Their Trash, My Treasures

I have recently discovered a show called "I Brake for Yard Sales" and I must say, though I am inspired to buy secondhand pieces and remake them into new pieces, I don't have the time or space at this point. Work space and display space are limited, and juggling a husband in law school, a preschooler with extra curricular sports and a full time job is probably enough without looking for more to do. Now, if Lara Spencer wanted to come to my home and reorganize our home's layouts and find us room for more then I say "Come on, I'll put on a pot of tea."

I will admit that lack of room and time has not deterred me from stopping at yard, garage or estate sales or even Thrift Stores and flea markets looking for smaller treasures, like teacups. In fact, the past week I have had quite a bit of luck.

Early last week, I stop at the Family Thrift Store near my son's looking for a teacup or cute pot because I wanted to make a fairy garden for my niece's Disney's Fairies themed party next month. I did find a few teacups, but this matching trio won't work for a garden for a 4-year-old. What do you think of these pink and grey beauties? They were $2 each set.I also got this cute little glass dish that will look cute with a candle or something for $1.

Later in the week, maybe Thursday, I went to the local Goodwill on the other side of town, but didn't find any teacups that would work. There were a few cup and saucer sets with an Asian feel to them, but they were a little out of my weekly allownace range. It did remind me of the beautiful sets I saw in Korea when I went to visit my husband while he was stationed there in 2012. 

This morning after hitting the gym while my husband and son hit the pool, we went to lunch a lamented all the things we should be doing, like cleaning the house, finishing the garden projects we started yesterday or in my husband's case, studying for the fast approaching finals. We took a short cut through the neighborhood, something we always do when coming from the west side of town and passed a yard sale that looked like it was in its last few minutes as the weather started to turn. As we passed I said, "Oh, they have teacups!' and my dear, sweet husband didn't take but a minute to assure me we could turn around and look. We only had a few dollars on us, but it was enough. I got this matching set of gold teacups and saucers for $1 for both (woohoo!) and the pink glass sugar and creamer set for $1 each. He even threw in a book for my little guy. 

It was a great week for secondhand surprises. Its like a treasure hunt. You  never know what you will find!!

Until out next cup of tea ...

 

THAT was NOT created by a mom!!!

So, today was a pretty routine day, after Jamie's swim lessons, we came home and played a bit, I did some cleaning, etc. About 10:30 a.m. I sat him down to give him a banana. Usually I just break it up and put it on his tray and he's good to go on his own. So while he had a snack, I started putting dished away (because the dirty ones seemed to multiply while we slpet last night and it was time to do dishes AGAIN!)

When I opened his cupboard to put his sippy cups and bowls away I noticed a puddle of red syrup on the bottom shelf. I picked up the baby Tylenol and Ibuprofin but they weren't leaking. After a little investigating I discovered the baby cough medicine had been knocked over on the third shelf up ... apparently a few days ago and it slowly leaked its way down to the shelf at eye level.

UGH! That did not look like a fun mess to tackle, but luckily my kitchen washclothes are pink with the nexeption of a new red one!

So the bottle had a child safe cap on it, but it still leaked! Hmmm ... Mr. Manufacturer, did that test come back "inconclusive" for you, because my "test kitchen" gives it an "F"! The syrup had crystalized one the top shelf, thickened on the second shelf and was just making its way down to the bottom shelf. Everything in its path was coated in a sticky red substance that was harder to clean that a bowl of spilled grits! (Yes, that is a southern girl reference!)

What I really want to know is whose brilliant idea was it to make chidlren's medicine red ... everything stains so easily! That was not done by a busy mom, that's for sure!

Oh, well. I got it all cleaned up, but not without adding to the dishes and throwing out or repackaging some stuff. Ah, the joys of motherhood!

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Starts with the Flip of a Page

Have you ever read a book that made you reflect on yourself and evaluate where you've been or where you're gone? ... Maybe it was a book, a sermon, or something someone said.

I just finished book no. 21 of 2011, Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult. It was a fictional story of a school shooting ... The events leading up to it and the aftermath that followed. It was from the perspective of a variety of people, including the mother of the shooter as she struggled to understand where she wet wrong as a parent & what she could have done differently.

Now, I'm not saying that I am worried of raising a serial killer is something, but it does make you think about the memories you make, the things you do together and the effects that a choice or decision can have.

Books have a way of doing that to you like no other medium ... TV, movies, magazines, newspapers ... Maybe its just me but the effects of reading a enveloping book is lasting. Don't get me wrong, I felt like I was at Hogwarts when I watched HArry Potter, but it didn't leave me feeling that way days later. Maybe because reading is an intense activitiy. I mean, I am the queen at multi-tasking. I can fold laundry, do dishes, even stitch a craft project while watching a movie, but reading takes the entire "you".

We've started reading to Jamie as I'd previously posted ... and whether reading to him or reading ourselves must be something that we do enough to leave an impression because I often catch him flipping through books or "reading" out loud (his favorite to "read" out loud is the Mickey Mouse photo book which doesn't have any words!)



A love of reading is one of the most important things for me to give Jamie. I know you can't force it, but I hope he comes to appreciate reading. Last week we put a halt on the nightly reading- he's just not there yet. We read throughout the day and occassionally at night, but for now he's content to sit with Daddy and watch an episode of Mickey Mouse or Handy Manny before bed. I think he just wanted to read himself rather than listen so it just created more frustration than it was worth.

In the end, I just hope one day he see the value of books as a chance to take adventures he might not otherwise get to have.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Adventures in Reading

Jamie "reading" his Elmo book to Mickey Mouse

When I was a child I loved reading. Books took me on adventures to far away places, times long ago, and showed me things that were limited only by my imagination. In these stories I became the charaters ... a princess, a nurse, a detective, an adventurer. When Jamie was born I knew I wanted to instill the same for reading in him that I had nurtured as a child.

Recently, in my book club, we read a book called the Reading Promise. It's author tells the story of her father making a deal with her to read together for 100 days ... those 100 days stretched to 1,000 and beyond ... lasting, unbroken, until the day she left for college. Other members of the book club, mostly other moms in our play group, discussed how we enjoyed reading to our kids and the traditions we'd hoped to create with them. Many of us decided to set a goal of reading nightly to our kids ... whether or not we were able to do it continuously, unbroken was not the concern, we only wanted to start to create memories that they could pass on to their own kids some day.

On June 20, 2011, Jamie and I started our journey with the Adventures of Frog and Toad, the 3 book collection of the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel. So far, we have successfully read each night, though some were much harder than others, and have completed to set. Yesterday, we started Grimm's Fairy Tales ... let the adventures begin!

Happy dance ... The best part of a deployment ...

Deployments ... what a trying time for a military family, but when its over, when you are standing there and you see your service member walk in, and your heart swells with pride, your eyes fill with tears and your smile lights up the room, it almost makes it worth it.

We've been doing the deployment thing off and on for almost 8 years and though you may think I'm crazy, I have to say, deployments make our family better ... and stronger. Now, don't get me wrong, we don't look forward to deployments, but we live life with the philosophy of looking on the bright side and I must say, I think military families are lucky.

Every time he comes home, whether its a week or a year, I get to relive the "honeymoon" phase. It's like seeing for the first time after months of darkness. Everything is better ... the grass is greener, the sky a brighter blue, the sun a warmer yellow. I am reminded all over again of just how much I love my Soldier.

Sometimes, I am actually sad that the "civilian" world doesn't get to relive that feeling. I love the joy of that "first kiss" all over again.

Now, I'll be the first to be sad when he starts packing those bags or marking days off the calendar as leave date approaches, but once he leaves I look forward to that return with the anticipation of a girl waiting for her first date. And what girl doesn't love an excuse to buy a new dress and pretty shoes ...

And while I'm on the subject, let me just say to my blogging buddy and friend, Army Blogger Wife, it must be like a club at your house with all the happy dancing going on. Welcome home, Gunner!

Until our next cup of tea ...

My (Not so Secret) Love Affair

It's time to own up to it and stop hiding. Some may think I should feel guilty, others say I should break it off, still others say they are having the same affair, others claim they can't live without it. My parents find it gross, yet my grandparents advocate it. All I know is every morning I am awakened by the sounds of a baby's cries and immediately wish for him.

Every morning I stumbling down the stairs with a squirming baby on my hip, mumbling about rising before Soldiers going to PT being a crime. I plop the baby's wiggly butt into his activity center and set him up with pacifier and toys, anticipating turning "him" on. Sometimes I wish I'd prepped a little the night before, other times I stand there using those few extra moments to fully wake.

I've been doing this since the baby was born, six-months, though its not the first time. I saw my grandparent's ritual as a child, and then I started on my own in college. Now I may do it 3 or 4 times a day.

He's not as big as most, no anywhere near as exotic. I'm a simple girl, I don't need flashy, as long as it gets the job done. Maybe I should upgrade, bu I'm content.

I can hear the baby start to fuss in the next room not wanting to be alone, yet I can't leave before its finished. Then its done, the greatest moment of the day, everything else is cleared from my mind ... the moment of truth ... the coffee is finished brewing.

Ah, Dear Sweet 4-cup coffee maker! You may only be 12-inches tall and have one switch, but I love you as if you were 20-feet tall with enough buttons to light the city sky. When we get together I know that everything will be o.k. You perk me up. Your warmth flows through me like a silk blanket.

We love the same things ... a dark, fine grind ... Community Coffee or nothing! I am terrified of the day you will quit on me, fearful of having to replace you and learning to push the right bottons on another. We've been together through 1 pregnancy, 2 deployments, 3 moves and 4 vehicles. I can't imagine my life without you, yet I know when it happens, life will gone on. A little sadder yes, but I will still have the memories ... and definitely the Community Coffee.

There have been some rough times. Last month we ran out of coffee 2 days before the new Community Coffee shipment arrived, and I must admit, I didn't know if we'd make it. I know you hate being cleaned with vinegar, bitter and tart, but it makes you preform as if I'd just taken you out of the box. Then there are days that I can feel your empty pot drilling holes in my back as I chose Community Coffee's cappacino's mix, but the French Vanilla is just so good, and quite frankly I think a day apart once a week only draws us closer.

I know you'd love to spend your free time with a Community Coffee canister like my grandparents had when I was little, and I think you'd make a great pair, but baby formula costs money, so you'll have to wait until I can save my pennies. Don't worry, it'll be worth it when it arrives, but until then, I'm here.

I can promise you this, Dear Coffee Pot, I will always treasure your contributions to this family, I will always greet you first thing in the morning, I will only give you Community Coffee (only the best for you, of course!). I will alway love you dear friend. Without you I would be alive, but I probably wouldn't be awake!

And I Thought One was a Handful!!!

So about 2 weeks ago we had a mild thunderstorm roll through here as one of the tropical storms made its way into the gulf. Jamie loves to watch the rain so we sat on the floor in front of out French doors to watch the rain falling into the pond when I noticed a Mama Duck with a few chicks in tow. "How cute," I thought. "I hope that they find a place to wait out the rain."

A few minutes later as Mama and babies sat huddled near our grill I saw a fe more chicks scamper over ... then a few more ... and a few more. One by one they slowly disappeaed under her protective wings, like clowns climbing into a VW Bug at the circus, but on a cuter, more somber scale.

I watched in amazement as they just kept coming. After a few minutes the parade of fluffy yellow and brown chicks had ceased and there stood Mama Duck in the rain beneath our tree with all those babies tucked safely underneath her. Sure here and there you could see a little tuft of yellow, but for the most part they were all huddled under her for protection.

It wasn't until after the storm passed and the little family continued on their unknown journey that I realized ... she had 16 babies! What do I have to complain about?

Feeling conflicted ...

O.k. so I'm pretty sure I can vent on here because NO ONE from my family actually reads my blog. (And to think that used to bug me!)

O.k. I'm feeling pretty conflicted about some things right now and to really explain it would take a novel, but I will try to keep it short.

Many of you know that I grew up with 11 siblings and for the most part I always felt "alone is a roomful of strangers" kind of thing, not really connecting with any of them. Despite what many of you who know me in real life must see, I was a very shy child and stayed to myself (still am shy but overcompensate with learned social behavior from ettiquette classes.)

Even when it was just me and my biological brother (a year older) with my mom's family I always felt like (and still do) an afterthought. Like a side note. Maybe that's why I diverted my energy and attention into school and education. It was a method to justify the loneliness.

I remember this one time in my teens, we were at my mom's for Christmas dinner and my uncle asked my brother how school was. After his answer he turned and asked me, but before I could answer, my uncle turned to my aunt and started a conversation with her. I don't know why that sticks out in my mind so much.

Anyway, George and I were very excited about getting pregnant and I called everyone to share the news. But since then it has been a very quiet. No calls, other than a few from my mom when she's not busy, and no answers on the monthly baby updates. But this week, my brother and his wife announced she was pregnant and I feel like our family will once again take a back burner for him.

I am very excited for them, I know that they will be great parents, I was just hoping that since we didn't get the big fanfare wedding and stuff like they did that this would be my chance to finally be in the limelight. {Sigh} It's not that I don't mind sharing but just like a child giving its parents a crayon drawing I was expecting some excitement, but instead it's like my brother just proved he was a 7-year-old Michaelangelo or something and my little drawing looks like crap!

I know that it's just something I will have to work through, and it's not like George's Family and our friends and Army Family haven't been extremely supportive. I know a large part of it is because we are a military Family and that takes us a long way from our Family and while I wouldn't say "out of sight, out of mind" it does feel that way at times.

Well, I'm off to cheer myself up by finishing some stitching projects for Baby Boy and as well as for another milspouse who is expecting 6-weeks before me (Ahh, we are partners in crime but you'll never catch us because we can look so innocent!). Back to baby on the brain! I do have some cute stuff to post later on, as well as an update on our crazy fun Miami trip!

Until our next cup of tea ...

A promise to be better ...

O.k. This is my promise to be a better blogger friend! With the move, finishing my masters and then getting pregnant, I admit that I have not had as much time as I'd like to read other blogs or blog myself, but I promise to be better.

Now that I am in "mommy" mode I think I have come up with a system to accomplish this. Each time I post on one of my blogs (this one or The Teacup Collector's Cottage (Craft, Collection and Home Blog) I will put a colored star on my calendar (a different color for each blog.) My goal is also to visit the blogs on my sidebar weekly. Each week I visit each blog I'll put a different colored start on my calendar. (If I missed you, please let me know. As I get comments I will check to make sure you are on the list.)

I think this way I will be able to see at a glance how I'm doing. Isn't it a bit sad though that I have to revert to the system parents use to get their kids to do chores? I promise it's not a chore, my days seems to run together now that we prepare for ANOTHER move and the baby. I've already done two posts in two day on this blog, so the system must be working!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Until our next cup of tea ...

A Chance Encounter ...

Greetings dear friends. It has been a few days since my last post, well nearly a week really. I promise to do better, but I think with this post you will find the wait worth it.

As some of you know, this weekend my beloved husband and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. Though many wives would have objected, I was thrilled when my husband presented me with 46 sessions with a personal trainer at the post gym. As my closest friends know, I had been athletic all though high school and even college, maintaining some of it as I adjusted to my new life as an Army wife. I'd managed to stay relatively active (and happy with myself) until about a year ago. A new job, another deployment, finishing my masters, and volunteering in the community had left me getting less and less time at the gym.

It was the once place I could go and get lost in myself (there is something indimidating about interrupting an person with an MP3 player on). I could let go of all the stress and just "go to my happy place." But when I started to lose that time I began to get discouraged. After (george's) dad died, I tried to spend as little time with my thoughts as possible, so I only worked out with George and when out schedules would allow.

Lately I'd been looking for a way to get back to where I had been, so my husband bought me the sessions as a way to help me get there. Most wives might have been offended, but I was happy he listened. I've got enough jewelry and a closet full of trinkets, but this was something that could help me reach a goal

So Monday was my first day. Iwas anxious and excited, but when i left I was satisfied and in pain. My arms still hurt from that workout and I have another upper body workout tomorrow, but you're probably wondering about the "chance encounter" part.

Well, yesterday I met my trainer for a day on lower body (I go three times a week). He was just finishing up with his previous client, so after a few minutes of warm-up on the treadmill we got to work. As we started the workout, his previous client came over. My trainer had told me he was a paralympic athlete who'd participated in the 2008 Olympic games. He stayed, giving my trainer new ideas for an ab workout. It was a grueling workout to say the least, but there was just something about his attitude that made me want to keep pushing through the pain. I was a little intimidated by him, but only during the ab workout.

When I got home, like any good investigative journalist, I did some research and found that Scott Winkler was a Soldier injured while deployed in 2003. NBC had a brief documentary about Scott. Though I'm still feeling the effects of the workout, it was a great experience.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Complaining about the easy life …

On my way to work this morning I passed a group of Soldiers who had obviously been at the nearby Shoppette (civilian version of gas station) from the bags of treat they carried and were walking back to the railhead about three-quarters of a mile away. At first I saw three and thought to stop and offer them a ride, but looking ahead I saw a much larger group. Living near the railhead, I knew that most likely they were on break from either loading or unloading the train cars. Their chatter and laughter was evident even from inside my vehicle and it caused me to think.

We (Americans) live in a world of luxury and ease. We read the news, watch on TV or hear stories of poverty, despair and destruction, but these Soldiers have seen it with their own eyes. When I compare our trivial issues to what they endure I am ashamed.

We complain when we wait 45 minutes for our food to be brought to the table when we eat at restaurants, but when is the last time we had to walk a mile to a dining facility just to get a hot meal.

We are irritated and put out when the TV in the next room or neighbor’s apartment is too loud and keeps us from sleeping, but when is the last time we had mortars and bombs interrupt our sleep?

We complain when we have to haul bags of groceries up flights of stairs because the elevator is broken, but when is the last time we had to walk from our room to the bathroom with a rifle and 70 pounds of protective gear?

We scream, curse and rant at driving in rush hour traffic, but when is the last time we had to travel in a single file convoy at 35 MPH, guns ready, eyes scanning the horizon praying feverishly that the vehicles in the front and back of us carrying our friends doesn’t suddenly explode from an unseen bomb?

We complain when our children drag mud and dirt onto our clean floors, but when is the last time we had to wait out a dust storm, sand swirling around us, darkness overshadowing us thankful that at least we’ve got shelter to keep out of the wind.

We complain that our children have once again spread all of their clothes and toys about their room, but when is the last time we lived out of a green duffle bag, clothes spread out to “air out” so we can wear them “one more” day before going to the laundry.

We get frustrated at the clutter on the fridge door as collections of prized artwork and good grades fall to the ground when the door is opened, but when is the last time we taped up those same pictures and schoolwork because it was the only link we had to our loved ones.

When you think about all that we have, yet still manage to find reasons to complain, it sounds so trivial and childish … nay, it sounds selfish and greedy. How does a country who has come so far in freedoms of its people, manage to be burdened by the very things that we take for granted.

Tonight, when the children leave their wet towels on the floor after their bath, or you pick up dirty dishes from the table long after everyone has gone off to their separate activities, don’t complain or grumble that once again YOU have to do everything. Be happy that you have people in your life who are your EVERRYTHING and that caring for them is a great gift from God.

You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and military Families learn that lesson with every separation and deployment.

Until our next cup of tea ...

I'm surviving ...

Hello all! What a crazy week this has been. I came back to Houston last Thursday to spent time with George and help with his dad and WE STILL DO NOT HAVE POWER!!! UGH! It is so hot, I worry about Sgt. Major, and I am getting cranky ... it is not a pretty sight!

It takes a lot for me to get cranky enough to take it out on people, but I am toe-ing the line! They said maybe by Sunday we'd have power, but no promises. I know I shouldn't complain, we are so lucky compared to those in Galveston. Have you see the damage they recieved!?! There was one town that was completely demolished, save for one house standing. I wish I could find the pictures of that. If I do, I'll post later.

My favorite story is the one where a Lion Takes Refuge in Church (click to see story.)

Here is a link for a collage of the aftermath ... Hurricane Ike(click to see photos.)

We were indead lucky. With all the doctor's appointments I haven't had a chacne to take pictures of his father's neighborhood, but will try to get one or two to show you. There was a lot of downed trees, but again, my FIL's house suffered only minor issues.

I know those of my readers who are as neat as me can feel my pain when i say that the cords from the generator running through the house and their "bachelor-pad" style of living that has been attributed to the power outage is driving me insane. I just have to grit my teeth and count to ten ... soon I will be back in my organized home with clean countertops and neatly folded blankets and clothing ... It could always be worse ... we ould have nothing left to clutter the counters and floors.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Explain to me the logic of this ...

How can the pizza place in the outlying community, 7 or more miles away, deliver the pizza in 30 minutes or less, but the one on post takes 1 hour and 45 minutes and they are 1 mile away? Does my pizza have to go through a rigorous background check before delivery to ensure there is not a breech of some sort of confidentiality? THEY ARE THE SAME COMPANY!

Friendships in the military are as temporary as the housing

… harsh, it may sound, but hear me out. A friend and I had a conversation on this very topic a few days ago. Cynical we are not, realists … yes.

Life in the military can be compared to a revolving door. People are continually coming in your life, all at different stages, and leave as quickly as they come.
Bonds are made over common interest, shared occupations, spouses in the same unit or of the same rank, and volunteering projects or members of the same organizations. But things change … it’s the reality of life. New friends are made, life changing events such as marriages or children happen, co-workers move on. Sure it may sound as if I am giving up on friendships that haven’t even been made yet, but think about it.

As children we had friends who “no matter how far apart we were would always be best friends” but one moves away and contact lessens, eventually the connection is broken.

It’s not that these relationships are meaningless; they serve their purpose at the time that they were part of our life. The brief moment in time they made our lives better, brighter, giving us a sense of purpose and meaning … to need someone or to be needed.

I’m not saying that there are not a few relationships that can survive the separation, life changes or even the sporadic contact … those are few and far between, which is what makes them so special.

I try to welcome friendships those brief moments in time, a gift in the present, hopefully, happy memories that are cherished in the future, those some may end like bad break ups, the memories leaving you bitter or hurt. But even that pain and bitterness serve to impact you in some way, creating the person you are today, tomorrow, next year.

I don’t anguish over the loss of these relationships; I hope to learn from them. It is these times when I remember a quote we’ve all seen …

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.—Anonymous

Until our next cup of tea …

Sharing the Love ... and then some

First I must apoligize to Ann at Ancient One's Place who generously gave me an award earlier this week. I was very touched and did take the time to research the origins of the award at Memoirs of a Mommy. It was a very inspirational story.

Then, earlier today, after a very exhausting week filled with the sadness as I watch the Soldiers in my unit continue to prepare for deployment, I got an announcement of another award from Jade at Stitch and Serve called Brilliante Weblog Award.

So Ann's award first:
Here are the rules for this: SHARE THE LOVE!!! That's it! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. All I ask, is that you include a link to the original post by the award's creator and ask your recipients to do the same.

So for my inspirational people, this time I will point you towards the military family bloggers who have been a source of inspiration and support for me as I face the daily adventure of military life.

1. Army Blogger Wife ... it's very easy to bounce ideas off of her and she doesn't judge my insanity ... probably because we are competing to see who is crazier!
2. Two Star Mom ... the only job as hard as a milspouse or kid is milparent!
3. Proud Liberal Army Wife .. she really tells it like she sees it!
4. Butterfly Wife ... has a unique view on life ...
5. Sgt and Mrs. Hub ... always a fav because you never know what the next post will hold!

Now for the rules of Jade's award:

~ Put the logo on your blog;
~ Add a link to the person who awarded you
~ Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
~ Add links to those blogs on yours;
~ Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

So here are my awardees:
1. Alice at Tea in my Cup ... this is one place where I go where I know there will always be something to comfort me. From recipes to tips on tea parties, there always seems to be something to cheer up the darkest mood at Alice's place!
2. Smile-n-Sigh makes you want to do just that with her beautiful photography. Check out all of her blogs, linked to her page.
3. StitcherW has always been supportive of the troops and her postive attitude has inspired me on many occasions.
4. Vee at A Haven For Vee ... sees the beauty in the world
5. KBug is a new friend, and fellow military Family member
6. Meari at Meari's Musings is actually one of my longest blogging friends
7. Seamus a fellow animal lover who captures wild creatures in their peaceful moments

Thanks to all of my regular readers. If you see the post before I get to your blog, thanks for letting me share your world. I hope to stop by over to each of your pages soo.. I try to nominate a different person when I get awards, but I encourage you to explore all of the links in my list. I enjoy them allso much and know you will too ... so go forth and make new friends!

Until our next cup of tea ...

Momentary Rant: My Pet Peeve

O.k. I'm not really one to get on a soapbox and rant, but sometimes there is something that sticks in my head and I can't shake it. There's not much that I let get to me, but the more I hear this the more it gets to me ... Maybe I should start at the beginning.

Sometimes you will meet people in the military who are "old school" they believe that enlist should stay with enlisted and officers interact with officers. I have, on a few occasions, be told that I should have more officers spouses as friends, but since I work with Soldiers and Families I tend to find friends in those I have common interests with ... go figure, what an archaic system!

That still doesn't get to me as much as when people comment on me being able to pay for stuff because my husband is an officer ... whether it's a meal, something for the house, a "me" gift, or my masters. Even friends have said it to me ... jokingly of course, but it still gets to me.

I don't know why it gets to me, maybe it's because I have worked all of my life to get where I am and to have the things I have and people disregard it with the assumption that I am merely a spoiled officer's wife.

I work too ... I have worked fulltime, during deployment lived on my paycheck and putting his in the bank, and managed my money to the penny, saving what I could for my future. I started putting money away for my retirement at 18, I still roll my extra change.



I have be raised to be consciencious of the decisions I make, always thinking of the future. If I offer to pay for lunch, it is not because I am in some way trying to flaunt my husband's rank or how much money I have in my bank account.

O.k. I will step off the of the soapbox so someone else may have a chance.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Does this bandage make me look fat? Part 2

I am trying hard to be a good girl and follow the doctor's orders since I want my foot to be completely healed when George comes home on R&R. Here are some pics from the past few days.

Today, I met two friends, Aris and Kat for pedicures. I'm sad that the bandages don't come in prettier colors, but this makes it a little better!



Sgt. Major has been sitting over my foot when we watch TV the last few days. He's so protective of his mommy. Of course, he thinks trying to take the bandage when I'm wrapping my foot is a new game.



Sgt. Major has decided he likes to rest his head on my foot, but doesn't it looks like he is kissing it?



Until our next cup of tea ...

Does this bandage make me look fat?

So when I woke up this morning, my left ankle was tender, though not swollen ... the pain had started a few weeks ago and had been intermitent.

Last month I had played in a three-game softball tournament and had stopped a grounder with my foot. Not a problem. I shook it off and continued to play, I meean, we were battling for the post championship!

After finishing the tourney, I iced it, wrapped it and wore flip flops for a few days it had never bruised, but remained tender when I put preassure on the side, not necessarily when I walked on it.

I hadn't played ball since. I was asked to play last night for my old team since some of them were away for work-relatd training or something. That's what led to this morning's tenderness.

At about 11 a.m. I decided to call the Family Clinic and see if I could get an appointment. They said they had an opening for 2 p.m. today.

After x-rays and inspection, it was determined that I didn't have a fracture or break, but I did injure the tendon or had a sprain, which I'd been walking on for three weeks.

So now, I have to have it wrapped for four weeks, no heels, no running (but I can still work out on the elliptical, thankfully!) and I have to take Motrin three times a day for six weeks. UGH! I was so looking forward to that panicked working out that we wives do in the few weeks before our Soldiers come home on "mid-tour leave." Sigh, I'll have to figure something out, 'cause we're going to Vegas!!!

Until our next cup of tea ...

I'm trying a new approach ...

Have you ever hurt someone you really cared for out of fear? Well I feel like crap because I did. Not to go into all the details, but sometimes it's easier for me to lash out at those close to me when I get scared of losing control and the closer you are the harder and faster I attack. I feel so bad ... I hope I haven't messed things up. I take total responcibility for my actions, but I don't know what to do. I guess I'll have to take baby steps and humbly ask for forgiveness ... UGH! It is so much easier to run away, but I must be a big girl about it!

Another life lesson ...

Deployments are hard … for everyone involved. Things change, friends you used to hang out with as a couple now seem awkward when you become a “third wheel.” You deepen some friendships, drift away from others and build new ones.

For both the Soldiers and spouses your needs for companionship change. Some people become more dependent on those around them, while others become more independent.

In previous deployments I have always been the one that others came to for support. It was a role I appreciated because as long as I was taking care of others, I didn’t have to remember that I too was dealing with the separation. If I fixed other people’s problems, then I could avoid mine. It worked … until this deployment.
More so than the fact that I am learning to lean on my friends for strength, is finding them in the most unlikely places.

Now that I work with the Soldiers on a daily basis, I’ve come to regard many of them as friends. The same goes for the spouses in our deployed unit. On one hand, it’s is easier to be friends with spouses in the same unit because you are going through the same things, other times having friends who understand what you are going though because they have been there, but can offer you the support you need because they are in a place to provide that can make it easier as well. This is a lesson I have learned only recently though my work with the military police.

While I still maintain friendships with the spouses in my husband’s unit, sometimes it feels like a competition when you start talking about how often you talk to your Soldier and how many emails you get, etc. I’m kind of enjoying the fact that I can vent or brag without someone “outdoing” my stories.

I’m the first to say that I live the life of a clown … always trying to make others happy but never showing my own tears. ,I love to help others enjoy the little moments, temporarily forgetting the bad. But I rarely let people see the real me … hear my darkest secrets, see the silly, uninhibited me. I don’t let people see me with my guard down. I’ve seen many temporary friendships, close while they are here, but fall apart after they move. To avoid the pain, I only show them parts of me and until lately that was o.k.

But in the last few months, I’ve met two people who are breaking through that shell … I don’t know if that is good or bad or if it just plain scares the mess out of me!

One is a fellow spouse … she very much reminds me of myself seven years ago. New to the military, learning to stand on my own and the heart of a small town country girl … everything new and exciting. I see the world in a new way. Through her ups and downs, I find more about who I am and what I stand for.

The other is a Soldier … I think this one scares me the most. Our friendship is at best, indescribable. There is no mold or characterization to contain it, it evolves as time goes on. There are things about her that are like looking at myself in a mirror, we have so many of the same interests, finish each others sentences and can laugh at everything and nothing. She is genuinely interested in how George is doing and how I am with this deployment as I am in her significant other and the distance and difficulties they face because of military. Our friendship grows over culinary creations and quick emails. But there are things about her that I strive to one day see in myself …her loyalty, adaptability, drive to overcome and confidence are inspirational.

In each deployment I open myself to learn more about myself and life. It is an opportunity to test myself, grow as a person and grow in my search for independence and self improvement. If I learn nothing more, I am learning that by taking a risk, you may find a treasure that can change your life, one that cannot be measured, and one that cannot be replaced. I have found that I am discovering myself in discovering others. I’ll just have to sit back, enjoy the ride and see where this one takes me … they could be a moment in time or that one great friendship of a lifetime.

Until our next cup of tea …