Before you read this post let me say that I am not a stalker and I hope that I don't sound crazy. My brain knows that my hubby isn't here and that he won't be back anytime soon and that when he does I will surely know he is coming. However, that doesn't seem to stop the other side of my brain from looking for him.
Living on an army post I see people in uniform walking around all day long past my house and nearly everywhere I go. It took awhile to get used to but by now should not be surprising. However since my hubby left I have found myself looking to see if any of the uniformed soldiers walking by might be him.
Soldiers all look similar when in uniform and I guess part of me keeps hoping that the soldier walking down the street will be my hubby and that he will be walking through our front door any minute instead of some stranger merely walking by on his way somewhere else. On occasion I have also run into soldiers who at a quick glance look very much like my hubby and I find my heart racing as I take a second look only to realize that it isn't him at all and that upon a closer look, the soldier standing there doesn't look like Hubby at all. What was I thinking? Why is my brain playing tricks on me?
Like I said I KNOW that he isn't here and he knows that I hate surprises so I know that I will know when he is coming home. But I can't help looking for him. Am I crazy?
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Happy Birthday
Yesterday was my 25th birthday. I have to admit, I was a little (ok more than a little) disappointed that I would be spending it sans hubby. Thanks to the military this is the third year, in a row, that I have had to celebtrate my birthday without him. I know this probably sounds petty and I know that HE has to spend his birthday without me this year too...but I can't help how I feel. Originally I had planned to go out with several girlfriends for a night on the town but slowly one by one they all canceled due to other army related issues/events. I was bummed but how could I blame then? It's not like they asked for their plans to be changed either. I had resigned myself to spending the day alone but between my friend May and my hubby it actually turned out to be a pretty good day.
May was attending a marriage retreat with her hubby but was able to specially rearrange her schedule yesterday so that we could do something in the afternoon. This was an amazing gesture and I am not sure how to repay her kindness. She hadn't seen her own hubby in a week as he was in the field and she took time off from her weekend with him to celebrate my birthday. She is such an incredible friend and I don't know what I would do without her.
May took me to this cute little tea house downtown in the city. It was called Madhatter's Tea House and was themed, as you may guess, for the famous madhatter tea party from Alice in Wonderland. The art on the walls was all cockeyed and the shelves holding nicknacks and decorations were all purposely slanted. Even the teacups were all mismatched and sat on saucers which clearly did not match the cups that sat on them. The place was full of character. I could not help but smile. We ordered two pots of tea and some amazing dessert and then sat and chatted for a couple of hours while we enjoyed. It was the perfect afternoon. I could not have asked for anything better. May truly made my day special and I am in a great debt to her.
Later in the evening when my hubby woke up (overseas time difference) he came online and chatted with me. We played some online games together and I enjoyed his company even if it was via my laptop. After awhile I went and got myself a cupcake out of the fridge from last weekend and on a whim decided to stick a candle in the middle. Afterall... what is a birthday without candles and cake right? Hubby sang happy birthday to me over the webcam before I blew out the candle. It was a pretty perfect ending to the day. I have to say I feel pretty lucky.
Thank you May and Hubby for making my birthday a special one.
May was attending a marriage retreat with her hubby but was able to specially rearrange her schedule yesterday so that we could do something in the afternoon. This was an amazing gesture and I am not sure how to repay her kindness. She hadn't seen her own hubby in a week as he was in the field and she took time off from her weekend with him to celebrate my birthday. She is such an incredible friend and I don't know what I would do without her.
May took me to this cute little tea house downtown in the city. It was called Madhatter's Tea House and was themed, as you may guess, for the famous madhatter tea party from Alice in Wonderland. The art on the walls was all cockeyed and the shelves holding nicknacks and decorations were all purposely slanted. Even the teacups were all mismatched and sat on saucers which clearly did not match the cups that sat on them. The place was full of character. I could not help but smile. We ordered two pots of tea and some amazing dessert and then sat and chatted for a couple of hours while we enjoyed. It was the perfect afternoon. I could not have asked for anything better. May truly made my day special and I am in a great debt to her.
Later in the evening when my hubby woke up (overseas time difference) he came online and chatted with me. We played some online games together and I enjoyed his company even if it was via my laptop. After awhile I went and got myself a cupcake out of the fridge from last weekend and on a whim decided to stick a candle in the middle. Afterall... what is a birthday without candles and cake right? Hubby sang happy birthday to me over the webcam before I blew out the candle. It was a pretty perfect ending to the day. I have to say I feel pretty lucky.
Thank you May and Hubby for making my birthday a special one.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
This Week's Recap
I had a lot of fun this week even though I was sans hubby. I didn't have a chance to blog about a lot of it so I thought I would do a quick weekly recap.
Tuesday I had lunch with a new friend. We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other. It was nice to go out even if it was just for a couple of hours.
Thursday I went with another friend to see Captain America. The movie didn't technically come out until midnight on Friday but the theater was doing a special fundraiser event to support the USO. Being a military wife of course I wanted to support the USO and getting to see the movie was just an added bonus. The movie was awesome. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to seeing it a second time when it comes out on DVD. In fact, this is one that I wouldn't mind owning. I was so excited to talk to Hubby about the movie but it hasn't come out where he is yet so I have to wait until he can see it next week. Not only was the movie great but it was also great to get out and laugh with friends and to go out to a movie even though my hubby wasn't with me. Granted I did really miss him. It just didn't feel the same going to a movie without him since this is one of the things that we really enjoy going to do together but I am still glad that I was able to go.
Friday was Skype date night with Hubby. Even though we aren't physically together it is still nice to be able to spend some time together on the web cam even if we are just chatting about mundane stuff. Friday night for me is Saturday night for him because of the time difference so that is why we are able to talk longer on Friday nights. He makes an effort to talk to me nightly but we get to talk longer when he doesn't have to leave for work.
That brings us to yesterday which I already blogged about (see post about Cupcakes and Company.) We had a lot of fun.
This morning I attended a church that I had never been to, to see my chaplain friend speak. This church incorporated a lot of modern music into the service which was fun and different for a change. I enjoyed it and went home feeling energized. I always feel a little awkward going to a new place though. I always feel out of place. I hope it didn't show too badly. My friend spoke on the Book of Ruth and about the idea of the Hebrew word "Hesed" ( I think that is how you spell it) which cannot be defined by one word in English but which essentially is a very deep kind of loyalty and love. It was a great sermon and kind of made me miss Hubby more but I know that I will get to talk to him again tonight. Sill working on the patience thing.
All in all it has been a great week. I hope that this week is just as good :)
Tuesday I had lunch with a new friend. We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other. It was nice to go out even if it was just for a couple of hours.
Thursday I went with another friend to see Captain America. The movie didn't technically come out until midnight on Friday but the theater was doing a special fundraiser event to support the USO. Being a military wife of course I wanted to support the USO and getting to see the movie was just an added bonus. The movie was awesome. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to seeing it a second time when it comes out on DVD. In fact, this is one that I wouldn't mind owning. I was so excited to talk to Hubby about the movie but it hasn't come out where he is yet so I have to wait until he can see it next week. Not only was the movie great but it was also great to get out and laugh with friends and to go out to a movie even though my hubby wasn't with me. Granted I did really miss him. It just didn't feel the same going to a movie without him since this is one of the things that we really enjoy going to do together but I am still glad that I was able to go.
Friday was Skype date night with Hubby. Even though we aren't physically together it is still nice to be able to spend some time together on the web cam even if we are just chatting about mundane stuff. Friday night for me is Saturday night for him because of the time difference so that is why we are able to talk longer on Friday nights. He makes an effort to talk to me nightly but we get to talk longer when he doesn't have to leave for work.
That brings us to yesterday which I already blogged about (see post about Cupcakes and Company.) We had a lot of fun.
This morning I attended a church that I had never been to, to see my chaplain friend speak. This church incorporated a lot of modern music into the service which was fun and different for a change. I enjoyed it and went home feeling energized. I always feel a little awkward going to a new place though. I always feel out of place. I hope it didn't show too badly. My friend spoke on the Book of Ruth and about the idea of the Hebrew word "Hesed" ( I think that is how you spell it) which cannot be defined by one word in English but which essentially is a very deep kind of loyalty and love. It was a great sermon and kind of made me miss Hubby more but I know that I will get to talk to him again tonight. Sill working on the patience thing.
All in all it has been a great week. I hope that this week is just as good :)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Maple Walnut Chicken, Cupcakes, and Company
Today my new friend, the army chaplain, came over to spend some time with me. Sometimes it is the little things that make me forget for a little while how much I miss my hubby and have a little fun. I had made cupcakes earlier in the day and when she came over I showed her how to make butter cream frosting and we decorated them. It was fun and while we frosted we chatted about our life experiences. We have a lot in common and we had so much to talk about. Some of the frosting never made it onto the cupcakes and went directly into our mouths instead but hey that's half the fun right?
Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to make dinner. I am glad that my friend noticed the time otherwise we might not have gotten it in the oven in time. I showed her how to make Maple Walnut Chicken. It is so good and one of my favorite meals to make. You can find the recipe here: http://gonewengland.about.com/od/maplerecipes/r/recmaplechicken.htm . I highly recommend that you try it although I tweak the recipe a bit myself. I don't use lemon rind and I substitute almonds for walnuts. I also use a lot less butter than the recipe calls for but it turns out amazing. I think the secret is using the real maple syrup, not just the Aunt Jemimah stuff that I like on pancakes.
My friend had brought over some amazing wine and we enjoyed it with dinner which was a perfect ending to a pretty darn good day. We had so much fun together. I can't wait until the next time. I only hope that my friend had as much fun as I did. Sometimes all it takes it a good friend and some good food to make the day amazing.
Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to make dinner. I am glad that my friend noticed the time otherwise we might not have gotten it in the oven in time. I showed her how to make Maple Walnut Chicken. It is so good and one of my favorite meals to make. You can find the recipe here: http://gonewengland.about.com/od/maplerecipes/r/recmaplechicken.htm . I highly recommend that you try it although I tweak the recipe a bit myself. I don't use lemon rind and I substitute almonds for walnuts. I also use a lot less butter than the recipe calls for but it turns out amazing. I think the secret is using the real maple syrup, not just the Aunt Jemimah stuff that I like on pancakes.
My friend had brought over some amazing wine and we enjoyed it with dinner which was a perfect ending to a pretty darn good day. We had so much fun together. I can't wait until the next time. I only hope that my friend had as much fun as I did. Sometimes all it takes it a good friend and some good food to make the day amazing.
Patient Hope
Last Sunday I went to the church on post where Hubby and I were married and got to hear one of my new friends (who happens to be an Army chaplain) speak. She gave this wonderful sermon titled "Patient Hope." It was a really great sermon all about how difficult waiting is. Maybe this spoke to me in particular because I am in the process of waiting on someone but nonetheless in some ways I felt like it was meant for me to hear.
My friend, the chaplain, spoke about choosing to wait in positive ways versus negative ones and it made me think about my own ways of coping. She talked about how some cope by keeping busier at work (a positive method) and spending time with friends and how some choose drugs and alcohol. After reflecting I think that my coping strategies are pretty good ones but it is still hard sometimes. I wish I had a copy of what she said so that I could post it here for all of you.
I love the idea/phrase of patient hope. The idea of hope itself is a concept that I want to embrace. Hope means that there is a light at the end of the tunnel regardless of how dark or long it may be. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that everything works itself out eventually as long as you try to help yourself along the way and keep faith that God will help you. It isn't always easy to see at the time but in hindsight I think that this has happened many times in my life.
I know that God has a plan and I sometimes have to remind myself to get out of my own way. I would like to further explore this idea of hope especially where the Bible talks about it. I wish my bible had a table of contents by subject. I'm not even sure where to look. All week I have been thinking about the "patient hope" concept. I have decided that I am going to try harder to be more "patient" in my waiting but I have to admit... patience is NOT always my strong suit.
Tomorrow I get to hear my friend speak again. I can't wait to hear what she talks about this time!
My friend, the chaplain, spoke about choosing to wait in positive ways versus negative ones and it made me think about my own ways of coping. She talked about how some cope by keeping busier at work (a positive method) and spending time with friends and how some choose drugs and alcohol. After reflecting I think that my coping strategies are pretty good ones but it is still hard sometimes. I wish I had a copy of what she said so that I could post it here for all of you.
I love the idea/phrase of patient hope. The idea of hope itself is a concept that I want to embrace. Hope means that there is a light at the end of the tunnel regardless of how dark or long it may be. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that everything works itself out eventually as long as you try to help yourself along the way and keep faith that God will help you. It isn't always easy to see at the time but in hindsight I think that this has happened many times in my life.
I know that God has a plan and I sometimes have to remind myself to get out of my own way. I would like to further explore this idea of hope especially where the Bible talks about it. I wish my bible had a table of contents by subject. I'm not even sure where to look. All week I have been thinking about the "patient hope" concept. I have decided that I am going to try harder to be more "patient" in my waiting but I have to admit... patience is NOT always my strong suit.
Tomorrow I get to hear my friend speak again. I can't wait to hear what she talks about this time!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Alternative Use For Vegtable Oil.... Who Knew?!
As you know I have been working on restoring a wooden baby cradle that my father made for me when I was a baby. I'm doing great on the project and have made a ton of progress. In fact, I am fairly close to being done. Today I went over the entire cradle with a fresh coat of polyurethane and when it dries it will only need one more coat to finish it up and the knobs screwed on.
As I painted on the polyurethane I managed to get some on my arm. Yes I was wearing gloves but I managed to get up above the glove when I reached under the body of the cradle to reach the rocker underneath. I probably should have been wearing long sleeves to do this project but it was around 104 degrees out today so I wasn't really seeing that as a viable option so I decided to just go for it.
This isn't my first time using the stuff. For the past few weeks I have been working on painting the knobs to the cradle and last time got it all over my fingers (that time I hadn't worn gloves - lesson learned.) It made my fingers perpetually sticky and nothing I tried seemed to get it off. I even tried Comet bleach. I eventually got it off using the Comet, massive amounts of hand scrub/exfoliator, and basically scrubbing my skin off. The next day I went to Lowe's to find out how to properly remove it for the next time I managed to get it all over myself. Their solution was to use paint thinner or mineral spirits (basically very similar to paint thinner.) Yeah... I am so not pouring paint thinner on my hands.
After not being to thrilled with what Lowe's had to say I went to Google and asked the web for alternative suggestions. After an hour or so of reading/researching I found a few posts from moms saying that they had used vegetable oil which is then easily washed off with regular soap to remove the sticky polyurethane substance.
When I got the sticky paint all over my arm today I was less than pleased with myself and was not looking forward to repeating the skin scrubbing experience. Then I remembered what I had read about the vegetable oil and figured I would try it. I didn't have much to lose and if it worked it would be much better than the alternative so I figured why not?
I grabbed the vegetable oil out of the cabinet. I keep it on hand because I use it for baking and for making waffles on lazy Saturday mornings. I poured some into my hand and rubbed it all over my arm where the polyurethane had already dried into a sticky patch. After rubbing the oil all over the area I proceeded to wash it all off with regular hand soap at the kitchen sink.
Sure enough not only did the oil wash right off but all traces of the sticky polyurethane were gone. To boot my skin was left soft feeling instead of raw and red from scrubbing and the entire process took less than five minutes. I was thrilled. Who knew you could use ordinary vegetable oil to painlessly get sticky paint off your skin??? AWESOME!! Thank you Google moms!!
As I painted on the polyurethane I managed to get some on my arm. Yes I was wearing gloves but I managed to get up above the glove when I reached under the body of the cradle to reach the rocker underneath. I probably should have been wearing long sleeves to do this project but it was around 104 degrees out today so I wasn't really seeing that as a viable option so I decided to just go for it.
This isn't my first time using the stuff. For the past few weeks I have been working on painting the knobs to the cradle and last time got it all over my fingers (that time I hadn't worn gloves - lesson learned.) It made my fingers perpetually sticky and nothing I tried seemed to get it off. I even tried Comet bleach. I eventually got it off using the Comet, massive amounts of hand scrub/exfoliator, and basically scrubbing my skin off. The next day I went to Lowe's to find out how to properly remove it for the next time I managed to get it all over myself. Their solution was to use paint thinner or mineral spirits (basically very similar to paint thinner.) Yeah... I am so not pouring paint thinner on my hands.
After not being to thrilled with what Lowe's had to say I went to Google and asked the web for alternative suggestions. After an hour or so of reading/researching I found a few posts from moms saying that they had used vegetable oil which is then easily washed off with regular soap to remove the sticky polyurethane substance.
When I got the sticky paint all over my arm today I was less than pleased with myself and was not looking forward to repeating the skin scrubbing experience. Then I remembered what I had read about the vegetable oil and figured I would try it. I didn't have much to lose and if it worked it would be much better than the alternative so I figured why not?
I grabbed the vegetable oil out of the cabinet. I keep it on hand because I use it for baking and for making waffles on lazy Saturday mornings. I poured some into my hand and rubbed it all over my arm where the polyurethane had already dried into a sticky patch. After rubbing the oil all over the area I proceeded to wash it all off with regular hand soap at the kitchen sink.
Sure enough not only did the oil wash right off but all traces of the sticky polyurethane were gone. To boot my skin was left soft feeling instead of raw and red from scrubbing and the entire process took less than five minutes. I was thrilled. Who knew you could use ordinary vegetable oil to painlessly get sticky paint off your skin??? AWESOME!! Thank you Google moms!!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Secondhand TV?
Tonight I was talking to my husband on my laptop's webcam while watching TV. It happened to be a show that we both enjoy watching on a regular basis and when I mentioned that I was watching it he asked me to turn the laptop so that he could see it too. I laughed but obliged. A short while later he realized that the Home run Derby was on here at home. He didn't ask me to change the channel but I knew he wanted to watch it so I turned it on. I had a few chores to do around the house so I cleared off the table in front of the TV and positioned my laptop right in front of it so Hubby would get a good view. Yup that's right. He watched TV at home through my webcam. I never considered the idea of secondhand TV before! I love you baby!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
What's Your Safe Place?
I haven't blogged all week. The reason has been twofold. The first reason is that my life has been more or less pretty mundane this week but the other reason is that the last few days have been a little darker emotionally for me. My husband's absences are always a roller coaster ride for me emotionally but I thought I had been doing pretty well. He has been gone for just about a month now and until now I had been feeling pretty strong and independent. As you can probably tell from my previous posts, I was proud of what I had accomplished sans hubby and I was confident that I was copping with his absence well. In the last few days though, I have been keenly feeling his loss.
I think everyone has a safe place. A place where they feel completely at ease no matter what is going on in your life. My safe place is in my husband's arms. There is something about being enveloped in his arms that makes everything else OK. When he puts his arms around me and pulls me close I know he loves me and I know that everything will work out because we are together and that is the most important thing. I miss this the most. Yes, we have skype and AIM video chat and we can play games together online but it isn't the same. Those who are not army wives, including my own mother don't seem to be able to understand what "the big deal is." Don't get me wrong, I cherish our video chats and being able to play games with hubby online but I miss just BEING together. I miss his touch. I miss being physically close and most of all being in his arms in my safe place. When hubby is home some of my favorite nights are the ones where we literally do nothing but enjoy each other's company and watch TV or a movie. When he is gone I find it hard to get out of my own head sometimes. It's hard for me to truly relax and stop worrying about life. I am a chronic worrier. I freely admit it and my obsession becomes ten times worse when hubby and I are separated.
Even before Hubby joined the army we had a long distance relationship. He graduated college a year before me and moved home while I stayed at the college we both attended. It was hard. REALLY hard but we fought for our relationship and made it work. Our love is one that I will fight for any day of the week. I don't know what I would do without him. He truly makes me happy. The long distance relationship taught us that our love was strong and could survive long separations, something that has proved essential as a military couple. It also made us really appreciate the time that we DO have together. When we were married a little over a year ago I knew full well that we would be separated again. I just didn't know how soon. I was determined to make every day count because I knew that they would be numbered. In some ways I think that knowing that we have limited days makes us appreciate each other in ways that some couples take for granted. But this doesn't make our separation any easier. I feel like a big part of me is missing.
In a way I am disappointed in myself. Disappointed that I only held it together for a month. In the back of my mind I knew that these dark, lonely thoughts would find me sooner or later but I was doing so well that I was confident that I could overcome them. I know that I will be fine. No I am not "depressed" but I am really missing my husband. I know that he would be by my side if he could but it doesn't make it easier. I'm taking one day at a time but some days it feels so hard to pull myself out of the dark rut of loneliness. Last deployment I at least had my cat to cuddle but she passed away shortly after I moved and all I have this time is our beta fish Fishy (yes I know his name is not very creative.) He is pretty to look at but not much of a comfort when I am missing my cuddle buddy. It seems like every station on TV is playing a romantic movie or a commercial for some sex drug and seeing all of those happy people snuggled in their lovers' arms twists a knot deep inside my heart and drags me deeper into my self created hole of loneliness.
Tonight the trigger for my loneliness pangs was a stubborn lid on a jar that it took me forever to pry off. "Oh hubby!" I thought to myself "I miss you so badly!"
So for what it's worth, to those of you who may be reading this. Don't ever take your husband for granted. Even when he is being completely unreasonable and driving you crazy, remind yourself that you would miss that if he was gone. I miss you with all of my heart Hubby.
I think everyone has a safe place. A place where they feel completely at ease no matter what is going on in your life. My safe place is in my husband's arms. There is something about being enveloped in his arms that makes everything else OK. When he puts his arms around me and pulls me close I know he loves me and I know that everything will work out because we are together and that is the most important thing. I miss this the most. Yes, we have skype and AIM video chat and we can play games together online but it isn't the same. Those who are not army wives, including my own mother don't seem to be able to understand what "the big deal is." Don't get me wrong, I cherish our video chats and being able to play games with hubby online but I miss just BEING together. I miss his touch. I miss being physically close and most of all being in his arms in my safe place. When hubby is home some of my favorite nights are the ones where we literally do nothing but enjoy each other's company and watch TV or a movie. When he is gone I find it hard to get out of my own head sometimes. It's hard for me to truly relax and stop worrying about life. I am a chronic worrier. I freely admit it and my obsession becomes ten times worse when hubby and I are separated.
Even before Hubby joined the army we had a long distance relationship. He graduated college a year before me and moved home while I stayed at the college we both attended. It was hard. REALLY hard but we fought for our relationship and made it work. Our love is one that I will fight for any day of the week. I don't know what I would do without him. He truly makes me happy. The long distance relationship taught us that our love was strong and could survive long separations, something that has proved essential as a military couple. It also made us really appreciate the time that we DO have together. When we were married a little over a year ago I knew full well that we would be separated again. I just didn't know how soon. I was determined to make every day count because I knew that they would be numbered. In some ways I think that knowing that we have limited days makes us appreciate each other in ways that some couples take for granted. But this doesn't make our separation any easier. I feel like a big part of me is missing.
In a way I am disappointed in myself. Disappointed that I only held it together for a month. In the back of my mind I knew that these dark, lonely thoughts would find me sooner or later but I was doing so well that I was confident that I could overcome them. I know that I will be fine. No I am not "depressed" but I am really missing my husband. I know that he would be by my side if he could but it doesn't make it easier. I'm taking one day at a time but some days it feels so hard to pull myself out of the dark rut of loneliness. Last deployment I at least had my cat to cuddle but she passed away shortly after I moved and all I have this time is our beta fish Fishy (yes I know his name is not very creative.) He is pretty to look at but not much of a comfort when I am missing my cuddle buddy. It seems like every station on TV is playing a romantic movie or a commercial for some sex drug and seeing all of those happy people snuggled in their lovers' arms twists a knot deep inside my heart and drags me deeper into my self created hole of loneliness.
Tonight the trigger for my loneliness pangs was a stubborn lid on a jar that it took me forever to pry off. "Oh hubby!" I thought to myself "I miss you so badly!"
So for what it's worth, to those of you who may be reading this. Don't ever take your husband for granted. Even when he is being completely unreasonable and driving you crazy, remind yourself that you would miss that if he was gone. I miss you with all of my heart Hubby.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Wind Chime
Before I went to May's BBQ yesterday I decided that it was a good day to put up the wind chime that my parents had recently given me. Up until now it had been hanging temporarily on my mailbox but it really needed to be mounted and hung from the top of my porch. So I dragged the tall ladder out of the garage and set about making it the proper height and adjusting it against the side of my porch. This took several minutes but I figured it out and got out the hook and my husband's hammer. As I was about to climb up the ladder I noticed that a group of Navy AIT students had stopped to watch me. I live on a military post and it is a pretty common occurrence to see AIT students walk by my house throughout the day. Today however, this particular group of guys did not keep walking. Instead, they literally stopped to watch what I was doing from across the street. I decided to ignore them and proceeded to climb up the ladder. Once I had climbed up as far as I felt was safe I began to screw the hook into the roof of my porch. I won't lie and pretend like it was really easy. It did take me a few tries especially since I was trying to only use one hand so I could hold on to the ladder with the other. While in the midst of struggling to attach the hook I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that the group of AIT students was STILL watching. I started to get a little annoyed. I felt like telling them that if they were going to watch then maybe the could lend me a hand? But they hadn't offered any help and I wasn't expecting them to any time soon. I sighed and went back to my task. The Navy guys did not leave until I had finished and had successfully hung up my wind chime. I was proud of myself for getting the chime up by myself and I am happy with the way it is hanging. Later that day when I spoke to my mom she was shocked that I had climbed the ladder without any help. Even though I am proud of what I accomplished and feel like I once again proved that I am not helpless without Hubby, I wanted to put this out there to the Navy AITers that watched me struggle. Next time that you see a woman struggling to do a task that she would probably normally have help with, why don't you offer to lend a hand? The worst that she can say is no thanks and she might appreciate the offer. Her hubby might be away and unable to help her out. Just don't offer in a way that makes it seem like she needs your help because she can't do it by herself. Offer because you know that you would want someone to look out for YOUR family if you couldn't be there to help.
4th of July
Yesterday was the fourth of July. It is my favorite holiday and I feel a deep connection to it not only because my husband is in the Army but because I am very patriotic. I love the music, the bbqs,and of course the firewrorks. Unfortunately all fireworks where I live were banned this year because of an extreme drought which as produced extremely dry conditions. One spark and you risk the entire neighborhood going up in flames. I was disappointed to be spending my favorite holiday alone and without any fireworks but my friend May was kind enough to invite me to join her family for a backyard bbq and I was able to webchat with Hubby. I was also able to see the Boston Pops performance and fireworks on TV which was awesome since I used to watch them every year when I was younger and lived in Massachusetts. Watching the pops is one of my favorite fourth of July traditions. Overall it turned out to be a pretty great day. Happy Birthday America and thank you to all of the soldiers and families who protect and support you!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Dear Hardware Employee - Post #2
Dear Lowe's Employee,
Please refrain from arguing with me about the rules and regulations surrounding what I can and cannot drill into the walls and exterior of my home. I live here and have read the rules in my lease and I think I would know more about this than you. In addition, I have a much better idea of what I need for my current project than you do. You didn't even ask me the details of what I want to do and are continuing to argue with me about it. Furthermore I do not appreciate being lectured as if I am a five years old. Just because I am a woman does not mean that I am stupid or incapable of drilling a screw into a wall. Please do not insist that I need a cart to push around my intended purchases. If I need a cart I will get one. If not I am fully capable of carrying my purchases myself. There is also no need to stare at me while I browse your merchandise. I promise not to touch anything that will hurt me, make a mess, or steal anything. If I need your help I will not hesitate to ask you. Do not be surprised that I know my way around a hardware store. This is not my first visit nor will it be my last.
Sincerely,
A very capable Army Wife
Please refrain from arguing with me about the rules and regulations surrounding what I can and cannot drill into the walls and exterior of my home. I live here and have read the rules in my lease and I think I would know more about this than you. In addition, I have a much better idea of what I need for my current project than you do. You didn't even ask me the details of what I want to do and are continuing to argue with me about it. Furthermore I do not appreciate being lectured as if I am a five years old. Just because I am a woman does not mean that I am stupid or incapable of drilling a screw into a wall. Please do not insist that I need a cart to push around my intended purchases. If I need a cart I will get one. If not I am fully capable of carrying my purchases myself. There is also no need to stare at me while I browse your merchandise. I promise not to touch anything that will hurt me, make a mess, or steal anything. If I need your help I will not hesitate to ask you. Do not be surprised that I know my way around a hardware store. This is not my first visit nor will it be my last.
Sincerely,
A very capable Army Wife
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Peaches
Today my best friend May invited me to go peach picking with her family. I was really excited to go with them and was excited by the idea of picking my own peaches. We were also considering the idea of stopping at a wild flower farm which was close to the peach farm that we had chosen. The area where the peach farm was located was home to several other peach farms as well and May had called around yesterday to try to find out the best place to go. Her first choice was labeled as "by appointment only" and she tried multiple times to call them but to no avail. Her second choice had posted on their website that they were low on peaches and advised customers not to come. So we had picked place three and planned our trip.
We left around 9am to trek out to the peach farm about an hour and a half away. Two hours later we thought we had found the place where the peach farm should have been but after driving up and down the same stretch of highway at least three times we had to admit that we were completely and utterly lost in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse we were all also in desperate need of a bathroom. Thinking that the wild flower farm was only a little farther down the same road we drove another half hour trying to figure out where in the world we were. We had not brought my GPS device as May had decided we didn't need it and had said that "getting lost was part of the adventure." Her poor hubby was driving the car and seemed to be bordering on the edge of losing his patience. Their five year old wanted to know why we hadn't found peaches yet and their 4 month old baby was starting to get hungry. We tried to look up directions on May's phone but of course she had no Internet service.
Finally we found a small shop that said Library and Resale and did not look totally sketchy. We decided that this might be an OK place to use the restroom and feed the baby. Out of desperation to find out where in the world we were and where we were supposed to be going I decided to call my younger sister for a favor. I barely had any bars on my phone since we were literally out in the middle of no where but managed to get a call out to her. When she picked up the phone I asked her if by any chance she was home and near a computer. We were in luck. Even though she lives literally several states away she logged onto her computer and called up google maps to find out where we were. Twenty minutes later she informed us that we had literally driven an hour and half in the wrong direction. If we had only driven the opposite way we would have found all of the farms and the wildflower farm. Thank God for little sisters who are willing to help a big sister out! She gave us directions via text messages so that we could follow them and good naturedly told us to let her know if we needed her to google us home.
We all used the restroom and May bought a few items in the shop. By this time we were starving so following my sister's directions we got back on the highway and started back towards the peach farm. We stopped when we got to the main town for lunch which proved to be interesting since May was allergic to practically everything on the menu. Poor May. She ended up eating bread and cheese.
After lunch we piled back into the car and continued our trek. Finally we began to see peach farms. First we passed May's first choice farm (the one that had not answered the phone to make an appointment) but we continued on. A short while later we FINALLY arrived at the peach farm that we had originally intended to visit (choice 3). Only problem was they didn't look like they were letting anyone pick the peaches. It looked like they were only selling them. May and I looked at each other and sent her hubby out to check on the situation. He spent over five minutes talking to the clerk at the stand and May and I could tell that the news was not going to be good. He finally came back to the car holding a pamphlet about peach farms containing a map. "You guys are not going to believe this" he said. "They were letting people pick peaches last week but just this week they bulldozed their peach orchard so that they could plant new trees." May and I looked at him with disbelief. "THEY BULLDOZED THEIR ORCHARD?" What are the odds? not only that, but the clerk had informed May's hubby that our first choice farm had not been allowing customers to pick their own peaches for several years. Go figure. 2-2 This was not going well.
We started the car back up disappointed but not totally crushed because we had been told that choice 2 farm was still allowing pick your own peaches and we had also passed the wildflower farm on the way to farm 3 so we were excited to go there. While May's hubby drove to the wildflower farm May called peach farm 2 to see if they really were running low on peaches as their website had claimed. She was told that they did have some peaches but not a ton. The pamphlet given to us by farm 3 told us that farm 2 was open until 6pm so we decided to stop at the wildflower farm first and then go there on the way home.
bellinis and Alex, May's five year old had some peach ice cream.
An hour or so later our spirits were renewed and we got back in the car to visit the last peach farm before they closed. After all we still wanted peaches since that had been our original plan. Following the map from the pamphlet we made our way. At 4:50pm we arrived at the peach farm. But guess what? The farm was closing... in two minutes. I couldn't believe our luck. The farm's owner informed us that they had not been open until 6pm for several years and that the info on the pamphlet was far out of date. 3-3. I couldn't believe it.
Fully disappointed we piled back into the car for the last time and headed towards home. The baby seemed to sense our frustration and began to fuss. Alex fell asleep and May, her husband, and I commiserated on our bad luck. I mean seriously... what are the odds? We finally arrived home around 6pm. Although our quest for peaches was a complete and total bust we agreed to consider the day a good one since the wildflower farm had been fun and since we had really enjoyed each other's company. May's husband wants to retry farm 2 that had been closing when we arrived next weekend but May and I are not yet sure if we are up for Quest for Peaches 2.0. After all... even though picking your own is fun... the grocery store sells peaches for 88 cents a pound with no long disappointing trek required.
We left around 9am to trek out to the peach farm about an hour and a half away. Two hours later we thought we had found the place where the peach farm should have been but after driving up and down the same stretch of highway at least three times we had to admit that we were completely and utterly lost in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse we were all also in desperate need of a bathroom. Thinking that the wild flower farm was only a little farther down the same road we drove another half hour trying to figure out where in the world we were. We had not brought my GPS device as May had decided we didn't need it and had said that "getting lost was part of the adventure." Her poor hubby was driving the car and seemed to be bordering on the edge of losing his patience. Their five year old wanted to know why we hadn't found peaches yet and their 4 month old baby was starting to get hungry. We tried to look up directions on May's phone but of course she had no Internet service.
Finally we found a small shop that said Library and Resale and did not look totally sketchy. We decided that this might be an OK place to use the restroom and feed the baby. Out of desperation to find out where in the world we were and where we were supposed to be going I decided to call my younger sister for a favor. I barely had any bars on my phone since we were literally out in the middle of no where but managed to get a call out to her. When she picked up the phone I asked her if by any chance she was home and near a computer. We were in luck. Even though she lives literally several states away she logged onto her computer and called up google maps to find out where we were. Twenty minutes later she informed us that we had literally driven an hour and half in the wrong direction. If we had only driven the opposite way we would have found all of the farms and the wildflower farm. Thank God for little sisters who are willing to help a big sister out! She gave us directions via text messages so that we could follow them and good naturedly told us to let her know if we needed her to google us home.
We all used the restroom and May bought a few items in the shop. By this time we were starving so following my sister's directions we got back on the highway and started back towards the peach farm. We stopped when we got to the main town for lunch which proved to be interesting since May was allergic to practically everything on the menu. Poor May. She ended up eating bread and cheese.
After lunch we piled back into the car and continued our trek. Finally we began to see peach farms. First we passed May's first choice farm (the one that had not answered the phone to make an appointment) but we continued on. A short while later we FINALLY arrived at the peach farm that we had originally intended to visit (choice 3). Only problem was they didn't look like they were letting anyone pick the peaches. It looked like they were only selling them. May and I looked at each other and sent her hubby out to check on the situation. He spent over five minutes talking to the clerk at the stand and May and I could tell that the news was not going to be good. He finally came back to the car holding a pamphlet about peach farms containing a map. "You guys are not going to believe this" he said. "They were letting people pick peaches last week but just this week they bulldozed their peach orchard so that they could plant new trees." May and I looked at him with disbelief. "THEY BULLDOZED THEIR ORCHARD?" What are the odds? not only that, but the clerk had informed May's hubby that our first choice farm had not been allowing customers to pick their own peaches for several years. Go figure. 2-2 This was not going well.
We started the car back up disappointed but not totally crushed because we had been told that choice 2 farm was still allowing pick your own peaches and we had also passed the wildflower farm on the way to farm 3 so we were excited to go there. While May's hubby drove to the wildflower farm May called peach farm 2 to see if they really were running low on peaches as their website had claimed. She was told that they did have some peaches but not a ton. The pamphlet given to us by farm 3 told us that farm 2 was open until 6pm so we decided to stop at the wildflower farm first and then go there on the way home.
bellinis and Alex, May's five year old had some peach ice cream.
An hour or so later our spirits were renewed and we got back in the car to visit the last peach farm before they closed. After all we still wanted peaches since that had been our original plan. Following the map from the pamphlet we made our way. At 4:50pm we arrived at the peach farm. But guess what? The farm was closing... in two minutes. I couldn't believe our luck. The farm's owner informed us that they had not been open until 6pm for several years and that the info on the pamphlet was far out of date. 3-3. I couldn't believe it.
Fully disappointed we piled back into the car for the last time and headed towards home. The baby seemed to sense our frustration and began to fuss. Alex fell asleep and May, her husband, and I commiserated on our bad luck. I mean seriously... what are the odds? We finally arrived home around 6pm. Although our quest for peaches was a complete and total bust we agreed to consider the day a good one since the wildflower farm had been fun and since we had really enjoyed each other's company. May's husband wants to retry farm 2 that had been closing when we arrived next weekend but May and I are not yet sure if we are up for Quest for Peaches 2.0. After all... even though picking your own is fun... the grocery store sells peaches for 88 cents a pound with no long disappointing trek required.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tool Box Update
So after all of that trouble and being so excited about my new purple tool box it looks like the silly thing is to small. It really isn't much bigger than the box I already have. What a bummer and so frustraing. ARG I guess I have to take it back to the store and start all over again. GRRRRR Go Figure.
Dear Hardware Store Employee, I Am Not As Fragile as I Look
As you know from my last post I am in the midst of a few home improvement projects. Today as I was out running some errands I decided to stop at Lowe's again to look at a few items that I was thinking about getting to help me with my projects - namely a toolbox and a level. My current toolbox is a half broken plastic box held together by clear packing tape and it only holds about half the items that belong inside. I decided that it was high time we invest in a proper box. The level I thought would be handy for the picture hanging but I wasn't sold on buying this yet.
I would like to pause here and mention that every time that I walk into a hardware store, I get stared at. This has been happening since I was in college. I walk into the store and suddenly several male employees appear eager to offer their assistance. I don't know if it because I like to wear skirts and dresses in the summer or if it's because I look completely lost or like I don't belong but I always have a pretty good idea of what I am looking for and the questions to ask if I don't. I'm not just aimlessly browsing in the hardware store. This said... back to the story....
I walked into the store and headed for the hardware section thinking that tool boxes might be with nails and screws since that is what commonly goes inside other than tools themselves. I didn't see any so I walked to the end of one of the aisles to look at the signs indicating what each aisle contained. I wanted to look in the tool section next (probably the most obvious place) and was looking for a sign that indicated where they would be. Suddenly out of nowhere a guy walks up to me with a Lowe's name tag on. "Can I help you?" Startled I turned around and politely asked him where I could find a toolbox. He told me that they would be in "Tool World" which was at the front of the store to the right of the registers. This was all of the help I needed and I walked away with renewed purpose expecting him to go away and help someone else.
Moments later I had found the tool section and was browsing the tool boxes when the sales guy showed up again. "Oh you found them!" He exclaimed, as if it was really difficult to find them. Just for the record let me note that the tool section was to the LEFT of the registers not the right as he had told me. I just looked at him, said "yeah" and continued to look at the boxes. I was looking at a 16" standard box and he just stood there staring at me. I felt like asking him if HE needed help. The next thing I know he says "You probably don't need that one. This small one here will probably do ya." This guy didn't even bother to ask me what I wanted to box for. He just assumed that I wanted/needed the smallest puniest size they offered. The box he offered me was pathetic. It was really cheap looking and was basically just a plastic box no better than what I had at home already. Not only that it was probably smaller than what I had at home being about one third of the size of the one I was looking at. I looked at him and said no I really think this is the size I am looking for and continued to ignore the one he was trying to hand me.
I started to walk away to look for the levels. "Can I help you find anything else?" This guy would NOT give up. I decided to humor him. "Which aisle are the levels in?" I asked knowing full well they were probably only one or two aisles away. "Right this way over here" he replied bringing me to exactly the spot I had suspected they would be. I began looking at my options while the guy continued to hover. "So are you hanging curtains or something?" he asked. Why is it that just because I am a woman I must be hanging curtains? Even if I was his assumption was slightly offensive. I mean seriously talk about stereotyping. I decided to put him in his place so I turned to him very sweetly and replied "No, actually I'm doing some carpentry. My husband is out of town and I am doing some home improvement projects." You should have seen the look on his face! It was priceless. He was completely dumbfounded. All he could muster was "oh" and he walked away.
Just because I am a woman and am wearing a skirt does not mean that I am incapable of doing projects that require real tools thank you very much. I ended up walking out of the store without buying anything and found an awesome purple toolbox next door at Walmart. I am totally excited about it. I know it's just a toolbox but for me it's something more. It symbolizes the fact that I am not "useless." I have many talents and I don't need help with every little thing. Hopefully my husband doesn't think our new purple toolbox is too girly but he loves purple too so hopefully he will like it! Take that Lowe's guy!
I would like to pause here and mention that every time that I walk into a hardware store, I get stared at. This has been happening since I was in college. I walk into the store and suddenly several male employees appear eager to offer their assistance. I don't know if it because I like to wear skirts and dresses in the summer or if it's because I look completely lost or like I don't belong but I always have a pretty good idea of what I am looking for and the questions to ask if I don't. I'm not just aimlessly browsing in the hardware store. This said... back to the story....
I walked into the store and headed for the hardware section thinking that tool boxes might be with nails and screws since that is what commonly goes inside other than tools themselves. I didn't see any so I walked to the end of one of the aisles to look at the signs indicating what each aisle contained. I wanted to look in the tool section next (probably the most obvious place) and was looking for a sign that indicated where they would be. Suddenly out of nowhere a guy walks up to me with a Lowe's name tag on. "Can I help you?" Startled I turned around and politely asked him where I could find a toolbox. He told me that they would be in "Tool World" which was at the front of the store to the right of the registers. This was all of the help I needed and I walked away with renewed purpose expecting him to go away and help someone else.
Moments later I had found the tool section and was browsing the tool boxes when the sales guy showed up again. "Oh you found them!" He exclaimed, as if it was really difficult to find them. Just for the record let me note that the tool section was to the LEFT of the registers not the right as he had told me. I just looked at him, said "yeah" and continued to look at the boxes. I was looking at a 16" standard box and he just stood there staring at me. I felt like asking him if HE needed help. The next thing I know he says "You probably don't need that one. This small one here will probably do ya." This guy didn't even bother to ask me what I wanted to box for. He just assumed that I wanted/needed the smallest puniest size they offered. The box he offered me was pathetic. It was really cheap looking and was basically just a plastic box no better than what I had at home already. Not only that it was probably smaller than what I had at home being about one third of the size of the one I was looking at. I looked at him and said no I really think this is the size I am looking for and continued to ignore the one he was trying to hand me.
I started to walk away to look for the levels. "Can I help you find anything else?" This guy would NOT give up. I decided to humor him. "Which aisle are the levels in?" I asked knowing full well they were probably only one or two aisles away. "Right this way over here" he replied bringing me to exactly the spot I had suspected they would be. I began looking at my options while the guy continued to hover. "So are you hanging curtains or something?" he asked. Why is it that just because I am a woman I must be hanging curtains? Even if I was his assumption was slightly offensive. I mean seriously talk about stereotyping. I decided to put him in his place so I turned to him very sweetly and replied "No, actually I'm doing some carpentry. My husband is out of town and I am doing some home improvement projects." You should have seen the look on his face! It was priceless. He was completely dumbfounded. All he could muster was "oh" and he walked away.
Just because I am a woman and am wearing a skirt does not mean that I am incapable of doing projects that require real tools thank you very much. I ended up walking out of the store without buying anything and found an awesome purple toolbox next door at Walmart. I am totally excited about it. I know it's just a toolbox but for me it's something more. It symbolizes the fact that I am not "useless." I have many talents and I don't need help with every little thing. Hopefully my husband doesn't think our new purple toolbox is too girly but he loves purple too so hopefully he will like it! Take that Lowe's guy!
A Few Words About Trash
Today is trash day. You may be thinking so what? You are right. Trash day is a very ordinary occurrence. Where I live the trash comes twice a week with the recycling coming once. The problem is that until hubby left I never really gave too much thought to trash day. My amazing hubby always took the trash down the the curb on trash day without me having to ask him. He would do it early in the morning usually before or after PT and by the time I got up the trash was already sitting dutifully by the curb waiting to be picked up. Yes I knew it was trash day and often made sure that the household trash was in the trashcan outside but I never really gave a second thought to getting it down to the curb.
The day hubby left everything changed. Unfortunately I have to admit that I completely missed the first two trash pickups after he left. I woke up to the sound of the trash truck only to realize that my garbage can was still sitting by my garage where the trash collectors would not touch it instead of by the curb where it would be emptied. I had become so used to hubby taking care of it that it hadn't even crossed my mind until it was to late. It is the little things like this that make me appreciate my hubby every day. He does all sorts of little things that probably go unnoticed but which help our household to run smoothly. In the event that hubby may read this I want to take the opportunity to thank him. -Thank you hubby for all that you do. Even the little things mean the world to me! -
Now that I am finally adjusting to hubby's absence I can proudly say that I managed to get our trash to the curb on time for today's pick up. My secret? Last night I confirmed with hubby that today was trash day and took it out to the curb before I went to bed.
The day hubby left everything changed. Unfortunately I have to admit that I completely missed the first two trash pickups after he left. I woke up to the sound of the trash truck only to realize that my garbage can was still sitting by my garage where the trash collectors would not touch it instead of by the curb where it would be emptied. I had become so used to hubby taking care of it that it hadn't even crossed my mind until it was to late. It is the little things like this that make me appreciate my hubby every day. He does all sorts of little things that probably go unnoticed but which help our household to run smoothly. In the event that hubby may read this I want to take the opportunity to thank him. -Thank you hubby for all that you do. Even the little things mean the world to me! -
Now that I am finally adjusting to hubby's absence I can proudly say that I managed to get our trash to the curb on time for today's pick up. My secret? Last night I confirmed with hubby that today was trash day and took it out to the curb before I went to bed.
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