The Weekend is ALMOST Here!

Guess what? It's Friday! Yeah! Tomorrow morning we are going to wake up & head to the horse races. David is working security there. I can't wait. Don't know what I'm gonna do there, not sure how to "bet" on a horse, but I've never been to a horse race so I'm expecting it to be lots of fun! It's always great to see our friends Alex & Yolanda. We just don't get to spend as much time with them as we'd like to. Then of course tomorrow night all the little ghosts & goblins will (hopefully) come out of the woodwork & ring my doorbell & yell Trick or Treat! This is the one time each year that I really REALLY wish I had a glass storm door, or at least glass window panes on our front door. I get so excited when the doorbell rings & so flustered, I don't pay enough attention to the cute little ones in their costumes. Then it's all over, and in my mind it's just a blur. That's the first thing I said & thought about when we moved to a subdivision (or house orchard as David likes to call it)-I'll finally have trick or treaters! When we lived in Prairie Grove we lived waaay out in the country, same thing when we lived in Missouri. We still don't have very many, but I'm hoping this year we'll have more. Now next year, NEXT year, I'll have a little grand baby. And if Hunter & his mommy & daddy still live in Fort Riley, KS, you can better believe me & David will be Trick or Treating THEM up there! Ha! But, a lot can happen in 12 months time, so we'll just have to wait & see. Happy Halloween! me

God is So GOOD!

Today when I came into work I was sitting at a zero for the week. Those of you that know me, also know that is not LIKE me. I prayed on my way to work this morning (I always pray when I'm driving). I thanked God for all my blessings, the ones that are obvious, and the ones that aren't. God knows our needs. And I put my fate in His hands & said, You know what we need Lord. Not what we just "want" but what we NEED. It's up to you. I'll do my part, but in the end, WHATEVER LORD. I trust you.


It's the cut off for the next paycheck.

By 2:45, right down to the last seconds....I ended up with 4!

Thank you Jesus!

me.

The Baby is Moving - to Kansas.....

I have avoided sitting down & actually blogging about this little piece of information for two VERY good reasons. Reason #1: We just found out 3 days ago. Reason #2: It is most definitely BREAKING MY HEART! (Well! I'm glad I got that out of my system!) I am a planner. Not really, but I like to think I am anyway. The original PLAN was as follows: Eddy graduates from AIT in Ft. Eustis, VA. He was supposed to get a 10 or 20 day leave. He would come home. Then he was to report to Ft. Riley in Kansas. He would live on base, Des would continue living with us & either go visit him up there on the weekends, or he'd come down here for the weekends. (Keep in mind, this put MY house as the central location). Des would stay here until a couple of weeks after Hunter was born. She could keep her doctor, quit her job if it became too hard for her, and have the baby right here in NWA. THAT was the plan. In my head, I pictured her going into labor, us calling Eddy telling him to get down here now, THE BABY IS COMING...us doing that crazy furious drive to the hospital in the middle of the night, you can envision my thoughts, I'm sure. Now - I have to reorganize those thoughts. Now the picture in my head is this: Des moves to Ft. Riley. She is ALL alone, (during the day at least) because Eddy is working. Des is not working, because she can't find a job because she is 7+ months pregnant & no one will hire her. She doesn't know anyone there except for Eddy, because they will not be living on base. And since they're not living on base, they/she cannot cultivate those friendships like they show on Army Wives. Let's switch states now, moving back here to Arkansas. It's 3 in the morning. I'm cuddled up beside David, (probably dreaming about the baby coming, or something crazy like work & contracts) and the phone rings, and it's Eddy...and he says "THE BABY IS COMING-YOU NEED TO GET HERE NOW!" Have I mentioned yet that it is a FIVE HOUR DRIVE to Ft. Riley Kansas? I think I'm going to need to have a bag packed & ready to go. I should do that soon, like the night that they move. Oh, and I need to figure out what to do with Boogie. And how were going to handle that at 3 o'clock in the morning. And money, did I mention money? Because it's going to take money to drive to Kansas. And buy baby presents. And food. And coffee. And a hotel. Or maybe not a hotel. Maybe we can stay at Eddy & Des's house. And sleep on the floor. I should probably bring pillows & blankets. And food. Dear Lord. Look where I'm going. See what I'm doing. Maybe I have OCD. Or ADHD. Or some chemical imbalance in my brain that makes thoughts shoot off in all sorts of different directions, like a tree, a family tree. Like the one I'm helping David work on. See! There it is again...my thoughts are going crazy!!! Back to the kids. In all honesty I totally understand where they're coming from & why they're doing this. If - God forbid - Eddy gets deployed (to oh, I don't know, AFGHANISTAN), right after the baby is born, they'll regret not spending this time they could have spent together now. I know if I had to choose between living with David, or living with my mother & father in-law, I'd choose living with my husband. Especially if I was pregnant. But - I'd choose being & living with him over any one else in the entire world. (Not to mention the uncertainty that's there about how long they actually have before he gets deployed-his sergeant said it's not IF he gets deployed, it's WHEN). In the bible it says something about when you get married, you leave your parents & join your husband/wife & become ONE. (There's also something that uses the word "cleave" I just can't remember it exactly) I just don't know if it has any advice or rules for me (as the parent that's being left), on how to cope with it all! The point is, even though I can rationalize all of this in my head, and make it make sense in my head, my HEART is not listening very well. And I KNOW what to do, GIVE IT TO GOD! One of my favorite sayings is "GOD is in charge of this mess!" And he is. And He knows our heart, and our needs, and only HE can help us. Any of us. Eddy, Des, Hunter, David, Brittni, even (or especially) ME. So again, I find myself on my knees asking for His grace. And the peace that passes understanding. And then, if only for a moment, I feel a little better - just a little! me

Haunted Houses & Deer

Happy Monday! Yes we survived another weekend. And this past one was more eventful than usual, so I've actually got stuff to share today. Saturday morning - Nope - didn't get to sleep in. (Why is it that I talk about sleeping ALL the time?). We woke up at 6am, I fixed breakfast, then David convinced me that we just had to sign up to Ancestry.com. And we did. And for the next 8 or more hours, we researched his family tree. He's trying to get his brother Jeff involved in this too. So we invited them up for dinner Saturday night. After dinner, out of the blue, David suggested that we all pile up & go to the haunted house that's by my office. So the six of us all hopped into Diane's trusty mini-van & it was off to Bella Vista to visit the ghosts. I don't know if I mentioned that my niece & nephew are VERY young. And I was worried that this would be waay to scary for them (and me) I am NOT a fan of haunted houses. I like the IDEA of going, but I don't actually like to be scared at all. The line was unbelievable. And - it cost $12 per person. But - we were all determined to wait. And it was worth it. The bus ride alone was awesome. They have you load up on a bus & there's a big screen TV in the back, they show parts of Jeepers Creepers & sling you around in the bus. It was pretty cool. The haunted house part was too, the part I actually saw. I kept my eyes closed as much as I could. David promised that if I'd just go, he'd hold on to me the whole time. He L.I.E.D.!!! For started, there was only enough room to go through single file. And he had Thomas in front of him, leading the way. I held on to his belt loop when I could, but man-I was kinda freaked out. When it was all said & done, yes I was glad I braved it & could say that I went. Then, on the way home we were on Central St. & a deep jumped right out in front of us! I screamed "Deer" but it was too late. We hit it. Poor Diane was really upset, but David just hollered, pull over, back up, pull over. So we did & he drug it out of the road & we went home & him & Jeff went back & picked it up. I made a call to the police dept. to see what we needed to do, they had me call Arkansas Game & Fish to report it (at 2 in the morning!) and they said it was fine for the boys to keep it & clean it. Needless to say, Jeff & Diane & kids spent the night. We didn't go to bed until 5 a.m. We were all so tired, we didn't get up until after 9. But - when we did get up Jeff & I fixed biscuits & gravy, scrambled eggs & fresh fried venison back strap! Then David did his best to fix the van enough so that they could at least drive it home. All in all it was a pretty good weekend. And so far, no nightmares from the haunted house! Maybe I'm not as big of a baby as everyone thought! me

Hunting Indians & Loving Fall Weather

Friday is here again - yeah. And fall is definitely in the air. I love love love the fall colors, trees, the way it feels outside, yep, fall is for sure my favorite time of year. Until next season, and then WINTER will be my favorite, then spring, you get the picture. But today - TODAY it is cold, there's a rainy-drizzly kind of stuff falling, the trees are BEAUTIFUL, and the work week is almost over! Hallelujah! I haven't blogged this week because at home in the evening's we've been busy. David is trying to track down his people. Like how/where/when they came to America. Since he's not working, I've told you he's bored stiff. So he got the idea to start tracing his history. And boy have we been surprised by some things. Like for example: All his life he's been told he is Indian. That his dad's mom was full blood, which makes his dad 1/2, which makes him 1/4 ...which in turn, would make Eddy & Brittni 1/8! (Is that right? I'm not sure if I really know how to figure this Indian thing, but it made sense to me). Anyway, he's gone back - waaay back. To like Scotland, Ireland & Germany. Guess what? NO INDIAN! The internet is an amazing tool, isn't it? His dad is NOT very happy that all the stories he's told & been told in his life about his great grandpa being a big Indian chief isn't panning out. But - fear not. He's/we are not done yet. We are NOT giving up searching for Indians & such deeper in the family tree. Only God knows what we'll find out next. I'll keep ya posted. But for now, I guess I have a phone call or two to make. My kids think they're Indian too! HA! me

To blog, or not to blog...

That is the question I keep asking myself. Again, it seems like I should have oh so much to say, but alas, I do not. I normally do a "recap" of our weekend on Monday, but with a sick puppy at home, there was not much to recap. We basically stayed at home & watched Boogie to make sure she didn't try to jump up on anything or tear out her stitches. Saturday morning, David had breakfast with Mr. Dick & Joe to discuss their new business "ARS" which stands for: Alternators, Radiators & Starters! Cute huh? Mostly, they discussed how they wouldn't be opening until sometime after November 1st. (Hello, Duck season starts 11/22/09 & he/we plan to spend at least 10 days down in Stuttgart). And yes, the vet said Boogie will be 100% by then & ready to hunt for the very first time. They also discussed a trip to Arizona (I think) to pick up some equipment. I know SO little about what's actually going on. In the meantime, poor David is bored to death! I went home for lunch & he'd fixed us hot dogs, so I had lunch with him & after hearing him say "I'm so bored" for the 20th time, I took him to the laundry room & taught him how to use the mysterious washer & dryer. (We'll see how that goes, we've been married 22 years, he doesn't do laundry-so far anyway). I feel sorry for him being laid off & at home ALL the time, it just HAS to get old. On a much more positive note: Hunter Lee is growing SO much inside his mommy's tummy. We're trying to get a baby shower planned for Des on November 14. So much to do with the holidays, a baby & everything else coming up. But somehow, we'll manage to get it all done, the important parts at least. We always do! me

She's NOT "Just A Dog"

While we were at the emergency animal hospital last night, David found this poem framed on the wall of the waiting area. He asked me to see if the receptionist would make him a copy of it. She did, and since it touched his heart & hit so close to home, and because we'd heard the phrase "she's just a dog" several times today, I wanted to put in on my blog. Here goes:

"Just a Dog"

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or "that's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog." Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog", but I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog" and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day. If you too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phrases like "just a friend," just a sunrise," or "just a promise." "Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. "Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a man." So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog", just smile, because they don't understand.