The other side of small towns

In a previous post I had written about how difficult it has been for me living in such a small town. I just want to say that there is plenty of good things about small towns as well as the bad. Granted, that is with any town you live in.

Yesterday I took my daughter to a birthday party for one of her best friends. This girl has lived here all her life and has many friends. It was great to see the sweetness a small town has. The people were very friendly and welcoming. They talked to me like we had always been hanging out together. It was so different from previous engagements I had been to. 

 At this party everyone was friendly and so inviting. It is the other side of small town USA when you are just with the everyday people who work hard and want good things for everybody.None of the women were busy gossiping . They made us feel welcome and that we didn't need to prove anything. Nobody treated us like we didn't belong because we didn't grow up there. It was great to see her friend with all her family. I know my daughter is envious about that. Her aunt, uncles and grandparents were all there. That is not something you typically see at a military child's birthday. 

My daughters friend is a cowgirl so she got to learn roping. She was sitting there watching her friend with her uncles and dad roping a make shift steer. They noticed she might have an interest and asked her if she wanted to learn.She was so thrilled to learn how to rope. They were teaching her as if she were a part of their family. The big smile that was on her face was priceless. After we left the party we went straight to the store so she could have her own rope. She went in our backyard and right away started practicing roping with it.

So I might have a little cowgirl on my hands.

My first breakdown

Today I had my first breakdown.

It was a compilation of several things that finally caused it.

1. My "H" key is missing from my laptop. VERY annoying!! Driving me crazy when I am trying to type.
2. One of my bathrooms upstairs started flooding. My son said he was taking care of it but I did not check if he turned the water off. I am downstairs doing laundry when I notice water on the floor.  :-( Not good. Then it starts dripping from the vent fan in the downstairs bathroom.  I go crazy and can't believe this is happening. I know I need to sell this house and I really can't afford and don't want to deal with any water damage.
3. This causes me to start thinking about all I need to do to get this house sold.
4. Hubby usually calls around the same time every day. During the week the kids don't get to talk to him much because of school. So today it was important to me that the kids get to video call him. I waited and waited for that call. Made sure I had the computer volume up so I could hear it ring. Made sure I stayed downstairs near the computer. Finally, an hour and a half after the time he usually calls I gave up.  If he called it was going to ave to be another regular phone call. So, I go upstairs to inform the kids
5. My son has a choir performance in 3 days. He has been asking for a fancy hat to wear for his performance. After the bathroom and waiting for hubby instance I am ready to leave and run errands. I tell him we are going to get him his at when he tells me "Oh, well I don't really need a hat. It's no big deal." WHAT!!!!!  You have been bugging me about this hat and now you are telling me its no big deal. When he saw my jaw drop and the look on my face he knew the next several minutes were not going to be good.

That was it. My son told me about the hat and I just broke. The tears started streaming and they wouldn't stop. My son was very sweet and starting caring for me. I just started blubbering about all kinds of stuff. Everything that I had been thinking about and all the stuff I need to accomplish. I finally went to my room and closed the door so I could get a hold of myself.

I know that probably won't be the last breakdown but hopefully there won't be too many more.

Digital Scrapbooking

Well I have decided to change from traditional scrapbooks to all digital. I have been checking out the digital scrapbook stuff for a while but never really made the change. I finally purchased Photo shop Elements 8 and am on my way. Now I just need to have a big scrapbook sale to get rid of tons of stuff I have.

My biggest excitement about digital scrapbooking is the amount of space I need now is just so small. I no longer need a room or large area to put all my stuff. I can also scrapbook while we are in between bases and moving. Plus, I love the quick pages you can get. My software came with a tutorial CD so I have been busy with that learning all the great things that  Photo Shop has.

If you digital scrapbook -please pass along any tips or tricks you have that could help me.  :-)

Alcohol in the war zone? I don't agree

The big debate right now is whether there should be alcohol available to the troops in the war zone. Right now they are not allowed alcohol except during the Super Bowl they could have 2 drinks. 

The positives that people are saying is that it provides the troops a way to relax after a hard days work. 

So, there is no other way these people can relax except for getting a beer?

I understand that most people (hopefully) are not crazy drinkers but that is not everyone. I think they can come up with better ways to help the troops relax rather than alcohol. How about allowing more talk time to family members? Right now troops are only allowed to call home twice a week for 15 minutes each. That is hardly enough time especially when you have children.

Capt. Mark Moretti, a company commander, said  in the Air Force Times, "I think we all love beer, but there's a time and a place for it-and it's not here."

I could not agree more with this statement. Yes, I am a housewife at home and not a beer drinker but I can still have my opinion. In the Air Force Times it also stated that: alcohol is a significant contributing factor in many, if not most, disciplinary problems facing the military.

If you did bring alcohol to the war zone who is going to ensure that it is controlled? How could you control it? I foresee many military members getting carried away and then causing problems, fights, rape and so on. What about the military members who are drinking and then there is a need for the members to quickly return to duty? Do they just say they have been drinking and are excused from their shift? Are they going start making bars so they can hang out while they drink?

I really think that it is great to have comforts of home but you can't provide all the comforts. Military members can't expect to go over to a war zone and just live freely like its another day. You have to be on top guard and aware of whats going on. Providing alcohol would not only make our troops more relaxed but would show a weakness to our counterparts who could possibly use that. Alcohol helps people relax but too much alcohol slows reaction time and impairs judgment. That is not a good thing with loaded weapons.

I'm not a good goody who has never had a drink. I'm not saying ban all alcohol worldwide. I'm just saying that I don't think it should be allowed in the war zone.

Well, I am off to get some things done. Have a fabulous day!!  ;-)

Dead Air

                  Gotta love the overseas phone calls. You never know when your conversation is going to be over and your talking to dead air.  It's always great when I am just chatting along and getting so much information to him when I realize he might be too quiet. That's when I realize the Dead Air. It has been just me and the air talking for who knows how long. Then my phone rings and its him. I am afraid to ask him what is the last thing he heard me say. Of course it was like 20 sentences ago. So much for all that information that I was going to tell him. Guess I will write an email but hopefully I don't forget everything.  LOL

            Yesterday we had that happen about 3 times. It was such a frustrating call day. He couldn't get his Skype to work so we were solely relying on the Magic Jack. We tried for about 20 minutes and finally got his Skype to work. Skype is so great because we can clearly hear every word we say rather than skipping every 3 or 4th word on Magic Jack.Another fun thing about Skype is that we can play online games against each other. We have been playing backgammon. Or I should say, he has been playing and I have been watching. LOL  I am learning the game so he can have a little competition. It is quite an addicting game. I downloaded an App on my iPod so I could practice. He still beats my butt.  So I shall be practicing more today and see how I do when he calls.

Have a GREAT day!!

So this is Spring????

Well, Kansas weather strikes again. Here we are on Spring Break and it is snowing.

It was a beautiful 60 degrees and sunny yesterday. I was so excited to think we are going to get some constant sun and then I hear the weather outlook. I thought for sure the weatherman would be wrong. How was it going to be 60 degrees one hour and then snowing 5 hours later. 

Oh well. Guess we will stay in today and keep busy.

Support this fallen soldiers family

I just read terribly of a young woman who has lost her husband while deployed in Iraq. Please pray for her and their family. Here is her blog:

A little Pink in a world of Camo

I just cannot imagine having to go through what she is going through. It is all military spouses worst nightmare.

R.I.P
Cpl Jonathan Daniel Porto
March 14,010

Bowling and Siblings

Now that I changed the Blog name I am having it redesigned and have a new blog address. I am so excited to have a whole new look. It should be done soon but just not sure when.

Yesterday the kids and I went bowling with some friends. I needed to get us out of the house! With no sun out it is hard to get motivated to want to do anything. We had a great time bowling. The kids are finally at the age where they don't complain about not being the best bowler and beating mom and dad. We have a pretty competitive family and that can make for some not so fun play time. I always tell the kids just to have fun and try to beat your own score not mine. (my daughter beat me on the last game) My son just had to start betting me quarters that he would beat me in frame scores. LOL He lost $1.75 before he stopped. It was great to have him laughing and socializing with us. He is a teen you know so that means we are way uncool.

I have noticed that after our trip to NJ him and his sister seem to get along a lot better. Not sure if it is because dad is gone and he feels he needs to step up being a big brother or just the time that we were away it took them out of there everyday element. They have been spending more time together and doing lots of laughing. I make a point not to mention how great they are doing together because I know that will instantly end that. Hopefully it lasts a while because I enjoy it. Not to say that my teen doesn't still have his grumpy moments and alternating moods- that hasn't changed.

Mom's Birthday and St. Patty's

Today is my Mom's birthday!!  It's nothing new to say that mom's are great- everyone hears that, but my mom is so special. My life is kind of a crazy ride and she is there to slow it down and keep my feet on the ground. I am able to call her at anytime and vent, cry, smile or whatever else I am going through at that moment. She always makes a point to come visit us wherever we are stationed. We have so many great memories of all the places we have been. 

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

LOVE YOU


Hope you all  have a fabulous St. Patrick's Day. Don't pinch to much

Frustrating Phone Calls

Well, hubby has made it to his destination and is settling down. We purchased him a magic jack before he left so he could call us anytime through his computer. It has been working great- until he made it to Iraq. It still works and I am thankful but it is so hard to have a conversation with someone when every 3 words gets cut out of the conversation. LOL  It is quite a comical situation to hear my kids trying to talk to him because you have to repeat yourself so many times and you keep saying "what did you say".  

Internet service is not free so we are currently paying $100 a month for him to be able to chat with us. The base does offer 2 free 15 minute calls per week. But with 2 kids and me the 15 minutes would not be enough, especially with the pauses and repeating.  LOL  The internet service can get as high as $190 a month!!!  So crazy but you can't put a price tag on being able to chat with him. He can conveniently call us from his room and at anytime.  this is good!

I am so thankful for the technology we have nowadays so he can conveniently call me. I know before the wives didn't hear from there husbands for months. They only had written letters they could send and receive. No phone calls or instant messaging. I can't imagine how much stress that added to a wife's life just waiting to hear from her love. Not knowing if as she read the letters he was alive or not.

So, I will pay the internet service with a happy heart!!   :-)

Toodles,

    

~Cheryl~

 

St Patty's and sleepovers

One great thing about military bases is they usually have some good support groups available. Our base has a monthly gatherings for families with deployed members. So- today we are going to be on the base float for the St. Patricks parade. This morning we need to get some green dress up and head to the parade. The base is also treating us to lunch afterwards. I look forward to these events hoping to chat with other spouses going through the same thing.  It's also nice to have a busy schedule for the kids, this way they are not bored and driving me crazy. LOL

My son had a sleepover at a friends house the other day. So my daughter and I had some fun girl time. I picked up my son around 130pm. H elooked very tired!! So we headed home and I told him I had to run to the base for a bit. He obviously didn't get much sleep so I thought maybe a nap would be good for him. Well, good golly, he didn't get up until 6am the next day. We couldn't believe how long he was sleeping. I kept checking on him and trying to wake him but to no avail. So my daughter and I ended up having an all day girl time. It was very nice. Talking to him this morning I informed him that spending the night there cost him 1 whole day afterwards. So crazy. Hopefully he learned that sleeping on a schedule is a good thing. Although- I must admit- I did this many times myself. BUT, I was not 13!!!

Goodbyes part 2

We just got back from visiting NYC and New Jersey. What fun we had.  There is so much to see there and I am really bummed we didn't have more time.

 Hubby was finishing up his combat training and then he would be off to overseas. They did not allow him time when he was done with training to come home so I thought it would make a great trip for the kids and I. He had been gone for 5 weeks already so this would be a sweet treat.

The hard thing about the visit is that we already said our goodbyes and now we know that they are going to come again. The kids and I were in our "no dad" routine and were emotionally starting to grasp the deployment when we had to start all over. It was harder this time to say goodbye because of course I knew there would be no visits after this point. The deployment didn't really seem real before because we knew we would see him in 5 weeks so now the reality has set in.

Although it was terribly hard to say goodbye I am so thankful that we went. What a great time we were able to have with him before his departure. The kids have great memories to carry them through the next several months. We were taken out of our everyday element which provided them the ability to come home and not connect home with a deployment. Not sure if that makes sense but it did seem to really help that we weren't at home saying goodbye. Once we got on the plane and got home we started our "no dad"  routine again.

I haven't had my pitty party yet.  LOL  I thought I would break down the day we returned but I just didn't want to yet. I guess I was scared what a cry fest would bring upon.

Were back

We are back from our trip and I am physically exhausted and emotionally drained!! Had a great time but of course it seemed to go by so fast.

I picked up both our dogs and were very proud of them. Our little one- Cassie- stayed with a friend. She's just a small 3lb Yorkie. She was a good girl and did very well with there 3 other animals. My biggest relief came from our big dog- Copper- he is 82lb's. He stayed at a dog kennel and met some new friends. He played nice and got along with everyone. I was terribly worried about him because he isn't around a lot of people or other animals so I wasn't so sure. I did make sure to take him over there several days before dropping him off to familiarize him. He seemed very happy when we picked him up and got a grade "A" from the staff.

Well, I am off to relax for the evening before we get back on all our schedules. Will post more tomorrow.

Nighty-night!   :-)

~Cheryl~

Sunshine

 I am very excited!!  Tomorrow the kids and I get to go on a short trip and see hubby before he heads over to Iraq.   It is such a great feeling when you love someone so much. I am so thankful for our wonderful marriage and the life we have built together. Even though he will be away for 7 more months I know that we can make it through. I always tell him that it would be so much easier if I didn't love him so much. LOL 

So today is filled with packing, laundry and the before trip chaos. Of course I am on a good high today but I know when we say our goodbyes (again) in a few days that I will be a Debby Downer!  I will have my pitty party with a glass of wine and then it will be time to move forward and be strong. It's always easier said than done but at least I am trying to get in the mindset of what is to come.  

The sun is shining and even though it is very cold I can still feel the slight warmth the sun is bringing. I absolutely love the sunshine and bright days! I feel like I can do so much more today than recent days. So- here's to sunshine   :-) 

Quotable Quotes

"A true soldier doesn't fight because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what's behind him."

GK Chesterton 

I read that quote yesterday and it really stuck to me so I wanted to share it.