True love

I am married to one fantastic man. He serves his community without recognition in the Veterans' Honor Guard and stands beside the families of veterans at the funeral. He respects these men and tells me all about it. So-and-so was in Korea, this guy was in Vietnam, they have stories to tell, and he absorbs them.

My husband and I have been together for a very long time. He and I were high school sweethearts - dating from the time I was a freshman. We took a couple of breaks here and there (when Mock Trial took too much of my life), but ultimately knew that we were meant to be together.

Next month we'll have been married 8 years. We've been through some stuff in these years. Unemployment, illness, pregnancies, bills, irresponsible spending, Salvation, babies, the CG, surgeries, celebrations, laughter and tears. I wouldn't give anything for those years. Even the rough ones.

I'm finally coming to a point in my life where I understand that it doesn't matter how much money someone has or doesn't have. It's not about the car you drive, the title you hold, real estate or stuff. It's about love. Do you have it? Do you give it?

The lessons we've learned as a couple have been far more valuable that most of those we learned from our parents. We've learned trust. We've learned compassion. We've learned honesty. We learned that God does put things in your way for you to learn a lesson, and gave us an opportunity to minister to a youth group that was able to learn from our trials and struggles that faith has to be the keystone.

I guess this blog is just a big ol' I LOVE YOU to my sweet husband. Thank you for sharing so much with me. I am proud of you - so proud. You can do ANYTHING, and I want to be standing beside you when it happens.

Well, trying again...

So proud of myself!

I'm completely proud of my solo. There are a few things I'd update a little before I perform it again, but all in all, I'm pleased. It's been nice to get positive feedback from my friends and family. It was especially nice to hear how impressed my sisters are.

So, without further adieu, for your viewing pleasure:


(guess you'll have to look at it up there ^^^^^^^^)

I'm so proud of me!

Wow, can you believe it? I'm giving myself some credit! :p

Here's the thing:

The Hip Mamas are performing at Arts Alive on December 1. Since I'm not sure when we're moving, I figured this was going to be my chance to meet my goal. I had a goal of choreographing and performing a solo before we move.

I've only been belly dancing since January of this year. It's so strange how obsessed I became so quickly.

Last night, with Stuart as my patient DJ, I choreographed my first solo! It's pretty basic, but the song is FANTASTIC! It's called Ophelia's Dance. There are two melodies that repeat themselves 4 or 5 times, getting faster each time. It starts out calm and innocent, but you can feel the madness building. There are 2 sections that I call a bridge, because that's what it'd be in choir. LOL! Gives me a chance to throw in something special. The song is only 3 min and 9 sec or something like that. Long enough, but not too long.

~~little bit of truth here - I only had to choreograph about 16 eight-counts. Since it repeats
so much, I'll just have to make sure I can keep up the pace~~

I have a lot of fine-tuning to do, and I have to figure out what in the world I'm going to wear. I'm really proud of myself, though, and SO excited about doing this solo!

Hip Mamas @ redwood Coast Bellydance Festival

Here's the performance from the Redwood Coast Belly Dance Festival in Arcata. Enjoy~~

So much to be thankful for

I just want to say that I am so thankful for my boys and my husband.

I married my best friend. He's known me for a L O N G time, and we've been together since I was a freshman in high school. He was my first kiss, he was there for my first wreck, he was my first date, and on and on... He continues to be my biggest supporter and my friend - and oh, so much more. (Now, I know I get on his nerves sometimes...but he loves me anyhow.)

We were blessed with two wonderful kids. They're weird, but they're ours. Chase had to have a minor surgery a couple of years ago, but is fine. When I was pregnant with Logan, an ultrasound showed that one of his kidneys looked enlarged, but it corrected itself after he was born.

I'm not able to go to sleep tonight because my heart hurts for a couple of ladies. One of them I know relatively well from CC's, and one I don't know too well. These moms are amazing. They are strong when they don't want to be. They have children with illnesses that I don't understand...doctors don't understand them half the time, I'm sure. For these women, and countless others around the world, one day at a time isn't enough - sometimes it's a moment at a time. Oh, and on top of that, there are other mouths to be fed, boo boos to be kissed, hinies to be wiped, and all of that. These women have husbands that are underway for months at a time.

I have such respect, and I'm so humbled by their persistence; by their love.

I'm going to try when I wake up in the morning to really appreciate each moment. Every whine, every tantrum, every mess. There are people all around the world, all with different scenarios, that would love to have to deal with the things that I find annoying.

Angela F. and Angela K.:

I pray for you and for your little girls. For the doctors that treat them, the nurses that assist, and the teams of medical professionals that are involved in your daily lives. I pray for your families. Families so full of love, so full of life. You ladies are inspirational to me. I pray for your husbands. I imagine it can't be easy being in their shoes. No words I have to say will ever be enough. Please just know that I care and I'm praying for you. You're fighting battles daily with such grace and such love. May God bless you, your children, and your families.

~Amber~

...if you want to check on these beautiful families, take a look at their websites:

www.hadleyfox.com

www.caringbridge.org/ca/morganfaith

...and the verdict is:

Pascagoula, Mississippi! Stuart will be on a cutter out of that area. It was our second pick (our first was the other boat out of that area).

To show what I get for whining, our report date is May 1! Ack! That means we'll be headed in a southerly direction early to mid April, most likely.

We're really excited! We'll be close to "home", back where Mexican food is Tex-Mex (the way it should be), and where you can find things like Tony Cachere's, boudain, and hopefully Blue Bell ice cream!

I should probably lock myself in the bathroom with the shower running for the next few months so I can remember how to breathe down there! ;)

The waiting...

is the HARDEST PART!

Oy! We thought we might know where we're moving next year by this weekend. Now, it's looking like maybe the first of the year.

I'm so ready for our new adventure! I want to know what kind of climate we're going to. We have primarily hoodies and jeans here, and no clothes for warm weather. I want to know what kind of schedule Stuart will have so I can prepare myself. I want to know whether I need to be looking for somewhere to live, or if we'll have military housing.

Do I have friends nearby? Will I have friends in driving distance? How far will family be?

Are the schools good? Can we find a church home? Should we invest in a new car before we move?

How much of my stuff do I need to get rid of? Will we have 2 bedrooms or 3? When will we report?

If Stuart makes first off the May servicewide, then what? How will that affect our duty station? Will we be moving just to move again in a year? (NOT unheard of in military life.)

Have I mentioned that I REALLY don't like surprises? I don't like waiting!

For those of you that don't know the process, we've submitted a list...a "dream sheet" to the powers-that-be to let them know where we'd like to go. In the end, it boils down to the needs of the service and yadda yadda yadda.

This is likely to be the first of many blogs as we await the big announcement.

My "little" {big} boy

They broke the mold with Chase. If you've met him, you know it's true. He's a protector, he's full of love, he loves to give hugs, and he goes a mile-a-minute all day long.

Last year at his 4 year old check up, Stuart mentioned to the pediatrician that we were concerned that Chase had no interest in coloring, drawing, etc. I guess in the back of our minds, we were concerned about a developmental delay or something. The doctor's response was simple and reassuring. "Did you think maybe he just doesn't like to draw or color? Give him some time."

We have given him time. It's been so important for him to discover some of these things on his timeline. In the last few months, though, he's gone from scribbling one color over the whole page to humor me to coloring. REAL coloring.

He's got a little Leap Frog game that he plays with and he's started spelling 3-letter words. He knows Dad, Mom, Red, Cat, Pig, Pea, Dog, Ame (my sister), Zap, Cow, and a few others. (I just asked him which words he knew how to spell and he said, "Mom, I'm busy.")

He went in the kitchen and sat down with crayons a couple of days ago and wrote Dad on a piece of paper, and Zap on the other side. No coaching...just did it on his own. He also wrote Wii on the bottom of one of the pieces of paper.

He has come a long way in the last year. I'm so proud of him, and excited to watch his enthusiasm to learn.

Seriously...

Let's talk about rules for a minute. And respect.

Rules are established for a reason. In fact, let's see what good ol' Webster has to say about rules:

1 a: a prescribed guide for conduct or action b: the laws or regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for observance by its members c: an accepted procedure, custom, or habit d (1): a usually written order or direction made by a court regulating court practice or the action of parties (2): a legal precept or doctrine e: a regulation or bylaw governing procedure or controlling conduct

Now, respect:

3 a: high or special regard : esteem b: the quality or state of being esteemed

It is beyond the grasp of my brain to understand why people have such a hard time with rules and respect. Individuals that are at least 18 years of age, all the way to who knows what, should be able to control themselves enough to maintain a grasp of RULES and RESPECT.

I'm hoping that the proverbial storm cloud passes by soon.

Humboldt Redwoods 5K

Yesterday was my big run. I was all gung-ho about 6 weeks ago to train really hard for it, but between Stuart's work schedule and my bellydance festival (and the drama that ensued) I didn't have the time or energy to train like I needed to.

I had to modify my goals a little. Instead of going with the intent of running the whole time, I went with the goal of at least jogging the first half. It was an out-and-back course, so it was easy to determine the halfway point. ;) I also allowed myself to walk in 5 minute increments if I needed it.

It was the most beautiful course! We started at the Dyerville bridge and ran past Founders Grove, over 101, and into another grove of redwoods. There was a heavy fog that lifted as we ran. It was cold...I don't know for sure, but I'm going with upper 40s/lower 50s. It was the first morning in about a week that it didn't rain, so that was really great.

Now, for my goals: I did jog the first half without stopping to walk. I'm really proud of that. I couldn't jog a mile and a half in high school, so I'm really excited that 2 kids and 3 major abdominal surgeries later, I'm able to do that. As for walking? I walked about 3 times on the way back, but only for 2-3 minutes at a time. I averaged a 13.5 minute mile, which isn't too bad. I certainly don't profess to be an athlete, I just want to challenge myself a bit.

My new friend, Cirrus, came with me. She and I have been walking in the evenings so that she could walk the 5k as her challenge. She carried her little boy in a pack and did such a great job. I was standing at the finish line waiting for her when I see her jogging down the road! She's been so adamant the last few weeks that she's not a runner, but I think the adrenaline, the clock, and the competition brought a jogger out in her! She and I are going to be jogging together to train for the Trinidad to Clam beach run in Feb.

My new goal: a 10 minute mile. I think if I can condition my lungs a little more, I can do it.

Here are a few pictures:

Us before the run

Ugh! It's cold!
After a jog well done! (corny, I know)

*sigh*

Someone please convince me that at some point I will feel good about myself. Even for a minute.

It is gloomy, rainy, and cold outside, and it's pretty much how I feel inside, too.

:(

Just another Manic Monday...and Tuesday

Wow, yesterday was definitely Monday. It feels like it stretched into today, too!

We had a mishap with our phones (read: keep the "family plan" in one household), and had to unexpectedly get a new cell phone plan. As a result, Stuart was out and about all day, and got no rest before work. We got the privilege of spending over $150 that wasn't budgeted this pay period. Oh, joy. *sigh*

Of course the kids don't ever want to follow their bedtime schedule when Daddy's not home, so that whole process was nightmarish at best. I ended up getting Lo to go to sleep in my bed and Chase to fall asleep on the couch. Moving a 45 lb, almost 5 year old child is getting tougher every day! He's so tall that I probably won't be able to pick him up much longer.

Heck, the kids aren't the only ones that have trouble going to bed with Dad not home. I have a really hard time winding down. I got the toys in the living room all gathered together to move to the toy room, when I heard a sound. Not a mouse this time. One of the toys in the toy room was randomly going off. This doesn't sound like a very big deal...maybe a short or a low battery or something. Well, it freaked me out. We've had "activity", coincidences, whatever in this house for the last couple of years, and the last thing I wanted to think of before bed was a ghost.

I was up until 1:30. Slept with almost all the lights in the house on.

Today has been the l o n g e s t day! Daddy slept all day and is gone for the night. No belly dance for me tonight. Instead, I'll be home waiting for Dancing With the Stars to come on while mediating fights over toys, requests for more milk, and taking care of the seemingly ever-present full diaper.

Neat, huh?