Truly Talented

My mother-in-law is pretty great.  I am really blessed in that department.  She has many talents such as sewing.  In fact, many of Price's cute outfits are made by her.  I try but lack the patience and perfectionism required to sew in a straight line, but she's really nice and pretends that I'm not horrible awful at things when we work on projects together.  I'm ok if the curtains we make are cut a little on the diagonal and the hem is a little off, knowing you probably won't be able to see tiny imperfections once they are hanging there, but I don't think Bea could go to sleep at night if she knew something was crooked- so she does what a good teacher always does and helps me fix my mistakes and tries to teach me something in the process.  And I don't think I've ever seen her roll her eyes at me once, except maybe the time we were playing in a tennis  tournament and I nailed her in the back with a serve return gone awry.

Anyway, Bea recently took up an old hobby- oil painting.  Today, she sent us this....

Does it look familiar?

Did I mention that my mother-in-law is pretty great?  I can't wait until we get the actual painting.  It'll take 6 months before the paint is truly dry and she can varnish it.  Did I mention that my mother-in-law has incredible patience?

Shaken, Not Stirred

I'm pretty sure that we just experienced our first earthquake about an hour ago.  I was sitting on my couch, when it began to shake, well vibrate is more accurate.  It lasted less than 10 seconds.  It felt odd, and my initial thought was, I think that was an earthquake.  I asked Don if he felt it, and he hadn't.  So, I chalked it up to Isabelle scratching and moved on.  About 5 minutes later my neighbor sent me a text asking if I felt it and said that another one of her friends a few streets over had also felt it.

I don't really want to make light of what we went through, because in all honestly we didn't go through much of anything, due to the recent event in Haiti.  It just makes me feel good to know that our concrete bunker house is pretty sturdy because nothing really shook.  The pictures on our walls didn't sway, the blinds didn't hit the wall and no knick knacks fell off of any tables.

I have been scouring the USGS website to see if there are any official reports of what we felt.  There aren't any.  So, I did my civic duty and went here http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/ and reported an unknown event.

18 Months

Dear P-Diddily-Doo,

You are 18 months old today!  I know I say this too much EVERY TIME I write one of these, but I am amazed by how much you are changing.  You are the happiest boy I know.  I pray that the light in your heart,   the spring in your step, and the twinkle in your eye stay with you forever.

You are so funny, and you know it.  You watch to see what is going on and wait until you get a reaction before repeating the action or moving on to something else (like tantrums, which you've tried throwing a few times, but you've realized it doesn't do you much good) .  You give us the funniest looks- sometimes a smirk, usually mischievous.  I love how sweet and innocent you are, that you haven't yet been tainted by the hurts of the world.  When another kid threw sand in your face, you only cried because it scared you and not because you took it as sign he didn't like you.

Speaking of like, everyone who meets you likes you.  Most people want to pinch your cheeks, you have a harem of tween age girls who you flirt with and 8 year old boys are your heroes.  You are just so charming.  You are also an AMAZING eater.  You love oranges and popsicles, cheese and pasta, avocado and bread, peas and carrots.  Honestly, there isn't much you won't eat.  I love and appreciate that about you, I haven't had to change my cooking style to accommodate your taste buds.

You love to read, play in water and being naked is your favorite state of  undress.  You really enjoy your shoes and you bring me a pair every day to put on your feet.  You love being outside, but sometimes MY selfishness takes over and I can't handle telling you one more time to stop playing with the lawnmower or gas can or trash can so we go inside.  But, since you love the beach as much as I do, you and I have started taking little trips down to our beach to play in the sand and have snack.  It gives both of us a break.

You have the sweetest voice.  You kind of sing-song things.  You say "E-I-O, hi, cup, cracker, shit".  I'm really proud whenever you walk around the house saying, "shit, shit, shit."  I know I have done my job as a mom.

We have our days, but really the older you get the easier you get.  I can't wait for you to talk more because I am so interested in how your brain works.  I want to know, and hope you can explain it to me, how you can sit and play very quietly for long stretches at a time at home, but the minute we sit down in church, all bets are off and you want to walk up and give the sermon.

Your spirit improves my spirit on a daily basis.  Your Daddy and I love you so much!

-Momma (the word you can say, but won't)

Cause You Gotta Have Friends

I really thought that my tear bursts in random places around the base ended a while ago.  I felt like after being here for almost 5 months, getting into a kind of groove and feeling mostly at peace with being here that things wouldn't set me off like they did when we first got here.  It's actually been a relatively tear free few months, until today.  Today, a little trip to the playground down the street from my house made me really miss my friends.  For the first time in a long time, I felt lonely and a sense of longing.  Why?  Why would a visit to the playground make me sad?

Don has been working nights all week, so all of our schedules are a little out of whack.  Don gets home from work around 8 each morning, visits with me and Price and then goes to bed and sleeps most of the day, waking up in time to spend a little more time with us before heading back to work.  It's hard, but I've tried to keep us quiet so Don can get his much needed sleep.  I've also tried to keep us out of the house since we spent so much time inside last week thanks to illness and Mother Nature (total aside here, but we had a "cold front" blow through last week.  It got down to 75, I wore jeans and my legs didn't sweat- it was a big deal.  The locals aren't used to it being so not hot cold here, leaving the BX as the cold front was blowing through, I actually heard a cashier tell a fellow co-worker to "be careful, it's chilly out there."  I had to turn away so she wouldn't see me laughing).  So, this morning we went on a walk and noticed there were some kids who looked to be about Price's age at the playground.  We wrapped up our walk, dropped the dog at the house and walked back over to the playground.  And the other moms instantly packed up their kids and left.  Well, they left as soon as one of the kids came over and threw a shovel of sand in Price's face.

In my head and my heart, I know they didn't leave because we got there, I'm sure they had been there for a while and it was getting close to lunchtime.  But they didn't even say hi or smile or acknowledge us when we walked up.  And it hurt.  It  made me miss my friends.  It made me realize how much I miss that I am not in Texas or Ohio celebrating the arrivals of new babies, that we aren't with friends to celebrate important birthdays and accomplishments.  I miss that for the second year in a row, I didn't get to see my two besties at our annual get together.  I miss having friends who, had their child thrown sand in Price's face, I could have said something to both mother and child, but probably wouldn't have had to.  I miss being able to walk into a place and not only people not leaving, but being happy to see me and staying a little while longer to catch up and visit.  I miss being able to pick up the phone and call someone right when I want to without having to do a formulaic equation to figure out if it's too late or too early to call.  And that's why, I shed a few tears on the playground today.

2009: A Status Report

I am on Facebook.  A lot.  Don & my mom Some would say too much.  I do like a good status update (mine or my friends').   And while I do change my status fairly often, after reading a year's worth of my updates, I am kind of glad...

2009 was a year filled with a lack of sleep, baby love, happy reunions with my husband, erroneous spelling errors, Target, big moves, lots of friend and family time, many things to be thankful for.  It is amazing to me how much my life changed in one year and how unexpected many of those changes were.  When I look back on 2009, I think I will remember it as the year of change, probably even more than 2001 when I got married, graduated from college, lost two of my grandparents and experienced, with the rest of the world, September 11.  Or even more than 2008 when Don and I welcomed Price into our family and Don was deployed for 4 months.

As I read over all of my status updates from last year, I had no idea in January or even in May that we would be moving half way around the world in August.  I had no idea in early September that by the end of December things would be falling into place and we would finally be feeling more settled where we've landed. I don't know that I could classify 2009 as a good year or a bad year, but one of those unexpected years that will make more sense in a few years.

January

wishes everyone a happy new year

is sad that she is missing her annual girls' trip this year and hope KJ and KPH have fun without her!

needs to go back to sleep

wonders why coughing is worse at night, when I need to sleep??

is happy that Don is coming home soon enough to be discussing what he wants to eat for his welcome home dinner

needs/wants to rearrange her living room furniture, but is putting it off by playing on Facebook.

is prepping for the winter storm (aka buying lots of junk food to get through tomorrow)

is counting down the days to Don's return- it's official- less than a week to go!!!

is watching it snow

needs to get a move on....

is doing some on-line shopping with some gift cards she's been carrying for 2 years!

is enamored with spaghetti squash- it's a magic vegetable that's like a pasta...

should not be allowed to go to Target unsupervised

is excited about the day after tomorrow!!

is bananas that Don will be home in less than 24 hours!!

is overjoyed that Don got an early flight and made it home sooner than expected!!

is enjoying a blissful Friday night at home with her two boys!!

loves her new iPhone, thanks for the great anniversary present Don!

loves hearing Price and Don playing in the other room

has been married to a wonderful man for 8 great years today. Happy Anniversary Sweetie!

wishes that today could be a day of unity and not division, and that no matter what your political views are you feel blessed to live in a country that...

is returning from a glorious trip to Ikea- organization ensues

just watched Price roll over from his back to his belly for the first time

is sitting in sonic drive thru

is enjoying the beautiful weather

has had a lovely day with Don and Price, and is looking forward to a fun night out with friends

saw a movie in a movie theatre for the first time post-baby- Slumdog Millionaire- it was great!

wishes she could abide by the motto, "keep it simple stupid."

is frustrated

wishes Price would poop during the day and not in the middle if the night

is cooking breakfast on this lovely, lazy, snowy day. Agh.... tranquility

is enjoying debating grammar with Don

is in the mood to bake, but doesn't have any eggs- any suggestions?

has been a mom for 6 months and 1 day. Time really does fly by..

is just wastin time until the bebe wakes up from his nap.

is pleased with the facebook app update (so far)

is enjoying a Saturday morning out with friends, Don, and Price

February

is starting laundry, then off to the grocery store at least it's sunny and relatively warm out

just fed Price cereal for the first time.

is fasting until game time, then bring on the food!

has enjoyed Don being off work the past 2 weeks and hopes he has a good first day back today

really enjoys reading all of the 25 Random Things posts. Nerdy- I know...

is having chocolate cake for breakfast

loves coming home to a clean house

thinks poopy diapers are even more disgusting when they are being regurgatated by the dog who got into the trash and ate one

is hopeful that she can go back to sleep

is hungry, and happy to be on her way to lunch with friends

is out walking with Price

is attacking the fridge- not with a fork, but with windex and scrubber

is not a fan of the day after Price gets shots, he just doesn't feel well- poor baby!

is sleepy tired

is sitting on line at Steak 'n Shake (sorry Suzanne)

is tidying up the house, then getting ready to go out with the girls

has insomnia and wishes she could fall asleep, is going to read Persuasion by Jane Austen, maybe that will help

would really like to take a nap, but knows it's a bad idea at this time of day

is off to get her hair cut and then do some shopping, without either one of the men in her life tagging along- OH HAPPY DAY!

is being lazy today

just woke up from a long nap

is getting ready to pack for the family trip to Texas

is avoiding the tasks that lay ahead

is off to bed. Tomorrow brings more packing, errands and Price's first flight

is on her way to the airport- Texas bound

is blessed that Price did great on the plane. The Michaels are now in Terre de Sucre

is up early preparing for Price's baptism and the party to follow

had a wonderful, joy filled day, but is exhausted and should go to sleep

is on her way to the Big D with hubby, bebe and the in-laws

is hip hip hooray for tennis- played this afternoon, playing again in the morning

wishes everyone a happy Mardi Gras!

is really enjoying the beautiful weather in Dallas, perfect for tennis this morning and a family walk this afternoon

is watching the Presidential Address

is now snoozing thru Eagle Eye

is eating on the patio at kincaid's. Good food, good company, good weather = great lunch!

is going on a date with Don tonight!! Yay for grandparents who like to babysit

is looking forward to dinner with friends

is packing for her trip home

is back in the Buckeye State

March

put Price to bed before 8 pm, trying to prepare for time change on Saturday and prevent insanity from today's teething and lack of nap

is not sure putting baby to bed so early such a good idea, of course it's 330 and he went back to sleep, but I'm still awake

is listening to Price talk to his crib and wishing he'd nap for longer than 20 minutes so she can get some more things done around the house

hopes today improves

feels very close to the end of her rope today

the skies have been cleared, the air has been warmed, the spirit has been rejuvenated by a walk, I am thankful for these things

is having a nice day

is excited because we just got tickets to "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me"

still doesn't enjoy springing forward

is cleaning house

just finished writing thank you notes, is now contemplating a nap on this gray, rainy morning

is walkin to the Dollar General

is watching "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist"

is lighting a fire (figuratively speaking)

is sitting on the stairs with a pile of laundry on her lap listening to Price cry himself to sleep

is changing her status because she's moved on from crying babies and stair sitting and is about to go run some errands

is making baby food and lasagna, it's amazing how much one can cram into a nap time

is watching Price try to crawl, it currently looks like he's doing the breast stroke, but you can tell what he's attempting

is chores, chores, chores today so we can chill, chill, chill all weekend!

's day was made by experiencing Price's first real laugh!

wishes that Price was waking up instead of going to sleep at this early hour

is excited that Pitt will be in Dayton for the first round of the tourney. We're trying to get tickets!!

should go to bed instead of playing with pictures

is not going to eat anything after 9 pm, not even the ice cream that is calling her name, nope, not gonna do it...

just returned from a walk with Price on this glorious spring day

is filling out her bracket

enjoys unexpected invitations to lunch and is looking forward to said lunch- it is so beautiful outside, I don't want to be in the house much today

is fixin' dinner then going for a massage!

just had the best massage. Ever. And is now wafting through life in post-massage fog

up way too early working on a project so Price will have something Pitt to wear to today's game. GO PANTHERS!!

is whew, that was close!

had fun at the game with her boys! Glad Pitt squeaked it out at the end

is very tired, in bed and probably will be asleep in 15 minutes

had a lovely day

didn't make it to church this morning, so has thrown up the windows and is spring cleaning, hoping that cleanliness is really next to Godliness :)

is enjoying a beautiful Sunday, about to eat lunch then watch Pitt. GO PANTHERS!

is glad UD made it past round 1, but not happy they're playing right now b/c Pitt not on tv. We are streaming the game on to the laptop, technology is grand!

wishes she knew why Price is no longer sleeping through the night

loves brisk walks in the evenings with the husband, the babe, and the pooch

is going back to bed. Price down for a nap, it's rainy and gray outside, have other things I could be doing, but my bed is calling my name

is excited about "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" tonight.

is wait waiting for the show to start!!

new goal: do what it takes to have Carl Kasell record a message for our answering machine

is greatful for good friends both old and new

currently has no electricity, good thing she has 3G and battery power

is up with the babe, feeding him breakfast then off to breakfast with friends. The start to a full weekend

is enjoying spending time with her nieces, we are all in bed watching Cinderella

is relaxing with her boys on this cold, wet, fairly dreary day.

is trying to recall the name of a record that she loved as a kid. It had a songs about blueberries, a kid named Simon and walking like an elephant (I think). Can anyone help identify this record? It was kind of folksy and I listened to it late 70s.

is sitting on the patio with Price and Isabelle, enjoying today's beautiful weather. Serenity.

for the second day in a row, I am unable to go any where that involves my car due to the fact that my neighbors' moving van is blocking my driveway.

is making baby food

April

has much to do today... I wonder if I will get it all done?

is looking forward to lunch and then outside Easter pics with a friend and our petite Ya-Yas.

is at the ophthamologist with Price, kind of glad it's yucky out so his eyes won't be as affected post-dilation.

is frustrated with the medical community!

is letting Don sleep in while she and Price play downstairs.

and Don are trying to transition Price to sippy cups. Hilarity ensues.

is on her way to the zoo with Don and Price. A spontaneous field trip on a beautiful day before winter comes back tomorrow.

is home from the zoo, what a nice day!

woke up at 530 with sinus headache, fed Price and let him sleep in bed with me and we just woke up at 915. Headache is gone, but worried I am creating a monster.

other than the snow falling, it almost looks like a normal spring day, the sun is out and blue skies.

hopes to be productive today.

if you're not watching Better Off Ted, you should be. It's hysterical, in a Scrubs/Arrested Development kind of way.

can't wait for the family to get here!

Price woke up at 2. I let him cry himself back to sleep. Wish I could do the same, not necessarily the cry part but definitely the back to sleep part.

is up early. Gonna try to get everyone moving early to go have bfast and bunny pictures at the farmers' market this morning.

is up late with a sick baby.

loves it when Price goes to kiss her goodnight, then proceeds to projectile vomit all over her instead.

is trying to teach her mom how to use Facebook

is not a fan of germs. Especially those that are making Price, Don and her mom not feel well.

is home with her sick hubby and son who is on the mend.

is in awe of the Magic Eraser! I love when things work as well as promised.

is submitting her request for better weather. Please send sun ASAP! Price and I have cabin fever.

the sun is out! The sky is blue! First pretty day since Sunday.

is thankful that she got locked out of the house with the baby and on a pretty day. Also thankful for friendly new neighbors who let her borrow the phone so she could get back in the house.

is taking Price to the library for baby storytime this morning. Hopefully, the first step on a life long journey of him being excited about books.

library was fun, now off to Chick-fil-A with my boys.

thinks it's incredible to observe the learning/discovery process. And is consistently amazed by how much and how quickly babies learn new things.

Best Buy chaps my hide. My boycott begins!!

we're up and planning the day. I want doughnuts for breakfast.

heading to the park to break in Don's new toy. It's a beautiful day!

blahhhhhhhh

is praying for resolution and positive outcomes.

it is sleeting, I guess the early days of spring were just fleeting.

Isabelle, the dog, just ate half of a chocolate- chocolate chip cookie. We tried to induce vomiting- it just worked!

is happy and thanking God that mom's biopsy came back negative!

is tired!! Maybe Price will take a nap after storytime at the library, and then I can take one too.

is sleepy- busy morning, but fun. Looking forward to spending this afternoon outside in the gorgeous weather we are having!

today is going by fast and slow at the same time.

and Don are taking Price to his cranio-facial appointment. Please pray that all goes well.

is once again thanking God for blessings.

is enjoying Priceline. All our prices were accepted- here we come PA!

busy, busy, busy packing and prepping for our weekend trip to see Bea Bea and Nana in Hershey.

we are on our way to PA

is now squeezed between the car seat and stroller in the backseat to hopefully prevent any additional meltdowns before we get to Pittsburgh.

May

we are off to brave the weather and walk around Pitt campus on our way to campus. Don plans to stimulate the economy by buying lots if Pitt gear for Price.

on the PA turnpike between P'burgh and Hershey. The Pennsylvania countryside is quite lovely, even shrouded in misty, low-hanging clouds.

waiting while Don loads the car so we can head back home after a nice trip to Hershey.

is on the phone fussing with AT&T

is listening to the rain

is awake too early for Saturday morning. But am looking forward to breakfast with my boys and Mother's Day massage in a few hours!

is waiting for Price to wake up from his nap so we can go play with baby farm animals.

happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms, moms to be, and moms who will be- you are super women and I'm blessed to call you friends.

won the nap war, now on to prepping for our upcoming trip to Orlando.

trying to decide how the day should go, lots of errands to run, but rainy weather and early-rising baby are making it hard to figure out if I should go now or later.

thinks the 2 glasses of wine she had just about did her in.

is gonna try and squeeze in a nap while the boys are napping.

no rest for the weary, Price woke up before I could fall asleep. I guess I'll start packing... we leave for Orlando early tomorrow morning.

Don and Price are on our way to the airport, Orlando here we come!

we missed our flight!! Oh well, luckily got booked on another one. Who knew so many people would be leaving Dayton so early in the morning??

is in Orlando. Missed flight was a blessing, now keeping fingers crossed that our luggage catches up with us!

rain, rain GO AWAY... I want to go out and play.

is huddling under an awning in the rain at Downtown Disney with Price. My Prince Charming is sprinting through the rain to bring our carriage.

looks like we may get to see Shamu today!

Don and Price are watching it rain (again), but this time through the manatee exhibit at Seaworld. It's very relaxing.

is home, sweet home! One day we will look back on the misadventures of our "vacation" and laugh, but for now we will rejoice in sleeping in our own bed and a relatively rain free forecast.

and Don are kickin' it waayyyy old school- going to a drive-in movie tonight.

can't believe that Price is 10 months old today! Time flies. I will commerate the occassion by having a brownie sundae.

we arson our way to the zoo. Looking forward to a fun day with good friends and nice weather!

we ARE on our way to the zoo. Looking forward to a fun day with good friends and nice weather. Contrary to previous update, no criminal acts of firestarting are planned.

just had a nice, healthy dinner on the patio with Don and Price. I love summer nights!

June

just watched Price get himself from laying to sitting for the first time!

is oh hail! Hailing, storming at my house- LOVE IT!!! Rain is so much more enjoyable when I am not on vacation.

is going, going, going Guam.

is frustrated! I hate when I try to make other people happy and then they are inconsiderate about it.

is headed to the Strawberry Festival. Wonders if there will actually be strawberries this year...

is home from the Strawberry Festival. Now, we're breaking out the calendars to start planning the summer in preparation for our big move.

is filling out passport applications and going to take passport photos this afternoon.

wine is chilled, dip is made, taking both with me as I head out the door for a much anticipated girls' night!

sees a lot of pedicures in her future, apparently we won't be wearing shoes of the closed toe variety too often in Guam.

is even though I am wide awake at 5 am (thanks to a teething baby), I am in a good mood and thankful for my family.

is over her texting limits for this billing cycle- AGAIN!! So, if you text me in the next 7 days and I don't respond, that is why.

just returned from the pool with Don and Price. It was Price's first time "swimming" and he loved it!

my baby is growing up! He will be 11 months old in 2 weeks and just pulled himself up without any help from Don or me. It goes soooo fast!

has a dentist appointment this morning. I am not a fan of going to the dentist.

one dentist appointment down, 2 more to go (next week). :(. I guess that's what I get for not going as often as I am supposed to.

loves listening to the rain.

has to go to the dentist AGAIN today :(. Hopefully, they won't take another self-image destroying picture.

has been crowned, tiarraed is probably a better term for it since it's just temporary. Thankfully, the numbness is also just temporary.

is looking forward to tomorrow. In fact, I haven't been this excited about a Thursday since Thanksgiving. Oh, and Price has discovered the stairs, he wants to climb them.

is having a really nice weekend.

just dropped KJ off at the airport. Sad to see her go, but so glad we had such a great visit.

is channeling her inner Tim Gunn, Stacey London and Clinton Kelly as she purges her wardrobe. Nothing like an overseas move and garage sale to get you motivated.

is finally admitting to herself that she is a pack rat of gift bags and paper shopping bags. It ends today!!

is trying to get things done for Saturday's garage sale, but her little assistant is in the mood to play and keeps distracting her from the job at hand.

Don and I REALLY need to go work on the garage. Neither of us wants to. Wonder how it's gonna turn out??

MUST GET MOTIVATED and MUST GET OFF THIS DANG COMPUTER

thankful it's cooling off as we sit outside with friends waiting for the Tattoo to start.

garage sale today. I hope a lot of people come buy our stuff.

so glad the garage sale is over! It was fairly successful, but best part was hanging out with friends.

is trying to pack as much into today as possible! Already had great breakfast with friends, now off to car seat shop, then pool and a movie. I'm tired just thinking about it.

had a great weekend, looking forward to a great week. Going to kick it off with icecream in honor of Price turning 11 months old today.

is gonna go join Don out on the patio to revel in the lovely weather we are having.

yea! Our pleasant summer weather is back- windows open, A/C is off.

July

not a fan of the neighbor who is mowing his yard right now.

we got our orders today, Guam is officially official.

I must have been James Audubon in a past life and I definitely need to get a life and quit being consumed with the bird drama in my backyard.

everyone in my house (husband, BABY, in-laws, 2 dogs) is sound asleep. Why must I be wide awake?

Happy 4th of July!

is currently celebrating the 4th at the Presidential hangar at the USAF Museum. Fun to follow at BBQ with friends and hopefully firework viewing later.

enjoyed the long weekend with family and friends.

creative juice is flowing!

is procrastinating.

well, that's done

having a productive morning. Lots to do before we hit the road.

well, there are definitely some advantages to moving to Guam, just booked a mini-vacation in Hawaii to break up the long trip.

is in Pittsburgh.

is heading to Hershey.

back home. Busy, busy, busy.

is so happy that Frank's Fruit Farm is open for the season. Bring on the sweet corn!!

Price boycotting naps today- joy, joy!

it's going to be a loonngggg night!

is taking care of a sick husband and baby (not trying to imply that Don is a baby when sick, Price is under the weather too)

has an earache. It's as if I were 4, not 34.

is so greatful for her wonderful husband!

is so grateful for her wonderful husband (and dictionary.com)

toys r us has crayola markers, paint and paper on sale buy 1, get 2 free- hope this helpful all my mom and teacher friends

loves Big Lots, got one more item off my to do list!

one day, I will actually grasp the concept that the time I go to sleep is inversely related to the time Price wakes up. Maybe I should go to sleep earlier!!

and Don are headed home after a great night out with friends.

well, Price is experimenting with different types of protein- he just ate a June bug.

scrubbing the house til it shines like the top of the Chrysler Building to prepare for all of our out of town guests coming to celebrate Price's birthday this weekend!

Price's diet over the past 24 hours has included: June bug, wood chip, unknown dried vegetable found under high chair and most recently the tip of an actual starfish leg. Perhaps he needs more "people" food.

waiting for her cake to cool off so it can be wrapped and put in the freezer to prepare for decorating. Also waiting for step-sis to arrive from airport. Lots of waiting for such a late hour.

was just woken up by a rather strong, rather unexpected thunderstorm. Hopefully, the now gentle rain will lull me back to sleep. Too early to be up on a Saturday!

t minus 6ish hours til party time!!

what a day!!

today is Price's first birthday! He woke up at 6:00 this morning to start the celebration....

thanks for all of Price's happy birthday well wishes! Day 2 of being 1 is off to a much better start than yesterday.

it's not even 8 am and I've already taken a car to the mechanic, dropped Don off at work, gotten gas and gone grocery shopping. I've done more in the past 2 hours than I do most days. Wish I was motivated more often.

August

forgot how much I enjoy doing yard work (way more than housework), now having a beer to reward myself.

and Price are heading to Sam's to stock up on some things to send ahead of us to Guam, the "it's getting close" count down has begun :( :)

off to the bx to get supplies for our typhoon kit.

movers are here for phase 1, guess we're really moving. Look up mixed emotions in the dictionary, you'll see my picture.

heading to ikea, will be good and only purchase the items I am supposed to.

wow, I apparently like to collect all the shampoos, lotions, etc from every hotel I stay at, and keep them forever. Today, we part ways as I toss all of them.

is trying to come up with a game plan for the day.

wonders if we will see any repercussions from Price drinking out of a bottle that he found on the floor, under the couch that had day old milk in it.

in case any one was wondering... Red beans and rice made with brown rice just isn't the same.

has a sick baby :(

would like to take a nap. My little songbird is chirping instead of sleeping, so nap outlook is grim.

is about to mop her floor. It's truly the epitome of a good time on a Saturday night.

is up too early after being up too late finishing a good book.

is purging, throwing out more cluttery stuff that I've been dragging around like dead weight for years.

and Price are out of self-imposed house arrest. The little man is all well and pediatrician has deemed him practically perfect.

the sensation of being overwhelmed is beginning to roll in like a fog.

is soooo glad her mom is here!! The house is just about ready for the movers tomorrow, and too busy to be too sad that this is our last night in this house.

in the midst of packing, movers taking break- Thank GOD!! They move faster than I do, which is not good since my stuff has Gremlin blood and multiplies when exposed to sunlight.

is resolved to establish a housekeeping routine and stick to it!! (Yes Sweetie, you can hold me accountable.)

and Don appear to be involved in an illicit activity. I am sitting in my car next to his car in a random parking lot. There is a woman with a substantial amount of cash in his car with him. Why you wonder? WE SOLD HIS CAR!!! What a great day, 2 major items checked off to do list.

is watching her boxes and furniture being loaded into shipping crates. The nice thing is, it'll be like Christmas morning when everything gets delivered in October!

car insurance is going to cost much less in Guam. ""Why?", you ask. Oh, because you only drive an average of 3500 miles a year.

painting.

is finished painting for the day, now rushing home to clean up and go to the movies. Seeing Julie and Julia.

Thus begins day number too many to count of cleaning, packing and painting.

painting done, last group of movers gone, Don running errands, Price with my mom, just me and empty, dirty house. I am ending my break and going to clean, clean, clean.

off to dinner (and drinks) with friends, happy to be going, sad because it's the last time we'll all be getting together for a while.

the weather today is a perfect reflection of my mood-sudden, torrential downpours, punctuated by occasional bursts of sunny blue sky.

is so sad, just dropped Mom and Isabelle off at the airport.

we are officially and successfully checked out of housing!! FINALLY!!! It's done- thank you Mom, Don, Shelly and Rachel- couldn't have done it without yall.

to the casual observer, we may appear to be awful parents- feeding Price dinner at 930 and putting him to bed after 10, but we are just trying to adjust to our impending time zone change. Current results= fail (yesterday's equivalent, bed at at 4pm awake at 2 am).

furiously packing suitcases to meet self-imposed deadline of tonight, so we can relax and enjoy tomorrow- our last day in Dayton.

sleep alludes me, although tiredness does not

on our way to breakfast with friends.

off to our last dinner in Dayton, looking forward to spending time with friends, but not saying adios when dinner is over.

said see ya later (we don't believe un saying goodbye in the Air Force) to friends on 3 seperate occassions today, reality didn't sink in that we are really heading to Guam tomorrow until I walked into Target... Tears being shed.

awake, begrudgingly.

ALOHA!!! Just landed in Hawaii, flight was long but good. Will update more later. Hope all my friends with big changes (life changing surgery, kids starting kindergarten, middle school, etc.) today, had brave and faithful days.

my tired body begging me to go to sleep, but it's only 745 here. Regardless, I will sleep well listening to waves crash outside my window.

Facebook is doing nothing to help me convince my internal time clock that it's not time to be awake.

just shooed a pigeon out of our cabin.

leaving Pearl Harbor.

heading to the airport, then on to Guam.

Hafa Adai!! Made it to Guam. Don's flight met us at the airport with flowers and food. Off to a great start. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes as we embark on this adventure. We are posting pics on our drop shots site (address is on my info tab). BTW- it's 1945 Friday night as I post this. Hope all of y'all have good Fridays.

How can you not like a place where you get rice at every meal, including breakfast?

highlight of the day thus far- Price puking at breakfast.

just discovered that all tv shows come on a day later in guam (for instance, if a show airs on Sunday night in the conus, it won't be on here until Monday night). oh well, guess i'll just watch some more Japanese game shows until I fall asleep.

i think i am so used to waking up at 4 am, i may become an early morning gym goer (hahahaha). Just need to get dressed so Price and I can head down to breakfast- Don has left for work already.

off to the pool with Price and an early morning swim, since i've already been up since 4 am and it's evening time at home, i may also have an adult beverage by the pool- i'm thinking bloody mary so i won't feel as gulity

is heading to dinner and have a serious discussion with the hubster about our future abode.

dinner tonight- a croissant and a mudslide

up before the sun, son and hubby- again!!!!

September

monsoon.

slept until 6 am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

going to look at more houses...

Decided on house, got iPhones up and running- all in all a good day!

There is a case of the sniffles running around our hotel room, made for a long night. Wish the sun were out so we could let the uv rays kill the crud.

Go Mean Green!!!

Off exploring more of the island.

At the pool, soaking up rays, watching a storm move in. Surf's up- the swells are awesome!

Good food, good company, good drink- great night!

I think the chocolate cake right before bed was a baaaaddddd idea.

Body count in new house- 1 lrg dead frog, about 7 dead lizards (various sizes), 1 roach, too many ants to count, oh and the worst- the a/c!!

It's going to cost less to buy a "Guam Bomb" than it will to rent a car until our car arrives in 6 weeks. Bomb is an accurate description of what we've seen so far...

Checking out of the hotel!!! 26 days of living out of suitcases ends today.

Happily reunited with about 1/6 of our worldly possessions. The rest will be here in about a month.

Spending the night in our house for the first time is a lot like camping- homemade pillows (didn't realize we didn't send actual pillows ahead until bedtime), unusual animal noises (may be a frog, may be a bird, may be outside, may be inside), no tv. Fun times! But oh how I love my sweet husband for humoring me by sleeping with our heads at the wrong end of the bed.

Is enjoying some peace and quiet. Watching the trees sway in the tropical breeze.

So happy to have a kitchen again!!!

House is being powerwashed

So, NFL is broadcast live here in Guam, which means I can watch the Steelers at 10 am this morning (Friday). Don has to wait for the rebroadcast tonight. This puts a kink in any football watching parties we may want to have...

Steelers on tv, cheesesteaks and pierogies on plate, the boys on the couch- a good night!

In the midst of our first Guaminian power outage. Wondering if it's the weather (was raining earlier), a snake, or one of the rolling brown outs we've heard about.... Really missing my buddy Rachel cause I can't call her to see if her power is out too.

Loves shopping at Home Depot during a blackout. This experience definitely one of the adventures of living in Guam!

Tropical storm headin our way. Bought generator yesterday, going out to stock up on food and water. Power was out all over the island all day yesterday after short thunderstorm, can only imagine what it will be like after a T.S.

Would rather be asleep.

Put Price down for a nap, cleaned the house, now taking some Terrell time.

Up early (well, just getting dressed and leaving the house earlier than usual) and heading to base's newcomer orientation. Please pray that we meet some potential friends.

Ok, so Don got some wires crossed. I wasn't supposed to go to this orientation. I am praying that me getting up early, dressing cute, putting on make up only to go to Commissary and possibly Guam DMV will pay off in some way- cause right I'm feeling pretty down.

Is putting on her big girl pants and embarking on a day of errands that she doesn't want to do. Intimidated by the Guamanian bureaucracy of getting a car registered. Should make for some good blogging later....

Loves the USO!!! Made my day soooo much easier.

It's official... We are the proud owners of a Guam Bomb, I have the title in our name to prove it!

Here comes the rain again

Up way too late, but totally worth it since I got to catch up with a friend!

Happy my car is in Guam and available for pick up, bummed that we can't go get it until Monday!!

is sending her buddies Nathan and Brandon and Matt good running vibes. All 3 are running in big races today. Go boys go!!!

On our way to church.

is sleepy...

On my way to pick up my car!

Beep, beep- yeah!!

loves watching Price play.

Looking for a silver lining (and something to keep my chin up with).

and Price are now protected against the seasonal flu.

is going to the gym. Now close your mouth and get back to doing whatever you were before you read this post...

Setting off on a day of errands, Boonie stomping and island exploring.

It's rainy and windy, another tropical storm headin our way- looks like this one may actually hit us... Hoping the rain lets up a bit so we can get some stuff done before we have to batten down the hatches.

We are now I'm tycor 3 ( means a storm is expected to hit in 48 hours). It also means I was part of a sand bag brigade, the shelves are emptying at the commissary and I'm in the line that wraps around the store- think Kohls the day after thanksgiving.

Fun day in Guam- tsunami warning for breakfast (it's now cancelled), Price figured out how to climb up on to the couch for brunch, expecting a tropical storm for lunch.

October

thinks the smell of rain is divine

is saying lots of prayers.

Happy to be 0 for 3 in the storm department.

thinks making a big pan of Hello Dollies the night before Don left was a bad idea, now it's up to me to eat them...

I figured since the USAF put out a press release, I can share with you where Don is headed- Indonesia. Thanks for all of your prayer and support. He is traveling to a place of destruction that most of us hopefully won't ever have to witness. Price and I are good- even though we don't have a ton of friends here, there is a great support system in place.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123171057 Story about the relief effort in Indonesia.

and Price are enjoying standing on our patio in a cool breeze watching the Thunderbirds do fly overs in preparation for the airshow tomorrow.

so happy that Don is able to text. I just got a msg from him- he is doing ok, had a long day.

Was just bragging to her mother that so far we haven't had any lizards in the house, only to look up five seconds later and see a lizard on my wall next to the a/c vent. I have been humbled...

Hopes Don has a happy birthday today.

It appears that our household goods have made it to Guam!!! Not sure when we'll be reunited with our stuff, but happy to know it survived tsunamis and typhoons.

My heart is happy- I just TALKED to Don!

Got a lot checked off my to do list, but boy do I miss the days of the infant seat- so much easier than getting in and out of car seat.

Tonight's Office was great! Worth having to wait an extra day for it.

needs caffeine STAT.

and Price are still in our jammies. Trying to get motivated to get dressed and get out of the house. I think the beach may be calling our name...

I don't get Price's aversion to napping- he was falling asleep in his high chair while eating lunch, now in his crib screaming at the top of his lungs!

I am happy to know that I am not alone in my distaste for the word moist. Apparently Chevy Chase and Meredith Viera do not like it either.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOemupQXBe4&feature =youtube_gdata

was happy to hear Don's voice for 30 seconds before the sat phone messed up. Ah, technology you are such a tease.

Making chocolate covered strawberries is one of my favorite stress relievers.

Hip Hip Hooray! Our household goods are on their way- scheduled for delivery- Friday!!

today was a good day!

Here comes another one, just like the other ones.

why is asking for help so hard and so scary?

praying for good logistics the next few days- both here and in Indonesia!

Today is the day we get our household goods! Bring on the movers!!

SNAFU!!!! :(

Sitting in an empty house.... Tmo messed up!!

Attempt at household goods delivery, take two. Let's hope it goes better this time!!

Happiness, thy name is house full of our things and WONDERFUL people to help ease the burden of unpacking 6 crates. Blessed, very blessed!!

Don is HOME!!!!!!

My son must be brilliant- he has figured out how to remove two different types of safety covers off electrical outlets.

Can't stand the smell of popcorn in general, but especially doesn't like to smell it burning late at night.

Just saw a baby monitor lizard on the porch, am simultaneously fascinated and grossed out.

Is, for the first time ever, very happy with my driver's license picture. I guess standing on line for two hours at the BMV looks good on me...

Putting the finishing touches on the family Halloween costumes so we're ready for our first round of parties tonight.

Happy that the boys are sleeping in, but a little frustrated that I'm already awake. Stupid internal alarm....

Homemade (from scratch) waffles with bananas foster topping for breakfast. Delicious way to start November!

November

Toiling away at the computer. Bea- if you read this, the site is up and running!!

Hanging pictures..... Makes me miss Mom, KJ, Aunt Jon, and mostly O'Peg.

Very sad to hear about what happened at Ft. Hood, praying for all affected.

excited to be hosting Thanksgiving at our house- the planning and preparing has begun!

Thank you to all of the veterans and your families. You made, and continue to make, great sacrifices for our country. Happy Veterans Day.

A little misty eyed over a sweet message from a dear friend.

Invoking Fall by baking pumpkin muffins.

Note to self- next time use a hot pad before grabbing the pan that you just took out of the oven. One handed, wrong handed cooking not easy...

Loves good garage sale buys!

Had fun learning to hula dance tonight, haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Loves that the cast of Glee is on World Cafe and loves that I can listen to a station out of St. Louis to hear the broadcast. Technology RULES!

I guess having not read any of the Twilight makes me ill-prepared to understand the craze about the movie.

can't wait for our new buffet to get here and then the decorating will be on in full force!

Just gave a gecko a ride home from the Burger King.

Wish me luck, I'm about to attempt to make dinner rolls from scratch.

Patting myself on the back- succesfully made dinner rolls from scratch. They are fluffy and delicious!

burning the (not quite) midnight oil- both boys asleep, I'm getting my scrub on in the kitchen- tomorrow Turkey Day cookfest begins!

Always loves when I go to the Natl Weather Service website to get an update on the typhoon churning about and instead get a tsunami bulletin (we are in no danger from tsunami and fairly certain to be clear of typhoon too).

is procrastinating. I need to clean the bathroom and unload the dish washer and maybe squeeze in a cat nap while the boy sleeps.

Happy Thanksgiving from Guam, where America says "Good Morning" (and also gets to celebrate national holidays a day earlier than everyone Stateside).

is stuffed, had a great meal and great company to share it with. The house is now empty and quiet and I think I may be a tad homesick.

is enjoying a rainy Saturday morning at home. Boys are watching Pitt, I'm sipping a cup of coffee and trying to motivate myself to do some on-line shopping.

Price is 16 months old today and just had his first haircut. They grow up so fast.

Fun times this morning- took Price to the play place- yay! just finished de-maggoting the trash can- boo!

Who Dat, Who Dat, Who Dat.... GEAUX SAINTS!!!!

December

Wishes I hadn't fallen asleep during the movie (Burn After Reading) so that I would be tired enough to go to sleep now.

Rainy, windy, teething, swine flu vac day. Can't wait for naptime.

Seeing rainbows after the rain is a reminder to me that the gloom will pass.

Had breakfast with Santa this morning- Price wasn't scared of him at all.

Need opinions: futon or good quality pillow topped inflatable mattress?

The AF thinks sleep is overrated, that must be why our phone is ringing off the hook tonight! At least Price is sleeping thru it even though Don and I aren't.

MlH 1

Just embarked on my first official craft project with Price- dough Christmas ornaments. TOTALLY worth the mess (we'll see if I still feel the same after we paint them this afternoon).

Foiled again!!

decorating the Christmas Tree

Doing some house cleaning, getting ready for our fun weekend, and trying to prevent Price from destroying the Christmas tree.

This weekend's agenda- a little bit of shopping; lounging by the pool/beach; kid-free, fancy dress party with adult beverages; staying at a nice hotel; brunch tomorrow. Can't wait for this little mini-vacay to start.

Headed home from a great weekend get away. Want to take a nap, but need to make 10 dozen cookies...

Wishes she had a self-cleaning kitchen, especially after a 2 day baking marathon.

is very thankful for on-line shopping!

Baking up some Christmas goodies.

feels like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Just finished baking 17 pans of cinnamon rolls. Now wrapping them up so they can be delivered tomorrow.

Taking a 2 hour nap at 8:00 at night, not the best idea.

Just got back from having her most fun on Guam to date!

Boo for flight delays! My brother won't get here until Monday, was supposed to be here tomorrow :(

C'mon Saints.....

is happy for Dan Mugg that the Cowboys won.

is soooooo happy that her brother is here!

Is happy that my dog, who I haven't seen in four months made it safely to Guam. Looking forward to visiting her tomorrow and hoping she gets to come home with us in the next day or two.

Is happy that my dog, who I haven't seen in four months, made it safely to Guam. Looking forward to visiting her tomorrow and hoping she gets to come home with us in the next day or two.

Reminding herself it was a thought with good intentions.

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. I just got the best present- Isabelle is home with us!!

Don and Trey are playing Santa, I'm cooking parts of tomorrow's dinner. It's a lovely Christmas Eve, but can't wait to be snuggled in bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.

Wow! Who knew being Santa was so much fun? Of course, I have a bruised lip and busted knee from racing my brother through Price's new tunnel- but totally worth it :)

Merry Christmas!

Hope all of my family and friends have a wonderful Christmas Day. We miss you!

Heading out on boonie stomp through the jungle to the beach.

Enjoying God's grace and the beauty He created. Surrounded by my family, sand, surf, butterflies, palm trees. What more could a girl ask for?

At the beach with Price and Trey.

Another beautiful morning at the beach. Thanks to my brother, I've been to the beach more in the past 4 days than in the entire time we have lived here. Yay for visitors! Who's next?

Settled in for a very low key New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year! It's 2010 in our part of the world.