five weeks of training by themselves! Oh, have I mentioned that his remaining partners wife is due to have a baby in three weeks. He is automatically eligible for 10 days of leave when the baby is born. Now, because of the stupidity of a fellow co-worker he will be unable to take this leave!

My husband laughed when he was telling me about it. Maybe the laughter was to disguise his fury. I was real upset. This now means that my husband will be at work seven days a week from about 6am-10pm! Yes...seven days a week! Does he get 'extra" money for this. No...absolutely not...he's in the freakin' Navy!

I just cannot even begin to understand how on earth a person can get so incredibly intoxicated that they jump off a roof...and break both feet...and don't realize it until the morning. I don't want to sound heartless, I do feel bad for him. having two broken feet can't be real fun. But, on the other hand, I do hope it hurts real bad and I hope he feels like a huge giant piece of shit for what he has done!

He has left me here to be lonely more often than I have been, and better yet left a woman to spend the first days of her new babies life taking care of herself, her baby, and their two year old son! All, I can say is I hope it was worth it. I hope that he had the time of his life last night!

So, now I am off to cook dinner...for myself! Son of a bitch!

Side Notes

2006-08-18T15:37:00.000-05:00

Just a little blip of a side note…..

I ran out of perfume a few months ago and my hubby and I shopped and shopped for something new. He liked what I had been wearing but wasn’t overly thrilled by it. So for weeks (literally) we tested every perfume around. We did finally find a few that were ‘okay’ so we bought them. They both smell nice one is Eternity Summer and the other is something from Gap. Last night I was at the Navy Exchange and there is a new fragrance from Jennifer Lopez. It’s in a psychedelic looking bottle and damn does it smell good. In fact, I liked it so much that I was turning my own self on! I just talked to my husband and told him about it…since he gets home when I’m asleep…and told him about it. Maybe he’ll stop by and get me some on his way home!

On another completely different note…

When my husband got home last night (around 10:45pm) he brought Taco Bell. I could smell it, and I could hear him unwrapping each delicious item. I asked why he didn’t call to see if I wanted anything…he mumbles something about me being in bed, blah, blah, something, blah. Anyway, I woke up this morning and the first thing that I thought about was Taco Bell. On the way to work I drive by a Taco Bell. Had they been open at 6:45am you bet your ass I would have stopped! I came in to work, saw the construction workers, thought of Taco Bell! It was overtaking my every thought. A friend from another department called and asked if I wanted to go to the mall at lunch. Guess what….there is a Taco Bell at the mall. Thank heavens….there is a God!

Creativity

2006-08-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

In my many hours of quality time that I spend at home with no one to talk to except Buddy and Harley (my dogs) I am beginning to get rather crafty. I scrapbook, I make my own cards, I make jewelry...and tonight...I made a baby blanket!

Since everyone under the sun except for me...and KT...are poppin' out babies like mad I figured that I'd try to make a blanket! I decided to make the fleece type with the knots on the edges. To my surprise....it actually turned out!

That being said my creative juices are really flowing so I have decided to blog...about nothing. The nothingness and the monotony that my days bring. I do actually really like my job but sometimes it's a bit redundant! Let's just say that I do a lot of work for other people because other people are to cracked out to do their own jobs.

Today at lunch I could have used a glass of wine...or two. I sometimes find myself in a complete daze wondering if small mutants with a serious case of A.D.D. have taken over the brain function of some of my co-workers. Sometimes just talking to them makes me feel like I'm about to overdose on caffeine.

In the end it pays the bills and it really isn't a bad gig at all. No matter where you work there's always someone or something that makes us crazy!

Military Spouse

2006-08-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

Being a military spouse isn’t easy. When I see a sticker that says, “Navy Wife…Toughest Job in the Navy”, I can honestly, whole-heartedly tell you that this is the no shit truth.

When I was a little girl growing up I had this dream of a big elaborate wedding and living near my family, having a career and a few babies. Wow, what a shocker it was when I met my husband!

When we met he had already been in the US Navy for 10 years! It’s not like he could just pack up and leave the Navy to be with me. I had no choice….to be with him I had to do the job quitting, the packing and the moving.

So, now I lived a leisurely 36 hour drive from the family and friends I had know all of my life. I had to start all over…start a new career, make new friends and learn my way around a new place.

Then comes the wedding….in good ol’ Las Vegas. No big elaborate gathering of family and friends, no big cake…just the two of us, my mom, grandparents, my dad, stepmom and brother and sisters…oh and I can’t forget Elvis (he pulled up in his pink Cadillac just in time to here me say “I do”).

About a month after the wedding we move…..yet another new job, and more new friends to be made, and to top it off my new husband would be gone most of the year! At this point I have decided to call it a job, not a career. A career is something that you do for an extended amount of time, become established in, and build a retirement fund in. A job is something that you do to bring home a paycheck. I found out very quickly that no one really wants to hire someone that is a military spouse because they know that we won’t be there long. Not to mention when I did finally get a job the pay made me want to cry. But, like the trooper that I am I stuck it out and held a crappy job with crappy pay for three years until our next move! Although, I must admit I met some pretty great people (KT and KS) in that crappy little steamy hot city in the Florida panhandle (which I will affectionately call LA…Lower Alabama)!

I went to work (at my ‘job’), went home to an empty house, paid bills, cleaned, did laundry, kept up the yard and took care of the dogs, all while my husband traveled the country fixing jets at air shows and living the good life.

And now here we are in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago. I will admit that I do love it here. We bought our first house here and everything just fell into place. However, I still knew when we were moving here that we would spend three maybe four years here and then it would be off to another new place.

My husbands new job requires him to work seven days a week and somewhere between twelve and sixteen hours a day! It’s a difficult job (he’s a drill instructor), but he loves every minute of it. It’s one that is very fulfilling to him. Then there’s me….filled with resentment because he gets to do something he loves. And, have I mentioned that babies (especially in the plural form) are not a part of my life yet? We talk about it, then we make a plan, then the plan changes, then we talk about it again. It’s a hard life being a military spouse. But, something has happened that has made me respect my husband more than I can ever express….

After getting settled at the new house I began looking for a ‘job’. I got one through a temporary placement agency. It was just a ten week contract filling in for a maternity leave. Well, while there I was offered a tremendous career opportunity (yes, career)! The offer was one I couldn’t turn down and the possibilities for me are endless. After discussing this with my husband he said to me, “After my tour here I will have just over a year left before twenty years when I can retire. I will go somewhere unaccompanied and you can stay here and work. Once my twenty years is up I will retire and we will live here. After all, you have followed me and given up opportunities for yourself and now it’s time for me to follow you and your career!”

All kidding aside, I had tears in my eyes. What an outstanding man I have married! Being a military spouse has not been an easy life but it has been one that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world!

Friendly Persuasion

2006-08-16T15:35:00.000-05:00

I have a friend that has….hmmmm…what’s a good word….persuaded me to join the world of the blogger. So, needless to say, here I am. This is the place and you are the people that get to share in my happy times, sad times, angry times, confused times, lonely times, and all the other times in between!

I can’t say that I’m much of a writer but I am definitely passionate about a few topics. I am choosing not to disclose those topics yet in hopes that it will keep you all interested enough to come back for more!

Go into this lightly and please don’t expect to find some kind of answer to life’s all important questions (because believe me…I don’t know all the answers, although I do my best)! So, now, let’s get started…….