I'm OKAY!

Hey everyone! I'm glad to be home, but I also have to admit that my 'roughing it' experience wasn't all that bad! My brother's ranch is a very pretty, ugly place...if you know what I mean. It's pretty rought terrain, but there's a simple Texas beauty that makes it pretty all the same. The only downfall of the time in Dryden was the weather. When we got there Friday, it was windy with a big chill in it, but bearable with a coat & some gloves. My sister & I went on a nice 6 mile (or so) hike down to where the Rio Grande is in the back of his property. The water was surprisingly pretty...a nice bluish-greenish hue. Much different that what I was expecting...which was a more poopy-brown kind of hue. I guess that's what I get for assuming, huh?! We saw a beautiful sunset that evening and then it turned COLD!!! We only had one little propane heater working it's little heart out in the corner of the great room of a 7 bedroom, 1 bathroom ranch house. Hence, we remained bundled in our layered gear all day, everyday. Saturday proved to be a rather gloomy day, but we did get to spend some quality family huddling time at the pit fire the bro's built while it sleeted on us. Body heat does wonders my friends! :) It remained dark outside & proceeded to sleet on us for about 8 hours straight that night, mixed in with a bit of rain & a couple *snowflakes*. Still....COLD!! I slept like a baby though, perfectly situated on a comfy couch that was conveniently located right by the heater. I'm a genius, I know! All snug in my comforter & pillows, I was! After countless games of BS, rummy, speed, & 'go fish' with the family, we finally rolled upon Sunday. We hung around to eat breakfast with everyone and headed back home around noon. Needless to say, I really enjoyed myself & I hope to be able to take Chad with me sometime! It was an interesting venture with the Robertson crew, as it always is! And I only had to pee outside TWICE! Now, that's a successful ranch trip if you ask me! haha. :) I missed you guys while I was gone...but it looks like I'll be around for a while now that Christmas season at the Shipping Point has officially kicked off with chaos! (sigh)...

Prep Time...

Well, because I felt so bad last week for not informing you that I was going to be gone for a couple of days of potential blogging time, I thought I would warn you to expect a deflux of blog entries for the rest of the weekend. I am headed down to Dryden, TX...a little place located on the Mexico border about halfway up the squiggly side of Texas, haha. I'm sure you know EXACTLY where I'm talking about after that description...but I digress. I will be gone until Sunday evening. I will attempt an entry that night assuming we don't get in too late and I'm in the appropriate blogger spirits. It should be an interesting venture being that about 11 of my family members are staying out in the middle of nowhere on a large piece of rough terrain in a small ranch style house that runs its energy on gasoline, it's stove by propane. and has an outhouse for a toilet. Oh yea, and all of the electricity comes from a generator that at any time, may decide to go out...a.k.a. DIE! It's forecasted to have very low, as in potentially freezing, weather conditions so there's a good chance I may turn into a human popcicle (hopefully cherry flavored). So, assuming I survive this thing, I hope to have many a story to tell upon my return. Wish me luck while I'm 'roughin' it! :0) And I bid you a-do until then!

The Truth Hurts...

Who really knows what it's like to 'serve' in the military? The men with the gear, those who are brave enough to sign up, and those who have chosen to love those guys who wear the gear and that signed themselves up. I am one of those lovers.

As tomorrow approaches (that would be Thanksgiving day for any of you who might be on a different planet), I can't help but think about how much Chad would love to be here to share dinner with my family. A feast, truly fit for an army (or an air force...well, it just doesn't make sense really, but I tried:)). I accidentally brought up that my mother had already started cooking for tomorrow and that the house smelled like pumpkin pie. Whoops. Nothing like talking to someone who already wishes they were home, about the wonderful things of being home. He even said..."I don't want to talk about how jealous I am of you right now". This statement made me realize how silly of me it was to even bring the Thanksgiving feast subject up. As if he doesn't already know what he's missing out on. He's going to munch upon a semi-feast of a meal that can't even compare to what we're going to be feasting on. And this is only the 2nd of the 5 holidays he's going to miss while he's gone. He did say though, "just because I'm not here to celebrate doesn't mean the holiday doesn't exist". This made me feel a little better because I know he is happy I am here to spend these times with my family. He would rather me stuff my belly full & spend quality time with my family than anything else in the world on Thanksgiving (except maybe coming home of course). That's why he is my prince.

You know the saying "the truth hurts"...well in this deployment situation, that cliche of a statement couldn't be more accurate. The truth is that our husbands are halfway around the world, missing opportunities for quality family time, & putting their lives at risk day after day. We, on the other hand, are stuck here to hope they call before they take off, and more importantly, to call after they have landed safely. This distance has taken over my ears for his ringtone, my mind for the 'little things', and my heart for the loneliness. It's enough to drive someone nuts. It was absolutely worth me signing onto the military though. I'm proud of what he does. And I'm proud we have the character as a couple to make it through these tough times...

Apologies, Apologies...

I am so sorry for the previously unannounced absence from my blog. I found myself very busy during my trek to Lubbock. I went there to visit my bestest friend Nicole for almost a week & just couldn't get into the blogger spirit...therefore, to my dedicated blog-reading friends, I apologize. During my fantastic voyage, Nicole & I had a lot of fun. Thursday, we went out to Wild West, a local hopping college joint, for a little booty-shakin' & mingling. Friday, we slept in & went shopping at the glorious Lubbock mall, then proceeded to eat dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse called Shoguns. It was delicious. We spent the remainder of the evening playing 42...for those who don't know what that is, it's an old-person's domino game...lots of fun! Saturday was game day. Tech versus Oklahoma University. The outcome was completely a shocker! Tech ended up giving them a pretty good beating which was contrary to the ideas many had in their heads of how that game was going to turn out. So, we tailgated and hung out with some people & attempted grabbing a bite to eat after the game. Turns out that was the stupidest idea of the evening. Sonic, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Whataburger (ya know, all the heart attack causers) were all SO PACKED, we finally landed at Wal-Mart...and I got donuts. What a fat kid, I know! But they were GOOOOD! :). So, then Sunday I helped her family take their annual Christmas photo, ate at Applebee's with everyone, took a 4 hour nap...yes, that was a 4, woke up and helped Nicole & her roommate Amy decorate their house with Christmas stuff. From the tree to a nativity scene, we had fun. Hot cocoa & the Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra Christmas cd helped to set the mood. We also spent the rest of the night watching The Santa Claus & The Santa Claus 2. Cute movies. Monday, was pretty uneventful. Another trip to the mall, a new pair of really warm & comfy house shoes, dinner at Johnny Carino's with her brothers, & a magnificent trip to the local drive-in theatre pretty much made up our day. We saw Fred Claus (cute movie with Vince Vaughn) all cuddled up in our sweats, blankets, & pillows. It was fun! Then, we began to pack & prep for Tuesday...the day we came home. So, now, I am in prep mode for a huge Thanksgiving feast tomorrow & am super excited about it! I love me some of mama's dressing! :) I look forward to typing you again tomorrow, about 4 pounds heavier...

Even as we Exhale, Others are Inhaling...

I like to watch the show "LIFE" on Wednesday nights...It's a great story about a man who was framed for the murder of an entire family, wrongfully thrown in prison for 12 years, later found not guilty, released, given his old detective job back, got assigned a new partner, & was compensated with $38 million. It's funny because his philosophy on life is completely different than it was before he was inprisoned, rightfully so. But, my favorite part is how he speaks, solves his cases, & lives his life based on cliches (which my title is one of them he listens to on tape). He's really clever and his newly gained knowledge of "the common prisoner" has helped him to be more observant towards the criminals in his cases than any of the nonprisoned detectives could ever be.

It's fun to see him look through a different glass of life. Makes you kind of wonder what it would be like to change your own philosophy of life & to see it through someone else's eyes. We take so many things for granted on a daily basis & often forget about what should be most important to us or disregard many things that have just come to be expected. For example, one of Detective Crews' new necessities of a happy life is sunlight, for good reason (ex: being in a dark cell for 12 years). But, he enjoys the sun, smiles when he's outside, and doesn't cover any of his windows to shut it out. He is also always eating fresh fruit while he's at work. I'm not one to like any fruit except maybe some grapes here and there, and on a good day maybe an apple or two in my tuna. But that's besides the point...the point is, we live lives of non-imprisonment everyday and enjoy many freedoms and daily beauties that we often overlook. So, my challenge to you is, find those things that are taken for granted, and eat them up! :0)

Super Heroes To Save the World...

Our party this weekend was awesome! I just love it when everyone goes all out to participate & have fun...especially when it's a theme party. We had it at my brother and sister-in-law's house, fully decorated with a hanging Batman sign that you could stick your head through & take pictures with (like at the theme parks), a Batman cake that freakin' rocked, and a Superman pinata, that truly did have super powers. That thing took a beating, and still took forever to break. But when it did, candy went a-flyin'...all the way into the spinach dip sitting on a nearby table. Don't worry, it was only a Banana Laffy Taffy, which even a candy finatic such as I was okay with bidding farewell to. I just never liked bananas or anything flavored as such (except my amazing banana bread, weird I know...)

Anyways, the costumes included Batman, Catwoman, Batwoman (?), the Riddler, the Incredible's Stretchy mom, a Power Puff girl, Clark Kent, Poison Ivy, Guitar Hero (haha), a little kid hero, & myself, the great Michelangelo...professional & mutant Ninja Turtle. I wish my hubby of a hero could have been here to have fun with us! I asked him what he would have been and he said..."Spiderman...& I would walk around throwing a net on everybody all night", haha. He's so cute! Well, another year to go by before our next Adam birthday bash! Until then, I must hide my turtlish identity...see you in the sewers...

Old LadyVille...

Well, I've officially welcomed myself into what I would like to refer to as "Old LadyVille", because now that I'm carrying my weight at the ole' Shipping Point again, I've been pretty worn out! I forgot how much energy and rest it took to stand & lift boxes and what nots all day long! So, I'm in Old LadyVille because I can't stay up much past midnight or else I don't get enough sleep & I'm drained all the next day. It sucks! I don't have near the pizazz I used to, when I was a "youngin'"! haha. Who knows, at this rate, I may be strutting along with a walker next year...lol. Well, we hope not!

I have to save the wonderful Super Hero party discussion for tomorrow because like I said...I need to go to bed. I must soon start my 3-step "getting ready for bed" process, consisting of a nice face wash, removal of the contacts, and a nice teeth scrubbing...it's a ritual :). So, I bid you farewell & a good night. Talk again tomorrow! :)