Kansas

Talk about your crazy weekends! Last week, I made Eddy & Des a deal. If they'd bring my little Hunter-man down to see his grandma, I'd pay for their gas. See, it's just SO much easier on ME, if they come down here. All was going along as planned, until about 11:30 Friday afternoon, when Eddy called to say he had to be at work Sat. night at 11. Try as he might to convince me they would still drive down, it just didn't make good sense. So, when I got home that afternoon, and David saw how completely devastated I was, he suggested we drive up there for the weekend! Considering that he had to work from 7 to 3 a.m., we decided I would get everything packed, then go to bed around 8 or 9, sleep til 3:30, then I'd drive to Kansas while he slept. Frightening idea, I know. Turning me loose behind the wheel, driving 5 1/2 hours with no one to direct me except our trusty (not so) GPS. With my directional skills, I could end up in Texas or somewhere like that! Anyway, try as I might to go to sleep at such an ungodly hour, I could not. Then, at 11 David called. His new job & the people there are awesome. He'd mentioned we were driving to Kansas, and going to the deployment ceremony of Eddy's unit, and his boss told him to leave at 11. She said they weren't all that busy, and there was no sense in us being on the road at 3 am. So, he got home, we loaded up BOTH DOGS, our luggage, filled our coffee cups & headed out. I'm sure no one is going to believe this, but I have SO MUCH FUN on road trips with David. We always talk, listen to music, sing, laugh...it's just so much fun. It was even more fun when I talked him into trying one of those 5 hour energy shots! He kept saying, I'll never drink another one of those! When we got to the kids apartment, we talked for just a little bit, then went to bed. When we got up, we took the kids out to breakfast. Little note about ordering a country omelet in Kansas, they come with gravy poured all over your omelet & hash browns, we had to send it back 3 times, before the waitress figured out that we didn't want gravy on anything except for the biscuits!!! Then we all piled up in the kids Corolla (yes, that was tough), and we drove to Ft. Riley. Eddy drove us all around the base, we went to the lake there, then went to the PX. I bought coffee mugs that say Army Mom & Army Dad. Then, we went back to the apartment. We had all planned on going to the ceremony at 10 that night. So we ordered Chinese food to be delivered & just visited. Then at the last minute, we found out that Eddy had to be there at 10, but the ceremony didn't start until 4 a.m. There was no way me & David could've stayed up 2 nights in a row with such little sleep, so Eddy went alone, & we stayed with Dez & I played with Hunter & David watched TV. Eddy didn't get home until 6 am. I somehow ended up with Hunter in bed snuggling with me, and when Eddy came in to get him I woke up. Then went back to sleep until 9. Since Eddy had to go back in to work at 1, and he hadn't had much sleep, and David & I needed to get on the road, we decided to load up & head out. Eddy woke up & help us tote everything back up the stairs to the truck, we said our goodbyes & headed out. I was really sad to go, but - we had a good visit, I got to see Hunter, and the kids are coming up for Easter. Plus - I hate to say this, but it's just too much to pile all of us in their tiny apartment. 4 adults, 1 baby, 2 dogs & MASSIVE STAIRS. There's a reason we always try talk them into coming home!
Anyway, we decided to take the scenic route back. We never got on the interstate. And once again, we had so much fun! We ate at this really great cafe in Kansas, or Oklahoma, or somewhere, stopped by a lake & let the dogs play, bought power ball tickets in every state...and just enjoyed the drive. We didn't get home until almost 8:00, but oh well. All in all, it was an amazing weekend. One I won't forget for a long long time! me

My Heart

He is what makes my heart happy!

Crazy Days

I must start this off by saying that David's new job/work schedule is not fun for me! Now don't get me wrong. I am NOT complaining about his job, or the fact that he landed this awesome job. It is EXACTLY what we'd prayed for. Finding work in this economy is not easy for anyone. So I want to take that off the table completely. I AM NOT COMPLAINING! (But let me vent for a moment, please). This week his schedule is different. VERY different. Last week, he worked from 3:30 til 11:30. I went to work, came home at lunch, he brought me back to work, I got a ride home, he came home around midnight. Believe it or not, I was kinda lonely at home all by myself. I came home to an empty house-(unless you count 3 dogs), I didn't make dinner (no need to, it was just ME), I watched TV & then went to bed. This week, THIS WEEK, (so far anyway, it HAS only been one day) is different. David needs to sleep during the day. So I bring the truck to work, at lunch, I pick us up something, run home, eat lunch with my hubby, come back to work, leave at 4:30, then I get to spend a little time with him before he has to leave at 6:30. Sounds OK, right? WRONG. Yesterday when I got home, he needed me to cut his hair. Now in all fairness, he'd asked me to do it 15 times this past weekend, but, being the procrastinator that I am, I did not. So, when I walked in the door, my sweetie handed me a fresh cup of coffee & said, "let's just sit down & relax for a few minutes & have our coffee together, then you can cut my hair". So we did. And I did. And then I realized that my husband was probably STARVING because a single cheeseburger & small fries from Braum's 6 1/2 hours ago, wasn't gonna hold him for another eight or nine hours! So I commenced to making a quick dinner of tuna patties & some vegetables. In the midst of all that, BAM - or Chaos as I affectionately call him & should have officially named him, decided to create all kinds of havoc in the kitchen & living room. He stays under my feet at all times. He chews & bites & pulls on whatever shoes I'm wearing, my pants legs, you name it. He needed to go outside, but it was pouring down rain, and he seems to have some type of aversion to rain. To make a long story short, yesterday afternoon was crazy. I promised David while he was trying to scarf down his dinner that today, this afternoon, would not be so unorganized & hectic. Hmmmm...not so sure about that now.
David has a doctors appointment in Siloam Springs at 3:30 today. For those of you that don't know, waaaaay back in 1989 David had a horrible car accident. He lost sight completely in his left eye, and somehow, the way they stitched it up, his eyelashes in that eye grow inward. So, for the past 21 years, every day...EVERY SINGLE day, we have this routine where I hold the flashlight into a magnifying mirror & he pulls out all the lashes that are growing in. It's pretty painful for him, not to mention just a pain in the ass period. So we have an appointment today to see if they can laser his eyelid where his lashes won't grow in there. I am VERY excited about it for him. I hope it works out.
By the time we get done there today, and make it back home, it'll be time to hurry hurry hurry & rush, rush, rush to get around & get him off to work. So much for my promise of organized & peaceful, huh?
The GREAT side of yesterday was that Brittni came over last night. She brought all her laundry & ate dinner with me. Then we rented Couples Retreat & just hung out & talked and watched the movie. It was pretty funny. But mostly I enjoyed just spending that quality time with my baby girl. She has grown up so much since she moved out. She's such a beautiful young lady and we are so proud of her. She also seems to be in love, and thinks Jeremiah is "the one". David and I are working on accepting that. We have to trust her & her judgement. And if Brittni loves him, we've got to look past all our concerns, and see in him, what she sees in him. No one is good enough for her in our eyes. The poor guy doesn't stand a chance - huh? Anyway, David invited him to go fishing with him in the next couple of weeks. He's going to try spend some one on one time with him & get to know him a little better. Who knows, they may become best buddies - but - I'm not holding my breath! me

We DID go to the lake!

Yesterday around 11 we decided to take Bam & Boogie to the lake for a little fun in the sun & some desperately needed exercise. Beaver lake is down right now, but that didn't stop us. Boogie acted like she was a dock dog. I just loved the way David would throw the bumper & she'd launch off the dock after it. I got some good video, but of course, haven't downloaded it from my camera yet. Bam, he was another story. He just didn't seem to like the water very much yet. I know he's only 9 weeks old. And Boogie was a little intimidated by the water as well at that age, but I secretly hoped he'd dive right in. We'll have to work on that. This summer, it'll be easier because I can be in the water with him & call him out to me. That's what we did with Boogie last year & now she is a water maniac!
Afterwards we stopped by Brittni's for a few minutes. We haven't been to her apartment in forever. And when David suggested it, I couldn't resist an unannounced drop in to just check & make sure everything was okay over there. It was, of course, and now I feel much better.
We got home & ordered a pizza and then watched Nascar. Let me change that to, David watched Nascar while I napped. We pretty much lazed around for the rest of the day/evening.
David's hours at work change again today. This week he works from 7pm until 3am. Monday thru Friday. So, I quietly got up this morning, had my coffee & cigarette in the living room while I watched the news, I let Bam play for awhile, then got ready & snuck out. I'll grab us some lunch & take it home, then I'll bring the truck back, leave at 4:30 & get to spend an hour or so with him this afternoon before he has to leave for work. There won't be any waiting up for him this week though. I imagine he'll just be falling asleep about the time I have to get up for work! Speaking of waking up...I am losing my mind. I woke up at 6 on the dot this morning & couldn't go back to sleep. This is not like me at all! I can fall asleep on a dime. And I HATE HATE HATE having to wake up. But lately, my body is betraying me. They say the older you get, the less you sleep & the earlier you wake up. Hmmm....is this a sign? Hope not! me

What a BEAUTIFUL Day!

What a beautiful day it is outside! Hopefully we're gonna take advantage of it & go doing something outdoors.

Friday, I wasn't feeling very well, so I came home from work at noon. I stopped by Octavio's & got us lunch, then David & I watched a movie & snuggled before he had to go to work. Then I fell asleep & didn't do anything for the rest of the evening.

Yesterday was recuperation day for David (and me too). The Stanley Steamer guy showed up about 8, and he was here for 3 hours. And my $99 coupon was great, except that even though I work in sales, I have a hard time saying "no" to salespeople, so we went all out, had the scotch guard put down, had the carpets deodorized & even bought some spot remover, a pet hair rake & more of the deodorizer! So...$250 later, my carpet looks like new & smells even better. After I ran down to Sonic & got us some breakfast, we decided to catch up on our sleep. David has only been getting 3 or 4 hours each night. And my sleeps been so interrupted that we took a nap for most of the afternoon. Then I got up & fixed us something to eat. We watched a little TV & that was about all.

This morning I woke up at 6:30. I don't know what's going on with me, but suddenly, I can't sleep in like I used to. I know part of it is Bam. He's like an alarm clock. At 4:30 every morning he has to go out. Then I put him back in his kennel & he stays pretty quiet til about 6:15. By 6:30 I'm up, cuz I don't want him to wake David - he needs all the sleep he can get since he's working nights. So lately, after I take him out, I've been having my coffee & cigarettes in the living room, watching the morning news. Then I ran down to Harps & got some ham & eggs, and biscuits & orange juice & came home & fixed David a big breakfast. We talked about driving out to Brashears & seeing his Uncle Lynn, but he's on the phone with him right now, & he's in Texas, so we won't be doing that. We'll figure something out, I'm sure. Maybe we'll take Bam & Boogie to the lake. I just don't want to waste this last beautiful day of the weekend! me

Update BEFORE the Weekend

I can't believe it's almost the weekend again! And I am SO ready for it. David has had to work every night this week. It's a big change for him, sitting at a desk all night, working the phones & on a computer. But, I think he'll get the hang of it. I've never known him to set his mind on something & then not do it, or be able to do it. I'm just so proud of him for stepping outside his comfort zone & giving something totally different a try! And did I mention all the amazing benefits they have there? And vacation & sick time? Oh, and the pay is pretty darn good too! On his first night, Monday, I stayed up & waited for him to get home so he could tell me all about his first day. I made spaghetti & had it warming on the stove when he got home at midnight. We were both so tired. But we were having a minor catastrophe, Bam was sick. It started that morning & kept getting worse. About 1 a.m. David finally said, I'm afraid it may be parvo baby, what do you want to do? We didn't get much sleep at all that night. A couple hours each, cuz we took turns taking care of Bam. At 7:30 Tues. morning we called the vet & they had us rush him in. Imagine our relief to find out it was just a virus! (I called it the One Hundred Thirty Six Dollar Virus!). Anyway David took me on to work & came home & got some sleep. We did stop & get my new glasses. And they are going to take some getting used to let me tell you. I have 3 lines of vision, my vision w/out glasses, the glasses, then the bifocals. I found out yesterday morning that it makes me carsick if I try to drive with them on. I'm trying to wear them as much as I can though. Hopefully, I'll adjust quickly. Tuesday night....I came home & fell asleep on the love seat. I thought I'd turned to stone when David came home. It felt like my whole body was breaking when I got up. Last night....I didn't do much either, just watched American Idol, then went to bed. David told me yesterday at lunch that I could not stay up every night trying to wait on him. When I asked him why he said, for starters, you need your sleep so you can wake up & go to work. Then he said, secondly...you're a real B#*ch when I come & try wake you up! ha! So now, I'm trying to go on to bed around 10 or so. Then when he comes in, he changes clothes, takes the dogs out, gets something to eat, watches a little TV & unwinds, then goes to sleep. When I get up at 6, I take the dogs out, try to be as quiet as I can while I have my coffee & cigarette, & dress as quietly as possible. Then I put Bam back in his kennel, & sneak out while Bam proceeds to bark his head off! I wish I could stop that somehow, he settles down after about 5 minutes, but those 5 minutes are hell! I also miss our mornings together. We had a great routine. We'd have coffee together & talk & watch the news for 1/2 an hour or so each morning before I got ready for work. I didn't realize how much I'd come to look forward to, and love that time of day with my husband.
Today....was a pretty good day. It was the cut off for our next paycheck, and I'm already at 39! So I hit bonuses at 25,30 & 35...and I've got one more to go! Hopefully, they'll come up with some more for 45,50, 55 & so on for me. I'm way ahead of everyone else, and just really thankful that my company has these contests & gives us the opportunity to make some extra money as often as they do!
Since I had 7 for the week, I got to go home at 3, and Terri brought me home. I made up my mind that tonite was THE night to get the house cleaned & spotless. And I did! And it is! And David is going to be so surprised when he gets home tonite. He's got to work tomorrow night, then he's off Sat & Sun, so we'll get to spend the weekend together. And other than the Stanley Steamer appointment we have Sat morning to get the carpets cleaned, we've got the whole weekend to relax & do whatever we want! I can't wait.
One more thing before I close....Brittni got the job at Toyota! I KNEW she would! Again, God is so good to my family. Congratulations Pudge! We're so proud of you!
me

The Weekend & Kids Visit...Is over!

My how the time flies. The kids left on Sunday morning. They invited us to go out to breakfast with them & Des' mom Kim. As much as we would have loved to go, I had to step back & realize that Kim gets so little time with them compared to us, and I know if I was in her shoes, I'd be a bit upset if I had to share them on the rare times they get together. So we graciously declined. When they all left, I had a little mini-breakdown. (I usually do, but this was worse than normal). I think it's just knowing that could have been the last time Eddy stayed at the house before he leaves for Iraq. I think it was knowing that was for sure the last time he got 2+ weeks at home before he goes to Iraq. It was the last time I got to see him & Hunter all cuddled up on my couch. Crap....I'll stop now. This isn't what this post is supposed to be about. David, as usual was my hero, he convinced me just to cuddle up next to him & relax for a while, while he told me it'd all be okay. Next thing I knew, I was waking up feeling 100% better from my little power nap. Sunday afternoon we went on our little shopping spree for David. Remember, it's business casual at Transplace. We started at Kohl's. They had a ton of stuff on clearance & we took advantage of it. Plus, my friend Sherry works there & she gave us a killer discount at the register! Then we went to Gordman's - not much of a selection, but we did end up buying a pair of slacks. Next, we made the mistake of going to Dillards....don't worry, we walked right out of there. Evidently, they don't have sales or clearance racks there. Finally, we finished up at Penney's. We've just about decided that's the place to be for Big & Tall selection, not to mention, they have a fat girls section just for me! I bought a few shirts for myself too! CUTE! Anyway, we came home & together we took all the tags off everything & hung all his new work clothes up in one of our spare bedrooms. I have all his work stuff in there now, so it'll be easy & convenient for him to get ready every afternoon while I'm still at work. This will be brand new for us, this new schedule. For the first week, he goes in from 3:30 til 11:30. So the plan is, I take the truck to work, come home at lunch, he takes me back & goes to work. Then I get a ride home from Amy, Leann or Sherry every day. I guess I'll have to get used to him not being there when I get home, or go to bed. In my head....I'll have all the time in the world to keep the laundry done, house spotless, have a nice cooked meal on the stove, well, you get the picture. Now, let's just see if it works out that way! me