Holy Blog Batman! What a weekend! We enjoyed it together thinking of you, in honor of all those who are missing someone special. For those departed and those deployed...we did NOT take this weekend for granted. You were in our hearts. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Let me tell you, now that the weather is warming things are getting fun. There are people everywhere and the atmosphere just seems to be more friendly with all the sunshine everyone is soaking up.
The little guys are in t-ball and baseball, friends are working their yards and gardens. Camping, swimming, picnicking all seem to lace everyone's blogs. It's great to see. We had our first amusement park adventure as a family unit! And had the awesome company of friends of ours "the Bees". I refer to them as such because they are a crew and always on the go go go. We just can't keep up. If the Energizer bunny had a family then they'd be the Energizers. One wonders (me mostly) how you can relax and really take in all the experience when there is so much "fly by the seat of your pants" and going from point A to B to C to home in like 48 hours... And with 2 kids no less!! Crrrrazy!
The amusement park called "Movie Park" is about a 4 hour drive from our home. We left earrrly Saturday morning (pulling out at 6:15am) to head out there. Played and romped hardcore until about 7pm (Roller coasters, little trains, kid rides, cotton candy, corny shows, walking and more walking, river rides and a bippity boppity barf type ride. It was AWESOME!!!) Alayna even got to ride her first bigtime kiddo roller coaster that's a mini of the big thrillers! She was such a champ! Daddy doesn't do Roller Coasters so us girls got to have all the fun :)
Disclaimer: I am in NO way stating that my husband is afraid of rides in any way, shape or form... He just...doesn't get any enjoyment from them at all...? :D
Awesome! It didn't show the last leg of the ride (It goes 3 times!)
Drove 30 minutes to our hotel, check in took more than 20 minutes b/c of our utter chaos and the guys being down in the parking garage where there is no cell service to be had. Who knew you needed a Passport # to stay in a hotel room? Hello? We are already IN your country! ha!
After we got our rooms and freshened up, three breaths later we were all silently contemplating just trying to order a pizza from, well, anywhere and not leaving the rooms! But we sucked it up and met in the lobby to walk to dinner. The restaurant at the hotel wanted a kidney donation for a dinner (per person). The kids were beat, we were beat and didn't even realize that most of us burned slightly and to different degrees. All of us but OREO. Damn Milatos. heehee.
We ate at an Italian joint just around the corner, ate half "out of it" wrestling kiddos that had had enough for the day. The big day hit us all at once! The 5 year old fell asleep on OREOS lap before the food arrived and he woke long enough to eat then pass out again. He even slept through DESSERT!! YEAH! I wouldn't have believed it either. The food was pretty darn delish!!
I thought Alayna would crash out as soon as her head hit the pillow back at the hotel room. I stuffed her full of spaghetti, cleaned her up, jammied her and rocked her a little. She was SO tired and running on fumes but man, her fumes are lethal. She did not give it up, I almost had to get mean just to get her to sit still enough for a minute to realize that she wanted to sleep. After almost an hour it went from flailing, laughing and squeals to hard breathing and baby snores.
I slept like a ROCK until...about quarter to 5 when I woke up with a volcano in my chest. (it is true what they say about what goes around) I was making jokes at OREO during dinner about carrying Tums in her day bag, "baha you are such an old lady! Tums? really? LOL" Well guess who was eating crow to try and extinguish the fire before sunrise?? yeah...that's right. I was seriously going to text her and ask her if she could slip some under the door. But I know I'd be hard tempted to strangle someone for wakin' me at 5 or even worse, waking my kids! So...I just drank a whole gullet of water and propped myself up a little bit. It worked okay, I don't remember falling back asleep but at about 9:30 I woke again to find my hubby MIA and my girly still racked out! It was nice to lay there in the dim lit room and just think for a few minutes.
My knight in shining armor returned swiftly with breakfast and a kiss. I gently started to wake Alayna since it was well after 10am. She ate a ton here and there while wreaking havoc in the hotel room, giggling, ruffling curtains, opening drawers, picking up the phone and calling whoever struck her little mind. All in all she drove me bonkers but I gave it permission to exist since no rooms bordered ours and it was just about 10:45. I had to get myself in gear and get us ready to head out.
The ride home was nice and uneventful. We snacked on some German junk food and chatted it up while Alayna watched a movie. Upon pulling into the driveway she was falling sleep, sweet! Perfect Timing! I smooched her up one side and down the other and laid her bed. Then I went into my room to "read" and...crashed out!
Today we ventured back to Aquella and surprise Alayna with some pool time. Took our bikes along for some lunch and riding around downtown Ansbach. It was a gorgeous day!! The little girly and I shared a yummy Banana Split Sundae and fed some pigeons a wafer cookie. Wanna keep a toddler busy? Give her a cracker and a bird ;)
We ended the afternoon with a 30 Euro parking ticket. Yippee! I got a 5 Euro perking ticket last Wednesday for being 15 minutes late getting back to the car in Bad Windsheim.
I sure wish every day could be Memorial Day. There are so many that need to be remembered for their sacrifice and heroic actions. So many families with a hole that need our love and support. And so many men and women out there right now putting their lives in harms way to preserve the precious rights and freedoms we sometimes take for granted that NEED our prayers. And of course the ones that DID come home and survived the unimaginable that now harbor dark dreams and depression, those that have life altering injuries. They need to be thought of as well. Don't they need our appreciation? To let them know we can't have ANYTHING we have without them? That they have shown us great love, not even knowing who were are? For those who have served in the past, now in the present and who will serve in the future...I love you, I appreciate EVERY thing you do and I thank God for creating that fire in you that calls you to protect and defend. Thank you. Bless you and your loved ones. May God guide your path, angels guard it and lead you home, safe, healthy and happy.
You are America, America is you. Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus for the Red, White and Blue!!! :)
Afterthoughts:
I need some feedback on the expansion and development of my blog! I'm trying to get into a routine but finding the process a tad rocky. Since cooking is a passion of mine, I was thinking of putting up a Recipe or link to a recipe with every post. One I plan to try or one that's tried and true to share with all of you! What do you think?
What's up Blogger? Why can't I post my pictures?? grf, I'll deal with you later. I'm going to bed!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Don't Just Stand There!
Hey All my super awesome friends and foes! Now that I have everyone's attention,Let me tell you about some ups and woes.
I've come to the conclusion that the only way to combat the negative things in my life and my own personal hell of dealing with a chronic disease, is having "more sunshine" in my life. Whether it be in the form of good deeds (which I try to do anyway but I need to get off my rump and do MORE) or Surrounding myself with positive people so that hopefully I can selfishly feed off that to keep going and be positive myself. Yes I'll always have the valleys where I cry and pity myself half to death but I'm going to try different outlets to express it. Like here. But I'll put a warning on it in advance :)
This week has been great for a lot of reasons. I decided to delete my all too nerve splitting post about Mandatory Army Fun for a few reasons, ALL being MY own, just so we're clear. It wasn't to recant feelings or admit I was wrong in anyway for expressing my feelings in the appropriate venue, which is my blog (public diary essentially). Inappropriate would be spray painting it on the outside wall of the Hangar on post. *giggle* Maybe I thought about it...
I realized that the negativity would only spread rumors about ME and my intentions about what I wrote. The guys are communicating more now and things are starting to settle down in the office. Call it a blessing in disguise or what you will. I think it also gave me a chance to grow in "my blogging", friendships and in general as a military wife. So I was grateful for the the upheaval.
My heart needed to reach out to the one I hurt the most by all of this so I set out at the beginning of the week to extend a small gesture. Let her know I was thinking of her feelings and that I still loved her as a friend. I dropped a wrapped bouquet of flowers at her doorstep with no expectations. It was sincere and it was all about making her day a little brighter. I know with some space and time to reflect, that our friendship can heal to some degree. I have faith. Even as hurt as she may have been, I know she has a huge heart. I don't believe it has the capacity to shut me out and write me off completely. I will never give up on anybody so long as I feel ANY reason not to. And this is definitely one of those situations. Besides, we are a LOT more alike than either of us may fully understand.
I'm finding "my place" here in Germany I think. It's sort of feeling like home...it's only taken a YEAR!! But hey, good things are worth the wait. I've decided to start new hobbies that I have been thinking (and running my mouth) about FOREVER. One including this very blog (Thanks Tippy!) and crocheting (again, thanks Tippy for getting me off my lazy fanny!) She's so great. Learning to play guitar is the other one I'm really excited but SUPER intimidated by. I am praying I have what it takes and that I won't get discouraged too easily.
Something else I need to get off my fanny about is Mother's Day. Yep. We are on the cusp of JUNE here! I'm an awesome daughter and such that my gifts are still incomplete and sitting on the counter to be mailed. (Sorry Mommy and Nana!)
I DID however manage to get Alayna's Godmother "Maymie", for the purposes of this blog, her very first Mother's Day gift (since she doesn't have human children of her own)It was from a gifting website and once I saw it, I knew it was the right thing for her from us. It's a purse mirror with her name engraved on it. I chose this because everytime she looks into it we want her to see the beautiful person, inside and out, that we love and miss SOO much!! Of course that's what I put in the card too. heehee. Cheeseball! But meant every word. She IS truly a gift from God and was sent to us at the PERFECT TIME. We could not imagine our lives without her and her hubby. Red and I thought we'd never be able to choose her Godparents, both Mother and Father in the same household and that were the closest match to us and how we would raise her should anything happen to both of us. I also didn't think we'd AGREE if either of us did have a choice in mind. But on a long car ride one day I brought it up and before the words came out of my mouth, Red completed my sentence and we both smiled and knew instantly that it was a "God thing" and Oh so meant to be. We prayed, God delivered.
While we are on the subject of Mothers....and mothering. Sigh. It's time to try again at the whole "potty" thing. I'm really tired of the poopy picassos during naptime. Albeit my daughter is creative and I think it's a surprise for me... Alayna, honey, Mommy's favorite part of the day does NOT including washing poop out of your diaper AND off the walls, crib, you, etc... So stay tuned for this adventure which is going to begin again in a week or so. I'll need lots of determination. And maybe some stiff drinks ;) Time to say Bye Bye Diatees!!
New Happenings:
Alayna got her first haircut last week!! Cute little girl bangs. Time to throw
a rock on her head.
We are hitting up our first German Amusement Park tomorrow! I'm excited to scarf some food and get some thrills...I LOVE me some roller coasters!!
Found out that we LOVE the indoor water pool/park in Ansbach and ALayna is half fish. She hates to be held, just put on the swim wings and she's like "Let me GO!!" Brave little stinker! She happiest in the water and that brings us pure joy!
Noteworthy Observations:
The weather needs to make up it's mind. It's literally been HOT and COLD!! 85 degrees yesterday. 61 today... really?
The smell of grilled ribeye steak NEVER gets old....EVER.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Be safe, and remember to remember those who gave their lives for us!!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Water, water everywhere...
Good Morning Blog! Happy Monday, It's a new week and I'm going to stay afloat!
It was a very interesting weekend to say the least. Mostly about water...and being in it...
I landed in hot water at the start of the weekend with some over my last blog post. Who'd have thought I was so important? Surely not me! Anyway, I was honest, frustrated and outspoken about it. I fear I may have lost someone dear to me but that was the unintentional price I paid. Some people have a very hard time with criticism and it pains me to think that they feel my opinions are super-personal or permanent for that matter. I'm not the only one who has hurt someone with a blog post in recent weeks. That fallout didn't flood the valley like mine did. Thank God. Hopefully time will heal these things and with more posts people will get a glimpse of the real me. Instead of feeding off speculation and rumor. And I want everyone to know I appreciate the support I've received over the last few days. Thank you.
Saturday we took LaynaLoo to Aquella in Ansbach, an indoor water park of sorts. It's small and only has one big slide but it was BIG fun!! I wonder why humans love water so much and being in it? Maybe it's because we are made up of mostly water? Or that we start out our very lives IN water in the womb? hmm. Well Alayna loves it. The smiles and giggles were priceless as daddy flung her around the wave pool. I wish I would've had a waterproof camera! We will be frequenting this place :)
You know who hates water? My Hurricane "Ivan" the terrible. He's a Manchester terrier (everyone thinks he's a min-pin) and he just turned 7 years old the beginning of this month! I can hardly believe it. He is still the stubborn, entitled child he's always been. A veritable crotch hobbit, High energy and a HUGE pig. He will literally eat himself sick, trust me, we've tried it. Well he hates getting a bath. To stand outside the door you'd think we were dismembering him alive starting with his toes. But after all the trauma, Red always wraps him up swaddled in a towel like a baby and holds him for a while on the couch. It's pretty pitiful looking. He gets a treat, shakes off and goes about his day terrorizing the neighborhood and scavenging for crumbs.
Yesterday we acquired a small miracle...a sitter!! ha! Red and I went out to the Franken-therme in Bad Windsheim for the afternoon. I highly recommend it! We definitely don't take for granted the time we get to spend alone. It's priceless. Probably because it's so rare. I undoubtedly still have a major crush on him. Yep, even after almost 9 years together.
We linked our legs together to make a human raft and float in the Salzsee for a bit then I dragged him ashore to collect some salt and give his back a nice rub down. We hopped from pool to pool of different salt concentrations and temperatures. The place is ginormous, there were steam rooms we discovered this time that we didn't even know they had! Aromatherapy steam rooms are very relaxing. Everyone just kind of does their own thing. There were no slots available for a couples massage so we thought we'd head over to the "other side" of the complex, that is nude. I NEVER in a million lifetimes thought I'd be able to overcome my shyness, self conciousness and modesty to go nude in public. But after a few minutes of being in the area in my robe, I realized that it's not a big deal over here and people aren't even concerned with you. Sure there are passing or accidental glances but it's only because it's not "normal" to be naked around everyone. Although I will say this time I almost didn't think I could go nude because I has this overwhelming feeling that someone Adam worked with was going to be there. I got over it. Red and I wanted to go outside to the salt pools and so I could lay out in the sun. But a horrible storm hit as we were walking that way we saw everyone running in. Naked people scurrying everywhere, LOL. To wait out the rain we ordered some cappocinnos and a little dessert to share and sat comfy in our robes and just enjoying each others company. It was heavenly.
We hopped from the ice room to the saunas and I quickly discovered I'm not cut out for anything over 65 degrees Celsius. I tried sitting in the panoramic sauna which is over 90-110 degrees celsius(it's huge and one wall is glass with a view of the outdoor nude area) yeah...I lasted about 2 minutes before I felt I was suffocating. My "fight or flight" reflex kicked in. I grabbed up robe and told Adam I'd wait outside for him. The bubbly pool was warm enough to enjoy so we lounged and swam in there for a bit. Skinny dipping (or in my case "chunky dunkin") is so liberating. It feels fantastic and natural. I didn't have time to lay out in the sun and the breeze was a little to chilly so I hopped into a Solarium (German for Tanning bed) and almost burnt myself. We showered together, gathered our things and I headed to the vanity area to blowdry my hair and primp. I left there feeling like a million bucks. Hand in hand with my baby we strolled downtown Bad Windsheim for some take out. Had a drink at the Greek while waiting on our food, wow, how I wish we could do this more often. 5 hours flew by!! Just to share the experience I brought the sitter (who I don't have a nickname for yet) a gift certificate for the Franken-therme so she can drag her husband there. They've been here years and have never been! How is this possible?! She's expecting so I told her they need to absolutely go BEFORE baby gets here in November!
Oh and it turns out that someone that Adam works with WAS there while we were. He and his wife arrived about an hour and a half before we left...we must have kept missing each other or something, I don't know. LOL.
Came back home, down from cloud 9 but to cloud 10 where an excited little girl awaited us. It's good for us to get a break from the baby. It gives me a chance to miss her. And I get so happy when she runs up yellin "mama, mama!" to jump in my arms.
So as you can see I spent pretty much the whole weekend in water. From metaphorical water to rain, chlorine pools, salt pools, naked pools, sweating to death in saunas and showers. Wet and wild and so much fun!!
Noteworthy Observations:
Red really missed his recliner. Like REALLY missed it.
There is no way I can avoid Bromance at any duty station. So I just have to go with it.
He just leaves a string of broken hearts behind him.
Alayna is discovering how to re-enact. And it's awesome to watch. She's super smart and totally makes me laugh.
If you can't handle me at my worst then you sure as heck don't deserve me at my best.
It was a very interesting weekend to say the least. Mostly about water...and being in it...
I landed in hot water at the start of the weekend with some over my last blog post. Who'd have thought I was so important? Surely not me! Anyway, I was honest, frustrated and outspoken about it. I fear I may have lost someone dear to me but that was the unintentional price I paid. Some people have a very hard time with criticism and it pains me to think that they feel my opinions are super-personal or permanent for that matter. I'm not the only one who has hurt someone with a blog post in recent weeks. That fallout didn't flood the valley like mine did. Thank God. Hopefully time will heal these things and with more posts people will get a glimpse of the real me. Instead of feeding off speculation and rumor. And I want everyone to know I appreciate the support I've received over the last few days. Thank you.
Saturday we took LaynaLoo to Aquella in Ansbach, an indoor water park of sorts. It's small and only has one big slide but it was BIG fun!! I wonder why humans love water so much and being in it? Maybe it's because we are made up of mostly water? Or that we start out our very lives IN water in the womb? hmm. Well Alayna loves it. The smiles and giggles were priceless as daddy flung her around the wave pool. I wish I would've had a waterproof camera! We will be frequenting this place :)
You know who hates water? My Hurricane "Ivan" the terrible. He's a Manchester terrier (everyone thinks he's a min-pin) and he just turned 7 years old the beginning of this month! I can hardly believe it. He is still the stubborn, entitled child he's always been. A veritable crotch hobbit, High energy and a HUGE pig. He will literally eat himself sick, trust me, we've tried it. Well he hates getting a bath. To stand outside the door you'd think we were dismembering him alive starting with his toes. But after all the trauma, Red always wraps him up swaddled in a towel like a baby and holds him for a while on the couch. It's pretty pitiful looking. He gets a treat, shakes off and goes about his day terrorizing the neighborhood and scavenging for crumbs.
Yesterday we acquired a small miracle...a sitter!! ha! Red and I went out to the Franken-therme in Bad Windsheim for the afternoon. I highly recommend it! We definitely don't take for granted the time we get to spend alone. It's priceless. Probably because it's so rare. I undoubtedly still have a major crush on him. Yep, even after almost 9 years together.
We linked our legs together to make a human raft and float in the Salzsee for a bit then I dragged him ashore to collect some salt and give his back a nice rub down. We hopped from pool to pool of different salt concentrations and temperatures. The place is ginormous, there were steam rooms we discovered this time that we didn't even know they had! Aromatherapy steam rooms are very relaxing. Everyone just kind of does their own thing. There were no slots available for a couples massage so we thought we'd head over to the "other side" of the complex, that is nude. I NEVER in a million lifetimes thought I'd be able to overcome my shyness, self conciousness and modesty to go nude in public. But after a few minutes of being in the area in my robe, I realized that it's not a big deal over here and people aren't even concerned with you. Sure there are passing or accidental glances but it's only because it's not "normal" to be naked around everyone. Although I will say this time I almost didn't think I could go nude because I has this overwhelming feeling that someone Adam worked with was going to be there. I got over it. Red and I wanted to go outside to the salt pools and so I could lay out in the sun. But a horrible storm hit as we were walking that way we saw everyone running in. Naked people scurrying everywhere, LOL. To wait out the rain we ordered some cappocinnos and a little dessert to share and sat comfy in our robes and just enjoying each others company. It was heavenly.
We hopped from the ice room to the saunas and I quickly discovered I'm not cut out for anything over 65 degrees Celsius. I tried sitting in the panoramic sauna which is over 90-110 degrees celsius(it's huge and one wall is glass with a view of the outdoor nude area) yeah...I lasted about 2 minutes before I felt I was suffocating. My "fight or flight" reflex kicked in. I grabbed up robe and told Adam I'd wait outside for him. The bubbly pool was warm enough to enjoy so we lounged and swam in there for a bit. Skinny dipping (or in my case "chunky dunkin") is so liberating. It feels fantastic and natural. I didn't have time to lay out in the sun and the breeze was a little to chilly so I hopped into a Solarium (German for Tanning bed) and almost burnt myself. We showered together, gathered our things and I headed to the vanity area to blowdry my hair and primp. I left there feeling like a million bucks. Hand in hand with my baby we strolled downtown Bad Windsheim for some take out. Had a drink at the Greek while waiting on our food, wow, how I wish we could do this more often. 5 hours flew by!! Just to share the experience I brought the sitter (who I don't have a nickname for yet) a gift certificate for the Franken-therme so she can drag her husband there. They've been here years and have never been! How is this possible?! She's expecting so I told her they need to absolutely go BEFORE baby gets here in November!
Oh and it turns out that someone that Adam works with WAS there while we were. He and his wife arrived about an hour and a half before we left...we must have kept missing each other or something, I don't know. LOL.
Came back home, down from cloud 9 but to cloud 10 where an excited little girl awaited us. It's good for us to get a break from the baby. It gives me a chance to miss her. And I get so happy when she runs up yellin "mama, mama!" to jump in my arms.
So as you can see I spent pretty much the whole weekend in water. From metaphorical water to rain, chlorine pools, salt pools, naked pools, sweating to death in saunas and showers. Wet and wild and so much fun!!
Noteworthy Observations:
Red really missed his recliner. Like REALLY missed it.
There is no way I can avoid Bromance at any duty station. So I just have to go with it.
He just leaves a string of broken hearts behind him.
Alayna is discovering how to re-enact. And it's awesome to watch. She's super smart and totally makes me laugh.
If you can't handle me at my worst then you sure as heck don't deserve me at my best.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Friday the 13th
The skies are sunny today! I'm not sure if it's the atmosphere OR that having my best friend home from the field makes my world brighter. (literally!)
I've finally recovered from the awful experience that happened last Friday. I know it was last week but it is just a story I felt I needed to share. I'll try to make a long story short. (after writing the post, the previous statement is a fabrication, I did my best, but it's still long. I left out a few details but it's pretty much all there. Please Note: I said "try to")
After an action packed day of lunch, shopping for birthday gifts and spring clothes, we headed back to our abode. 5 minutes into the drive Alayna racked out in her carseat. When we pulled in the driveway I knew it had been just long enough that if I moved her to her bedroom she would've woken up and been cranky! I had things I had to get done during her nap, so I did what I've done several times since living out here. I parked the van in the shade. Opened the side and rear doors to the van, leaned her seat back and let her finish out her nap. It was 65 degrees and breezy. Gorgeous for sleeping outside (if only we had a futon). I unloaded the bags out of the car and into the house. I opened the windows so I could hear her if she woke up and called for me. Every 8-10 minutes I poked my head out the door to check and see her little bare feet hanging still. I want to say it was about 30 minutes total she was out there. In the kitchen I heard her little mumbly voice, time to go get the little peanut! Slipped on my pink crocs and headed outside. She was standing on the floor of the van in front of her carseat facing it. The second she caught sight of me she started screaming. So I hurried and grabbed her up, stunned she knew how to get out of her carseat. (or did I loosen it so she'd be comfy? I couldn't recall) I closed up the van and headed inside.
Changing her diaper upstairs I thought she was still in the process of waking up because she was rubbing her eyes and looking at me strangely. I talked to her for a little bit and right away I noticed something was wrong. Her eyes were vacant and eyelids were slightly drooping. She stared around her room in what I interpreted as amazement. Almost like she'd never been there before. Anyways, trying to put in the important details, she was acting scared of tile floors and everytime I tried to set her down she'd stumble around and fall on her bottom. Something was really off. In my mind, "This isn't my child! What on Earth happened during her nap?!" I didn't want to be alone. So I called ARMS and Princess Peach over to "observe" her with me. Is she partially blind? Is this one of the horror stories where a toddler just wakes up one day a different child and has autism? Inside I was freaking out. I was just desperate for her to snap out of it!!
Princess Peach had mentioned if maybe there was something in the van she could've gotten into? Cleaner, medicine? No. I was absolutely sure. Adam had cleaned out the van recently and I found her in front of her carseat so by all appearances and time, she had JUST woke up and got out. The girls left because she seemed to calm down a little bit and they both had things they had to get done at home. I understand they couldn't drop everything to come a stare at my kid. I saw them out and asked Alayna if she was hungry. Of course. She requested "Nummy" for dinner (oatmeal). Sure, why not? After 1 and 1/2 servings she was very quiet and still watching Stuart Little. In my eyes she looked like a tiny zombie. Something PP said about her getting into something in the van had me bothered. In the back of my mind I knew I wouldn't find anything but I went outside instead to just take a look and ease my mind.
Why are the front doors locked? I didn't lock the van. Hmm...after I opened the door I noticed there were coins in all the cupholders. So she WAS up front fiddling around! super. Man, my child is quick. So what else was she able to get her hands on that could create this mysterious zombie-like behavior? Hazard light button was pushed, napkins were pulled out of the glove box...okay cool, now I know she knows how to open that up. Better see what else is in there. I opened it and shuffled around through papers, lipgloss and such and it hits me. I think there may have been a pill sorter in here from last September when we went to Garmisch. But it's not in there. "Maybe I took in the house already." I kept looking around on the floor and in the seats and when I got to the driver's side door compartments I saw it. A 7 day pill case...with one little door open to it. Oh no... what was in this? Thinking back there were only 2 medications I had left by the end of that week. Singulair and Ambien. There were 2 Ambien. I know it. And here, there is 1. In the blink of an eye it all came crashing down on me: her being out of her carseat, the stumbling around, the fear of everything, the vacant zombie look...All signs she most definitely ingested Ambien...OH Shit!!! She's only 25 pounds! And this was over 2 and 1/2 hours ago!!
I darted in the house as fast as my legs would carry me, grabbed her in my arms ran upstairs to Google the number for poison control. Meanwhile I sit her on the bed next to me and pick up my phone to call a friend, I didn't want to do this by myself and I was on the verge of a panic attack. I quickly threw down a Klonopin so I wouldn't lose it completely. As I'm about to hang up with Tiffany to call the 24 hour nurse Alayna throws up ALL over my bed. I jumped up it startled me so bad. There was no warning anything like that was coming. She starts crying hysterically and I assure her everything's okay. I take her to the bathroom and strip her down. Clean her with a rag while I'm talking to the nurse. She's asking me all the questions "I know" she HAS to ask but I don't have time for all this!!! So I babbled off stuff as quickly as I could and then interrupted her and said "Look, I understand you're doing what you need to do by the book here. But if I'm SURE my 2 year old swallowed an Ambien over 2 hours ago do I need to get to an ER?!!" She said I'd be justified. So I hung up with her, took my naked child in to throw a diaper and some clothes on. By this time i'm lightly shaking, the adrenaline has me bad. My mind was reeling..I needed to get pants on, it's cold out and umm a bra! Grf!! Why can't there be 7 people here when stuff like this goes down? I lay her on the clean part of my bed and throw on what I can. Grab her an extra set of clothes and a blanket and haul buns back downstairs. I swiped my bottle of water on the way out the door.
I picked up Princess Peach and Luigi (it was his 5th bday btw and his party was the next morning. PERFECT TIMING right?) and put in the address for the hospital in Neustadt. Here we go. I didn't speed (much) but you better believe I wasn't in the mood or frame of mind to wait on anyone. About 7 minutes into the ride ALayna throws up again all over herself and the carseat. Starts crying of course. My sweet friend gets turned around to help clean her up and calm her down as I speed down a back road. I'm apologizing to Alayna and thanking Princess Peach for cleaning puke off my daughter. Something I don't know if I could've done had it not been my own child...I don't do well with vomit as a whole. It seemed like it took forever to make it to the hospital but finally we parked went inside. Met a nurse at the ER desk and she says to me "I don't know why you came here, we can't treat children this young." Umm, what?
Yeah. Apparently they have no clue what to do in this situation and she needed to be taken to the Children's Hospital. I wanted to explode. In my head, "Your a freakin' HOSPITAL! with and EMERGENCY Room!" So they tell me we can't drive there, Alayna has to be transported by ambulance. Been there before. Great. So....now what? I follow in the van? Then how do my comrades get home? If they take the van and I go in the ambulance for the ride...How do I get home? I had no Euro, no extra clothes, no nighttime meds. Okay, well ya gotta do what ya gotta do to survive I guess and Alaynas health was my #1 priority. Everything else just didn't matter. As they are gathering the crew for the transport the nurse advises me that if any situation like this arises again, Don't drive anywhere, call an ambulance and they'll take her to the Children's Hospital. Good to know. Those of you over here in Germany with children that small, take this as your heads up!
During the ride, which was quite long, Alayna was pretty hard to keep occupied. She went from zombie like to hyperdrive. And of course I don't think any child would feel warm and fuzzy strapped to a gurney riding backwards with strangers and lights shining in your face.
A couple of blown up gloves and an oral syringe later and she was pretty manageable. The Hospital they took us to was right outside Nurnberg in a town called Furth. Everybody seemed to be pretty chill at the whole situation. I had assumed by now they would've at least drawn blood or started IV fluids. After all, you can't go anywhere in the American Hospital system with something going in or coming out of your body via needle. They looked her over, checked her pupil responses and watched her walk around. We were being kept overnight for observation and they shuffled us right up to the pediatric floor for her age group. She had a crib and I had a bed. Ahh. A bed! Not a recliner or horrible plastic couch!
One thing I will say about German hospitals, they are very clean. Very accomodating. Apparently they strive to do things in the least invasive way possible. Which is great for me. That's how I prefer to do things when the circumstance permits. The nurse brought us juice and water and said we could get settled in to get some rest. By now it was about 11 at night. I was to call the nurse when Alayna fell asleep so she could come in and put the O2 Sat and Heart monitor lead on her toe. She had said she'd peak in from time to time in case I fell asleep too. Alayna fell asleep and I realized I had too, waiting for her to be all the way out. The nurse came in the a little flashlight, very quietly and uncovered Alayna's foot, put the lead on, covered her back up and silently left. Not disturbing anything or anyone. Nice. They don't come in the knocking, announcing themselves and turning on every light in the room to scare the daylights out of you after you fell asleep just 20 minutes ago! It's wonderful! SO tried to get some sleep and woke a few times. Alayna did really well. It was very quiet. In American Hospitals, all you here all night are clicks and beeps and people walking by talking loudly as they stroll the hallway at midnight.
I was able to call out to my Army fam about the situation with letting the dogs out in the morning and getting a ride home once we were released. When we were being kept overnight they told us we'd be released sometime midday. There was a birthday party going on for one of the little boys in our group of friends. I threw a monkey wrench into the whole thing! It seemed like everybody was everywhere!
Well in the morning Alayna woke up at 7 which is unlike her but it was a new place so, to be expected. I was a wreck and soooo tired! We both made it through the night though!! She was definitely My Alayna in morning. She pulled the lead off her toe straight away of course and the nurse came in a few minutes later and said since she was awake it was fine to be off. They had all they needed anyway. We were brought breakfast, an assortment of breads, soft pretzels with Nutella, jelly and butter. Hmm. Doesn't seem balanced to me but hey, Carbs will do!! :) The doctor came in to talk to us at about 9 am and she was very nice. Her English was great too. She said the medication would be pretty much out of her system by now. She advised us to come back right away if she got worse again or there were any new strange symptoms. Other than that, we were free to leave. Another awesome thing about German hospitals, no crazy long discharge process. So I called around and arranged a ride to come pick us up and take us home. Alayna laid down for a nap and so did I while we waited for my friend to get up to Furth. She had to first go and pick up Alayna's carseat which Princess Peach lovingly washed for me so Alayna wouldn't have to ride back in dried up vomit. The only negative things (in my eyes) about German hospitals is, there are no TVs and to Telephones in the rooms. Bed, table, bathroom. That's it. Keeping a 2 year old entertained with no toys and no TV was no easy task. Especially for my child. A spoon and a cup did okay for a while until she got sleepy. I myself was half asleep when Amanda called to tell me she was there at the hospital. It seemed like a looong ride home. I was so thankful to her because I was really glad I didn't have to drive. I had a dull headache and just needed to relax. And take my meds.
The "horrible mom" complex hadn't budged at all. I know people say these things happen and it could've been drain-o or a dishwashing tablet...But still it was ME who forgot about the medication in the glove box. It was ME who underestimated the skill and speed of my toddler. It IS ME who is responsible for her life. When we got home, we ate and slept off and on all day. That night she behaved really well so I could get some chores done around the house. I cleaned up the mess of my sheets and at that moment was really glad I decided to invest in the awesome waterproof sheet! So all the evidence of the ordeal was gone and washed away. I had "my child" back and she was okay by the grace of God. They did give Alayna the cutest teddy bear at the hospital as a token I guess. It had bandages on it's head and a sling on it's arm. Adorable little boo-boo bear! I'm going to write the date on it. LOL
That was my Friday the 13th.
The next morning you better believe I went over the cars and the entire first floor of the house with a fine tooth comb to check for anything she might possibly be able to get into. To my relief, I found nothing. But now I really do KNOW there is nothing. And there will be no more finishing naps in the car.
Afterthoughts about the whole thing:
Why the hell will my child swallow a yucky pill, lick chalk and paint with poo but she refuses to give broccoli a chance?
I'm really glad that a friend asked me about hazardous things in the car or else it may not have been bothering me enough later to go check it out.
Even though a horrible thing happened and I blamed myself, it was ME who knew my child well enough to know something was terribly wrong and not ignore it. So that made me feel a little better. It could've been worse. Rat poison and such...
Since when is 9am "midday"? lol. ;)
I have some really great friends here.
Lastly, I don't know who was traumatized more by this incident....myself or the child. (I'm leaning towards me)
Thanks for bearing with me for the long haul! I highly doubt future posts will ever be this long.
Tchuss!!
I've finally recovered from the awful experience that happened last Friday. I know it was last week but it is just a story I felt I needed to share. I'll try to make a long story short. (after writing the post, the previous statement is a fabrication, I did my best, but it's still long. I left out a few details but it's pretty much all there. Please Note: I said "try to")
After an action packed day of lunch, shopping for birthday gifts and spring clothes, we headed back to our abode. 5 minutes into the drive Alayna racked out in her carseat. When we pulled in the driveway I knew it had been just long enough that if I moved her to her bedroom she would've woken up and been cranky! I had things I had to get done during her nap, so I did what I've done several times since living out here. I parked the van in the shade. Opened the side and rear doors to the van, leaned her seat back and let her finish out her nap. It was 65 degrees and breezy. Gorgeous for sleeping outside (if only we had a futon). I unloaded the bags out of the car and into the house. I opened the windows so I could hear her if she woke up and called for me. Every 8-10 minutes I poked my head out the door to check and see her little bare feet hanging still. I want to say it was about 30 minutes total she was out there. In the kitchen I heard her little mumbly voice, time to go get the little peanut! Slipped on my pink crocs and headed outside. She was standing on the floor of the van in front of her carseat facing it. The second she caught sight of me she started screaming. So I hurried and grabbed her up, stunned she knew how to get out of her carseat. (or did I loosen it so she'd be comfy? I couldn't recall) I closed up the van and headed inside.
Changing her diaper upstairs I thought she was still in the process of waking up because she was rubbing her eyes and looking at me strangely. I talked to her for a little bit and right away I noticed something was wrong. Her eyes were vacant and eyelids were slightly drooping. She stared around her room in what I interpreted as amazement. Almost like she'd never been there before. Anyways, trying to put in the important details, she was acting scared of tile floors and everytime I tried to set her down she'd stumble around and fall on her bottom. Something was really off. In my mind, "This isn't my child! What on Earth happened during her nap?!" I didn't want to be alone. So I called ARMS and Princess Peach over to "observe" her with me. Is she partially blind? Is this one of the horror stories where a toddler just wakes up one day a different child and has autism? Inside I was freaking out. I was just desperate for her to snap out of it!!
Princess Peach had mentioned if maybe there was something in the van she could've gotten into? Cleaner, medicine? No. I was absolutely sure. Adam had cleaned out the van recently and I found her in front of her carseat so by all appearances and time, she had JUST woke up and got out. The girls left because she seemed to calm down a little bit and they both had things they had to get done at home. I understand they couldn't drop everything to come a stare at my kid. I saw them out and asked Alayna if she was hungry. Of course. She requested "Nummy" for dinner (oatmeal). Sure, why not? After 1 and 1/2 servings she was very quiet and still watching Stuart Little. In my eyes she looked like a tiny zombie. Something PP said about her getting into something in the van had me bothered. In the back of my mind I knew I wouldn't find anything but I went outside instead to just take a look and ease my mind.
Why are the front doors locked? I didn't lock the van. Hmm...after I opened the door I noticed there were coins in all the cupholders. So she WAS up front fiddling around! super. Man, my child is quick. So what else was she able to get her hands on that could create this mysterious zombie-like behavior? Hazard light button was pushed, napkins were pulled out of the glove box...okay cool, now I know she knows how to open that up. Better see what else is in there. I opened it and shuffled around through papers, lipgloss and such and it hits me. I think there may have been a pill sorter in here from last September when we went to Garmisch. But it's not in there. "Maybe I took in the house already." I kept looking around on the floor and in the seats and when I got to the driver's side door compartments I saw it. A 7 day pill case...with one little door open to it. Oh no... what was in this? Thinking back there were only 2 medications I had left by the end of that week. Singulair and Ambien. There were 2 Ambien. I know it. And here, there is 1. In the blink of an eye it all came crashing down on me: her being out of her carseat, the stumbling around, the fear of everything, the vacant zombie look...All signs she most definitely ingested Ambien...OH Shit!!! She's only 25 pounds! And this was over 2 and 1/2 hours ago!!
I darted in the house as fast as my legs would carry me, grabbed her in my arms ran upstairs to Google the number for poison control. Meanwhile I sit her on the bed next to me and pick up my phone to call a friend, I didn't want to do this by myself and I was on the verge of a panic attack. I quickly threw down a Klonopin so I wouldn't lose it completely. As I'm about to hang up with Tiffany to call the 24 hour nurse Alayna throws up ALL over my bed. I jumped up it startled me so bad. There was no warning anything like that was coming. She starts crying hysterically and I assure her everything's okay. I take her to the bathroom and strip her down. Clean her with a rag while I'm talking to the nurse. She's asking me all the questions "I know" she HAS to ask but I don't have time for all this!!! So I babbled off stuff as quickly as I could and then interrupted her and said "Look, I understand you're doing what you need to do by the book here. But if I'm SURE my 2 year old swallowed an Ambien over 2 hours ago do I need to get to an ER?!!" She said I'd be justified. So I hung up with her, took my naked child in to throw a diaper and some clothes on. By this time i'm lightly shaking, the adrenaline has me bad. My mind was reeling..I needed to get pants on, it's cold out and umm a bra! Grf!! Why can't there be 7 people here when stuff like this goes down? I lay her on the clean part of my bed and throw on what I can. Grab her an extra set of clothes and a blanket and haul buns back downstairs. I swiped my bottle of water on the way out the door.
I picked up Princess Peach and Luigi (it was his 5th bday btw and his party was the next morning. PERFECT TIMING right?) and put in the address for the hospital in Neustadt. Here we go. I didn't speed (much) but you better believe I wasn't in the mood or frame of mind to wait on anyone. About 7 minutes into the ride ALayna throws up again all over herself and the carseat. Starts crying of course. My sweet friend gets turned around to help clean her up and calm her down as I speed down a back road. I'm apologizing to Alayna and thanking Princess Peach for cleaning puke off my daughter. Something I don't know if I could've done had it not been my own child...I don't do well with vomit as a whole. It seemed like it took forever to make it to the hospital but finally we parked went inside. Met a nurse at the ER desk and she says to me "I don't know why you came here, we can't treat children this young." Umm, what?
Yeah. Apparently they have no clue what to do in this situation and she needed to be taken to the Children's Hospital. I wanted to explode. In my head, "Your a freakin' HOSPITAL! with and EMERGENCY Room!" So they tell me we can't drive there, Alayna has to be transported by ambulance. Been there before. Great. So....now what? I follow in the van? Then how do my comrades get home? If they take the van and I go in the ambulance for the ride...How do I get home? I had no Euro, no extra clothes, no nighttime meds. Okay, well ya gotta do what ya gotta do to survive I guess and Alaynas health was my #1 priority. Everything else just didn't matter. As they are gathering the crew for the transport the nurse advises me that if any situation like this arises again, Don't drive anywhere, call an ambulance and they'll take her to the Children's Hospital. Good to know. Those of you over here in Germany with children that small, take this as your heads up!
During the ride, which was quite long, Alayna was pretty hard to keep occupied. She went from zombie like to hyperdrive. And of course I don't think any child would feel warm and fuzzy strapped to a gurney riding backwards with strangers and lights shining in your face.
A couple of blown up gloves and an oral syringe later and she was pretty manageable. The Hospital they took us to was right outside Nurnberg in a town called Furth. Everybody seemed to be pretty chill at the whole situation. I had assumed by now they would've at least drawn blood or started IV fluids. After all, you can't go anywhere in the American Hospital system with something going in or coming out of your body via needle. They looked her over, checked her pupil responses and watched her walk around. We were being kept overnight for observation and they shuffled us right up to the pediatric floor for her age group. She had a crib and I had a bed. Ahh. A bed! Not a recliner or horrible plastic couch!
One thing I will say about German hospitals, they are very clean. Very accomodating. Apparently they strive to do things in the least invasive way possible. Which is great for me. That's how I prefer to do things when the circumstance permits. The nurse brought us juice and water and said we could get settled in to get some rest. By now it was about 11 at night. I was to call the nurse when Alayna fell asleep so she could come in and put the O2 Sat and Heart monitor lead on her toe. She had said she'd peak in from time to time in case I fell asleep too. Alayna fell asleep and I realized I had too, waiting for her to be all the way out. The nurse came in the a little flashlight, very quietly and uncovered Alayna's foot, put the lead on, covered her back up and silently left. Not disturbing anything or anyone. Nice. They don't come in the knocking, announcing themselves and turning on every light in the room to scare the daylights out of you after you fell asleep just 20 minutes ago! It's wonderful! SO tried to get some sleep and woke a few times. Alayna did really well. It was very quiet. In American Hospitals, all you here all night are clicks and beeps and people walking by talking loudly as they stroll the hallway at midnight.
I was able to call out to my Army fam about the situation with letting the dogs out in the morning and getting a ride home once we were released. When we were being kept overnight they told us we'd be released sometime midday. There was a birthday party going on for one of the little boys in our group of friends. I threw a monkey wrench into the whole thing! It seemed like everybody was everywhere!
Well in the morning Alayna woke up at 7 which is unlike her but it was a new place so, to be expected. I was a wreck and soooo tired! We both made it through the night though!! She was definitely My Alayna in morning. She pulled the lead off her toe straight away of course and the nurse came in a few minutes later and said since she was awake it was fine to be off. They had all they needed anyway. We were brought breakfast, an assortment of breads, soft pretzels with Nutella, jelly and butter. Hmm. Doesn't seem balanced to me but hey, Carbs will do!! :) The doctor came in to talk to us at about 9 am and she was very nice. Her English was great too. She said the medication would be pretty much out of her system by now. She advised us to come back right away if she got worse again or there were any new strange symptoms. Other than that, we were free to leave. Another awesome thing about German hospitals, no crazy long discharge process. So I called around and arranged a ride to come pick us up and take us home. Alayna laid down for a nap and so did I while we waited for my friend to get up to Furth. She had to first go and pick up Alayna's carseat which Princess Peach lovingly washed for me so Alayna wouldn't have to ride back in dried up vomit. The only negative things (in my eyes) about German hospitals is, there are no TVs and to Telephones in the rooms. Bed, table, bathroom. That's it. Keeping a 2 year old entertained with no toys and no TV was no easy task. Especially for my child. A spoon and a cup did okay for a while until she got sleepy. I myself was half asleep when Amanda called to tell me she was there at the hospital. It seemed like a looong ride home. I was so thankful to her because I was really glad I didn't have to drive. I had a dull headache and just needed to relax. And take my meds.
The "horrible mom" complex hadn't budged at all. I know people say these things happen and it could've been drain-o or a dishwashing tablet...But still it was ME who forgot about the medication in the glove box. It was ME who underestimated the skill and speed of my toddler. It IS ME who is responsible for her life. When we got home, we ate and slept off and on all day. That night she behaved really well so I could get some chores done around the house. I cleaned up the mess of my sheets and at that moment was really glad I decided to invest in the awesome waterproof sheet! So all the evidence of the ordeal was gone and washed away. I had "my child" back and she was okay by the grace of God. They did give Alayna the cutest teddy bear at the hospital as a token I guess. It had bandages on it's head and a sling on it's arm. Adorable little boo-boo bear! I'm going to write the date on it. LOL
That was my Friday the 13th.
The next morning you better believe I went over the cars and the entire first floor of the house with a fine tooth comb to check for anything she might possibly be able to get into. To my relief, I found nothing. But now I really do KNOW there is nothing. And there will be no more finishing naps in the car.
Afterthoughts about the whole thing:
Why the hell will my child swallow a yucky pill, lick chalk and paint with poo but she refuses to give broccoli a chance?
I'm really glad that a friend asked me about hazardous things in the car or else it may not have been bothering me enough later to go check it out.
Even though a horrible thing happened and I blamed myself, it was ME who knew my child well enough to know something was terribly wrong and not ignore it. So that made me feel a little better. It could've been worse. Rat poison and such...
Since when is 9am "midday"? lol. ;)
I have some really great friends here.
Lastly, I don't know who was traumatized more by this incident....myself or the child. (I'm leaning towards me)
Thanks for bearing with me for the long haul! I highly doubt future posts will ever be this long.
Tchuss!!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Brassy, Classy Hairrry Situations
Having your soldier in the field is tad amount to courting again relationship-wise and for some reason you feel like an employee who's boss is out of town and has left you in charge. You have the full weight of the life you've built together squarely on your shoulders. No pressure. Whether it's a month or a year, the same routine applies.
1) Brace for impact. Make all preparations for the impending absence of the other half of your
life.
2) Send them on their way, silently reluctant and audibly supportive. Smile. Or try.
3) Survive. Dodge small catastrophes or dig your way out when you slam into one. Rely on your Army family. A lot.
4) Miss them. Wonder if they are thinking about you.
5) Keep account and record of milestones and happenings while they are away. Pictures of the kids at T-ball practice, Hunting Easter Eggs, Lost his first tooth!, etc...
6) Plan for the wind-down and homecoming. Prepare for this to change 16 times.
7) Check yourself, "Have I held this thing together well?" "Anything I HAVE to get done before
he comes home?"
8) Overhaul your appearance and the house. Everything has to look like Pleasantville if even for
a moment. You want him to Waltz into the dream he's been having of coming home. Beautiful
wife, clean and happy children, spic and span house, the smell of dinner baking in the oven. (At
least this is what we THINK they dream about.)
9) Get giddy like a school girl and think for days about what you'll wear, how you'll do your hair,
which perfume to spray on. The whole nine.
10) Pick him up. Hugs, kisses, a sigh of relief. And then after a day realize you aren't thinking
about any of Step 7 and 8.
11) Finally, hook him back into the Family Chain and drive on. :)
All in all though, you want him to have the comfort of knowing that when the going gets tough, you can hang. Even if it's by a thread. You can execute daily life for the most part even in his absence and it won't all fall apart. You want him to be proud of the woman he chose to take life's journey with. You will succeed.
Right now I'm somewhere between 8 and 9. He'll be home tomorrow night. It has been an interesting month! One that has given me, albeit small, a foresight into what we'll be up against in less than a year.
I had a small catastrophe with my hair last week. Since we've been married, I haven't done anything drastic, different or exciting with my hair. It's pretty much been long, layered and dark. Not sure why I wanted to wow my husband with something new now, but I did. I decided to go blonde! So I went to the salon and after a great haircut, innocently weasled my all-too-nice hairdresser into doing the color the same day. She never saw what was coming and neither did I, but hey, that is what I get for manipulating someone! After doing the highlights, which came out great, we moved on to the low lights, color and toning. This is where it gets weird. More foiling and a whole bunch of goop hours later...she's rinsing my hair and I can tell something is off because the pressure in the room changes. I'm trying not to panic because I'll admit I was really excited about executing this awesome Jessica Alba look.
I sit up and Holy Mother of... ??? My hair was 4 different colors! My roots were a very brassy reddish gold with blonde highlights and the lengths and ends just...I don't even know how to describe it. The dark color of my hair before, budged a little but not by much. It was past closing time for the salon. It was her and I, alone with the puzzle that was my moppy head. I wanted to laugh because really it wasn't such a big deal but I was frustrated at my hair for not behaving. I felt really bad because she had spent so much tedious time consuming effort to do everything right...but my hair didn't wanna play ball. She was speechless and concerned. After trying to avoid her having a stroke and convincing her I was fine and we'd deal with it in the morning, I went to pick up Alayna from a friend's house and headed home. Why was she so worried? Was this irreversible? Were my pillows really going to judge me? Nobody else would be seeing me until it was fixed anyway. And I promised her I'd wear a hair scarf on my way in.
Which I did. 3 lovely hairdressers and 5 hours later, we had some decent hair goin! :) I am blonde! Classy! We still have work to do, but I have to wait 2 weeks to give my hair a break. It's been through a lot. And besides, I think if my hairdresser caught sight of me before then, she'd pass out.
So primping myself and new clothes purchased, done. Hopefully there will be no more hairy situations!!
If you're thinking of doing drastic....give yourself ample time to recover from disaster before you have to show to pick him up!
1) Brace for impact. Make all preparations for the impending absence of the other half of your
life.
2) Send them on their way, silently reluctant and audibly supportive. Smile. Or try.
3) Survive. Dodge small catastrophes or dig your way out when you slam into one. Rely on your Army family. A lot.
4) Miss them. Wonder if they are thinking about you.
5) Keep account and record of milestones and happenings while they are away. Pictures of the kids at T-ball practice, Hunting Easter Eggs, Lost his first tooth!, etc...
6) Plan for the wind-down and homecoming. Prepare for this to change 16 times.
7) Check yourself, "Have I held this thing together well?" "Anything I HAVE to get done before
he comes home?"
8) Overhaul your appearance and the house. Everything has to look like Pleasantville if even for
a moment. You want him to Waltz into the dream he's been having of coming home. Beautiful
wife, clean and happy children, spic and span house, the smell of dinner baking in the oven. (At
least this is what we THINK they dream about.)
9) Get giddy like a school girl and think for days about what you'll wear, how you'll do your hair,
which perfume to spray on. The whole nine.
10) Pick him up. Hugs, kisses, a sigh of relief. And then after a day realize you aren't thinking
about any of Step 7 and 8.
11) Finally, hook him back into the Family Chain and drive on. :)
All in all though, you want him to have the comfort of knowing that when the going gets tough, you can hang. Even if it's by a thread. You can execute daily life for the most part even in his absence and it won't all fall apart. You want him to be proud of the woman he chose to take life's journey with. You will succeed.
Right now I'm somewhere between 8 and 9. He'll be home tomorrow night. It has been an interesting month! One that has given me, albeit small, a foresight into what we'll be up against in less than a year.
I had a small catastrophe with my hair last week. Since we've been married, I haven't done anything drastic, different or exciting with my hair. It's pretty much been long, layered and dark. Not sure why I wanted to wow my husband with something new now, but I did. I decided to go blonde! So I went to the salon and after a great haircut, innocently weasled my all-too-nice hairdresser into doing the color the same day. She never saw what was coming and neither did I, but hey, that is what I get for manipulating someone! After doing the highlights, which came out great, we moved on to the low lights, color and toning. This is where it gets weird. More foiling and a whole bunch of goop hours later...she's rinsing my hair and I can tell something is off because the pressure in the room changes. I'm trying not to panic because I'll admit I was really excited about executing this awesome Jessica Alba look.
I sit up and Holy Mother of... ??? My hair was 4 different colors! My roots were a very brassy reddish gold with blonde highlights and the lengths and ends just...I don't even know how to describe it. The dark color of my hair before, budged a little but not by much. It was past closing time for the salon. It was her and I, alone with the puzzle that was my moppy head. I wanted to laugh because really it wasn't such a big deal but I was frustrated at my hair for not behaving. I felt really bad because she had spent so much tedious time consuming effort to do everything right...but my hair didn't wanna play ball. She was speechless and concerned. After trying to avoid her having a stroke and convincing her I was fine and we'd deal with it in the morning, I went to pick up Alayna from a friend's house and headed home. Why was she so worried? Was this irreversible? Were my pillows really going to judge me? Nobody else would be seeing me until it was fixed anyway. And I promised her I'd wear a hair scarf on my way in.
Which I did. 3 lovely hairdressers and 5 hours later, we had some decent hair goin! :) I am blonde! Classy! We still have work to do, but I have to wait 2 weeks to give my hair a break. It's been through a lot. And besides, I think if my hairdresser caught sight of me before then, she'd pass out.
So primping myself and new clothes purchased, done. Hopefully there will be no more hairy situations!!
If you're thinking of doing drastic....give yourself ample time to recover from disaster before you have to show to pick him up!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
In the Beginning...God should've taught Blogging.
I pride myself on trying to run headlong into the ambitions that my silly mind comes up with. Maybe my first downfall is the pride part. Running? Nope. I don't run unless someone's chasin' me. So as far as this blog is concerned, look at it as more of a bad episode of "Dancing with the Stars". I'll try like hell, look fancy doing it and crack people up as I stumble all over the place waltzing my way into the blogging masses.
In the Beginning...God created the Heavens and the Earth. Wow, what an awesome feat! I think He should've thrown "knowledge of blogging" in with the "knowledge of good and evil" deal when Eve screwed it all up. I've got enough to worry about doing well. Like maintaining myself and raising a child. (That's a whole 'nuther post!!)
Don't even think for a second that this is an aspect specific blog. Ha! I couldn't if I TRIED! So I'll talk about being a wife and mother, you know, the yada yadas everyone has going on. For those of you who know me personally, since I'm "Jenny full of Grace" I will also include the blunders and lessons learned from them. My life in Germany. Ramblings about the world as a whole and pretty much everything between the lines there.
So, "clearing throat", hi I'm Jenny....and....I'm a blogtard. I hope this is a safe environment in which I can learn and grow as a "techie" without judgement!
Keeping this first one short and simple. Whew. I need to pace myself. ;)
(okay so now, buttons? inserting pictures or links...changing layout? Aww whatever!!)
The end.
In the Beginning...God created the Heavens and the Earth. Wow, what an awesome feat! I think He should've thrown "knowledge of blogging" in with the "knowledge of good and evil" deal when Eve screwed it all up. I've got enough to worry about doing well. Like maintaining myself and raising a child. (That's a whole 'nuther post!!)
Don't even think for a second that this is an aspect specific blog. Ha! I couldn't if I TRIED! So I'll talk about being a wife and mother, you know, the yada yadas everyone has going on. For those of you who know me personally, since I'm "Jenny full of Grace" I will also include the blunders and lessons learned from them. My life in Germany. Ramblings about the world as a whole and pretty much everything between the lines there.
So, "clearing throat", hi I'm Jenny....and....I'm a blogtard. I hope this is a safe environment in which I can learn and grow as a "techie" without judgement!
Keeping this first one short and simple. Whew. I need to pace myself. ;)
(okay so now, buttons? inserting pictures or links...changing layout? Aww whatever!!)
The end.
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