Thank You, Soldiers.

Yesterday while I was registering my son for middle school, a family walks in and the wife is pushing the husband in a wheelchair.  At first, I thought nothing of it and continued with my paperwork. 

The wife was greeted by the Middle School Staff and was asked how she was doing.  She walked over the the secretary shaking her head, stress on her face.

"He just got home," she said.

"What happened to him?" asked the secretary.

"An IUD," she responded.  "He was in the hospital for two weeks after his surgery before they let him come home.  It's been hard.  This was his 3rd time over there, you know?"

"I'm sorry to hear that Mrs. Jones (Name changed)? I know that's tough, but thank God he's alive!"  

The woman shook her head and agreed.

As a military spouse, I certainly pray for all of the soldiers.  But sometimes I forget just how close we are as military families. We may not know them, but they are our family.  I forget just how blessed my own family is that our Soldier returned home safe, healthy.

Every family doesn't have the luxury of saying that their Soldier returned home uninjured.  Some don't have the luxury of saying that their Soldier returned home at all.

Yesterday was the first time I felt compelled to stop a Soldier and just say THANK YOU!  I've had many people stop my husband, and myself, and thank us for our service to the military.  I've hugged many Soldiers returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq as they stepped off the buses to greet their families.  I have a Soldier at home who has done the same as these Soldiers and has put his life of the line in a war zone.  Sometimes we get so caught up in our own stories that we forget to acknowledge others.  I've thanked Soldiers on my Facebook page and in my writings on my blog.   But I'd never stopped a Soldier, out of the blue, and thank him or her for the freedom we have here at home, for serving and putting his or her life on the line.  

Yesterday I did.  I will continue to do so. 

Morning comes too early.

Up early this morning.  Sleeping after 5:30 is hard around here.  The sun comes up before 5 and when I manage to sleep longer, the construction trucks start work at before 6:30.  

Sleeping in is darn near impossible.  Is Arizona closer to the sun?  

Today, I'm heading out to buy some dark curtains for my bed room.  I don't know what has taken me so long.  We've been in this house since the end of February and I can't get a good sleep unless I sleep on the couch.

So, I'm up.  And cranky.  Wishing I was a coffee drinker.  Researching multivitamins that might give me a boost of energy in the morning.  Any suggestions?  I take my prenatal vitamins right now (before you ask, no, I'm NOT!), but as of lately, nothing I do gives me the energy or motivation to get up and workout.

Today I will also be purchasing a pair of curtains for my bathroom window.

Yesterday evening, Hubs too the boys for a bike ride.  Behind our house, they are doing a lot of construction on other houses and other structures.  Well, it was coming up on dark and when they came home, Hubs told me that they saw me in the bathroom.  The window is that frosted window that people put in bathrooms.  How much could they possibly see?  Well, Hubs took me out for a walk to that I could see for myself.  When we got up the hill behind our house, the silhouette of Cam was was jumping around in my bathroom.  I knew it was him and I could see the blue shirt he was wearing.  

Not good.  You could clearly see a person standing there and you could probably clearly tell of said person was naked or clothed.  

That window is right in front of my tub.  Luckily no one lives in the houses behind us yet, but could you imagine?

"Hey CJ!  Saw your mom in the bathroom last night.  She has some big...."

OMG!  Heading to get curtains immediately!

 

Force Protection Level raised - Bin Laden is no more!

This morning when I dropped Miss Missy off at school, there was a 100% ID Card check at the front door.  

The post, and every other post in the US, has heightened the force protection status to Level B - Orange.  

In light of what has happened, and you'd have to be living under a rock to not know that Osama Bin Laden has finally been taken down, the country has heightened our security.  

It was pretty scary dropping her off this morning, just knowing.  

It is, however comforting to know that the post is doing everything it needs to do to assure my children's safety.  

Still, I probably won't breathe until they are home.


*****************************************************


Osama Bin Laden is no more.  Now, it is rare that I can find joy in anyone's death, no matter what they have done.  But I do find comfort in knowing that this horrible person is no longer able to carry out such horrible doings like 9/11. 


It is a great day for those who lost loved ones in 9/11.  I pray that it brings those families at least a small bit a comfort and maybe even a bit of closure.


It is a great day for those that have fought and served in this war, those that have given their lives and for the families that have waited and prayed on the homefront for their loved ones safe return. 


It a great day for the United States, for we have finally completed this mission.


Regardless of what your political views are, all Americans should feel comfort in these events.

******************************************

What is scary is that now we move on.  I can't help but wonder what is to come next.  What kind of retaliation will there be now? What has he asked his terroristic pawns to do in the event of his death.  So no, this is not over. As a matter of fact, it may be the beginning of SOMETHING.  

This is the time to pray even harder for our American Troops and their families.  - Amen!

Kay

Trying to get settled in Sierra Vista.

I'm sitting here watching the travel channel show breakfast restaurants around the United States.  I should be doing some catching up on my homework, but instead I'd sitting here in this Extended Stay Hotel room salivating over all of the breakfast food I can't cook while residing in a hotel.  It's torture, I tell you.  You should have seen the size of the cinnamon rolls they serves at a restaurant called The Machine Shed in Iowa! 

The kids had their first day of school yesterday.  They were more than ready to go.  I guess they were a little tired of being cooped up in a room with their parents.  I know I would have been.  The all said they had a great day.  I was so happy to hear that.  Changing schools can be pretty hard, but they seem as if they will adjust just fine.  They all said they made friends on the first day and are so ready to go back on Monday.  Well, I mean Tuesday, as Monday we will be observing Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.  I loved the fact that Miss Missy came home and told me all about Martin Luther King and how he wanted Black people and White people to be friends and how a lady went to jail because she wanted to sit down on the bus and that wasn't fair!

I'm not asking for a Black History 101 course, but a little history at this time of year is great!

So, I bet you're wondering how I'm liking being in Sierra Vista, AZ.

Well, when we drove into Sierra Vista, I have to admit there were tears as I looked towards what looked like the most depressing place ever!

DRY DRY DRY!

Where are the TREES?

Where is the GREEN?

Okay, it's not as bad as it seems. But it's still bad.  We are still in a hotel, as I mentioned earlier, but we should be moving to an apartment for about a month on Wednesday. Then, it's on to military housing.  A brand new 4 bedroom HOUSE.  House is good.  Housing in the past has always been apartments, duplexes or quads.  HOUSE is good! I'll have to post pics it's done being built because these new houses are pretty nice.

There's an alien space craft hovering over Sierra Vista.  It's in the form of a blimp.  The first day we were here, I was like, "Oh Cool!  A blimp!"  The next day, it became creepy and I had to ask what the heck it that thing! I did a little research and found out it is an aerostat drug blimp, used to keep drugs from coming over the Mexican boarder.

Yeah, we're right next to the Mexican Boarder.

Before we moved here, a lady I didn't know came up to me at the school and told me that if I was moving to Ft. Huachuca, I need to get a gun.  Wow!  That's something to tell someone!  Then, last night Hubs told me about a lady who said she lives in a city outside Sierra Vista and that Mexicans that have crossed the boarder would come to her door and ask for water!  She said she'd give them water them call the boarder patrol.

I'm in a whole new world over here.  We're surrounded by mountain and somewhere over that mountain in Mexico.  The sun seems brighter over here.  The skies have been blue since we arrived.

I'm still not sure how to feel about this place, but I'm hoping that it gets better.  Oh, did I mention that the city pretty much closes down at 9pm?  Oh, gosh!  And I thought there was nothing to do in Hinesville!

PS. It's appears that my blog page is the only way I will be seeing and snow!

Seen enough. Take me home!

Okay, I've seen enough of Ft. Huachuca.  Can you take me home, please???

I think that the closer we got to our destination, the worse I started to feel.  It had to be the fact that the closer we got the more depressing the outdoors looked.  Is this nature?  Nature is suppose to be trees and streams and dear with their young following close behind.  The nature here is nothing but dry land.  The birds are even scarce!


We were 25 miles to Sierra Vista and out in the distance I could see the city.

THE. ENTIRE. CITY!

That's when I started to fight back tears... unsuccessfully.  I his them behind the dark shades I was wearing and remained quiet while Hubs babbled on about how much he had to do in the coming days.  All I could think about was WHAT THE HELL HAD I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? and THERE IS NO WAY MY ALREADY FRACTURED AND BRUISED MARRIAGE WOULD SURVIVE THIS PCS. 

The city is surrounded by mountain, and rock, and cacti.

The guest lodging is Budget Motel quality.  Put me in mind of my teen years when I skipped school and....

Wait, TMI!

Stuck in a 2 bed room with 1 TV, a microwave and a little tiny fridge.  This same size room was denied to us at all of the hotels because of the fire safety policy, so how can it work for the military?  Do they not go by the fire safety policy as every other hotel in the US?

Anywho, once we went "out on the town" for dinner, I felt a little better.  The city itself is not so bad and is actually much bigger than my home town in Georgia, Hinesville.  There's a Mall.  However small, it's still a Mall!  There's a Target, Walmart, Sams, Petsmart... pretty much all of the essentials.

Soon, VERY SOON, I am going to have to find a nail shop!

But I suppose I should concern myself with the small things like getting the kids enrolled in school first, huh?

Today, we're off to find a hotel to stay in.  This is just not going to get it.  1 room, 3 kids, for at least 10 days? no privacy.  No separation.  Nuh un!  I just can't do it!

And please tell me why this cleaning lady is standing in the window with her hands cupped around her face trying to see if we have checked out??  The window is tented and she can't see in without getting close.  See, THIS is why I don't do motels with outside doors and THIS is why the Ft. Huachuca Guesthouse is beneath Budget Inn Quality!

Adjustment

So our Soldier is home. Hubs has been home for 3 weeks now. (this post has been in save mode for 2 weeks) I'm so glad that he is home safe because that is one less worry I have to think about.  That's one less thing I have to have on my mind and that's one less time I have to wonder why he has not called in 2 days and what is happening for there to be a lack of communication.  Strangely, while he was gone, I didn't talk much about my worries.  Of course I had a lot of worries.  I knew that there were bombs going off on a regular basis not far enough away from the base.  I knew there were people being injured and attempted kidnappings going on right there where he was. I chose not to talk about these things often.  I think it was kind of a coping mechanism.  If I didn't talk about it, it wasn't a scary thing.

So now it's all over and he is home.

Now, of course, we are in an adjustment phase.  We were given classes to be prepared for this phase.  They tell the Soldiers that things are going to be different when you go home.  After a year, the spouses have developed a routine and to try not to go in and start stepping on toes.  The kids are use to there being one parent.  Go into "being a parent" again easily, giving time for the kids to adjust.

This is our first deployment, and hopefully our last.  I'm adjusting to him being here okay. He asks tons of questions that I have to get use to answering again.  When I start doing the laundry, he still takes over and finishes, just as he use to do.  Can't complain that the man does laundry.  Can, however complain that he doesn't do it my way, putting towels in with the regular clothes and not washing whites and lights separately.  AND he doesn't FOLD the laundry.  

I HATE FOLDING LAUNDRY!  

I can wash clothes all day.  Not a problem there.  But I will leave clothes in the basket for DAYS before I get around to folding them.  

YOU WANNA HELP, BUDDY?  

Let ME wash and YOU FOLD!  THAT'S a HUGE help!  I try not to say anything, though.

We are not doing great. I talked a little about our marriage and the issues here.  Funny, there really isn't much in this blog about my marriage.  Another case if me feeling like if I don't talk about it, it's not happening, I guess.  Just smile because everything is fine.  But truth is, I'm still wondering if everything really is fine. Military is hard on families.  He has been gone 3 years out of the last 7. That's a lot of time to be separated.  It's no wonder so many end in divorce.

Time is a passin'

This summer vacation seems to be flying by.  I guess I say that because we are now only about 2 weeks away from redeployment.  I never knew a year could go by so quickly.  Well, at least it did for those of us back here on safe land.

We haven't done anything special, but the kids are spending their second week in Vacation Bible School.  Is that cheating?  Are they only supposed to go 1 week a year?  It's at a different church and they REALLY had a great time last week so I decided to put them in at a different location this week.  You can't never have enough VBS, right?  And you know what?  VBS is nothing like it was when I was a kid.  I remember it being pretty much like regular Sunday School.  We sat in a classroom discussing the bible and doing a craft.  They are outside, eating dinner, singing songs, doing cool crafts and having a good ole time.

So do I feel guilty about taking them twice?  Eh maybe a tiny bit, but certainly not enough to not take them!

The time is winding down and I have done absolutely nothing this year to improve on the house or in preparation of Hub's return.  I feel like a lazy bum because I had all intentions of painting a room, making some curtains, SOMETHING!  But life seemed to have gotten in the way and nothing happened. 


Oh well.  I'm thinking that he will just be so glad to be out of the desert that he won't care if they house is a bit out of order!  Ya think?

Okay, so I started my classes at Kaplan Online and I am loving it!  I am really excited to be back in school and doing something to secure myself a brighter future. 

Cam is my little academic coach.  He is so funny because when I am on the computer, he will call from the other room and say, "Mom?  Are you studying?  Because it sounds like you're on Facebook because you're typing so much.  Mom, get off Facebook and study, please!"

It's officially summer and boy do I wish I had a POOL!  I want nothing more than to be able to go in my back yard and jump into some water right now. Anybody who knows me knows that I don't do heat.  My neighbors say they never see me in the summer and the winter.  They say I only come out it he spring and the fall. 

I'm dreading having to move.  I really don't want to go to Arizona.  I like it here where I am now.  I'm comfortable and the kids are happy.  The military sure can throw a monkey wrench in your plans for your life.  I hate the fact that we have 2 years left in the military before retirement and they decide that it's time for us to move.  With 2 years left in the military, Hubs should be networking here where we have been for all of this time and looking for a job.  It is crazy because we are moving to a place that is so new to us where no one knows him and he will then have to start looking for a job from there.  He is already talking about having to stay in Arizona after retirement and trying to get a GS job in the system there before trying to transfer elsewhere.

ELSEWHERE?  Where the heck is ELSEWHERE?  

I love my county and had it all planned that this is where my kids should grow up.  The Army doesn't seem to have much care for "your" plans, huh?

OKAY, enough complaining.  I got things to do.  My time is SHORT!  I have to at least try to get this place clean.  It's gotta go on the market real soon... yet another reason to not be happy. 

6 Months In, 6 Months To Go!

Have you ever had to endure a deployment?

Have you ever had to watch your loved one, your spouse, backbone leave for places unknown while you sit with the kids crying, consoling their fears and answering their difficult questions.

When is Daddy coming back?

How long is a year?

What is war?

Have you ever stayed up for 3 nights just wondering where your soldier is, waiting on that call that says

Yes, I made it okay.

Can't talk long.

I love you. Have you ever realized just how precious those words really are?

And, though it couldn't have been shorter, you appreciated every breath that was taken into the phone?

Have you ever been so relieved just to hear someone's voice?

Have you ever missed the things you thought you'd never miss?

The disagreements, the nagging, the dirty clothes. AND WHY ARE THOSE BOOTS IN THE FLOOR?

Everyday got easier. The first nights were filled with tears. The first weeks were filled with loneliness. The first months were filled with obstacles. Everyday is filled with fear.

I have fought to stay busy because I heard that if you keep yourself busy, the days will fly by. I heard that if you find something that you like to do, the days would get easier. I heard that if you just keep moving, he will be home in no time.

Everyday is still a challenge. No matter how busy I make sure I am. No matter how many meetings I volunteer to attend. No matter how many after school activities I put the kids in. I am STILL never too busy to remember that my Soldier in Iraq.

We are halfway through deployment today. 6 months in. 6 months to go, but 6 months closer till the days he comes home.

Sick for Valentine's Day

Feeling pretty bad today. It started last night. I'm guessing that standing outside in 30 degree weather talking with my neighbor WITHOUT a jacket was not the best of ideas. I'd be lucky not to have pneumonia!

Miss Missy was quiet upset with me today for not making it to her Valentine's Party today. I slept until 12:07. She was suppose to be picked up at 12.

I seriously had to DRAG myself out of the bed to get her.

I even dozed off of a second or two in the car after I came back from dropping her off this morning.

Luckily I was smart enough to turn the car off because if I had actually fallen asleep with the car running and the garage door down, I woulda been a goner!

I had fallen asleep in the sweater I'd worn to drop her off. So really, the only thing I had to do was jump up and grab my purse!

And of course, there is no rest for the weary, as I had to go to a parent-teacher conference today for the STRAIGHT-A child turned TEST-FAILING child!

I was actually able to wake up enough to concentrate on what they were all saying. I can't blame it all on him as I haven't been great at making sure that he is studying and completing homework. I've never had to before. Up till now, the boy has been very self-sufficient and has pretty much taken care of himself. Suddenly, in fourth grade, things are harder and he's having trouble. I'm at a lost of how to handle this. This is NOT my child!

Okay, so it's off to a basketball game. All I really wanna do is GO TO SLEEP, but the coach said that they REALLY need CJ to be there this game because there are a few kids out sick and a lot of people are taking advantage of this super-long winter break and going out of town.

Did I mention that Winter break is from Friday till Tuesday? Darn Furloughs!

Anywho, I'm about to pop a couple of Day-Quil and return the calls that have been blowing up my cell today while I was on my death bed and go be the SuperMom I was meant to be, with NO ONE knowing of my woes!

****************************************************

Oh, I forgot to mention how wonderful the MWR is for putting together a little something for the spouse here at home. I got a letter in the mail the other day to come and pick up a special gift from my soldier today. They had a homemade one-of-a-kind card with a special note directly from Hubs. They also had balloons and Fudge. A fudge cupcake with my initial on it. I though that it was a wonderful guesture.

On top of that, Hubs sent a box Carol's Daughter! I love their stuff! He sent me a bottle of perfume for Christmas and it was a WONDERFUL scent. So this box had some bath stuff in it and I can't wait to (find the time to) try it. He also sent Miss Missy some Princess and the Frog Bubble Bath with she said she REALLY REALLY wanted! There should be no problem with getting her in the bath tonight!

There's also a box from VS. I'm assuming that's Victoria's Secret. That one he didn't say I could open yet. Like my birthday, I think he's making me wait until the actual day. That's okay. I'm just happy that I'm getting all of these great gifts'

Miss Missy: I know why daddy is sending us all of these gifts.

Me: Why is that, Mama?

Miss Missy: Because he really misses us.

Me: I think you're right, Miss Missy.

Gone went the gas!

Having a car that I don't drive in the garage still requires attention.

So that the battery doesn't die, I have turn this thing on every now and then. I do this every 2 weeks or so and let it run for a while. Last time I wasn't so careful and when Hubs got back from his year tour in Korea the battery was dead. Now, he claimed that this also caused the alternator to go out and that I caused him to have to spend a lot of money on the BMW just to get it back running when he came back.

Okay, so this time, I have vowed that I am going to TRY to remember to take better care of his beloved BMW and make sure that I start it and let it run.

That's what I did today.

When I got home from dropping Miss Missy off at school, I turned on the Bimmer. It was a bit hesitant, so perhaps it's been a little over a week this time.

I came in the house.

And there where the problem began. I FORGOT I turned it on!

Here it is, an hour until I need to go back to pick up Miss Missy and I go out in the garage to put something in the fridge out there and notice the dim lights on the front of the Bimmer.

Radio is still Blamin' it on the Alcohol, so the battery is certainly not dead.

When I turned it on, the gas light was on with 26 miles to empty. Needless to say, I won't be driving that car those 26 miles until I can find me a gas can!

Thank goodness I was smart enough not to leave the car running with the garage down or I woulda been TOAST from carbon dioxide poisoning!

My Goodness! Redeployment can not come fast enough!

Turkey Weekend

It was a great Thanksgiving. As usual me and my aunt did our thang in the kitchen. Her more than me. But I got this new macaroni and cheese recipe from a friend's sister and BOY! I FINALLY got my mac and cheese perfect!

See, I have beed trying to perfect my mac and cheese for a long time and I have tried to do it in many different wants using ideas from here and there. Well, my friend had a birthday dinner a few months back and I tasted her sisters' mac and cheese and MMMMMM!

Gosh I wish y'all could taste it! If I could, I'd send each and every one of my readers a bowlful. Problem with that is there would be a whole lotta SMACKED MAMAS out there and I don't wanna cause no confusion. So instead I'm just gonna let you see it.

So, though it's nice to be around family, for some reason I was so ready to get home. Okay, so I WAS in the most boring town in GA, but usually I could stay a week or so before I really want to leave. Okay so the city's biggest attraction is the Super Walmart. Y'all.... since I left 10 yrs. ago, they have widened a few roads and added a Ruby Tuesday, but there is NUTTIN to do there. I remember when I was young I use to have the ambition that I was gonna open up a skating rink so that the young folks could have something to do other than get in trouble and get pregnant. When I was older, someone actually tried but couldn't get it approved. It's one of those towns that wants to remain a small, dull, boring....

I had to go to thesaurus.com to come up with some more words to described my wretched hometown. There were a few good ones:

Bummer

Dull

Characterless

Uninteresting

Ho Hum

Lifeless

Moth-eaten (that's funny!)

stupid (no kidding, that's a synonym)

zero (as in ZERO chance I'd ever willingly go back home to live)

Okay, so maybe I'm being a little hard on the ol' hometown. Maybe I was just a bit salty because Hubs wasn't there to get on my nerves while I was cooking. Family gatherings are usually the times when he nags me until I POP and be ready to open up a can of WHOOP *** on him!

I MISS THAAAAAAT!

But the Ville still sucks and the fact that I only have one friend in my hometown has absolutely nothing to do with it.... nothing at all!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

He called... and I can breathe again.

The last few days have been something. The hardest part is the wait. Waiting for that first call from your soldier, knowing that they are okay but just wanting to hear his voice to verify that 'knowing'.

I spent the weekend inside. Not really expecting to hear from him right away, but still hoping.

I got a lot of calls from friends and family who really just wanted to find out if I was "okay". I know that they all meant well, but I wasn't ready to take any calls. I didn't want to hear the pity in their voices that they felt for poor Kay. I didn't want to hear "So how are you doing?" as if it is expected that because my husband has deployed I am going to fall apart at my seams.

As much as I do appreciate the fact that my people do care about me, it was hard for me to hear their voices showing sympathy for me and my family right now. When I did talk, I immediately took the conversation off of me, as I don't like being in the spot light. The kids are fine, the dog is barking the sky is blue. Anything other than talking about how I am feeling. I know how I'm feeling... it's none of your business... well just don't ask because I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to cry.

Am I okay?

My husband just left for Iraq. I'm lonely. I'm sad. But I'm going to be fine. I just wanted to take the time to myself... until I heard from him.


HE CALLED!


I was so relieved to finally hear from him. I know it hasn't been but a few days, but it felt like so much longer. It's like the world stopped spinning as I waited. And when he called, I felt like I could continue living.

AND it seems to be back to business as usual. The boys have their evaluations for the coming football season, PTO still has a hold on me, and OMG, HOW DID I BECOME AN FRG LEADER????

Hubs called and told me that apparently there was an immediate need for an FRG leader and the commander asked if I'd be interested. Did they realize that I have NO IDEA what an FRG leader does?? I haven't completely agreed, because I'm scared to say yes. For those of you that don't know what FRG is, it's the Family Readiness Group, usually dealing with deployed soldiers and their families. It's the barrier, to contact, the go-to point for spouses who are left behind. It's the group that plans all the functions, the people they call for answers, the shoulders to cry on.

It's the PTO of the Army!

I wanted something that was going to keep me busy and I guess it found me. We'll see how it goes. At this rate, I'm sure to get a volunteer of the year award from some doggone body!

*************************************************************

As for the school business, I have been so out of the loop with me being sick and preparing for this deployment. I've been missing out on the GOOD gossip!

Apparently my son's teacher is a lesbian and apparently she let transvestites in her class on open house.

I'm cracking up laughing here because I know her quite well and can almost guarantee that she is no lesbo. I mean, shucks! She's never once hit on me, so there is no WAY she's a lezbo! I mean, I'm pretty damn HOT! HAHAHAHAHHA!! Yes, I am just all that!! She's never once even brushed up against my boob.

(You know, if I did find out that she was in fact a lezbo, I'd be pretty offended........... I mean, I am hot...... right?)

So, anywho, what trips me out is that if in fact a parade of transvestites did come to open house, would a teacher really stop them from coming into their child's classroom? Some people are so dumb!

My response to the whole thing? "Now, Mrs B., why did you have those transvestites at Open House? You should have waited to invited them for Career Day!"

Part of being an Army Family.........

Coping with deployment is nothing like the other separations. It's a whole different ballgame.

I'm on an emotional high right now and the smallest things can make me tear up. The night he left, I was really quiet.

I was sick, and I'm sure he thought that was why I didn't talk much, but I figured that if I stayed quiet then I wouldn't cry. I knew I had to be strong for the kids' sake.

He'd already mentioned that maybe we shouldn't go to the departure ceremony and started giving reasons as to why we didn't need to be there. It was hot in the gym. The whole ceremony was only gonna last a few minutes.

I immediately cut him off.

There was NO WAY I was gonna miss seeing him off.

NOTHING was going to keep me from being there.

The Soldiers kissed these bears and gave them to their children. The bears are wearing handkerchiefs with the brigade patch.

He didn't want a bear (because he's too old) until I told him what it meant.

Last Hugs

FRG and PTO? Am I crazy?

Am I the only one who has kids that start back to school on Monday?

I haven't bought the kids so much as a SHIRT for school yet and I'm not sure when I will find the time. Not only do I have to help out at OPEN HOUSE, my husband's company FRG (Family Readiness Group) has a family day planned. I've also agreed to take a position on the FRG. I want to stay as busy as possible this year to kind of help ease the time as much as possible.

Tuesday was back to "work" for me, as PTO had to be present for the Teacher Breakfast that we host annually.

I was up...... uhh, well I had my alarm clock set for 7am. Do you know the last time I saw the 7am sunlight????

I pushed snooze a few times before getting up. Why would I do that knowing that the kids had to get ready, too? I don't know. Because I'm lazy like that. See, where Karen, out PTO Prez, messed up was telling me the right time that the dang on thing was suppose to start.

RULE #1: Give me an extra 30 minutes! Never give then the right time to arrive. I WON'T MAKE IT! I get that from my mom!

So, the tee shirts came in and they are ADORABLE!!!!

I was so worried about coming up with a school shirt that everyone would like and that would SELL! I think I did it! The teachers were PLEASED with my selection. Everyone was, maybe except for Karen, who was upset that I didn't run it all by her before presenting it to the principal. But, you know me! The HELL with her! She'd been out of town, I did the work, it turned out great. Didn't need her. I think Karen can be a bit a of control freak, and after a year of people whispering in my ear about that, I'm finally picking up on it.

It's funny, because, I'd heard about all the controversy that could be involved in PTO. But I was suckered into the position by my FAVE teacher and went in all jolly and cheerful. Just wanted to help, do my job and make a few people happy. For me, it was never about politics. I would have been fine without the VP title and done the same amount of volunteering. Most people choose not to join because you have these few cliquish folk who are "in power" and think they are OBAMA! Well, with us it really isn't like that. We all seem to get along great with PTO and with the staff and I enjoyed my first year.

This year, I'm hoping will come out the same. If I can get Karen to calm down, reliquish some of her power, allow others to take control of projects, things will be fine. If not, I may just be a PTO member next year (smile).

I'm not sure what I'm thinking taking on all these volunteer positions, but I have a feeling that there are many more out there that will be calling my name this year. Perhaps I need to trade them all in on a JOB! But I think this helps me WORK on that because I guarantee it will look good on a resume'!

Woes of the Army Child

My heart broke last night.

Sir-Talks-A-Lot came into the room where I was sitting at the computer.

His eyes were wide, sad... glassy.

Me: What did you do?

Sir-Talks-A-Lot: I didn't do nothing.

Me: Well what's wrong then?

Sir-Talks-A-Lot: It's just... I'm... Sad.

The cracking in his voice made it evident that there was about to be tear flowing.

Sir-Talks-A-Lot: I don't want daddy to go to leave.

I didn't know what to say as he layed his head in my lap and cried. There's still over a month. I'm not ready for this. When Hubs deployed to Korea, Sir-Talks-A-Lot was the one that I had to console for many nights. He's very sensative and very caring and he gets really broken up over a loss.

So I tried to console him and tell him that there is still plenty of time before his daddy has to leave and that he has to make sure that he spends as much time with him as possible until then.

He raised his head up and looked at me again, trying to wipe away the tears.

I don't want daddy to go to Iraq. What if he nevers comes back? I don't want to have to go to another funeral.

(My uncle died of sickle cell about 2 years ago and this was they kids' first experience with death)

What does a mother say when he heart is breaking realizing that her baby is afraid of losing his daddy in the war? What do you tell a 7 year old?

I assured him that his daddy would be fine. His daddy is privelidge to work in an office environment when he gets deploys he is going to be fine.

He had a lot of what-if questions after that.

What if the bad guys come?

What if they have to move to a different place?

What if he doesn't come back?

Questions that mom doesn't have the answer to right now. Questions that are lurking within me as well. Questions that are just not right for a child to have to worry about.

So as the time comes closer, I realize that we have to sit down and prepare the children. They have questions and fears that it seems that they have been scare to talk about.

I just hope I'm strong enough to answer them.



He left the room, seeming content as he went off to go play with his siblings.

He returned a few minutes later and said:

I'm just going to pray for daddy every night while he's gone that he come home safe.

I smiled. He's so sweet.

Me: That's the best thing that you can possible do, baby.

Doctor Office Drama (part 1)

Have you ever had a bad visit to your doctor's office?

A few years ago, I was taking my children and myself to the on-post Family Practice. If you are military, chances are you can relate when I say how terrible it is to have to go to this place. Well first off, the appointment line is horrible. You call, stay on hold for about 45 minutes and when someone finally does answer, they tell you that they don't have any appointments, maybe till next month and almost NEVER with your assigned health care provider. I never knew who our doctor was because I NEVER GOT TO SEE HIM/HER!

The other option was to call back after 1 and maybe there was a cancellation. HA! FAT CHANCE!

The wait time there was horrible. The worse thing for a mother is to have to sit in a waiting room with a 4 year old, a two year old and a baby, JUST WAITING. I use to have to pack lunches and snacks or be prepare eat in the cafeteria every visit. The cafeteria staff knew me by name and always came to help me with my load, by the way.

My final straw with this hospital was when a I was getting Boy 2's (Sir-Talks-A-Lot) 4 year old wellness check up done and the day had already gone far too long. The doctor checked him out and sent us to immunizations for those dreaded 4 year old shots. By this time, it was lunch time (we'd been there since 9) and most of the staff had gone to lunch. The wait was sooooo slow, the kids were irritable because they hadn't hadn't had lunch and well Miss Missy was 2. NUFF SAID! The "NEXT" numbers seemed to move so freakin' slow.

So finally after one heck of a long wait, we were called into the room for shots. The nurse looks at us and say, "Are you getting shots? Because I don't do shots on 4 year olds."

WHAT THE HECK DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T DO SHOTS ON FOUR YEAR OLDS? IS IT NOT YOUR JOB TO GIVE SHOTS? AREN'T YOU THE IMMUNIZATIONS NURSE? WHY DID I JUST SIT HERE IN THIS WAITING ROOM FOR OVER AN HOUR IF YOU DON'T GIVE SHOTS TO 4 YEAR OLD?

She must have saw the look on my face, but she didn't care. She continued with, "You're going to have to make an appointment with his doctor to get the shots done."

"The doctor sent me to immunization," is all I could muster up without yelling, crying or cussing this crazy chick out.

IF YOU CAN'T DEAL WITH FOUR YEAR OLDS, YOU NEED TO FIND A NEW JOB!

"Sorry, you're going to have to get an appointment with your doctor."

My eyeballs must have been FIRE RED as I stormed out of that office and went straight to Tricare to change my doctor. I wanted an off-post doctor and never have to go through the mess I dealt with with the military doctors again!

After signing the papers for a change, I immediately went to patient care and filed a complaint. The rep was shocked with the immunization nurse's "policy", called back down there and demanded I be taken care of ASAP and NOBODY had the right to decide which patients they wouldn't see.

Guess I showed her!

Got the boy's shots done by another nurse and have since been happy with our new OFF-POST physician.

Until Yesterday............

Deployment Approaching

It's all starting to seem real now.



When Chris first told me that he was going to Iraq, I just took a deep breath, said okay, and told myself that that time was a world away and that I'll deal with it when the time comes. That was probably back in February or something.



Now, August is approaching quickly and it's become more real to me.



It's June.

He won't be here much longer.

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This summer we have tons of plans, so it seems. I have my family reunion coming up in July and I have to get into some kinda shape because, as many of you know, family are your worst critics when is comes to weight gain. I can just hear my Grandma, now.



Ooh, Kay, you done gone and put on a few more pounds since the last time I saw you, ain't you? You ain't pregnant again, are you?



Okay, so you can't cuss out your grandmother without severe reprocussions, now can you? And, I'm not gonna even talk about the things that go through my head, but dare not to come out of my mouth when those old folks do what they do best, which is SPEAK THEIR MINDS.



I understand that the older you get the less you bite your tongue, but why does it seem that they just let things fly out their mouth without thinking that it might be hurtful or embarassing? Old people just don't care!



So anywho, my main reason for wanting to lose weight this month is not to be healthier and feel better, but so that I don't have to hear how chunky I'm getting from my "peeps".



I haven't been to a reunion in about 6 years and everytime I go I have to PRETEND I remember folks when I really have no idea who they are. Understand, I didn't grow up around my family. My dad was in the military and we were only in Michigan on short visits. The only people that I really was close to were my aunts, uncles and cousins. Immediate family, really. So all those distant people are a black to me.



So, it's hilarious to me when My great-aunt's second cousin's youngest daughter comes up to me and say, HEY GIRL! I use to change your pampers! Do you remember me?





UHHHH........ NO!



I'm looking forward to the reunion. This will be the first one that I take Hubs to. He was in Korea the last time I went. His family doesn't do reunions because for the most part they all live in the same area and see each other all the time.



It's in ATLANTA this year, we're hosting. It's gonna be a HOT one!



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Hubs called me a few days ago and asked me if I wanted to take a trip for a Marriage retreat to North Carolina. He didn't even get it out good and I was like YEAH!



Last year, we went on one of these retreats with the kids to Myrtle Beach. It was wonderful. The kids had a ball. We had a ball!



Okay, so it did make it all the more better that the military actually foot the bill for EVERYTHING.

The room.

The food.

The childcare during the morning classes.

Ahh, the life!



And they are gonna do it again. This time we are headed to N.C. to Great Wolf Lodge. From what I can tell, this play is gonna be even better than the Myrtle Beach trip. It's an indoor water park and the rooms are cool-like suites.

Okay, I'm excited. Can't wait to take a trillion pics.



The bittersweet part of it is that these are gonna be some of out last times that we spend together as a family for a year.

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Okay, so the kids know that dad is leaving soon. Runnin' Man, being the oldest, understands more so than the other two, I think.

SirTalks-A-Lot is my sensative child. I know that he is going to take it the hardest. When Hubs went to Korea about 3 years or so ago, he was the one that I had to console every night. He was the one that cried for his daddy to come home, he was the one who had an emotional break down at school when he knew I had to take his daddy back to the airport that afternoon.

I'm not sure that I'm ready for this again. I know that Runnin' Man is going to try to be as strong as any 9 year old can be. And I know that Miss Missy probably won't understand just how long a year is until daddy is gone for a few weeks. But Sir Talk-A-Lot, being the emotional one is going to be the one who makes me cry. I consider myself pretty strong, but this isn't going to be easy.

The deployments are really one of the hardest parts about being a military spouse. Becoming a single mom for a year makes us stronger, but still doesn't get easier with each deployment. This will be his first time going to "war", as he has been away for a year tour to Korea a few times. This is going to be the hardest.

But I know that he depends on me to be strong. And I will. You see, I am blessed to have a strong support system. I have my parents. I have my friends. And am blessed to have such wonderful neighbors who, during his last 1 year tour, looked out for me and took very good care of me while he was gone. I am blessed to know that I am not alone. Having a great support system hopefully with ease the pain of separation.

Having resilient, well-rounded children will hopefully make the single mom period a little less stressful!

Tell It Like It T-I-Z Tuesday

Okay, so if you read last Thursday's post then you know all about

Tell It Like It T-I-Z Tuesday.

I'll be talking about whatever is on my mind. The good, the bad and the ugly. It will give you Fabulous readers a chance to know where I stand on certain issues, be it politics, kids, other blogger's topics, or entertainment. What ever the case, I'll be voicing my opinion and telling it like it is!

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The Fabulous Life!



Surely that term had to be meant for the military spouse.



Our lives are like no other. We have the luxury of traveling all over the world, seeing new places like Germany, Italy and Japan. Can you imagine? Moving every three years or so to a new place or new country?



Sounds simply fabulous, doesn't it. Not every one gets to experience a new state, much less a new country. And here we are over there in Paris, France, snapping picture of ourselves in front of the Eiffel Tower with our big cheesy grins on our face, thinking "This is the life!"



Ahh, the military spouse. Moving again, are you? Packing up all your precious belonging to be shipped overseas at the risk of being broken, chipped or cracked or even LOST by those oh-so-careful packers that handle all your things as if they are your own.



Saying goodbye to yet another group of friends that you have become close to, another great set of playmates that your children are attached to, another neighbor that you considered a sister because she cried on your shoulder every time her husband boarded a plane to Iraq, as did you the same on hers.



Time to take little Tommy and Sarah out of school in the middle of the school year and watch them cry they're little hearts out as they say goodbye to the teachers and BFF's they made over the last three years.



Time to say goodbye to another job.



Time to say goodbye to that home you purchased, hoping to build your family memories in.



Isn't it great, Mrs. Military spouse, that you get to fly to another country and set up a new lifestyle for you and your family in an unfamiliar place. Be the new people in town, make friends all over again. Then, after just a few months of being in your new spot, it's time for you to be strong and grow a backbone, because you, honey, are about to become a single mom again!Hubby is about to deploy. Your family is miles away and you are on your own. With. the. kids.



Ahhhh, the Fabulous Life. Here is where it really comes in. Doing it all on your own with little to no help. You've only been there a few months and all your close friends and family were left back in the States.



So as you walk around struggling to balance your children, new job, household and the emotional stresses of Hubby's being away in a wars zone, keep your head up high. Walk proud with that $500 dollar knockoff Coach Bag, your sweetie brought you from his hardship tour to Korea, just two year ago. Even if it is filled with nothing but coupons!



Ahhhh the Fabulous Life of a Military Spouse!