'Behind every great fortune there is a great crime'

Sunday

2010-01-10T09:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I woke up and couldn't believe how sore I was after a little bit of Yoga!! Bob and I took the dogs for a walk but this morning I woke up as stiff as ever. Tomorrow I'm going to start cycling and swimming classes.
But today I have to get through work first. I'm irritated already and I'm not even there yet. Send calming vibes.

Friday

2010-01-08T08:40:00.004-05:00

The party last night was great. I had an AWESOME bbq chicken salad and a small piece of cake for desert. I haven't come right out and said that I'm trying to lose weight because I always jinx myself. But I can dance around it a bit, I think.
I learned yesterday that MCCS is no longer charging fees to military dependents for the aerobic classes they offer. That was my last excuse not to go (darn it). This morning I'm going to try Yoga. It's offered two days a week but I work the other day it's offered. Same with their swimming classes. So I figured I'd sample 'a la carte' style until I can get myself on schedule.
Yesterday was the first day of Spring semester and it's already crazy. I found a way to get my books $300 cheaper, but when I went to return the ones I bought at the bookstore they told me it's their policy I wait 10 days before returning them. That's..ridiculous, because now I've paid for 2 sets of books..................Out of my bank account, remember. Hopefully when we have a baby we'll qualify for a Pell Grant because I don't know if we can both keep going to school full time on our own dime.
Today is my last day off work and then it's back to crazy-town. Say a prayer.

I'm going to leave you with a short blog today...
Thanks, as always, for reading :)

Thursday

2010-01-07T10:40:00.002-05:00

Last night was finally a night with no stress/drama (at work anyway). I like the rare occasions when I get to work with people who treat me decently.
I started a new Intermediate class with 5 dogs last night. They're some of my best/favorite students so I'm really excited to see how that progresses. As much as I don't want to leave my students and have to start over building my reputation, I cannot WAIT until the New Bern store opens. I'm truly truly hoping they'll allow me to transfer there. It would be great to build a new training program there. Coming into this store I think the people I work with highly undervalue my position. Half of the time it seems like people go out of their way to make my job more difficult.
Should I just title my blog 'Ashley bitches about her job every day'??
Spring semester started today. I'm taking an Expository Writing class, Abnormal Psychology, a math class, and World Religions. English & Religion are both online. My Expository Writing & Psych classes are Mon, Tues, Wed from 8-12 and then Tues & Wed I work 2-9. Plenty of time to get my homework done, I suppose.
I bought my books for class yesterday before I went to work and became physically ill at the staggering cost. And the fact that the check was written from my own bank account. I came home and the amaaazing Amelia had told me about chegg.com where you can RENT your textbooks for a semester. That saved me $300!! I'm returning the books today and the rented books should be here by Saturday. Hopefully before Monday anyway LOL!
Tonight I'm going to Rucker Johns on Emerald Isle to celebrate dinner with a friend's daughter (teenage daughter).
Maybe I'll get to see Bob sometime this week...?

Wednesday x2 (for Amy)

2010-01-06T11:06:00.003-05:00

Tucker @ 6 months - thinking he can still play in the cat cubes.

Wednesday

2010-01-06T10:40:00.002-05:00

What is the definition of professionalism? How do you know when a person has crossed the line between professionalism and ..'not?' professional?
I'm also curious: what is your opinion on going to your superiors with complaints/issues about those you work with? What if the issue is with your superior, what's your opinion about going over THEIR head (say to an HR department)?
I'm sure it's obvious why I'm asking these questions: yesterday was another terrible day at work. Even though I work for a corporation (where everything is supposed to be as in line and uniform as in the military) it seems like so many of the people that I work with think that they're the exception to the rule. When you walk up to somebody who is supposed to be 'in charge' and ask them a work related question is it too much to expect them to drop their feelings (good or bad) towards you and give you a straightforward answer? If I could roll my eyes any harder they'd be stuck in the back of my head (thanks, Mom).
So I came home last night, determined not to take out my bad day on Robert, only to end up ticking him off ANYWAY.
This morning I woke up and decided to tackle some of my phone errands. This was my list:
Call the bookstore and ask if they accept checks (I misplaced my debit card).
Call the Financial Aid office and make sure my FA came through and that my classes were paid for (tomorrow is the purge date).
Call Tricare and see about having my last trip to Duke reembursed.
Call PCM and ask for a retro referral for my date of service (it had expired).
Call EFMP office.

One person answered their phone. Out of that entire list. And it WASNT the damn bookstore!

Why did I have to (once again) call the EFMP office? This is something I posted on one of the forums I'm on explaining what happened:

I wonder - any of you who are members or have members of the EFMP in your house - do you ever feel like you want to tear your hair out of your head???
I do.
For those of you who don't know: I have Marfan Syndrome. It's a rare(ish), life threatening connective tissue disorder that dramatically increases my risk for aortic dissection (and death as a result). I need close monitoring and special medication to keep my blood pressure low, I'm unable to lift, unable to physically exert myself, etc. Marfan Syndrome results in scoliosis, dural ectasia, stretch marks, migraines, general pain, dislocated lens, fibromyalgia, weak discs, irregular heart beat, racing heart beat, heart murmur, collapsed lung............the list goes on and on and on and on and ON.
The doctors I've encountered here (on base) have all treated me more of a 'holy grail' than a patient. They want to inspect my hands and feet, measure my wingspan vs my height, see how double jointed I am - more than treat my problems. None of them have SEEN a patient with Marfan Syndrome before, let alone treated one.
So I go to Duke and see a Marfan specialist.
Now to the vent::
My doctor at Duke was great about providing the EFMP with documentation regarding the severity of MY particular case of Marfan Syndrome, informing them of the importance of me being near a doctor who specializes in Marfan Syndrome.
Since this is a rare disorder there are very few of these doctors in the country. Hawaii and Okinawa are out, of course. If you take the rest of the Marfan doctors in the country and line them up with Marine Corps bases....there are maybe two or three. Lejeune and CP (obviously), and then some of the California bases would allow me to go to UCLA. Quantico would allow Johns Hopkins.
We knew orders were due soon so we made sure the monitor had this info, that EFMP was properly documented, etc......
B got orders for recruiting.

So now, in attempt to get his orders changed, EFMP wants more documentation. They want, from my doctor, WHY I can't be seen by a 'normal' healthcare provider.

Are you KIDDING me!?

----------------

So that's my NEW dilemma in life. Figure out how to not DIE when they PCS us to the middle of BFE (which any of you associated with the military KNOWS will happen a.k.a Murphy's Law).

Spring semester starts tomorrow which I am SO happy about.

Before work today I have to go to the bookstore at the college (20 minutes past where I work which is 30 minutes from my house) and then stop by Walgreens to pick up Tucker's medication before work. I'm taking Tucker with me to work today. He hasn't gone with me in a few weeks and I kind of miss hanging out with him while I'm there. Today should be a much better day.

I'll leave you with an awesome story from Spark People about getting your priorities straight. It really touched me last night when I read it:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=264

Tuesday (again)

2010-01-05T10:31:00.001-05:00

Apparently I don't know how Blogger works. It seems like the older I get the harder technology is for me to grasp.

Somehow I'm following people under this account 'ashley' and another account 'karnagia'....wtf!?

And how do you get the cute layouts!? Mine is a template from Blogger and it's kind of boring.

:(
Update: nevermind, I'm not dumb afterall! :)

Tuesday

2010-01-05T09:50:00.002-05:00

How far do you have to fall down the mountain before you finally dig your heels in and start working your way back up again? I'm at a point right now where I can't pinpoint the poison in my life and as a result I'm lashing out in every area. I'm so desperate not to allow myself to be a doormat that I've started shutting the door all together. I feel like the more I pile on to my busy schedule the less time I'll have to sit and think about how miserable I am.
Work is the main source of stress. I love my students - they're the ONLY reason I go to work every day. I get most of my encouragement from them. Being able to help people communicate better with their pets and knowing that my advice and recommendations are trusted and wanted is a great feeling. One that I'm not used to. But as soon as my classes are over I find myself back out in the store trying to avoid most, if not all, of the people I work with. I tried to come into this job with a positive attitude and a smile on my face but deep down I have an aggressive desire to succeed and make this more than just a job. It would be easier if I didn't have to fight at every turn to actually DO my job. I came in, like I said, with a smile on my face - eager to get to know (on a professional level) the people I work with. I was eager to be a part of the 'family' I saw that they all had there - I honestly thought that this job was God's way of giving me a foothold into the career I'm pursuing.
Instead of becoming 'family', I quickly became the most talked about and least liked. Part of me thinks that some people are intimidated by ME and part of me thinks that some are intimidated by that aggressive desire for success that I was talking about earlier. To some it's 'just a job' and the fact that I take it so seriously gets me laughed at. No, really.
After 21 years of being talked on you KNOW when people are talking about you. One of the things I'm great at is picking up on body language. I'm tired of being whispered at, stared at, laughed at, talked about. The people I work with call me names, roll their eyes as soon as I turn my back...it's NOT paranoia and response from the management has been every thing from: 'just give it time', to 'I don't hear about it so I can't do anything about it', to 'why are you so damn sensitive'. Is it REALLY too much to ask to not be made FUN OF at my place of employment? Why does that seem like a very basic concept to me?
Maybe it IS me.
The bottom line is that I'm a good person. I have the best of intentions at all times. But for some reason there's something about me that just makes people HATE me.
Take Emily, for example. Emily was like a second spouse to me. I can't put into words the bond I had with her. After we 'broke up' (haha) I grieved. Part of me grieves every time I think about her. She would get angry any time somebody would talk, stare, or laugh....and now that we're not friends...she refers to me as 'the giant'.
So back to my original question...how far do you have to fall down the mountain before you finally dig your heels in and start working your way back up again?

Friday

2009-03-27T11:32:00.002-04:00

I feel like I need some sort of inspiration. I'm going through some things right now that have left me feeling alone and out of place.
It's ironic to me that I started this deployment thinking I had a lot of great friends and that they'd be there for me. You truly find out who your friends are when you're going through something. Now the women closest to me are women I've never met in my life. Connected by a common bond - they've been there for me when nobody else was. Again, ironic.
I'm grateful for all of the experiences I have. Some people have questioned my reasons & logic but I'm the only one who knows how the things I've been through are what have shaped me into who I am today.

I'm going home to Ohio on April 8th. I just want to get away.

Saturday

2009-03-07T18:19:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention. I'm in love with Lemonade Girl Scout cookies. Head over heels.

Saturday

2009-03-07T18:00:00.004-05:00

It's Saturday! Not really any more exciting than any other day to be honest. It's been awhile since I blogged last - nothing much to say.
I'm planning a 'semi-surprise' trip home in April over Easter. I'm going to stay at Mom's house in Mansfield the week I'm there. We'll go up to Toledo to see family & I'll FINALLY get to see Daphne (for the first time in almost 3 years). I really miss my mom and last week my doctor 'advised' me to go home. He also said he wanted to give my phone number to his church so they could call me. Very bizarre.
All animals are doing well. Rufus' foot is healing nicely.
I've started reading the Southern Vampire Series (also known as the True Blood series from HBO). I can't seem to concentrate long enough to get through the first book. Normally I'd be on the 5th (at least) by now but I'm only halfway through the first. For somebody who doesn't have much to do I sure do feel busy.

Weather update: Sunday it snowed. Today (Saturday) it's 80 degrees. I bought a fan today and next week plan on buying at least 3 more. .

I love you, Ski

Wednesday...I think

2009-01-28T12:17:00.003-05:00

I've been having the hardest time keeping my days straight. It IS Wednesday, right?

I noticed two days ago Rufus had a nasty infection on his foot so I called and made an appointment with Dr Taylor in Morehead City. She ended up taking off a toe and lancing the infection. Poor Roo Roo. He's on a course of antibiotics which have to be injected (by me) into a superworm with a needle and then fed to him. Oh joy. Have you ever tried to get a superworm to hold still so you could stab it with a needle? I felt so bad :(
It's 75 degrees here today. I have the AC on and the windows open. I want my cold February back!! It's still winter - what is the problem? This must be global warming. :P I'm attaching a picture of snow outside Daphne's (best friend from home) house in Ohio as a reminder to the North Carolinian winter-weather Gods who obviously have forsaken me.
I was laying in bed last night around 11:30 and all of a sudden I heard a knocking. I wasnt sure what it was so I muted my TV and sure enough, it sounded like it was coming from the door. Right as it finished my phone started ringing. I didn't answer it, now thinking my life was about to end. It goes to voicemail and I hear, "Hey, it's me - I guess you're not home...." It was Bob. Obviously not Bob knocking at the door but by this time I've forgotten the knocking.
What do you mean 'I guess you're not home'?! It's almost MIDNIGHT. If I call the house at midnight and you don't answer I'm going to be saying, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Not, "Oh...I guess you're not home".
Crazy Bob.

Home sweet home

Going to Faith's house tonight for dinner & a movie..and a Biology test (thanks Faith).

Friday

2009-01-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

The first week of this deployment is almost over already. Only 51-some weeks left (har har). Yesterday was a difficult day for me. I felt like I didn't want to eat, sleep, move, etc. Faith told me to get the heck out of the house so I went over to Emily's to help her with homework and take her some of the puppy chow I made. Stayed for a couple of hours but still had to come home to a dark empty house.
I looked at my 'donut of misery' yesterday just out of curiosity. 1% down, 99% to go on this deployment - LOL!
Today I'm thinking about taking the dogs to the dog park at 1. They're getting restless and a few of the girls on Cherry Point Underground are going to meet there. Woohoo :)
Speaking of dogs: Yesterday Tucker got up on the couch with me and snuggled with his duckie that Daddy bought him.

How sweet is his face? :)

Tuesday

2009-01-20T13:13:00.003-05:00

It's snowing!!!

I woke up this morning to an email from Bob :) He's made it to Al Asad safely. He said the food on the way over wasn't so great (goat meat and 'a strange cheese') and he wasn't able to get me anything from Amsterdam, which is disappointing. But he's there and this year can finally start!
I got my care package kit in the mail today so I'm going to start putting the first one together. I probably won't go out to send it because Lord knows people can't drive in snow around here. I also got the calender I ordered for him which I'm attaching a picture of. Still in transit are a bunch of prints I ordered from my last photo sesh with Whitney to hang in the house.
Last night I went to Faith's for Chinese food & a movie. We had a really good time, she's such a nice person. Tomorrow I'm going to go on base to get our taxes done and go to Jennifer's for the day. Then I *think* this weekend I'm going to a movie with Faith & Buffy - Faith said Bride Wars is playing and I want to see it.
I find it interesting and possibly ironic that Bob got to Iraq the day our new president was sworn into office. It will be very interesting to see the direction Obama takes our troops currently overseas.

The day is only half over so you may hear from me again :)

Love you, Ski!

Monday

2009-01-19T15:19:00.004-05:00

Well day 2 had better not be a foreshadow of how the rest of this year is going to be or I want out right now! I slept horribly last night (but I slept with my kitty, which was nice) after I finally went to bed around 1:30 am. I tossed and turned and finally got up at 9 am. I showered, ate a bagel (this blog post is interesting, isnt it?) and got dressed to go over to Emily's. She has a few books I wanted to borrow and read. I get in my car and what do you know - it's completely dead. No clicking, the interior lights don't come on, and it doesn't even try to turn over. I call Baldree's and by the grace of God they were open today. They sent somebody out a couple of hours later to look at the car and what do you know. It starts right up. I drove it into the shop and found out that the alterator is charging the battery but the battery isn't able to hold a charge. It was a five year old battery, so I suppose it was time for a new one. They replaced it and I was on my way :). While I was waiting for the battery to arrive Sheli happened to stop by the shop to say 'hi'. That was nice, I haven't talked to her in a few days.
I haven't shed a tear and I've cleared the first hurdle of this deployment!
I did end up getting the books from Emily so I have plenty to read!
Last night, Faith, one of the other wives called me. Her husband went to Al Asad on the advanced party last Sunday. We ended up talking for FOUR HOURS! Tonight I'm going to her house for chinese food and a movie :O) I'm so excited to have found some great girls to get through this year with me. We're all going through the same thing and it's already taken a huge weight off my mind knowing I'm not alone.
The animals miss their 'D-A-D-D-Y' already. Tucker has started foraging in the litter box. He's not a troublemaker at all unless Daddy's gone. The cats know somethings going on too - Munga slept in a ball next to me ALL night which is very unusual - he's pretty nocturnal. Today when I got up to feed 'the herd' he followed me around to the tanks and cage just staring up at me. I feel bad for them because they don't understand. We know what's going on (as much as we hate it) but babies and animals don't understand and the confusion makes me so sad.
I miss you already, Bob but you are pissing me off from afar. How has every other wife gotten a call or email from their husband and mine is the only one who hasn't picked up the phone? I thought we agreed you'd email me when you got there? I've had 8 people today say "HE CALLED!" and then ask me if mine has. Nope. I'm just venting - I know you'll get ahold of me when you're up to it. I know you're safe and that's all that matters.

*kisses*

The Quilt (Sunday)

2009-01-18T14:42:00.004-05:00

Last night I received a beautiful quilt that was made by a small group of women. I'd like to send a thank you note but our Family Readiness Officer doesn't have any information on who donated it.

Sunday

2009-01-18T07:40:00.002-05:00

Day 1 of this deployment!

Last night Bob & I went up to 'the lot' at about 8:30 pm. There were 30 boxes of pizza and tons of other snacks and goodies (thanks, Susan!) At 9 they had a roll call (with over 300 people) and formation. Bob walked me to the car shortly after and gave me a big hug. I told him I loved him very very much and that I'd talk to him soon. He hugged me back, gave me a quick kiss, and that was it! I didn't cry at all (despite what I thought) and I'm really proud of myself for that. For me it's easier to just shut the emotion off all together than to be really distraught. Bob knows this. And I think it was easier on both of us to just make it short and sweet. I know that man loves me - and once I hear from him in a couple of days I'm sure I won't be able to get him to leave me alone :P.
When I got home Emily was waiting for me in the driveway. We went to Walmart and about 10:30 and each bought a giant bar of chocolate (and I got some shredded cheese for a pizza...odd purchase). We picked up some Sparks (energy drink + beer) and then ran through McDonalds. In the drive thru, Emily said, "Shlee - I haven't even been gone 2 hours and you're already at McDonalds!" ..sounded just like Bob :P.
We came home and watched Comedy Central until about 3:30 in the morning and then headed to bed. I told Emily to sleep on my side of the bed but said I wanted my pillows (I dont like Bobs, lol) and when I picked up my pillows a piece of paper fell out that said, "I love you!! - Bob". Well right away my chin started to quiver of course and I said, "DAMN YOU BOB!" It was really easy to laugh it off though because I realized that he just wanted me to know he loved me before I went to sleep. That was a good feeling.
A couple hours later I woke up to Munga sniffing around at my head..I could almost hear him say, "You are not my daddy, why are you here?" and when he walked over to Emily to sniff her I heard, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?" He didn't mind for too long and ended up in the 'bat cave' (under the down comforter) sleeping against my legs.
I woke up at 6 am not able to get back to sleep so I came out to play some Pogo for awhile while Emily is still asleep.
Today I think I'll probably rearrange my bedroom (for real this time) and get it all cleaned up. I cleaned the house yesterday so not much to do there! I'll go to Blockbuster and pick up a movie too, I think. Tommorow I need to go to Sprint and cancel Bob's cell phone contract and I was 'thinking' about going to Jacksonville to shop at Lane Bryant with the gift card Aunt Celia sent me for Christmas. Don't want to do all my errands in one day though, lol.
Bob 'may or may not' be stopping over in the Neatherlands during his flight so I hope to get a postcard! Can't wait to talk to him when he lands in Kuwait.

Love you, Ski!

Saturday

2009-01-17T12:53:00.003-05:00

Today is the day! Bob is out getting his haircut and running a few errands and I'll be dropping him off later tonight. I'm sad to say goodbye but excited to finally get this deployment started. It still doesn't feel real.
The dogs definitely know something is going on. Every time I start to sniffle Tucker comes running over putting his head in my lap. That's nice, I'll admit - lol.
Emily is supposed to come over tonight to hang out for awhile after Bob is gone. I'm looking forward to that - I don't know how I feel about being alone 'indefinitely' starting tonight. I guess we'll see.
My mom may be coming down for a visit sometime at the end of this month. That would be great :) I miss her.

I think I'm going to rearrange my bedroom and clean up a bit more. Tick tock, tick tock!

Thursday

2009-01-15T15:24:00.004-05:00

It's a beautiful day today. The weatherman had me excited and thinking it was going to be freezing cold but no. It's in the 60's and the sun is shining. I guess I can't complain though - at least it's not August (yet).
I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. Things have been pretty hectic around here. Bob is leaving late Saturday night for a 12 month deployment to Iraq. It really hit me last night when we went to bed how weird it's going to be with him gone. We've known for the last year that he was going but somehow it didn't seem real until last night. The bond Robert & I have is a strange one, that's for sure. It's going to be hard living separate lives for an entire year. Luckily, I have a great group of supportive internet ladies, all of whom are going/have gone/will go through the same thing.
Other than this deployment there hasn't been much going on. I'm expecting visits from my mom & Daphne this year so that will be great. I'm also hoping Sam will come out from California when her hubby leaves this summer.
Whitney came down to take some more pictures this past week. They came out great (of course). I'm attaching a couple :)

"Welcome to the Jungle"

2008-10-11T07:42:00.007-04:00

It's day one of Operation Zookeeper. First, let's meet our guests:

This is Zoe, she's a Black headed Caique. She enjoys biting holes in my hands, making kissing noises, and going, "WHOO!"

Next is Nigel! He's a Senegal Parrot with plenty of time on his hands...toes? He enjoys being sheepish and looking around.

So far they seem to be pretty well adjusted to our home. They know us because we're at Kyle & Jen's house often and we've handled them. They're used to other animals (minus cats) so that's not been an issue either. AND the three of them (including my Quaker, Marty) were all at Bills Pet Shop together so they can all handle other birds.
Zoe is by far the noisiest of the 'bird-herd'. I came out this morning to talk to Munga (that's another story, see further down) and said, "Hi Munga.." real quiet..I hear from Zoe's cage, "HIIII ZOOEEE!!!" She makes SO many noises, I'm going to try to get a video of her later.

Nigel is real quiet. He sits on his perch and makes little owl noises.

They're fun to wake up to.

Whitney was going to come up from Jacksonville to take pictures of Robert & I today but something happened last night and she's unable to make it. Honestly I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing because I realized just last night that she would probably think we are INSANE. Our house is clean! But there are animals EVERYWHERE! 'Never a dull moment' is the phrase most used by others to describe our house. It's true - but for somebody I've never met...I just don't know if she's ready for this.

First of all - we have Munga. He hurt himself two days ago and a trip to the vet yesterday revealed he broke two toes in his right front foot.

So this is where he is now:

Yes in Mika's crate - and yes in our living room. It's going to take 6-10 weeks to heal the breaks in his toes. He'll keep himself busy by eating and drinking plenty and getting lots of rest. The doctor didn't want to put a splint on it because cats don't do well with them. He's also not on any pain meds because that may encourage him to walk on it. I don't think that's much of an issue though because as long as he's not putting pressure on it he doesn't seem to be in any pain. If you note the lower left of the picture, Mika's big head - she's not too happy with Munga taking over her den.

Speaking of other animals. Some of us have mixed feelings about our feathered visitors:

I think he's depressed now that he's out numbered.

2008-10-08T19:19:00.002-04:00

I had my first emotional reaction to Robert's upcoming deployment today. It was a mix of jitters, nerves, and sadness. I know the extra money and seperation will be good for our sanity and our marriage. But I also know that I haven't been away from him in a long time. Honestly this will be the first time I've been 'on my own' for a length of time. An entire year. Wow. I'm not worried about danger or communication - I guess it's just the fear of the unknown.
One of the ways I'm going to tackle this deployment is by keeping busy. I looked at my planner the other day and I have SO much going on! The work with the families is going well - we're having another event next week and I'm hoping for a good turnout. Some of the wives are apprehensive, which is fine (and normal) - but I hope they reconsider because once these guys are gone EVERYBODY is going to want to be in the loop. Cindy said she has good feelings about where we're going with things.
The Klickers are going on vacation to Disney at the end of the week! They've been looking forward to this for months and I'm really excited for them. Jen is bringing Nigel & crazy ass Zoe (their birds) for me to cuddle and love the week they're gone. Zoe better not think about putting that Caique beak through my hand again. Bastard.
Whitney is coming out Saturday to take some pictures of Robert & I - I'm really excited for that. She does great work. I'll be making her some yummy enchiladas as a thank you :). It's nice to meet new friends - the internet is good for that.

Did you know: The escalator was first designed as an amusement ride? How dull!

I'm sorry I haven't updated...Ive been feeling well..busy. And bleh. Although I did rekindle my love for large cinnamon lattes from DD! :)

Bit of a scare

2008-09-20T14:35:00.003-04:00

Robert left this morning at 5am for his class in Smithfield, NC (about 2 1/2 hours away). I got up, fed the animals, and made myself something to eat. Mika started coughing but I didn't think much of it. Then it started to get worse. Eventually she was coughing up foam and food. Not vomiting, but actually COUGHING up food.
Robert is unreachable today and has the car with him.
I gave Mika a few hours, thinking maybe she just had something in her throat. When I made the decision to go to the Emergency Vet she had gotten to the point where I thought something was very wrong. I couldn't keep up with her spitting. She ended up spitting on my hands, feet, etc as I was cleaning up.
Sheli (the Godsend that she is) came and picked us up and took us to the vet. The doctor said he thinks she inhaled something that irritated her. And then as a result of coughing she just kept getting more and more irritated. He said it's coming from her esophagus not her trachea, so that's good. He checked her larynx - nothing there. That was a procedure that involved him putting his entire hand down her throat. I learned today that dogs don't have gag reflexes. Good to know. Could have saved myself $85.00 if I knew that.
So I went and bought some Robitussin DM (oh she loved that) and right now she's laying next to me on the couch - out like a light.

Another bullet dodged!

Friday

2008-09-19T12:21:00.002-04:00

How do you start a blog? Do you say 'hi'? Anytime I blog I've always stopped to try and think about how to start. It's not lack of things to talk about, trust me.
Okay so I'll just get into it!
First - Robert has his traffic school tommorow in Smithfield. It's an 8 hour class. Starts at 7:30 am - and Smithfield is 2 1/2 hours away. Blegh!! Luckily, Sheli and I are going to be working on her baby shower invites so that will give me something to do. Robert has really had to twist his arm to get registered for this class so hopefully the court will be leniant when he goes back on the 30th.
By the way if you didn't know Robert got a ticket when we went to Raleigh for the Reptile Show a few months back. It was 8:30 in the morning, nobody on the road - and we were trying to make good time to Raleigh (which is a 3 hour drive). We came over a hill and the cop was sitting behind a lone dumpster at the bottom. Trying to make a buck maybe?
My grandma is still in the hospital. I haven't heard much from my family but from the sounds of it her kidneys are now deteriorating and it's not looking good. I'm praying for her recovery - but I'm dreading recieving the call that she's passed away.

2008-09-15T21:23:00.004-04:00

Have you ever lost something that you have several of and then come to the conclusion that there must be some sort of fairy going around stealing that thing from everybody in the neighborhood?
This is what I mean - We own probably..I'd say...7 pairs of nail clippers. Don't ask me why! I don't clip my nails - I pay too much money to get my nails done to have to do it myself. But Robert is super anal about his nail grooming so he's collected a few pairs over the years.
Well tonight he goes to clip his nails and they're just gone! He's looked in all of our little 'misc junk goes here' baskets and drawers - and to save his life - they're all gone. So then I go and look - nope, they didn't want to come out of hiding for me either. How frustrating.

So when I went to Florida in August my Ipod shit on me on the second flight out there. I didn't have the manual or the charger so I couldn't do anything about it then. Well I JUST got around to fixing it. I just deleted everything off of it and reprogrammed it. Since we had to get a new Hard Drive I had to d/l ITunes again - *gag*.

Farmer's Market on Saturday - I'm psyched! But Robert will be in Smithfield all day..soooo who wants to come with? :) :D

2008-09-15T13:10:00.002-04:00

Update from my Aunt Kim:::

She is going back to surgery this afternoon to look at the abdominal wound with hopes to do partial or possibly entire closure of the wound. She is on a ventilator. Currently she is requiring full ventilator support; she developed a fever last night and her kidneys are the major concern right now. She is obsviously strong and has a will to live because she is still with us. They are keeping her heavily sedated so she can rest. Well this is the jest of it; too lengthy to go into more detail. Keep her in your prayers. Kim

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I hate to say it - but all these banks going bankrupt is making me want to take money from the bank and put it under my mattress.

**Largest Ch11 filing in nations history: Lehman Bros**

2008-09-14T20:54:00.002-04:00

Got an update from my mom last night. My grandma is doing better these past two days. They've been able to go back and do a better job of closing her stomach so that lessens the risk of infection. She's still heavily sedated but her kidneys are working and she's producing urine normally. Great relief! If she continues this way she could potentially make a good recovery.
Mom said the family is all there - the hospital has given my family a room to use to rest, shower, etc. They have an entire waiting room to themselves. Apparently there's always a few of them there all hours of the day/night so they've made the hospital like home ...(including bringing tables of food...) Ohhh family :P I do love them though.
I spent today with Sheli & Mary Alice. Shopping and starting the process of making her baby shower invitations. We're going to get back together next weekend to work on them some more. I've got SO many things to plan these next few weeks it's insane!
I started the hunt today to find an AVMA accredited distance learning program for Veterinary Technology. Looks like Purdue has one of the best programs so far. I've looked at places like Penn Foster but after doing research I've found TOO many negatives about the college. People have sent in money and not been enrolled or sent their books!
I was reminded of how bad my migranes used to be today - I've had one ALL day. I took 2 Excedrin Migrane - didn't work. A few hours later I took 2 Advil - no luck. So I drank 2 beers....Still hurt.

Ew.

Saturday

2008-09-13T12:01:00.003-04:00

Robert and I got up early this morning to go to the commissary - they're having a case lot sale this weekend. We got some pretty good deals! Three bags of Doritos for $2.50!

I haven't heard much about my grandma in the past day - one of my cousins emailed me to tell me she's holding her own.

Let's talk about price gouging! Gas is up past $4.00 a gallon. A lot of areas aren't affected - it seems to be the Eastern seaboard mostly. It's as high as $4.99 in some places with premium well over $5.00!! This happened in less than 24 hours in some places - which leads me to believe it's price gouging. Unless every gas station on the East coast got a new shipment yesterday morning they paid one price for the gas and they're selling it for much more than that. The law says they're not allowed to make more than .25/gal profit. So if they buy it for $3.00/gal they cant sell it for more than $3.50.

Kangaroo & Wilco-Hess stations seem to be the only ones not raising prices.

I've been watching the news for information on hurricane Ike - the flooding is incredible! Highways have upwards of 6ft of standing water, homes were washed into the Gulf of Mexico. I hope everybody in that area stays safe and stay off the roads!

I had a meeting with Colonel C yesterday. We're really going to kick this spouses thing into gear. Col said she was very excited about what we're planning. Our FRO really isn't doing much unit-wise so Cindy and I are going to work on getting the G-4 spouses organized. Maybe that'll motivate our FRO.

We've got coffees, baby showers, potlucks, holiday parties, and meetings to plan. I'm very excited! I know when we moved here I wasn't contacted and I know during a deployment it's comforting to be close to the other ladies in the unit.

I can't wait to see the kind of progress we can potentially make in our unit.

Robert and I are going to Petsmart and then Kabuto tonight and then it's OSU football @ 8! :)

Update on grandmother

2008-09-12T09:33:00.005-04:00

My aunt called me late yesterday evening to update me on Grandma's status:

She was in surgery for about 5 1/2 hours. They were trying to put in a 'graft' in to patch up the anuyerism and they had trouble. She was going to be moved to ICU soon after I spoke to my aunt but they said that it doesn't look good.

Apparently the doctor took my grandfather and uncle aside and told them she should have died.

I talked to my mom and she told me to stay home and pray but it's all I can do not to get in the car and drive up there. It's a 14 hour drive. I just don't know what to do. Do I stay home and wait to see if she passes? Or do I try to get there before she does?

I've pretty much put my quest for financial aid on hold for the time being.

Today I ran out to get a coffee - every gas station was at around $3.65 and there were people lined up to the street. You'd think WE were getting a hurricane!
On the way HOME (fifteen minutes later) every gas station was deserted and gas was $4.00!
I hope everybody in Texas stays safe - get the hell outta Dodge!

Praying...

2008-09-11T20:51:00.003-04:00

I was on my way to dinner with a friend this evening when I got a call from my mother saying my grandmother was in the hospital. Apparently she had an aortic anyuerism this afternoon and was in surgery at the time.
I'm now waiting on word from my family on her condition and making arrangements to make the 14 hour drive if needed.

2008-09-11T13:38:00.002-04:00

This was posted on a forum I frequent.

The weatherman predicts...a deployment coming!

2008-09-11T10:05:00.005-04:00

Is that like a typhoon? I sure hope not. I have mixed feelings about this deployment. I'm excited about all the things I'm going to accomplish while Robert is gone but I'm also nervous. I'll be honest- this will be the first time I've been on my own. I've been lucky to have him home as long as he's been - but it's time for him to go. Twelve months sure is a long time....I've known about this since January and for some reason I wish I only had a week's notice. A year of thinking about a 12 month deployment has put a huge knot in my stomach. I just wish it were January and he were leaving. I'm ready to start counting down!
I watched the footage of 9/11/2001 on the news this morning. Watching it affected me more this morning than in years past. The confusion was what stood out to me the most. I couldn't imagine being in Manhattan that day. The terror - the footage plays out on TV like a movie and I can't begin to comprehend how surreal it must have been for those people. 2,557 days since the terrorist attack. I wonder what's up with Donald Rumsfeld's arm?