Sunday, January 31, 2010
Daisy, the Tapdancing Dog
Going to try and upload a video of Daisy...this was this morning in the kitchen. She does this any day there is sun coming through the windows. She'll just sit there, waiting for the reflections to move.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
In Theory...
So… it’s snowing outside! Yes… SNOW…ING. What happened to our glorious 58-60 degree weather we had on Saturday? My girlfriends and I are training for a ½ marathon and had a fabulous 6-7 mile run outside (in the middle of Jan!)… however, if this white stuff sticks around for the upcoming weekend our 8 mile run is going to be HORRIBLE… agh!
Reflecting on our last blog I would like to talk about how in theory some ideas are grand… in theory… my friend Mekala had the great idea to send her dog (Raleigh) to “doggy daycare” last week… this past weekend he became very sick- wouldn’t eat/drink… and kept standing in a weird yoga-ish position for awhile… we prayed all weekend for Raleigh’s health (not necessarily that he would become himself as he’s very rambunctious all the time, but just to get better…) Mekala made an appointment for yesterday afternoon on post… yesterday morning I got a phone call from her- she was hysterical… Raleigh was hemorrhaging all over her house! I grabbed my keys and took them to the vet on post… we were seen by someone immediately… Mekala was doing as best as she could… and I was trying to just be supportive (while holding a sample of the “stuff”)… when in walked the secretary who said she had just talked to Mekala’s husband who said to “do whatever we needed to do”… that’s when I about died… Mekala stopped crying and said “that’s not possible…” and the women responded with “oh, but I just did… your husband.” I didn’t know what to say… the woman made a horrible mistake… I was about to say something to her when Mekala responded “no, there’s no way… not my husband… he’s serving… in Afghanistan right now…” silence… DEAD SILENCE. The woman left the room (I felt awful for both of them…) but no one’s perfect… I learned so much about the signs to look for if a dog is dehydrated (Raleigh was)… later that day he had x-rays done on post… she took him to another vet off post for a second opinion only to find out that he had to have surgery… NOW. Apparently Raleigh swallowed some type of rubber ball… probably at the “doggy daycare” place (where they monitor your dog/play the ENTIRE day… I suppose however, it’s hard to keep track of every dog there… when there’s over 30 dogs at a time)… so… that’s where we’re at… Raleigh had surgery last night and will come home probably Wed or Thurs… as far as the “doggy daycare” goes… Raleigh will not be returning this week… or next… and that $12 day-care stint is now costing over $1200… yes… that would be 12… times 100…dollars. Pray for Raleigh… and Mekala… she is one of the strongest women I know… as well as her husband Chris who is in Afghanistan serving.
On a more “upbeat” note… Caleb and I went to a coffee house right outside one of the gates on post (Shout out to Bearclaw coffee!) and played Boggle… for those of you who don’t know- it’s basically my favorite game behind Twister and Pretty Pretty Princess… and possibly Candy Land… no, it definitely surpasses Candy Land… anyways… Caleb is a genius (and very competitive)… I myself am a phenomenal Boggle player… no lie. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were pretty much tied… but in the end, I won… thanks to all that studying for the GRE vocabulary… yes, I pulled out some vocabulary terms that I learned while studying… and WON. I guess all that studying paid off for not only getting into grad school BUT winning a game of Boggle… life is GOOD.
While playing Boggle and hanging out at Bearclaw we found some great magazines… and recipes… that I tried… Caleb is such a good sport… he genuinely seems interested in trying anything that I can throw at him… and takes it like a champ… I would like to add that most of the recipes that I either come up with on my own (“throwing things together”) or other recipes- he’s enjoyed… but yesterday’s recipe was “OK”… which means- “thanks for trying hun, but maybe we can try a different recipe… and throw out that one…” ;) On a side note- Caleb is also a good sport about groceries… we went this weekend and I “up and decided” that our grocery bill is outrageous and that he has to go on my “no soybean oil” diet… I’m allergic to soybean oil (which is in just about… EVERYTHING. Seriously… go check your cupboards… and fridge… AND bathroom- shampoo, lotion, etc.- it’s there… check it out)… Caleb on the other hand LOVES everything that has soybean oil, so we eat a lot of different meals/food… which makes food shopping expensive… oh, and did I also say that I “up and decided” that there is a “no pop” rule AND “2 item limit free/junk food” policy now in effect at the Lohman household? Yup… that’s right… so… mom and dad… Caleb will probably be heading home for some “pop” and “junk/free food” soon… that, or will be making a new bank account so that I won’t be able to see where his “debit/charges” are going… ie. Monster Energy drinks… and “free food.” ;) Just kidding… he won’t use his debit card… he’s too smart… I think he’s going to start picking up lose change (finally!) after me… who has a pig bank full of change just from bending over and picking up the shiny metal… you’re never too rich to pick up a penny…
Reflecting on our last blog I would like to talk about how in theory some ideas are grand… in theory… my friend Mekala had the great idea to send her dog (Raleigh) to “doggy daycare” last week… this past weekend he became very sick- wouldn’t eat/drink… and kept standing in a weird yoga-ish position for awhile… we prayed all weekend for Raleigh’s health (not necessarily that he would become himself as he’s very rambunctious all the time, but just to get better…) Mekala made an appointment for yesterday afternoon on post… yesterday morning I got a phone call from her- she was hysterical… Raleigh was hemorrhaging all over her house! I grabbed my keys and took them to the vet on post… we were seen by someone immediately… Mekala was doing as best as she could… and I was trying to just be supportive (while holding a sample of the “stuff”)… when in walked the secretary who said she had just talked to Mekala’s husband who said to “do whatever we needed to do”… that’s when I about died… Mekala stopped crying and said “that’s not possible…” and the women responded with “oh, but I just did… your husband.” I didn’t know what to say… the woman made a horrible mistake… I was about to say something to her when Mekala responded “no, there’s no way… not my husband… he’s serving… in Afghanistan right now…” silence… DEAD SILENCE. The woman left the room (I felt awful for both of them…) but no one’s perfect… I learned so much about the signs to look for if a dog is dehydrated (Raleigh was)… later that day he had x-rays done on post… she took him to another vet off post for a second opinion only to find out that he had to have surgery… NOW. Apparently Raleigh swallowed some type of rubber ball… probably at the “doggy daycare” place (where they monitor your dog/play the ENTIRE day… I suppose however, it’s hard to keep track of every dog there… when there’s over 30 dogs at a time)… so… that’s where we’re at… Raleigh had surgery last night and will come home probably Wed or Thurs… as far as the “doggy daycare” goes… Raleigh will not be returning this week… or next… and that $12 day-care stint is now costing over $1200… yes… that would be 12… times 100…dollars. Pray for Raleigh… and Mekala… she is one of the strongest women I know… as well as her husband Chris who is in Afghanistan serving.
On a more “upbeat” note… Caleb and I went to a coffee house right outside one of the gates on post (Shout out to Bearclaw coffee!) and played Boggle… for those of you who don’t know- it’s basically my favorite game behind Twister and Pretty Pretty Princess… and possibly Candy Land… no, it definitely surpasses Candy Land… anyways… Caleb is a genius (and very competitive)… I myself am a phenomenal Boggle player… no lie. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were pretty much tied… but in the end, I won… thanks to all that studying for the GRE vocabulary… yes, I pulled out some vocabulary terms that I learned while studying… and WON. I guess all that studying paid off for not only getting into grad school BUT winning a game of Boggle… life is GOOD.
While playing Boggle and hanging out at Bearclaw we found some great magazines… and recipes… that I tried… Caleb is such a good sport… he genuinely seems interested in trying anything that I can throw at him… and takes it like a champ… I would like to add that most of the recipes that I either come up with on my own (“throwing things together”) or other recipes- he’s enjoyed… but yesterday’s recipe was “OK”… which means- “thanks for trying hun, but maybe we can try a different recipe… and throw out that one…” ;) On a side note- Caleb is also a good sport about groceries… we went this weekend and I “up and decided” that our grocery bill is outrageous and that he has to go on my “no soybean oil” diet… I’m allergic to soybean oil (which is in just about… EVERYTHING. Seriously… go check your cupboards… and fridge… AND bathroom- shampoo, lotion, etc.- it’s there… check it out)… Caleb on the other hand LOVES everything that has soybean oil, so we eat a lot of different meals/food… which makes food shopping expensive… oh, and did I also say that I “up and decided” that there is a “no pop” rule AND “2 item limit free/junk food” policy now in effect at the Lohman household? Yup… that’s right… so… mom and dad… Caleb will probably be heading home for some “pop” and “junk/free food” soon… that, or will be making a new bank account so that I won’t be able to see where his “debit/charges” are going… ie. Monster Energy drinks… and “free food.” ;) Just kidding… he won’t use his debit card… he’s too smart… I think he’s going to start picking up lose change (finally!) after me… who has a pig bank full of change just from bending over and picking up the shiny metal… you’re never too rich to pick up a penny…
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Orville and Susy
Ok, so I have to add this really fast just b/c I ended on a note about popcorn... I feel that I have grown so much over the past year- especially living down here and filling the wife/"Susy home-maker" role... it's been fun cooking/baking/cleaning/figuring things out... seriously! For instance- I had a PYREX bowl BREAK in my dishwasher- glass EVERYWHERE... so... I took a piece of bread and "absorbed" the glass... and called Pyrex AND got a WHOLE NEW BOWL SET mailed to me :) (awesome). That was my first attempt at calling a "hotline/customer service" line in regards to something like this...
Some of you know that I love popcorn... and eat a bag BASICALLY every night... and with my allergy to soybean oil I can only have certain kinds... and one of the only ones is Orville Redenbaucher... so, I am what you would call a "loyal" customer... I was DEVASTATED when I bought a 10bag box (it's cheaper than the 6-and lasts me a bit longer in between shopping trips)... and ALL of the bags weren't sealed properly... so... every time I went to make popcorn I ended up with either non-popped popcorn, charred popcorn, or kernels in my microwave... so what do you think I did? Yes... I called the "customer service line"... and told them that I was upset... so... who do you think gets a lifetime worth of popcorn now? Yes... that would be... ME. Ok, ok... so not a LIFETIME worth of popcorn, but a whole lot of coupons that will last me... probably about a month due to the rate that I consume the popped corn kernels ;)
Seriously now... I'm heading to bed... good night :)
Some of you know that I love popcorn... and eat a bag BASICALLY every night... and with my allergy to soybean oil I can only have certain kinds... and one of the only ones is Orville Redenbaucher... so, I am what you would call a "loyal" customer... I was DEVASTATED when I bought a 10bag box (it's cheaper than the 6-and lasts me a bit longer in between shopping trips)... and ALL of the bags weren't sealed properly... so... every time I went to make popcorn I ended up with either non-popped popcorn, charred popcorn, or kernels in my microwave... so what do you think I did? Yes... I called the "customer service line"... and told them that I was upset... so... who do you think gets a lifetime worth of popcorn now? Yes... that would be... ME. Ok, ok... so not a LIFETIME worth of popcorn, but a whole lot of coupons that will last me... probably about a month due to the rate that I consume the popped corn kernels ;)
Seriously now... I'm heading to bed... good night :)
Life can be a challenge sometimes...
So... in order to prepare for my 1/2 marathon coming up in April I decided to switch up the treadmill run and go to (one of) the gyms on post to run on the indoor track- note: the indoor track is ABOVE the basketball court. While I was walking into the gym I was on my phone with my friend Rebecca... and noticed the Blue Grass Challenge Academy group (this is a group of boys that could possibly be on one of those Maury shows- boys/men who need a little guidance/direction ;) ANYWAYS... as I was walking in, they were lined up and I heard "don't even think about it" from the Sergeant and the next thing I know he's yelling in some kids face about looking at me... hehe whoops! So... continuing on, I decided to run around the track in the gym... I thought I was done with the guys from the academy but NO the entire gym is FILLED with more! As I was running there were several times that several different guys got yelled at... for "looking at someone's wife who could care less about them...etc." and the next thing I know they're running laps... alongside me ;) Nice huh? Thank the Lord I remembered to wear my running shorts with built-in spandex shorts! ;)
Talking about challenges... I am mildly obsessed with magazines, so I go to the library on post to check them out- probably once a week... it's awesome, BUT I tend to be the first person to check out eat magazine which means it's a hassle and a really long time because they have to enter the entire code into the system... long story short- Caleb no longer goes to the library with me b/c it takes so long... I was bummed b/c my friend wasn't there... but an older gentleman... think-OLD(ER) said he could help me... knowing my librarians and being in this situation before made me cringe as I knew it was going to take awhile... as this man doesn't know too much about computers... and does the "one finger key" poke... so... I'm ALMOST done... after 20 minutes of him entering my magazines into the system... the computer FREEZES... oh... my... word. For real? Needless to say, 45 minutes later (yes... 45) I finally leave the library- with my magazines... and the man went on his "break" because he said he had worked enough for the day... it was only 11:45 am... and the library opens at 11 ;)
One more thing... my friend Mekala is a GENIUS... check that... the people who run this business that she found is a GENIUS. Mekala's husband is currently deployed and while he's deployed she is working like a maniac trying to work 2 jobs (she has her own wedding business as one)... before her husband deployed he blessed her with... a dog... yes, a PUPPY... not a baby like all of the other wives around here before deployment, but a puppy... the poor girl has not only been working two jobs but also being a full-time "mom" by training this dog... which makes it that much more difficult to get work done (she does both jobs out of her home..) so... today, she drove Raleigh (the puppy) to a... DOGGY DAYCARE center... there were around 35 other dogs there and it only costs $12 a DAY!!! How sweet of a deal is that?! These people are smart... Mekala called me later tonight when I got out of work and told me how wonderful it was... and is going to do it once a week... I fully believe that the $ she spends on this daycare is totally worth it as she is going to get so much work done and be able to stop working once her husband gets back... awesome! When we get out of the Army and move back to MI I was thinking about either A. opening a Sylvan Learning Center (talk about making BANK!), B. teaching (not too much of a salary on this one...), C. going back to school/counseling... but I've decided that I'm going to open my own Doggy Daycare Center... and make a ton of $ for playing with dogs all day... jk... maybe ;)
Alright.. it's 3 minutes to 9:00pm which means that it's 3 minutes until my bedtime (yes- I just got home from Sylvan and have already ate my bag of popcorn) so I'm content and ready for bed... Good night!
Talking about challenges... I am mildly obsessed with magazines, so I go to the library on post to check them out- probably once a week... it's awesome, BUT I tend to be the first person to check out eat magazine which means it's a hassle and a really long time because they have to enter the entire code into the system... long story short- Caleb no longer goes to the library with me b/c it takes so long... I was bummed b/c my friend wasn't there... but an older gentleman... think-OLD(ER) said he could help me... knowing my librarians and being in this situation before made me cringe as I knew it was going to take awhile... as this man doesn't know too much about computers... and does the "one finger key" poke... so... I'm ALMOST done... after 20 minutes of him entering my magazines into the system... the computer FREEZES... oh... my... word. For real? Needless to say, 45 minutes later (yes... 45) I finally leave the library- with my magazines... and the man went on his "break" because he said he had worked enough for the day... it was only 11:45 am... and the library opens at 11 ;)
One more thing... my friend Mekala is a GENIUS... check that... the people who run this business that she found is a GENIUS. Mekala's husband is currently deployed and while he's deployed she is working like a maniac trying to work 2 jobs (she has her own wedding business as one)... before her husband deployed he blessed her with... a dog... yes, a PUPPY... not a baby like all of the other wives around here before deployment, but a puppy... the poor girl has not only been working two jobs but also being a full-time "mom" by training this dog... which makes it that much more difficult to get work done (she does both jobs out of her home..) so... today, she drove Raleigh (the puppy) to a... DOGGY DAYCARE center... there were around 35 other dogs there and it only costs $12 a DAY!!! How sweet of a deal is that?! These people are smart... Mekala called me later tonight when I got out of work and told me how wonderful it was... and is going to do it once a week... I fully believe that the $ she spends on this daycare is totally worth it as she is going to get so much work done and be able to stop working once her husband gets back... awesome! When we get out of the Army and move back to MI I was thinking about either A. opening a Sylvan Learning Center (talk about making BANK!), B. teaching (not too much of a salary on this one...), C. going back to school/counseling... but I've decided that I'm going to open my own Doggy Daycare Center... and make a ton of $ for playing with dogs all day... jk... maybe ;)
Alright.. it's 3 minutes to 9:00pm which means that it's 3 minutes until my bedtime (yes- I just got home from Sylvan and have already ate my bag of popcorn) so I'm content and ready for bed... Good night!
Monday, January 18, 2010
MLK Day... (My Life at Knox)
So here we are...starting a family blog. Daisy and Panzer are playing(fighting) in the living room, and Sarah is shouting from the kitchen wondering if I want her to throw out the leftovers from homemade pizza...welcome to a normal day in the Lohman household at Ft. Knox.
We decided to start this blog because we know there are several people who would like to stay up-to-date with what is happening in our lives. Of course we will still do our best to stay in touch via email and phone calls, but we figured we can post here once or twice a week with major updates so people can check in on our lives whenever convenient.
The first big news that I'm not sure everyone has heard yet, is that Sarah just got a teaching job here on post! She has been teaching math at the Sylvan Learning Center in Elizabethtown and substitute teaching on post... but since she got here in May has been trying to get an actual full-time teaching job, so it's pretty awesome that she finally got in! She'll be teaching 3rd graders at Van Voorhis Elementary (literally, right down the road from our house)... starting in a couple of weeks.
I'm still plugging away as a platoon leader, and now have 12 guys in my platoon, 6-8 away from being full strength. I just got word that I may be heading down to Ft. Polk, Louisiana for a couple of weeks in March to help evaluate units that are preparing for deployment. Should be a good experience, and I'm glad we're going down in March, and not in the middle of summer. Things come about quickly around here, so I know this summer will be here before we know it. In July-August time-frame the entire Brigade (about 4000 Soldier) will be heading to Ft. Irwin, CA for what's called the National Training Center (NTC). It's a month of running missions and being evaluated on our readiness to deploy, which will be either the end of this year or early 2011.
That's it for now... Daisy has Panzer's head completely inside her mouth right now...
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