Today started out very much like any other day in the last year. I had men working on my garage.
The siding is being put up now. The difference between now and three months ago, is that Mr. Y is home from Afghanistan. There is no conversation devoted centering around his safety. That conversation is saved for my nephew Andy and for Zach. Packages are being created and prayers said for their safe return.
I'm sure you're wondering why Chris isn't working on this. Well, he is but not as fast as he would like. We both have college and Bunny and other obligations that are sapping our time as well as our energy. There is little time left for the garage; barely enough for the regular household chores that seem to just magnify when they aren't done in a timely fashion.
So - the German, the Irishman, and the Russian are in my backyard with their dogs and they are sharing stories as well as creating a few more to share at a later date.
I am very fortunate to have these men in my life.
Izzy's Armored Truck
Friday, May 20, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Back Into The Groove
Chris is finally back at the bureau. His first week back is modified duty because he hasn't qualified with weapons in over a year. The child Abuse Team is attending their annual Child Abuse Summit (a multi-agency cooperative presentation) where different agencies talk about new case law, and how technology is effecting the jurisdiction's ability to perform their tasks and the investigation of new and current cases. It's all very deep, but he does it with grace and maturity.
We are both in school now, and it's taking some getting used to in order to keep the schedule straight. He has class on Monday night and I'm in class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Monday seems to be our frantic day. Wednesday is the day Sarah has ballet so I just have to leave class half an hour early to take her to class. Her ballet only meets once per week and mine is twice. It hasn't had any effect that I have noticed. I seem to be doing fine in that class. My Word class and Anatomy & Physiology are more difficult. I'm doing it though.
Things are different in more than one way here at home. There is the shift of responsibility and who is taking care of what chores. I remember reading in one of those military magazines that this is very common. The soldier needs to readjust by falling back into their own roles if they are actively seeking to do so. Shunning the role is a sign of PTSD. I have watched for signs and symptoms but have not seen anything so far that would lead me to believe he has any lasting after effects.
There is also the adjustment to Kozmo's passing. Our beloved dog of ten years was euthanized on March 22, 2011. He was ill and the vet said it was only going to get worse. His illness affected his personality and demeanor. He had bitten both of the girls; thankfully neither of the girls were scarred from the bites. His loss was difficult for all of us, especially Sarah. He was there when we brought her home from the hospital and never left her side. He was her protector and companion, as he was all of ours. He will truly be missed.
The next adjustment was to filling the void that Kozmo left behind. Chris and I promised each other from early on in our relationship that if he was in the reserves, we would always have a dog here for protection and companionship. Finding a dog that would fit into our lifestyle isn't always easy. I like big dogs. Chris, on the other hand, likes small dogs. We wanted something in-between that would be good for car rides and camping. We also wanted a dog that liked water and swimming. But above all, we wanted a dog that needed to be saved. I didn't want to contribute to the ever-growing population of dogs that are just "out there", I needed to rescue one. All of our cats are rescues and were saved from sad existences. One was born in my father's woodpile to a feral mother, and the other was born on a farm to a feral mother. Both were trapped and "fixed" and brought into our home as kittens. We wanted to do the same for the dog. It needed to be a puppy. What better place to start than the Oregon Humane Society?
On April 15, 2011 I asked my son Billy and his girl friend Meagan and our youngest daughter Sarah to go with me to the OHS because there was a litter of puppies that was transferred there the previous night. I had seen pictures of the puppies and knew they were all named after the original Star Trek cast. By the time we arrived at OHS, there were only 2 left. They looked pathetic. They were starved and dehydrated. Both had kennel cough and their skin was dry. They had also both been neutered the day before. What a rough start they had indeed. All the more reason for me to take one home and change both of our lives. His name is Spock. I took him to the vet three days after we brought him home because the kennel cough was so bad he couldn't stop coughing. He was given antibiotics and subcutaneous fluids. The poor guy only weighed 5 pounds and was eight weeks old. Given his medical state, I was told to bring him back for a follow-up visit in two weeks. We took him back to the vet after the two weeks had passed and low and behold - he had stopped coughing, gained three pounds and his coat and skin were starting to improve. It was amazing. He was now healthy enough to resume his required immunizations. We did it. We adopted a puppy and transformed our grief-stricken lives. Spock hasn't learned to bark at the doorbell yet, but there's time.
We are both in school now, and it's taking some getting used to in order to keep the schedule straight. He has class on Monday night and I'm in class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Monday seems to be our frantic day. Wednesday is the day Sarah has ballet so I just have to leave class half an hour early to take her to class. Her ballet only meets once per week and mine is twice. It hasn't had any effect that I have noticed. I seem to be doing fine in that class. My Word class and Anatomy & Physiology are more difficult. I'm doing it though.
Things are different in more than one way here at home. There is the shift of responsibility and who is taking care of what chores. I remember reading in one of those military magazines that this is very common. The soldier needs to readjust by falling back into their own roles if they are actively seeking to do so. Shunning the role is a sign of PTSD. I have watched for signs and symptoms but have not seen anything so far that would lead me to believe he has any lasting after effects.
There is also the adjustment to Kozmo's passing. Our beloved dog of ten years was euthanized on March 22, 2011. He was ill and the vet said it was only going to get worse. His illness affected his personality and demeanor. He had bitten both of the girls; thankfully neither of the girls were scarred from the bites. His loss was difficult for all of us, especially Sarah. He was there when we brought her home from the hospital and never left her side. He was her protector and companion, as he was all of ours. He will truly be missed.
The next adjustment was to filling the void that Kozmo left behind. Chris and I promised each other from early on in our relationship that if he was in the reserves, we would always have a dog here for protection and companionship. Finding a dog that would fit into our lifestyle isn't always easy. I like big dogs. Chris, on the other hand, likes small dogs. We wanted something in-between that would be good for car rides and camping. We also wanted a dog that liked water and swimming. But above all, we wanted a dog that needed to be saved. I didn't want to contribute to the ever-growing population of dogs that are just "out there", I needed to rescue one. All of our cats are rescues and were saved from sad existences. One was born in my father's woodpile to a feral mother, and the other was born on a farm to a feral mother. Both were trapped and "fixed" and brought into our home as kittens. We wanted to do the same for the dog. It needed to be a puppy. What better place to start than the Oregon Humane Society?
On April 15, 2011 I asked my son Billy and his girl friend Meagan and our youngest daughter Sarah to go with me to the OHS because there was a litter of puppies that was transferred there the previous night. I had seen pictures of the puppies and knew they were all named after the original Star Trek cast. By the time we arrived at OHS, there were only 2 left. They looked pathetic. They were starved and dehydrated. Both had kennel cough and their skin was dry. They had also both been neutered the day before. What a rough start they had indeed. All the more reason for me to take one home and change both of our lives. His name is Spock. I took him to the vet three days after we brought him home because the kennel cough was so bad he couldn't stop coughing. He was given antibiotics and subcutaneous fluids. The poor guy only weighed 5 pounds and was eight weeks old. Given his medical state, I was told to bring him back for a follow-up visit in two weeks. We took him back to the vet after the two weeks had passed and low and behold - he had stopped coughing, gained three pounds and his coat and skin were starting to improve. It was amazing. He was now healthy enough to resume his required immunizations. We did it. We adopted a puppy and transformed our grief-stricken lives. Spock hasn't learned to bark at the doorbell yet, but there's time.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Saddest Day of My Life in a Long Time
Now that the hubster is home, the rest of the world can fall spectacularly apart. And, true to form - it does happen.
Billy and I took Kozmo to the vet last night to have him euthanized. There was nothing that could have been done to save him. Kozmo bit both of the two people that he has been protecting for the last ten years. First he bit Sarah but didn't draw blood. It was more like he snapped at her and scared the crap out of her.
With Mimi, he bit and drew blood. Not a ton, but there was enough that I had to make the hardest decision.
Once Mikey, Billy and I were in the room, the vet injected the pentobarbital. It took less than two minutes for his heart to stop and to leave this world. I wanted it to be easier than it was. Now that it's done, everything reminds me of him and there is still a crapload of dog hair that I need to vacuum.
This is depressing. Sad and I just want it to be over.
Billy and I took Kozmo to the vet last night to have him euthanized. There was nothing that could have been done to save him. Kozmo bit both of the two people that he has been protecting for the last ten years. First he bit Sarah but didn't draw blood. It was more like he snapped at her and scared the crap out of her.
With Mimi, he bit and drew blood. Not a ton, but there was enough that I had to make the hardest decision.
Once Mikey, Billy and I were in the room, the vet injected the pentobarbital. It took less than two minutes for his heart to stop and to leave this world. I wanted it to be easier than it was. Now that it's done, everything reminds me of him and there is still a crapload of dog hair that I need to vacuum.
This is depressing. Sad and I just want it to be over.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Slowing Down
Now that Mr. Y is at home and is more or less adjusted to Daylight Savings Time, we are starting to adjust to each other and the routine we had when he left. Maybe I should say that I'm adjusting to him being home. He, however, is now learning what routine Bunny has; where she needs to be dropped off and picked up; what days she has ballet, and when to order hot lunch for the following weeks.
Life is all about the details isn't it?
I got the cast off yesterday. Feels good to be able to move the foot and wash it. It's still really swollen, but I'm able to begin weight bearing now. I have to retrain it to learn to walk on it. I can't wait to get out of the boot. I know - I said the same thing about the cast. :)
I haven't broken out in the moon walk just yet, but sometimes I can feel it twitching in the boot to some unheard tune.
Maybe there will be some dancing in my future....
For now we are adjusting to the routines and the presence of each other.
See you on the 26th for the party! I promise to post pictures we take!
Take care!
Life is all about the details isn't it?
I got the cast off yesterday. Feels good to be able to move the foot and wash it. It's still really swollen, but I'm able to begin weight bearing now. I have to retrain it to learn to walk on it. I can't wait to get out of the boot. I know - I said the same thing about the cast. :)
I haven't broken out in the moon walk just yet, but sometimes I can feel it twitching in the boot to some unheard tune.
Maybe there will be some dancing in my future....
For now we are adjusting to the routines and the presence of each other.
See you on the 26th for the party! I promise to post pictures we take!
Take care!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Hanging Paintings and Listening to Stories
Today there will be more than one blog posted.
Right now I'm at my mother-in-law's place while my Dad hangs paintings for her. She had trouble with the drawers of the file cabinet and he fixed it.
Think back about 12months ago... My husband was getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan and Abuelita's home was full of boxes because she had just moved into her new house and was beginning her new life in Oregon. The house only had aisles to walk between the boxes and some of the kitchen was together and some of the bedroom. Her bed was built, her dresser was placed where she wanted it, and the rest of the house was filled with all of her furniture. Trying to move a four-bedroom house in the tropics to a two-bedroom house in Oregon was more of a challenge than you might think. Her whole world existed there.
Little by little, the boxes were moved and unpacked. Dad moved some, the landscape boys moved some and the rest were un-boxed and articles unpacked and placed in their new location. Now the whole house (with the exception of a few boxes of clothing in the garage) are unboxed and it looks like a real family lives here. It's a warm and inviting house.
While my Dad was hanging pictures, I was listening to the stories of where the painting were purchased or (in some cases) commissioned. I love the ones that are of Puerto Rico. They remind me of the tropics. I miss the sun and the warm wind and the humidity. The way the storms would roll over the island was amazing. We were at the beach in Isle Verde and we could see the storm coming and within a few minutes - it passed.
With Christopher's return, hanging the pictures will again become his responsibility. Chris and Sarah will come over during the weekend and he will fix stuff that needs to be fixed, move what needs to be moved, and translate what she needs translated. It is a comfortable routine for both of them. I look forward to the return of this routine.
Right now I'm at my mother-in-law's place while my Dad hangs paintings for her. She had trouble with the drawers of the file cabinet and he fixed it.
Think back about 12months ago... My husband was getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan and Abuelita's home was full of boxes because she had just moved into her new house and was beginning her new life in Oregon. The house only had aisles to walk between the boxes and some of the kitchen was together and some of the bedroom. Her bed was built, her dresser was placed where she wanted it, and the rest of the house was filled with all of her furniture. Trying to move a four-bedroom house in the tropics to a two-bedroom house in Oregon was more of a challenge than you might think. Her whole world existed there.
Little by little, the boxes were moved and unpacked. Dad moved some, the landscape boys moved some and the rest were un-boxed and articles unpacked and placed in their new location. Now the whole house (with the exception of a few boxes of clothing in the garage) are unboxed and it looks like a real family lives here. It's a warm and inviting house.
While my Dad was hanging pictures, I was listening to the stories of where the painting were purchased or (in some cases) commissioned. I love the ones that are of Puerto Rico. They remind me of the tropics. I miss the sun and the warm wind and the humidity. The way the storms would roll over the island was amazing. We were at the beach in Isle Verde and we could see the storm coming and within a few minutes - it passed.
With Christopher's return, hanging the pictures will again become his responsibility. Chris and Sarah will come over during the weekend and he will fix stuff that needs to be fixed, move what needs to be moved, and translate what she needs translated. It is a comfortable routine for both of them. I look forward to the return of this routine.
Call From Manas
The phone rang this morning and it was a "morale call" from the hubster. He is in Manas. He has been there for less than a day (I think) and he was able to have a beer. This was the first beer in months. In Manas you can have 2 beers per day. He just wanted some dinner and sleep. He told me he hadn't slept in two days because of the travel issues he was having (beer + exhaustion = sleep). Glad he is on the road.
I received a box from Afghanistan yesterday. He mailed it about 2 weeks ago. It just seems funny that I would get a box from Afghanistan and he's already gone from there. Funny that people can move faster than cargo.
The box contains the wireless router he was using, his cards and letters we (the entire family including others in Police Bureau) had mailed to him. It's hard to believe how much crap he had accumulated while living in a Connex box in the middle of no where.
Coming home for a few hours before he has to drive right back is tough. Sarah needs to see her Daddy. I think that he needs to see her just as much as she needs to see him. Everyday she is asking when Daddy will be home. Since she has no understanding about linear time, or spatial awareness, this is a really tough concept for her. A lot of the questions she asks are "will I see Daddy after this bedtime?", or "After this bedtime is it tomorrow?". The only way I can answer these questions is to try and put myself into her shoes. Try to understand it from her point of view.
Sorry - ADD again.
He (when I say he, it just means we) will drive home after he arrives at SeaTac. Since his flight arrives late in the evening; we have to get his bags and drive back home. It will be early Sunday morning when we get here. There is no way that Bunny will let him sleep after he's been gone for so long. She wants to show him her loose teeth, the ones that she lost, and the new ones that have come in to take it's place (along with so many other things! That's fine. They can nap together. He will drive back to the base either late that night or early in the morning for his debriefing. But - He's in the local area, and we can drive up or he can drive home for weekends. The call is in the same time zone. Skype will work better (faster connections speed) and he can call every night.
Better - Almost.
I received a box from Afghanistan yesterday. He mailed it about 2 weeks ago. It just seems funny that I would get a box from Afghanistan and he's already gone from there. Funny that people can move faster than cargo.
The box contains the wireless router he was using, his cards and letters we (the entire family including others in Police Bureau) had mailed to him. It's hard to believe how much crap he had accumulated while living in a Connex box in the middle of no where.
Coming home for a few hours before he has to drive right back is tough. Sarah needs to see her Daddy. I think that he needs to see her just as much as she needs to see him. Everyday she is asking when Daddy will be home. Since she has no understanding about linear time, or spatial awareness, this is a really tough concept for her. A lot of the questions she asks are "will I see Daddy after this bedtime?", or "After this bedtime is it tomorrow?". The only way I can answer these questions is to try and put myself into her shoes. Try to understand it from her point of view.
Sorry - ADD again.
He (when I say he, it just means we) will drive home after he arrives at SeaTac. Since his flight arrives late in the evening; we have to get his bags and drive back home. It will be early Sunday morning when we get here. There is no way that Bunny will let him sleep after he's been gone for so long. She wants to show him her loose teeth, the ones that she lost, and the new ones that have come in to take it's place (along with so many other things! That's fine. They can nap together. He will drive back to the base either late that night or early in the morning for his debriefing. But - He's in the local area, and we can drive up or he can drive home for weekends. The call is in the same time zone. Skype will work better (faster connections speed) and he can call every night.
Better - Almost.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The long journey home
This is the beginning of Mr. Y's journey home. Chris is scheduled to leave Kabul today. Wether or not he does has nothing to do with how much he actually wants to come home. His journey is full of unknowns. Will he get on the flight he was scheduled for? We hope so.
Unfortunately I will still be in a cast for his return. He is scheduled to leave Kabul today, which is tomorrow for him. From there it's my understanding that he will be going to Germany on xx. His flight from Frankfurt arrives at Sea-Tac on the xx of March at xxxx. I will be there - cast be damned.
Unfortunately I will still be in a cast for his return. He is scheduled to leave Kabul today, which is tomorrow for him. From there it's my understanding that he will be going to Germany on xx. His flight from Frankfurt arrives at Sea-Tac on the xx of March at xxxx. I will be there - cast be damned.
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Power Of A 15 Minute Call
He called me. You might not understand what a big deal this is, but trust me. This is a BIG deal.
He's been gone since July. There are Army wives whose husbands have longer deployments ahead of them, but it seems like a really long time to me.
He called. I feel like a weight has been lifted. It was considered a "Morale Call". We had 15 minutes free to talk. At the 13 minute mark there was a taped male voice that said "You have two minutes remaining". We said our goodbyes. Neither wanting to let go. He needed to sleep.
We were able to talk for 15 minutes. I'm OK now.
I go through this every time. It's almost like a mini-roler-coaster ride. Here is how it feels to me:
(Picture the ascent up) He calls, reassuring me that it's all OK. Thus begins the journey up. I'm OK at the bottom of the hill as we climb. As we get more distance from the last phone call or e-mail, there is a build of stress. Finally I'm at the top and not sure I can take another day of not hearing from him and he calls. Thus begins the descent. I'm good and I can get through it OK. Then, after not receiving any communication, we begin the ascent again. The next communication received is an email and the descent begins again. It's just worry over what we have no control over and fear of worst case scenarios.
Thus goes this ride over and over.
There is an end. He'll come home. This will have it's own set of anxieties with it as well. We'll talk about this in the coming weeks. There is a dance involved (not like mythical fairies, but like a changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace). All the wives and husbands do this dance. I'm not ready yet.
For right now, I'm still on the comfortable ride back down.
I hope I hear from him again soon.
He's been gone since July. There are Army wives whose husbands have longer deployments ahead of them, but it seems like a really long time to me.
He called. I feel like a weight has been lifted. It was considered a "Morale Call". We had 15 minutes free to talk. At the 13 minute mark there was a taped male voice that said "You have two minutes remaining". We said our goodbyes. Neither wanting to let go. He needed to sleep.
We were able to talk for 15 minutes. I'm OK now.
I go through this every time. It's almost like a mini-roler-coaster ride. Here is how it feels to me:
(Picture the ascent up) He calls, reassuring me that it's all OK. Thus begins the journey up. I'm OK at the bottom of the hill as we climb. As we get more distance from the last phone call or e-mail, there is a build of stress. Finally I'm at the top and not sure I can take another day of not hearing from him and he calls. Thus begins the descent. I'm good and I can get through it OK. Then, after not receiving any communication, we begin the ascent again. The next communication received is an email and the descent begins again. It's just worry over what we have no control over and fear of worst case scenarios.
Thus goes this ride over and over.
There is an end. He'll come home. This will have it's own set of anxieties with it as well. We'll talk about this in the coming weeks. There is a dance involved (not like mythical fairies, but like a changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace). All the wives and husbands do this dance. I'm not ready yet.
For right now, I'm still on the comfortable ride back down.
I hope I hear from him again soon.
Feeling Tense
I'm not sure I will post this one. This is just cathartic for me to write.
A couple of days ago (Friday the 25th) the garage door was installed. I posted the link to the pictures on this site. On Saturday Dad played musical cars and we took pictures of the cars in the garage to see not only how they looked, but how they fit in the garage together. I knew this was something Mr. Y wanted to see. He wanted to know how much room is in the garage for his projects and the cars together. This itself isn't making me tense. I'm tense because I sent him the pictures and he hasn't responded with any sort of communication. There was a suicide bomber that went off 750 meters from where he was a few days ago. He sent us a message that he was fine and not to worry. That was a few days ago. I haven't heard from him in three days.
Mr. Y is an officer and has a desk job at ISAF. He should be safe (for the most part), but he does have to go outside the green-zone to verify with contractors that they are compliant with their contracts. This can be dangerous. I'd figured if he was at the base he would have seen the link and emailed something about how he doesn't have time to look but thanks for sending them or they look great we'll talk more later or something. Anything. Nothing is the worst.
I can't even pace because I'm trapped by this stupid ankle and cast. I know - breathe.
With the clock ticking, I'm getting more anxious by the minute. Nothing can happen now. It's too close. (not to say that anyone should have anything happen, ever). But, the possibilities are frightening. This is the way it felt when he was first deployed. Where the routine was anything but normal and I had to try to figure out how to cope with the anxiety I was feeling. Right now it's oppressing. Down-right scary. So much so that I couldn't sleep last night. I was so freaked out by everything that I just kept making myself more stressed. It feels like a viscous circle or ball, winding itself up tighter and tighter.
Right now the clock's set for him to leave Afghanistan in 6 days. I'll be able to breathe when he's home with us again.
A couple of days ago (Friday the 25th) the garage door was installed. I posted the link to the pictures on this site. On Saturday Dad played musical cars and we took pictures of the cars in the garage to see not only how they looked, but how they fit in the garage together. I knew this was something Mr. Y wanted to see. He wanted to know how much room is in the garage for his projects and the cars together. This itself isn't making me tense. I'm tense because I sent him the pictures and he hasn't responded with any sort of communication. There was a suicide bomber that went off 750 meters from where he was a few days ago. He sent us a message that he was fine and not to worry. That was a few days ago. I haven't heard from him in three days.
Mr. Y is an officer and has a desk job at ISAF. He should be safe (for the most part), but he does have to go outside the green-zone to verify with contractors that they are compliant with their contracts. This can be dangerous. I'd figured if he was at the base he would have seen the link and emailed something about how he doesn't have time to look but thanks for sending them or they look great we'll talk more later or something. Anything. Nothing is the worst.
I can't even pace because I'm trapped by this stupid ankle and cast. I know - breathe.
With the clock ticking, I'm getting more anxious by the minute. Nothing can happen now. It's too close. (not to say that anyone should have anything happen, ever). But, the possibilities are frightening. This is the way it felt when he was first deployed. Where the routine was anything but normal and I had to try to figure out how to cope with the anxiety I was feeling. Right now it's oppressing. Down-right scary. So much so that I couldn't sleep last night. I was so freaked out by everything that I just kept making myself more stressed. It feels like a viscous circle or ball, winding itself up tighter and tighter.
Right now the clock's set for him to leave Afghanistan in 6 days. I'll be able to breathe when he's home with us again.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Garage Door
https://picasaweb.google.com/104010764583230193749/TheGarageDoor?feat=directlink
Click on the above link to see what we have done today!
Click on the above link to see what we have done today!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
You call this snow?
I was so excited to see the snow. Weathermen sounded loony when they made their predictions, and then changed them 50 times. It was snowing pretty good outside this morning when I decided to send Chris a message about the snow. I wished he could have been with me when we woke up to it this morning. He's just like a kid when it comes to this kind of thing.
Dad was able to take Sarah out this morning right after breakfast to play in the snow before it all started to melt off. This picture was taken by my neighbor Christi while we were all outside. These are our daughters in front of her home. It's a great picture. They are just over a year apart. Nice to have a kid next door to play with.
When I was a kid, my next-door neighbor was one of those "mean girls'. I had a love/hate relationship with her. I hated her for being so mean to me, but I desperately wanted her to like and accept me. Once I was an adult and strong enough to stand on my own, then I realized she was never really my friend. I was just the neighbor-kid she got a kick out of ridiculing for never being with the in-crowd, not having the right clothes, or being in her circle of friends. You know the type right? They are the kids that usually come from parents who are better off (acting snooty) and have a nicer house or better "things", and they have some sort of "entitlement" issues. They feel like they have a right to be snooty to others and justify their actions to themselves.
Anyway - I regressed there for a moment... Sorry.
I was talking about the Mr. Y and the snow. (I have ADD)
I sent Mr. Y a message and within 3 three minutes he called me. I have always said we are connected. We have always had a "sixth sense" about each other. Somehow I knew in the back of my head that the phone would ring and that it would be him. It was about 8am and there is a 12.5 hour time difference. I told him about our "little bit" of snow and Bunny playing in it. He told me there was only a little bit of dirty snow left from the storm they they had a few weeks back. We caught up for the 13 minutes before the "time-minder" said "You have two minutes remaining" and then we said our I love you's and goodbye.
On a different note - We're counting the weeks instead of the months now. I have to worry because he is going outside the green-zone - AGAIN. My comfort level is demolished - AGAIN. I will hold my breath until I hear from him - AGAIN.
Have a great day.
When I was a kid, my next-door neighbor was one of those "mean girls'. I had a love/hate relationship with her. I hated her for being so mean to me, but I desperately wanted her to like and accept me. Once I was an adult and strong enough to stand on my own, then I realized she was never really my friend. I was just the neighbor-kid she got a kick out of ridiculing for never being with the in-crowd, not having the right clothes, or being in her circle of friends. You know the type right? They are the kids that usually come from parents who are better off (acting snooty) and have a nicer house or better "things", and they have some sort of "entitlement" issues. They feel like they have a right to be snooty to others and justify their actions to themselves.
Anyway - I regressed there for a moment... Sorry.
I was talking about the Mr. Y and the snow. (I have ADD)
I sent Mr. Y a message and within 3 three minutes he called me. I have always said we are connected. We have always had a "sixth sense" about each other. Somehow I knew in the back of my head that the phone would ring and that it would be him. It was about 8am and there is a 12.5 hour time difference. I told him about our "little bit" of snow and Bunny playing in it. He told me there was only a little bit of dirty snow left from the storm they they had a few weeks back. We caught up for the 13 minutes before the "time-minder" said "You have two minutes remaining" and then we said our I love you's and goodbye.
On a different note - We're counting the weeks instead of the months now. I have to worry because he is going outside the green-zone - AGAIN. My comfort level is demolished - AGAIN. I will hold my breath until I hear from him - AGAIN.
Have a great day.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Going Crazy
It's been nearly three weeks since I had the surgery and I am totally trapped by my lack of mobility. I have the knee-scooter, but it requires someone to carry it up and down the stairs to go in and out of my house. This isn't easy. I won't be weight-bearing until somewhere in mid to late March. Yeah - I know - it seems like forever. It's not, it just feels like it is. What would be totally cool is if there was a plywood ramp to the front sidewalk for me to use. It would have to be so steep that I would be going about 30 MPH when I reached the sidewalk. WHOO-HOOO!!! It would be like the indy car race of the knee-scooters. Of course there is no one here I could race. Darn!
The knee-scooter is great for getting around my house. Better on the hardwoods than the carpeting in the basement. Yeah, Dad carries it downstairs at night so I don't fall using the crutches in the middle of the night. Dad and I have been joking that I need a ramp to the basement to get the knee-scooter down the stairs to my room, but this would require I do some sort of acrobatic flip off of the scooter and land in bed. Yeah - that's what I thought too. I'm more than slightly uncoordinated. The only way I could stick that landing is if I was an Olympic gymnast. I'M NOT!!! So much for competitive bed-landing.
As far as the weather goes - there is a forecast for snow this week. I never expect snow when we get these "winter storm warnings" because nothing ever comes of them. We live too close to sea level to get snow. If for some reason we do get it, I will be ecstatic. There is nothing more beautiful than snow on the ground. I really like how it sparkles at night from the streetlights. I'm ready. I have wood on my porch (yes, I can get it myself even if it takes some doing), I have food in the fridge, and I have my Dad here helping me. It's going to be OK, I can do this.
Thanks for still being here with me.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Frankenfoot and Valentines Day
This is pretty intense. Hope you think it's as cool as I do.
Pretty Valentine and icky pictures of the stitches being removed. If you are just curious about our weird life, click this link for some pictures.
Pretty Valentine and icky pictures of the stitches being removed. If you are just curious about our weird life, click this link for some pictures.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Homework, Inspections, and Viruses?
What a day - It (like all of the other interesting weird days) started the night before. Sarah told me she had homework and when I pulled it out of the "homework folder" it seemed like a lot. We sat down at the table and started in on the math problems. There were more than I expected. After about an hour (maybe a little more) we finished the math. I took the time to count how many problems she completed, and it scared me. Sarah completed 75 math problems. How many kindergarteners get that much homework? It was nuts!
The electrical part, we ordered (and have been waiting a month for) arrived on 2-14-11. My brother and dad installed it yesterday and dad called for the final framing and electrical inspection (which we scheduled for today). If you had a professional electrician perform the install, then you would be assured all the bases would be covered. Since we opted to do this ourselves, we had to know what the rules are for electrical code. We (I don't mean me though) had to read the books, talk to the inspectors, ask the professionals, and attempt to find out all we needed to know to install it right the first time. My brother is a genius. He's done this sort of thing before and we know others who have recently gone through electrical renovations as well, it's what helped us get it completed. When the inspector checked the garage the last time; he said we needed to replace one of the breakers with a master shut off. We had to order and install the part before the inspections could be finalized. Now that this portion is inspected, completed, and signed off on, we can install the door and the siding. It's getting closer every minute!
Now for the weird part. Maybe you won't think this is weird but I did.
I was in the process of writing my blog and I decided I needed another picture to replace the valentine one from yesterday. I went onto the google-image site to find something I liked and all of a sudden the computer display went to a virus screen. Had I been using a windows-based computer it would have crashed with 12 different viruses and a trojan. My Mac just sent me a warning, so I called my support folks and they told me the viruses were designed for a PC, not a Mac. The files were all .exe files and Mac doesn't recognize these. So grateful for that one.
Just remember - not all the things you find on a search engine are good for your computer.
The electrical part, we ordered (and have been waiting a month for) arrived on 2-14-11. My brother and dad installed it yesterday and dad called for the final framing and electrical inspection (which we scheduled for today). If you had a professional electrician perform the install, then you would be assured all the bases would be covered. Since we opted to do this ourselves, we had to know what the rules are for electrical code. We (I don't mean me though) had to read the books, talk to the inspectors, ask the professionals, and attempt to find out all we needed to know to install it right the first time. My brother is a genius. He's done this sort of thing before and we know others who have recently gone through electrical renovations as well, it's what helped us get it completed. When the inspector checked the garage the last time; he said we needed to replace one of the breakers with a master shut off. We had to order and install the part before the inspections could be finalized. Now that this portion is inspected, completed, and signed off on, we can install the door and the siding. It's getting closer every minute!
Now for the weird part. Maybe you won't think this is weird but I did.
I was in the process of writing my blog and I decided I needed another picture to replace the valentine one from yesterday. I went onto the google-image site to find something I liked and all of a sudden the computer display went to a virus screen. Had I been using a windows-based computer it would have crashed with 12 different viruses and a trojan. My Mac just sent me a warning, so I called my support folks and they told me the viruses were designed for a PC, not a Mac. The files were all .exe files and Mac doesn't recognize these. So grateful for that one.
Just remember - not all the things you find on a search engine are good for your computer.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day 2011
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Hello All!
It's about 0730 here and I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers yesterday. I felt even more impressed that I received them a day early. It was nice. What made this even more special was that he sent them from 10000 miles away. In the middle of the war, while trying to complete his master's program, he thought of me and what this day means to him. Talk about complicated. Wow.
Dad and I helped Sarah with her Valentine's cards and to make sure she made some extras for her "church and lunch buddies". We were told no candy. Sarah told us the teacher didn't want the kids bringing candy. I thought Valentine's was all about, CANDY (if you're five)!!! I figured the kids might get a little out of hand with so much sugar. I also think V. day is second in line from Halloween and third in line from Easter (as far as the candy consumption goes). Doesn't every kid load up on candy? Not just a lover's holiday! Oh well - She will get more than her share, no doubt!
On another note - we ordered the garage door and expect it will be installed in the next couple of weeks. I will take pictures of that and make sure they are posted on Picasa. Once the piece for the electrical is done and the door is installed the only thing that needs to be done is the siding needs to be added. You can't imagine how much work went into this. It is amazing. I want to finish the driveway but this will have to wait until there is more money. Concrete is very expensive and not something you want to try to piece together when you have no experience. We're not talking about a sidewalk-sized repair, we are talking about literally yards of concrete and we need to dig down four inches and level the surface from the existing driveway to the entrance of the garage. We'll need to rent a front loader (like we did before) and lay down gravel. It's hard work! I should ask Z (Mimi's best friend) if he needs something to do while he's home on leave. This is the guy to call. What took us days to complete he could have done in a couple hours. The military uses him on a larger scale.
Anyway... I hope all of you have a wonderful day. Make sure you tell your sweetheart that you love them!
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