30 Days Away

That's right. In less than 30 days we'll be driving cross country to our new assignment, stopping to see the Air Force Museum and Mount Rushmore along the way.

Between now and then we have more things to do than we have time for and it's beginning to take its toll. This morning JG and I went to Bolling Air Force Base to take care of some outprocessing and we stopped at Starbucks before heading back to work. I tell JG that sitting there "relaxing" is stressing me out because we have so much to do.

Possible Orders Pending

JG and I just got notice we might be moving to ... Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. We requested early reporting so I can still go on my deployment this summer. We could be moving as early as April.

Remember how some of my very first blog posts revolved around all of the bathroom remodeling catastrophes? Well, the bathrooms still aren't fixed and that needs to happen ASAP, among other things, to make this place rentable after we leave.

The contractor is coming today to give us an estimate. Wish me luck!

One Thousand Million

"That's how much snow we have," said Edward. The local news is calling it a blizzard. The picnic table in the backyard is no where to be found ... buried under 18 inches of snow. I have the most wonderful husband who has taken our beloved dog JuJu outside all day to do her business and I've been in the house nice and warm.

Today was productive. It had to be. We lost last weekend all together. After Zachary got the flu, it hit Edward, then me, then JG. By the time Thursday night came around I was starved. Ofcourse that was the night that everyone was at the grocery store.

So, last month I turned 32. I unwrapped a pink Wii fit cover and the movie "Julie and Julia." Then, JG suprised me with a shopping trip to Best Buy and we walked out of there with one thing - a Kitchen Aid mixer. (Gasp.)

This weekend I finally got to use the Wii Fit Plus I got for Christmas and I took the red Kichen Aid mixer out of the box. I got to try the Kitchen Aid's meat grinder attachment we got as a wedding gift (thanks Rubios) to make chicken maple sausage for breakfast with french toast.

Although the patties, made with chicken breasts, didn't end up dry it lacked the nice fatty, greasy goodness of real sausage. So, tomorrow for lunch, I'll add lots of garlic and ginger to the mix, brown it up and make eggrolls.

I did have a moment of panic when the sausage was being cooked ... the electricity flickered four or five times. Luckily it didn't go out. The sausage was saved. And, believe it or not, I didn't break anything today. (Big smile at JG.)

Friday Reflections

So much has happened in the last six weeks I don't even know where to begin. It's snowing ... I guess we can start there. It's the beautiful kind of snow, but it's not going to last long with rain projected for later this week.

Zachary was up all night sick. I'm hoping he's going to pass out for a nap here shortly. JG got up with him at least once an hour all night long ... poor Zachary hunched over or on the toilet. Most people blame being sick on the last thing they ate ... we had Five Guys so it HAS to be a virus and not a food-born illness.

JG reenlisted yesterday to serve another four years in the Air Force. This decision did not come lightly in the midst of the hardest time in our career field I've seen in 13 years. On the way to pick up the kids for the ceremony I broke something. Anticipating the boys and another passenger I immediately opened the trunk to put in my gym bag to make room for another one of JG's colleagues who wanted to witness our family's committment. The key was stuck going in so I shoved it in hard, popped the bag in, shut the trunk in a hurry, slid into the drivers seat and starting to put on my seatbelt as I crank the engine. Well, it didn't crank, it was stuck. I pull out the key thinking I may have put the wrong one it. But, no, it was the right one, crooked and all. WHAT?

As I bring the key upstairs to my office where we have a drawer full of hammers I wonder if someone tried breaking into our trunk and that how the key thingy broke. I pass by our deputy director in the hall and show him the damaged key. The colonel did a really good job, but unfortunately it didn't work, the HOV lane turned into 3 passengers only and I only had about 15 minutes to make it to the Air Force Memorial. I was so bummed we wouldn't be able to have our boys there. My husband drove to work that day and had the other car key on him. So, with car filled with moral support and the presiding officer he hands off the key and I say "I'll see you there."

Usually, when I break something, it's far worse than I first realize. So, as I'm in the elevator going down into the parking garage I hoped that I didn't bust the ignition by forcing the broken key in it too hard. But, luckily, the car started without incident and I was on my way. Seven of us, freezing cold, stood underneath the three spires of the Air Force Memorial in 20-degree weather.

Also, yesterday, I found out that I'm going to the NCO Academy in April - a six-week course in Alabama. Two weeks of Combat Skills Training happen two weeks after I return from there and about a week later I'll be on my six-month deployment. I can't tell you how relieved I am that I have firm dates to plan around.

I've come to the realization that we're not going to have a sense of "normal" between now and the time that I leave. JG made the comment the other day that he doesn't feel "home" yet. There's been a lot of adjusting for all of us since he's been back. I'm so thankful that we get to spend our first anniversary together. To make up missing the reenlistment to the kids, maybe we'll go visit the Air Force Memorial on the day our family became official.

Home and back agan ...

I'm home!!!

It's the final countdown

We're finally down to about 16 days before JG gets home. I've not done a single Christmas preparation. The closest thing to "holiday" I've come to is attending the office seasonal party. I brought the boys, they had babysitting there, and quite honestly that was the only reason I was able to attend.

Last year JG and I went together and his mother sat the kids for us. Martha had taken me to get the dress which was no easy feat as I was on crutches from and ankle surgery. You should have seen my face at the Officer's Club when the event was on the second floor and there wasn't a working elevator. Can we say Cathedral ceilings?

I was daydreaming about how sweet JG was last year. He requested our song "At Last" by Etta James. We 'danced' right there at our table. Here's the photo Ms Carolyn took of us with her cell phone.

This year Gary and Amy Coppage were taking portaits again and it was all I could do not to cry watching our wedding slideshow they had playing. Gary had the first retirement ceremony at the Air Force Memorial and he jumped at the chance to shoot our wedding.

JG and I haven't even picked out photos for the albums. Heck, we haven't even sent out thank you cards yet. (I'm refusing to do them by myself.)

Those things will have to take a back seat to our splurge at the indoor water park Great Wolfe Lodge in Williamsburg and some overall reconnecting. Looks like JG will most likely be home before the New Year so we'll be starting 2010 exactly where I want to be - right by his side.

Last game of the season ...

It's like the cliched start to an action flick: We need you to come out of retirement for just One. More. Mission. Chances of survival are slim. Odds are stacked against you. Oh, and there are kids invovled. Only I'm not really coming out of retirement. We're in the United Arab Emirates, so pretty safe. And the only hindrances to mission accomplishment are our own internal struggles to release information without anyone sounding like idiots. Oh, and there's no kids involved. But otherwise totally like a bad action movie ...

As a semi-related sidenote, New York Mets catcher Brian Schneider (Happy belated, Backstop!) And I were born on the exact same day. Other than him being bigger, stronger, more in shape and talented, there's hardly any difference between us at all. So it occurs to me that I could totally be playing for the Mets right now instead of deployed to the Middle East. Let's go Mets ...

We were actually requested to come out to the UAE for a pretty high-profile gig. As a service, the Air Force takes a lot of flack over the F-22 Raptor. There are lots of good arguments on both sides of the issue whether or not we need the jet. Much of that comes from it having never fought a combat mission or been tested in the Middle East. Well, that second point is no longer valid as a half dozen Raptors are out here for an exercise. To hear the pilots and maintainers talk about it, the jet performs beyond expectations. And there is another indisputable fact: The F-22 is just awesomely awesome ...

The best thing about being here, as awesome as the Raptor is, is the fact that this is, for all intents and purposes, our last mission before we go home. It's been a long six months of emotional and professional roller coaster rides. Jennifer and I continue to make plans for all the ways we want to reconnect as husband and wife, as parents to Zachary and Edward and all the other relationships we have with friends. Basically, just making sure we're meeting each other's needs. Talking about everything we want to do - family vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge, playing video games together, etc - has kept us all very excited about homecoming. Although I don't think Jennifer is quite aware of how often we'll be eating at Five Guys Burgers & Fries ...

But for now, it's focus on the mission so we can end our tour strongly. I've had the chance to take a lot of pictures again, so that's been cool. Also have a couple of stories in the works that I can't wait to get sent out. And while I've written before about how Yoshi should get an F-15E Strike Eagle as a secret vehicle in the next Mario Kart, I think I have another suggestion as well ...