Saturday, May 15, 2010
You can try...
So... I really do believe that you can try as hard as you want/can, but sometimes you just can't do anything more... I WANT to save money (talk about being frugal/saving- I'm ALWAYS "upping" the amount we put in savings) so have found ways to save... or cut back... I've realized that a lot of our money goes towards groceries- we don't eat much of the same foods, and I bake/cook for a lot of people... so... our money goes to groceries... So, I started buying whole chickens instead of frozen chicken breasts- it's actually quite a bit cheaper this way for the amount, but ONLY if you eat both types of meat... and Caleb and I are probably the PICKIEST meat eaters (besides my brother and I- bless my mom as she slaved over cutting every OUNCE... I MEAN EVERY ounce of fat/skin/"white stuff")- we ONLY eat white meat... so last night when I baked an entire bird I realized that it probably is "cheaper" in the long-run to buy frozen chicken breasts as our bird must have liked to tan or lay out because HALF of the bird was dark meat! Agh... I tried. Remember I said that we were resorting to cloth napkins? Yeah... since then I have used it... once... I just can't remember- until I throw the napkin away.. agh. I would also LOVE to hang-dry our clothes outside but can't... seriously. I have tried a and LOVE it... until the clothes/sheets/comforters come inside... and I am WHEEZING due to the pollen/allergens or freaking out about a bug that could have gotten in it... yes, we try... but have a bit of room to "Grow"... either way, we should get an "A" for Effort! ;)
Another one bites the dust...
Technology... I have a love/hate relationship with it... I guess you could say I'm like my mom- you ask her what her "dream" car would be and she would say "just give me the basics"- when you add in all the "extras" something is bound to happen... this being said by my mom who had a car that one day FREAKED out- literally- horns going off, windows/locks going up and down, etc... all while my mom was driving...
This is my view of technology: it's great, but then again... I just want the "basics"... when you throw in all the "extras" something is either: a. bound to happen/need to be fixed= there goes my paycheck... or b. I can't figure out how to use it... even after reading the "manual" (umm, hello, since when did "manual"= dictionary?- the size of some of these "manuals" are RIDICULOUS). I have a love/hate relationship with: our special "car keys"- Caleb drives a foreign car (hello EXPENSIVE parts!) and I drive a Nissan (maxima/altima?- still, not sure...) that you don't even NEED a key to start it! but it also means that it's again, expensive... hence the fact that we only have one set of keys per car... and when I locked my keys in my car (on post I might add, which resulted in an even larger sum of money blown away due to the fact that someone had to come ON post) it was a problem. My camera- LOVE it... love pictures, scrapbooking, memories, etc... who doesn't like a camera? BUT, the other day I looked at it and it's broken on the bottom, so I look really cool trying to take a picture while holding my batteries in... whatever happened to the good ole disposable ones? My laptop- my aunt got it for me (thanks Aunt Jean!) and it has been with my throughout college- talk about getting good use out of it! Well- it's slowing... way... down... and any day now it's going to die... (I should probably back-up my stuff as I speak!)... my phone- who's phone DOESN'T have problems?... my zune... it was a sad (extremely!) sad day when it bit the dust the other day... I knew it was coming- I've had it for a few years and listen to it faithfully-everyday... that's a lot of wear and tear on it... I wasn't necessarily sad that it died, but my lifes-worth of songs is on it, and I can't even turn it on to figure out what songs I need... ok, so I'll stop my rambling/complaints and let you know that... MY HUSBAND IS SUPER COOL... he passed his Air Assault test (YEAH CALEB!) and had the rest of the day off, so what does he do? (besides get tick stuff for Daisy, vaccuum/clean, golf...) he sends me a text saying that I have a "surprise" waiting for me at home... YEAH! A SURPRISE?!?! SWEET! I texted him back saying: "so, I guess we're watching Fern Gully tonight?!?" (I have been DYING to see the movie Fern Gully for awhile now and was assuming that he FOUND the movie and bought it)... but to my surprise, he "lol'd" back and said "nope". WHAT? GOSH... HMM... I raked my mind... but couldn't think of anything... so.. I got home and he said "here's a case for you"- I replied with "oh, thanks, but that's not the case for my zune- it a. broke (remember?) and b. doesn't fit MY zune.. it fits.. a.. ipod touch... then out of NO WHERE he pulls out... an IPOD TOUCH! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!?!?!? Yes... this is my husband... this ipod is the CRAZIEST piece of technology ever... BUT it's soo simple... PTL it's Saturday so I have ALL day to "dink around" on it while Caleb's gone... YES! Not only did he show me how to use it... BUT he stayed up and added songs to it- he is AMAZING. (I'm thinking one of his friends has asked him to go to Las Vegas so he's "buttering me up")- jk... kind of ;) No, but he bought me it b/c I have yet to use my "tax refund" b/c I can't stand buying something for myself... literally... it's awful. I NEED to get my haircut and still ASK Caleb if it's ok... he laughs and says "of course" but it STRAINS me to hand over my card when I'm at the salon... I definitely have ideas of what I want to spend my money on but can't break down and just BUY IT... so, my husband (who knows this) goes and does it for me... yes, he is... MY FAVORITE PERSON... EVER.
This is my view of technology: it's great, but then again... I just want the "basics"... when you throw in all the "extras" something is either: a. bound to happen/need to be fixed= there goes my paycheck... or b. I can't figure out how to use it... even after reading the "manual" (umm, hello, since when did "manual"= dictionary?- the size of some of these "manuals" are RIDICULOUS). I have a love/hate relationship with: our special "car keys"- Caleb drives a foreign car (hello EXPENSIVE parts!) and I drive a Nissan (maxima/altima?- still, not sure...) that you don't even NEED a key to start it! but it also means that it's again, expensive... hence the fact that we only have one set of keys per car... and when I locked my keys in my car (on post I might add, which resulted in an even larger sum of money blown away due to the fact that someone had to come ON post) it was a problem. My camera- LOVE it... love pictures, scrapbooking, memories, etc... who doesn't like a camera? BUT, the other day I looked at it and it's broken on the bottom, so I look really cool trying to take a picture while holding my batteries in... whatever happened to the good ole disposable ones? My laptop- my aunt got it for me (thanks Aunt Jean!) and it has been with my throughout college- talk about getting good use out of it! Well- it's slowing... way... down... and any day now it's going to die... (I should probably back-up my stuff as I speak!)... my phone- who's phone DOESN'T have problems?... my zune... it was a sad (extremely!) sad day when it bit the dust the other day... I knew it was coming- I've had it for a few years and listen to it faithfully-everyday... that's a lot of wear and tear on it... I wasn't necessarily sad that it died, but my lifes-worth of songs is on it, and I can't even turn it on to figure out what songs I need... ok, so I'll stop my rambling/complaints and let you know that... MY HUSBAND IS SUPER COOL... he passed his Air Assault test (YEAH CALEB!) and had the rest of the day off, so what does he do? (besides get tick stuff for Daisy, vaccuum/clean, golf...) he sends me a text saying that I have a "surprise" waiting for me at home... YEAH! A SURPRISE?!?! SWEET! I texted him back saying: "so, I guess we're watching Fern Gully tonight?!?" (I have been DYING to see the movie Fern Gully for awhile now and was assuming that he FOUND the movie and bought it)... but to my surprise, he "lol'd" back and said "nope". WHAT? GOSH... HMM... I raked my mind... but couldn't think of anything... so.. I got home and he said "here's a case for you"- I replied with "oh, thanks, but that's not the case for my zune- it a. broke (remember?) and b. doesn't fit MY zune.. it fits.. a.. ipod touch... then out of NO WHERE he pulls out... an IPOD TOUCH! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!?!?!? Yes... this is my husband... this ipod is the CRAZIEST piece of technology ever... BUT it's soo simple... PTL it's Saturday so I have ALL day to "dink around" on it while Caleb's gone... YES! Not only did he show me how to use it... BUT he stayed up and added songs to it- he is AMAZING. (I'm thinking one of his friends has asked him to go to Las Vegas so he's "buttering me up")- jk... kind of ;) No, but he bought me it b/c I have yet to use my "tax refund" b/c I can't stand buying something for myself... literally... it's awful. I NEED to get my haircut and still ASK Caleb if it's ok... he laughs and says "of course" but it STRAINS me to hand over my card when I'm at the salon... I definitely have ideas of what I want to spend my money on but can't break down and just BUY IT... so, my husband (who knows this) goes and does it for me... yes, he is... MY FAVORITE PERSON... EVER.
KY living...
It's almost been a WHOLE YEAR since I moved down to KY... I seriously can't believe it... time flies! I feel safe to write on my blog about my true feelings, so enjoy my ideas/thoughts on KY... BUT before I say anything, I would like to say that my views have come so far... the first time I came down here to visit Caleb I went through a rinky-dink town about 15 miles from post... and saw a guy driving a lawnmower- on the road... yeah, my dad does that, but it's in the NEIGHBORHOOD... not the ROAD. I remember talking on the phone (to whoever I was talking to) and saying "what in the world have we gotten ourselves into!??!?!" I came to KY with very stereotypical thoughts about KY... in case people read this from KY I'm not going to share my thoughts... but if you live in MI (or "up north") think to yourself about what YOU may think about KY... and I'm sure you guessed what I thought...
1. Did you know that ALLERGIES are HORRIBLE this time of year in KY? I remember last year I wore sunglasses for (almost) an entire month EVERYWHERE so people wouldn't think that Caleb beat me (even though he was always gone training!)- my eyes were so dark... but I also was homesick, so I couldn't really tell if I was crying or my allergies were in fact AWFUL... however, I was totally blindsided by my allergies this year... hokey pete- are you kidding me?! My inhaler only has so much "pure/good" air (don't freak mom- it's attached to my belt at all times) ;) but the sad truth is that I can't wear my shades at school... what an example I would be to my kiddos... so... I've resorted to wearing my glasses and being told that I "try to hard" (to look smart) by a particular student... AWESOME. In the past week I have: gone through 2- TWO whole kleenex boxes... brand new boxes... used my inhaler more than two hands/fingers (can you tell I'm an elementary teacher- using hands/fingers to count on?)and have had to stay inside ;( NOT COOL... AT ALL. ALLERGIES BITE. Oh, and ps, I can't take Benadryl... it literally KNOCKS ME OUT... to the point that I can't walk/move/get up/function... for HOURS... yeah... so... I'm just "waiting it out" and looking like a hot mess until this "passes". Please, no photo-ops for a bit ok? ;)
2. Ticks... ticks everywhere! aghh!!! Ok, so I know I've already talked to you about the mass amount of ticks here... well, you remember how I said I was more afraid to cuddle up to Caleb than I was Daisy? SCRATCH THAT! I'm sleeping in our guest bedroom... terrified about the "loves of my life"... I walked in the house the other day and saw a box of matches- "oh no- what's he doing now?" I thought to myself... then he informed me that he had had a tick on him (Caleb, sweetheart, you know I have tweezers right- please, stop being a "pyro")... THEN LATER THAT NIGHT I hear "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!" I ran to the bathroom where Caleb was in the shower- he had ANOTHER tick on him! SERIOUSLY?! I don't think my eyes could have gotten any more close to popping out of my head. Oh, but wait... there's DAISY. (Aren't dogs the one that are supposed to get the ticks anyways?) She has never had a tick on her... but the same night Caleb had two ticks on him SHE had a tick on her... we got it (whew!) Then, later that night when I was in the kitchen I hear Caleb say something and Daisy darting through the house- she had yet ANOTHER tick on her- yesterday Caleb went to the vet and got some Frontline- sheesh- there goes my teaching salary- that stuff is expensive! So... yesterday afternoon my girlfriend and I went to Walmart (with Daisy) and she was petting Daisy and found yet another tick... but here's the kicker- this girl, Michaela is something else... this girl is my hero... her "toughness" factor could probably beat half of the men in the military... while I'm freaked to even sleep in the same bed as Caleb and Daisy Michaela uses her BARE HANDS- BARE HANDS FOLKS... to "twist"/pull the tick out (PLT that Daisy doesn't bite- she's such a doll)- and after she gets it out LOOKS at the tick (while still between her index/thumb fingers to make sure the head was in there... my mouth was down to my chest while I was watching her do this... props to Michaela- I guess I know which neighbor I need to go to in order to kill a huge roach/spider when Caleb is deployed! ;)
3. Last year when we first started exploring KY we noticed groups of people raising money- well, asking for change/money in the... STREET... THE MIDDLE of the street I might add- yes, you know that "line" that is in the MIDDLE of the road? Yeah- people stand on that line and ask for money... craziness (almost HALF as crazy as the law that states you do NOT have to wear a helmet while on a motorcycle!) well, I was asked to stand and ask for money the other day... ummm... I'll donate my time/money but I was raised NOT to stand in the road... I'll have my lemonade stand on the side while everyone else can ask for donations... thanks ;)
1. Did you know that ALLERGIES are HORRIBLE this time of year in KY? I remember last year I wore sunglasses for (almost) an entire month EVERYWHERE so people wouldn't think that Caleb beat me (even though he was always gone training!)- my eyes were so dark... but I also was homesick, so I couldn't really tell if I was crying or my allergies were in fact AWFUL... however, I was totally blindsided by my allergies this year... hokey pete- are you kidding me?! My inhaler only has so much "pure/good" air (don't freak mom- it's attached to my belt at all times) ;) but the sad truth is that I can't wear my shades at school... what an example I would be to my kiddos... so... I've resorted to wearing my glasses and being told that I "try to hard" (to look smart) by a particular student... AWESOME. In the past week I have: gone through 2- TWO whole kleenex boxes... brand new boxes... used my inhaler more than two hands/fingers (can you tell I'm an elementary teacher- using hands/fingers to count on?)and have had to stay inside ;( NOT COOL... AT ALL. ALLERGIES BITE. Oh, and ps, I can't take Benadryl... it literally KNOCKS ME OUT... to the point that I can't walk/move/get up/function... for HOURS... yeah... so... I'm just "waiting it out" and looking like a hot mess until this "passes". Please, no photo-ops for a bit ok? ;)
2. Ticks... ticks everywhere! aghh!!! Ok, so I know I've already talked to you about the mass amount of ticks here... well, you remember how I said I was more afraid to cuddle up to Caleb than I was Daisy? SCRATCH THAT! I'm sleeping in our guest bedroom... terrified about the "loves of my life"... I walked in the house the other day and saw a box of matches- "oh no- what's he doing now?" I thought to myself... then he informed me that he had had a tick on him (Caleb, sweetheart, you know I have tweezers right- please, stop being a "pyro")... THEN LATER THAT NIGHT I hear "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!" I ran to the bathroom where Caleb was in the shower- he had ANOTHER tick on him! SERIOUSLY?! I don't think my eyes could have gotten any more close to popping out of my head. Oh, but wait... there's DAISY. (Aren't dogs the one that are supposed to get the ticks anyways?) She has never had a tick on her... but the same night Caleb had two ticks on him SHE had a tick on her... we got it (whew!) Then, later that night when I was in the kitchen I hear Caleb say something and Daisy darting through the house- she had yet ANOTHER tick on her- yesterday Caleb went to the vet and got some Frontline- sheesh- there goes my teaching salary- that stuff is expensive! So... yesterday afternoon my girlfriend and I went to Walmart (with Daisy) and she was petting Daisy and found yet another tick... but here's the kicker- this girl, Michaela is something else... this girl is my hero... her "toughness" factor could probably beat half of the men in the military... while I'm freaked to even sleep in the same bed as Caleb and Daisy Michaela uses her BARE HANDS- BARE HANDS FOLKS... to "twist"/pull the tick out (PLT that Daisy doesn't bite- she's such a doll)- and after she gets it out LOOKS at the tick (while still between her index/thumb fingers to make sure the head was in there... my mouth was down to my chest while I was watching her do this... props to Michaela- I guess I know which neighbor I need to go to in order to kill a huge roach/spider when Caleb is deployed! ;)
3. Last year when we first started exploring KY we noticed groups of people raising money- well, asking for change/money in the... STREET... THE MIDDLE of the street I might add- yes, you know that "line" that is in the MIDDLE of the road? Yeah- people stand on that line and ask for money... craziness (almost HALF as crazy as the law that states you do NOT have to wear a helmet while on a motorcycle!) well, I was asked to stand and ask for money the other day... ummm... I'll donate my time/money but I was raised NOT to stand in the road... I'll have my lemonade stand on the side while everyone else can ask for donations... thanks ;)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Caleb
Wow.. what a rude wife I am... taking over "OUR" blog and not updating you all on Caleb... he's doing Air Assault school (it's at Fort Knox)- yesterday was "Day Zero"- it's the day BEFORE "Day 1" to see if you even MAKE it into the actual school... Caleb came home in an awful mood... (did I mention that yesterday was "Military Spouse Appreciation Day?")... after I reminded him of the day, he lightened up... but for-warned me that the next 2 weeks he's going to be a GRUMP... (thanks for the heads-up Bub!) However, I KNOW that Caleb will do well (as he always does!) but he's nervous (As always!)... so, I'll leave the jargon/Air Assault happenings up to Caleb, but just think good thoughts and send prayers his way :)
Going back... old school
This week was:
1. National PE Week
2. Teacher Appreciation Week
1. "National PE week" (May is actually National PE Month) but our school celebrated it this week... our school had several activities that allowed the students to be physically active: (Can we say "all school song-dance-step" yesterday?! Yeah... we taped it... and are sending it to Congress... hoping to make my premiere on Youtube soon!) ;) , listening to h.s. athletes talk about how to succeed in sports and school, writing essays on how PE/being physically active has helped them, etc... but my FAVORITE part of this week was: dressing up in your favorite sports team/dress athletic... I didn't want to wear my "favorite team" because I don't want my likes to sway my students (jk)- I really just had a BETTER idea... so... what do you think that I wore?! hmmm... not something Fort Knox (I was a cheer coach) and NOT Caleb's sport stuff (I had SEVERAL OPTIONS with that!)... this leaves me with: MY HIGH SCHOOL UNIFORMS!! YES... I WENT THERE... my options were: tennis (umm... yeah, have you seen how short those dresses/skirts are?- we DO have policies at our school)... and cheerleading (YES- IT'S A SPORT!!)... I wore my cheerleading uniform (the top- skirt stayed home... again, we do have guidelines) but yes, I wore my cheer top... and my jacket (with "Sarah") on it- however, some of my students forgot to dress up (and believe me, ONE DAY NOT wearing green for St. Patty's Day and getting pinched by my BEST FRIEND has scarred me- FOR LIFE...) so I let the students wear my jacket... THEY LOVED IT. Remember when I previously stated that my students were my "kids?"... I was the PROUDEST MOM/TEACHER when one of my students was on the TV (Morning announcements) standing, saying the Pledge of Allegiance (brought back so many memories)- and I almost LOST IT (dying of laughter, not tears) when he went to sit down and pulled the jacket tight to show my name... oh.my.word... I don't think my "job" can get any better!
As a teacher I like to incorporate several aspects into each lesson... and I was telling some other teachers that I hula hoop everyday (with a WEIGHTED HOOP I might add!)- I then proceeded to boost my ego and tell them that not only do I do it every day, but I: have won competitions and PASSED physical conditioning in h.s. by "hooping" for over an hour... yes... I.AM.AWESOME. ;) so... to include "National PE Week" into my teaching... I... brought... my... hula hoop... yes... again, I went there (I am a kid at heart!) I showed the teachers before (and after) school... but on recess, hula-hooped in front of my students... WHILE reading... yes, I should back up- I not only hula hoop with a weighted hoop, but read and eat at the same time... if you would like to see a show feel free to come to our house- Caleb thinks it's a hoot... so, at recess, I read a book to my students and HAD to stop for lunch- I have NEVER heard my students so quiet! Their jaws were dropped... just staring at me... I think I may just teach and hoop everyday... speaking of hula hooping- if you go to youtube you can see some AWESOME hula hooping videos... my brother and I found several people who hoop with fire on the rims- I was wanting to do that, but decided not to (as my mom was in the kitchen and astonished that I would even THINK about that! lol- sorry mom!)- HOWEVER, if you look closer... there are people that have taped themselves hula hooping and RUNNING! Before you ask, yes, I can hoop and run at the same time... but only short distances as my basement is only so big... I KNOW that I can run longer, but I don't know how that would go over as an officer's wife running around post... and hooping... Lord knows how many calls we would get on that one... haha... but mark this down, I WILL run a race someday while hula hooping... :)
2. Geez... hope I haven't lost any of you (I tend to ramble.. a LOT... sorry)- I'll keep this post short(ER)... this week was "Teacher Appreciation Week"- our PTO did a phenomenal job showing their appreciation (shout out VV PTO!)... I got several handmade cards/pot holders/etc. from my students... as well as "Mother's Day" cards (I guess my whole "mom speech" hit home...) however, we also talked about the meaning of names (one student made me a "Princess" poster... "Sarah" means "princess")- the girl didn't even know it- she just thought I was a princess and made it for me... so, for HW the students had to go home and ask their parents why they have their name (this was actually humorous as some were named after Soap Opera stars, food, places... thank you mom and dad for naming me after Sarah in the Bible...err... the "Sarah" song or so dad says, and NOT some soap opera star!) In class, we looked in a baby-names book that another teacher let us borrow for our "project"... I looked up the meaning for the students... I will NEVER forget one student's name: it means "little and fiery"- when he came back the next day to share his findings, he answered that the reason his name is what it is was because he was "little and fiery"... and ANOTHER student was named "industrious and hard worker"- she said that she wanted to "live up to" her name... and is now trying very hard and completing every assignment... but my FAVORITE part was when one of my students came up to me and said, "I've always thought that Sarah was a pretty name, but after meeting you, I've realized that I want to name my daughter Sarah... after you..."- not sure if this student was trying to suck up (as he ALSO said he wanted to give me an apple b/c he's always heard about students giving their teachers apples, but he's waited until he got the PERFECT teacher- guess who got an apple this year? ME. haha) but I'll take it for what it is and just think that someday (another!) girl will be named after me... yes, there is ANOTHER "Sarah" named... after me... I'm KIND OF a big deal :)
1. National PE Week
2. Teacher Appreciation Week
1. "National PE week" (May is actually National PE Month) but our school celebrated it this week... our school had several activities that allowed the students to be physically active: (Can we say "all school song-dance-step" yesterday?! Yeah... we taped it... and are sending it to Congress... hoping to make my premiere on Youtube soon!) ;) , listening to h.s. athletes talk about how to succeed in sports and school, writing essays on how PE/being physically active has helped them, etc... but my FAVORITE part of this week was: dressing up in your favorite sports team/dress athletic... I didn't want to wear my "favorite team" because I don't want my likes to sway my students (jk)- I really just had a BETTER idea... so... what do you think that I wore?! hmmm... not something Fort Knox (I was a cheer coach) and NOT Caleb's sport stuff (I had SEVERAL OPTIONS with that!)... this leaves me with: MY HIGH SCHOOL UNIFORMS!! YES... I WENT THERE... my options were: tennis (umm... yeah, have you seen how short those dresses/skirts are?- we DO have policies at our school)... and cheerleading (YES- IT'S A SPORT!!)... I wore my cheerleading uniform (the top- skirt stayed home... again, we do have guidelines) but yes, I wore my cheer top... and my jacket (with "Sarah") on it- however, some of my students forgot to dress up (and believe me, ONE DAY NOT wearing green for St. Patty's Day and getting pinched by my BEST FRIEND has scarred me- FOR LIFE...) so I let the students wear my jacket... THEY LOVED IT. Remember when I previously stated that my students were my "kids?"... I was the PROUDEST MOM/TEACHER when one of my students was on the TV (Morning announcements) standing, saying the Pledge of Allegiance (brought back so many memories)- and I almost LOST IT (dying of laughter, not tears) when he went to sit down and pulled the jacket tight to show my name... oh.my.word... I don't think my "job" can get any better!
As a teacher I like to incorporate several aspects into each lesson... and I was telling some other teachers that I hula hoop everyday (with a WEIGHTED HOOP I might add!)- I then proceeded to boost my ego and tell them that not only do I do it every day, but I: have won competitions and PASSED physical conditioning in h.s. by "hooping" for over an hour... yes... I.AM.AWESOME. ;) so... to include "National PE Week" into my teaching... I... brought... my... hula hoop... yes... again, I went there (I am a kid at heart!) I showed the teachers before (and after) school... but on recess, hula-hooped in front of my students... WHILE reading... yes, I should back up- I not only hula hoop with a weighted hoop, but read and eat at the same time... if you would like to see a show feel free to come to our house- Caleb thinks it's a hoot... so, at recess, I read a book to my students and HAD to stop for lunch- I have NEVER heard my students so quiet! Their jaws were dropped... just staring at me... I think I may just teach and hoop everyday... speaking of hula hooping- if you go to youtube you can see some AWESOME hula hooping videos... my brother and I found several people who hoop with fire on the rims- I was wanting to do that, but decided not to (as my mom was in the kitchen and astonished that I would even THINK about that! lol- sorry mom!)- HOWEVER, if you look closer... there are people that have taped themselves hula hooping and RUNNING! Before you ask, yes, I can hoop and run at the same time... but only short distances as my basement is only so big... I KNOW that I can run longer, but I don't know how that would go over as an officer's wife running around post... and hooping... Lord knows how many calls we would get on that one... haha... but mark this down, I WILL run a race someday while hula hooping... :)
2. Geez... hope I haven't lost any of you (I tend to ramble.. a LOT... sorry)- I'll keep this post short(ER)... this week was "Teacher Appreciation Week"- our PTO did a phenomenal job showing their appreciation (shout out VV PTO!)... I got several handmade cards/pot holders/etc. from my students... as well as "Mother's Day" cards (I guess my whole "mom speech" hit home...) however, we also talked about the meaning of names (one student made me a "Princess" poster... "Sarah" means "princess")- the girl didn't even know it- she just thought I was a princess and made it for me... so, for HW the students had to go home and ask their parents why they have their name (this was actually humorous as some were named after Soap Opera stars, food, places... thank you mom and dad for naming me after Sarah in the Bible...err... the "Sarah" song or so dad says, and NOT some soap opera star!) In class, we looked in a baby-names book that another teacher let us borrow for our "project"... I looked up the meaning for the students... I will NEVER forget one student's name: it means "little and fiery"- when he came back the next day to share his findings, he answered that the reason his name is what it is was because he was "little and fiery"... and ANOTHER student was named "industrious and hard worker"- she said that she wanted to "live up to" her name... and is now trying very hard and completing every assignment... but my FAVORITE part was when one of my students came up to me and said, "I've always thought that Sarah was a pretty name, but after meeting you, I've realized that I want to name my daughter Sarah... after you..."- not sure if this student was trying to suck up (as he ALSO said he wanted to give me an apple b/c he's always heard about students giving their teachers apples, but he's waited until he got the PERFECT teacher- guess who got an apple this year? ME. haha) but I'll take it for what it is and just think that someday (another!) girl will be named after me... yes, there is ANOTHER "Sarah" named... after me... I'm KIND OF a big deal :)
A few firsts...
So... you know how I said I have NEVER gotten a tick on me? Yeah... scratch that. The other morning I was downstairs doing laundry and felt something on my leg... I look down and to my horror it's a TICK!!! OH.MY.GOSH. My heart stopped... then almost came out of my mouth... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It was the littlest thing EVER... I didn't know ticks could get that small... which made me even more terrified than I was before... I think I would have rather had a HUGE one on me! What a way to start my day off... yikes, the rest of the day I kept thinking that a tick was on me... Caleb came home that night and I apologized for all of the times that I've made fun of him when he's literally FREAKING OUT about ticks... I'm so over these ticks...
Another first for me... I had my first energy drink! For those of you who know me (or don't I guess)- I don't drink- whatsoever... I drink water, occasionally a pop (yes, I said POP for all you crazy KY people- this enough North to call it pop...), and tea... which has caffeine in it, but I only drink the caffeinated kind in the morning... ANYWAYS... I don't drink- I don't even think you could say that I drank on my 21st... I handed out the drinks/shots that were given to me- cmon now, I'm generous person... so, I have never felt the effect of alcohol in my system... Caleb (and just about any other military person I know) drinks energy drinks- A LOT. He's ALWAYS wanted to see me drink one, but I've been too chicken as I never knew what would happen (I can't handle a lot of sugar)... so... the other morning I woke up and could NOT GET OFF THE "STRUGGLE BUS"... I tried- believe me, I desperately tried getting off that bus, but it seemed like the more I tried, the more the bus door kept slamming shut- in my face... on my "drive" (if you can call it a commute- the 2 minutes it takes to get there) to school I had to get gas so I stopped at the gas station... that's when I decided to just go for it... I'm not going to lie, I've always been curious as to what an energy drink would do to me... let me tell you, I am ONLY going to have one ONE MORE time.. and that's because Caleb didn't see me/wasn't with me to witness my actions... it was awful to say the least... I could hardly talk- my words were all slurred... oh goodness... the first... and ALMOST last time... I'll let you know what happens when I drink my next energy drink for Caleb... but give me a little time- I have to re-coup from the last one this week!
On a more sad-ish note... it was the first year that I haven't been home for my dad's birthday... and he turned the big 5-0!! I definitely had a hard time... but called him several days (not sure how much work he got done that day b/c of me)- but I tried my best to make his day- for my 21st he had a company put on their sign: "Happy 21st Birthday Sarah"... it was... AWESOME. I tried to do it to him, by 1. calling the same place he did it for me- but they changed signs- they went all high tech and have to PROGRAM it... 2. I called Sweetwater's doughnut (thought he may stop there... or at least drive by it)- but had to talk to the DISTRICT manager... who was on vacation... until this next week... agh. So... I did the next best thing (after scheming with my mom- I did tell you that SHE taught me how to short-sheet a bed right?!) and called some of his "h.s. buddies" to "decorate" the house while my mom and brother took him out to dinner- (I KNEW that these boys were always doing something/up to something... growing up... and haven't really grown out of it... **note: I am in NO WAY making fun of his buddies- I hope to never become so much of a grown-up that I lose sight of my child-like sense of humor/pranks**)I called his friends to make sure that they had remembered, in which they did- they were WAITING for this "moment"... then shortly after, I get a call from my dad... YES... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! :)
Another first for me... I had my first energy drink! For those of you who know me (or don't I guess)- I don't drink- whatsoever... I drink water, occasionally a pop (yes, I said POP for all you crazy KY people- this enough North to call it pop...), and tea... which has caffeine in it, but I only drink the caffeinated kind in the morning... ANYWAYS... I don't drink- I don't even think you could say that I drank on my 21st... I handed out the drinks/shots that were given to me- cmon now, I'm generous person... so, I have never felt the effect of alcohol in my system... Caleb (and just about any other military person I know) drinks energy drinks- A LOT. He's ALWAYS wanted to see me drink one, but I've been too chicken as I never knew what would happen (I can't handle a lot of sugar)... so... the other morning I woke up and could NOT GET OFF THE "STRUGGLE BUS"... I tried- believe me, I desperately tried getting off that bus, but it seemed like the more I tried, the more the bus door kept slamming shut- in my face... on my "drive" (if you can call it a commute- the 2 minutes it takes to get there) to school I had to get gas so I stopped at the gas station... that's when I decided to just go for it... I'm not going to lie, I've always been curious as to what an energy drink would do to me... let me tell you, I am ONLY going to have one ONE MORE time.. and that's because Caleb didn't see me/wasn't with me to witness my actions... it was awful to say the least... I could hardly talk- my words were all slurred... oh goodness... the first... and ALMOST last time... I'll let you know what happens when I drink my next energy drink for Caleb... but give me a little time- I have to re-coup from the last one this week!
On a more sad-ish note... it was the first year that I haven't been home for my dad's birthday... and he turned the big 5-0!! I definitely had a hard time... but called him several days (not sure how much work he got done that day b/c of me)- but I tried my best to make his day- for my 21st he had a company put on their sign: "Happy 21st Birthday Sarah"... it was... AWESOME. I tried to do it to him, by 1. calling the same place he did it for me- but they changed signs- they went all high tech and have to PROGRAM it... 2. I called Sweetwater's doughnut (thought he may stop there... or at least drive by it)- but had to talk to the DISTRICT manager... who was on vacation... until this next week... agh. So... I did the next best thing (after scheming with my mom- I did tell you that SHE taught me how to short-sheet a bed right?!) and called some of his "h.s. buddies" to "decorate" the house while my mom and brother took him out to dinner- (I KNEW that these boys were always doing something/up to something... growing up... and haven't really grown out of it... **note: I am in NO WAY making fun of his buddies- I hope to never become so much of a grown-up that I lose sight of my child-like sense of humor/pranks**)I called his friends to make sure that they had remembered, in which they did- they were WAITING for this "moment"... then shortly after, I get a call from my dad... YES... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! :)
Friday, May 7, 2010
Caleb's Guardian Angel at Work...
I took this from Caleb... this happened last year... but I love looking back over the past year and seeing how God has worked in our lives...
Please bear with me as I tell this story. This happened a few hours ago and was one of the most amazing events of my life.
As many of you know, I'm on my way to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. I left Kalamazoo at noon today and hoped to make it to Sullivan, Missouri, which is on the other side of St. Louis. I was about 6 hours into my drive, and literally in the middle of nowhere in Illinois when all of a sudden, all sorts of lights started coming on inside my car...you know, the lights you don't want to see come on, like the little lit up exclamation point, battery light, and service engine light...all at the same time. I immediately looked for an exit, and of course there was none because I was in the middle of nowhere, so I pulled into the right lane and slowed down. As I did that, my power steering went out and my car's temperature gauge shot into the red. My car was literally falling apart in front of my eyes! I looked to the side of the road where a sign read, "Elkhart, 3 miles." Whatever Elkhart was, I hoped it had a mechanic.
So I nursed my car off the highway and rolled through the city limits of Elkhart ,where the city sign read, "Population 500." I thought, great, there's no way there's a mechanic in this town, but I had no other option. I pulled into downtown Elkhart, which consisted of exactly 4 buildings...a bar, a bank, town hall, and an old run-down looking plane hangar/ shed that looked like it used to MAYBE be an auto mechanic. The only building that looked inhabited was the bank and bar, so I pulled up in front of the bar and walked in. It was like a scene out of a movie. The lone bartender was polishing glasses by hand and the six people in the bar were all seated at the bar. One little kid was playing on the outdated arcade games in the corner. Obviously not seeing outsiders often, I quickly became the center of attention and the bartender quickly asked if he could help me. "Is there a mechanic in town?" I asked. "Kind of," replied the bartender. Kind of? This wasn't looking good...but I didn't have time to care what he meant...but he elaborated for me. "He worked on cars until about 10 years ago. Now he just does tractors." I guess it was as good as I was gonna get...
"Where at?"
"Right across the street there." (Referring to the old hangar/garage)
"Is there anyone there?"
"You never really know, you might just want to wander over there." (while looking out the window)
"Ok. Thanks."
So across the street I went, not even bothering to check the 1.5 lane main street for traffic. I walked into the "garage" where I found three men behind the counter. One was in his mid to late 60s, one his mid 30s, and one about 19 or 20. All of them had warn workboots on and some sort of combination of a carhart jacket, baseball cap, and/or coveralls. I explained to them what had happened, and the older man said, "sounds like a serpentine belt, you wanna go check it out?" (Speaking to the youngest of the 3)
So across the street I went with the youngest of the 3. I popped the hood, and he poked around in there for about 10 seconds until he pointed to my shredded serpentine belt. We went back inside and this time the older man wanted to take a look. He came out, poked around, and found that it wasn't just the belt, but also the pulley wheel that it runs around. Wonderful...He got a worried look on his face and started walking back toward the shed, so I followed. For the next 10 minutes he tried calling everyone that he could think of within 20 miles that might possibly have the parts or be able to work on a Saab. "I'm not sure there's anyone who can work on that car around here, especially not on a Friday night." (Did I mention it was about 5:15?) He said that he didn't think I would be able to find anyone to work on it until Monday. "That's just not gonna work. I've gotta be to Ft. Sill by Sunday at noon," I said. The older man perked up..."You in the Army?"
"Yes sir."
"Hmm...I was in the Army 40 years ago."
"No kidding? It's still the same Army."
"Hahaha, you're probably right about that. Hurry up and wait."
"You got it."
At this point it seemed that he all of a sudden remembered about a couple of calls to make that he had forgotten about before. He called a parts shop in Springfield, about 25 minutes away. He got a surprised look on his face when they told him that they actually had the parts that would fix my car. So we had the parts...kind of (25 minutes away). Now I just needed someone who would (and) could work on it. At this point the young guy spoke up. "I think I might know someone who can work on it." So he tried calling one of his buddies, who he couldn't get ahold of. Then the middle-aged man got in on the conversation. "Well at least I can drive you over to Springfield for a motel room. I can probably even put your car on my trailer and haul it over there so you can get it worked on." The young guy had a better idea. "You know, I just got all those new tools. Maybe we could do it." The middle aged guy said that he would give a hand, and the older guy said that he'd come along to "supervise." Alright, I thought...I'm not sure if these guys are going to be able to do it, but at least they're going to try.
So I hopped in my half disabled car and followed them across town (a 30 second drive) to their tractor repair shed that doubled as the county school bus shed. I pulled it in and the two elder men got to work disassembling my engine while the younger guy and me got on our way to Springfield for the parts. **Edit** I don't know how I forgot to include this when I wrote it initally, but we rode to Springfield in a monster truck...like literally. It was a Ford F-250 with a 2 ft. lift and like 36" Mud tires on it. It had a special exhaust, turbo gauges, DVD pop-up screen (which I didn't know they knew about in Elkhart), and all sorts of other gadgets. Anyway, 50 minutes later and we were back with the parts...$100 worth that the guy somehow mysteriously knew a discount code so it turned out to be $45 total. Literally 15 minutes later they had the serpentine belt and pulley installed and my engine put back together. So within an hour and a half of my car basically falling apart and having no way of getting out of Elkhart, Illinois, my car was completely fixed. Did I mention the fact that none of the three men would accept a single penny for their work? The long and the short of it is that I had probably 500-600 dollars worth of work done on my car in an hour and a half on a Friday night by 3 guys I didn't know, and they sent me on my way without wanting a single cent of compensation. I didn't know what to say, do, or think. It was like I literally ended up in the one place in the middle of nowhere where people valued one another above themselves. I'm not sure if I'll ever end up back in Elkhart, Illinois, but if you're ever in need of something and end up there, be assured that you're in good hands.
All I can say is that my guardian angel was working overtime today and deserves tomorrow off...hopefully he doesn't take it off, though. I'll probably need him.
Please bear with me as I tell this story. This happened a few hours ago and was one of the most amazing events of my life.
As many of you know, I'm on my way to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. I left Kalamazoo at noon today and hoped to make it to Sullivan, Missouri, which is on the other side of St. Louis. I was about 6 hours into my drive, and literally in the middle of nowhere in Illinois when all of a sudden, all sorts of lights started coming on inside my car...you know, the lights you don't want to see come on, like the little lit up exclamation point, battery light, and service engine light...all at the same time. I immediately looked for an exit, and of course there was none because I was in the middle of nowhere, so I pulled into the right lane and slowed down. As I did that, my power steering went out and my car's temperature gauge shot into the red. My car was literally falling apart in front of my eyes! I looked to the side of the road where a sign read, "Elkhart, 3 miles." Whatever Elkhart was, I hoped it had a mechanic.
So I nursed my car off the highway and rolled through the city limits of Elkhart ,where the city sign read, "Population 500." I thought, great, there's no way there's a mechanic in this town, but I had no other option. I pulled into downtown Elkhart, which consisted of exactly 4 buildings...a bar, a bank, town hall, and an old run-down looking plane hangar/ shed that looked like it used to MAYBE be an auto mechanic. The only building that looked inhabited was the bank and bar, so I pulled up in front of the bar and walked in. It was like a scene out of a movie. The lone bartender was polishing glasses by hand and the six people in the bar were all seated at the bar. One little kid was playing on the outdated arcade games in the corner. Obviously not seeing outsiders often, I quickly became the center of attention and the bartender quickly asked if he could help me. "Is there a mechanic in town?" I asked. "Kind of," replied the bartender. Kind of? This wasn't looking good...but I didn't have time to care what he meant...but he elaborated for me. "He worked on cars until about 10 years ago. Now he just does tractors." I guess it was as good as I was gonna get...
"Where at?"
"Right across the street there." (Referring to the old hangar/garage)
"Is there anyone there?"
"You never really know, you might just want to wander over there." (while looking out the window)
"Ok. Thanks."
So across the street I went, not even bothering to check the 1.5 lane main street for traffic. I walked into the "garage" where I found three men behind the counter. One was in his mid to late 60s, one his mid 30s, and one about 19 or 20. All of them had warn workboots on and some sort of combination of a carhart jacket, baseball cap, and/or coveralls. I explained to them what had happened, and the older man said, "sounds like a serpentine belt, you wanna go check it out?" (Speaking to the youngest of the 3)
So across the street I went with the youngest of the 3. I popped the hood, and he poked around in there for about 10 seconds until he pointed to my shredded serpentine belt. We went back inside and this time the older man wanted to take a look. He came out, poked around, and found that it wasn't just the belt, but also the pulley wheel that it runs around. Wonderful...He got a worried look on his face and started walking back toward the shed, so I followed. For the next 10 minutes he tried calling everyone that he could think of within 20 miles that might possibly have the parts or be able to work on a Saab. "I'm not sure there's anyone who can work on that car around here, especially not on a Friday night." (Did I mention it was about 5:15?) He said that he didn't think I would be able to find anyone to work on it until Monday. "That's just not gonna work. I've gotta be to Ft. Sill by Sunday at noon," I said. The older man perked up..."You in the Army?"
"Yes sir."
"Hmm...I was in the Army 40 years ago."
"No kidding? It's still the same Army."
"Hahaha, you're probably right about that. Hurry up and wait."
"You got it."
At this point it seemed that he all of a sudden remembered about a couple of calls to make that he had forgotten about before. He called a parts shop in Springfield, about 25 minutes away. He got a surprised look on his face when they told him that they actually had the parts that would fix my car. So we had the parts...kind of (25 minutes away). Now I just needed someone who would (and) could work on it. At this point the young guy spoke up. "I think I might know someone who can work on it." So he tried calling one of his buddies, who he couldn't get ahold of. Then the middle-aged man got in on the conversation. "Well at least I can drive you over to Springfield for a motel room. I can probably even put your car on my trailer and haul it over there so you can get it worked on." The young guy had a better idea. "You know, I just got all those new tools. Maybe we could do it." The middle aged guy said that he would give a hand, and the older guy said that he'd come along to "supervise." Alright, I thought...I'm not sure if these guys are going to be able to do it, but at least they're going to try.
So I hopped in my half disabled car and followed them across town (a 30 second drive) to their tractor repair shed that doubled as the county school bus shed. I pulled it in and the two elder men got to work disassembling my engine while the younger guy and me got on our way to Springfield for the parts. **Edit** I don't know how I forgot to include this when I wrote it initally, but we rode to Springfield in a monster truck...like literally. It was a Ford F-250 with a 2 ft. lift and like 36" Mud tires on it. It had a special exhaust, turbo gauges, DVD pop-up screen (which I didn't know they knew about in Elkhart), and all sorts of other gadgets. Anyway, 50 minutes later and we were back with the parts...$100 worth that the guy somehow mysteriously knew a discount code so it turned out to be $45 total. Literally 15 minutes later they had the serpentine belt and pulley installed and my engine put back together. So within an hour and a half of my car basically falling apart and having no way of getting out of Elkhart, Illinois, my car was completely fixed. Did I mention the fact that none of the three men would accept a single penny for their work? The long and the short of it is that I had probably 500-600 dollars worth of work done on my car in an hour and a half on a Friday night by 3 guys I didn't know, and they sent me on my way without wanting a single cent of compensation. I didn't know what to say, do, or think. It was like I literally ended up in the one place in the middle of nowhere where people valued one another above themselves. I'm not sure if I'll ever end up back in Elkhart, Illinois, but if you're ever in need of something and end up there, be assured that you're in good hands.
All I can say is that my guardian angel was working overtime today and deserves tomorrow off...hopefully he doesn't take it off, though. I'll probably need him.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Only My Husband....
"Only my husband"... I can't remember the comedian who (I feel over uses/almost abuses) the saying "you must be a redneck if..." but in respect to him... I have decided to come up with a list of "only my husband"... (for this week) I think this sometimes... and other times say it out-loud... I am so incredibly blessed to be married to the most amazing man I have ever met... he truly is my better half... and completes me. He "gets me," is patient, and humors me as well as puts up with so many of my "quirks"... take for instance these situations that occurred this week... (these are daily things, but figured I'd share them with you!)
- In light of Earth Day I decided that our household is switching to cloth napkins... I hadn't wanted to do so before b/c it was THAT MUCH MORE laundry, but really... the amount of laundry we do at our house is already astronomical, so what's a few more pieces of fabric? And hey, we could use them MULTIPLE times before we wash them- like my dad always said "when the going gets tough, or you've run out of laundry, just wear your under-wear inside out... get more use out of it..." (no, I have never done that, and am pretty sure that he hasn't, but it's the thought that counts in some situations...) so... I decided (yes, he was gone when I made this decision, so he didn't really have a say) that we were switching- we use way too much paper towel, and because I am adamant about using Bounty as the smell of it reminds me of my grandma- yes, I spend almost $2 more to buy Bounty just for this purpose... so, I decided that I was going to "cut back" on buying paper towel and switch... and told Caleb about it- he was on board... until the other day I came home and Caleb bound into the kitchen wanting to show me his awesome purchase from the commissary's "case lot" sale... low and behold an 8 PACK-ALMOST TRIPLE ROLLED paper towel... how could I not laugh... apparently he mis-interpreted "cutting back"... but, he did save us a TON by buying this in bulk... and yes, it was Bounty ;)(only my husband). 1/2 point for Caleb (for getting Bounty/going to the store/realizing a sale/good deal) but a 1/2 point for me for TRYING to save our environment...
- I ALSO decided that I'm going to put silk flowers on the headstones in our cemetery by our house... I am going to (try) and switch the flowers every night- so the other night while we were walking I was talking to Caleb about it and trying to figure out how many days it would be to complete the entire cemetery... I asked "how many headstones do you think there are?" He paused a moment... and asked "how many people are dead in there?" I paused... hesitated... not sure what he was talking about and out of no where he replies (to his own question)... "ALL OF THEM!!" and starts snickering... I stopped... what in the world... and started laughing... not sure if I was laughing at his attempt-of-a-joke or because he was snickering at his own joke.. like, really, snickering. (only my husband)... but I will admit that that joke far outweighs so many of my failed attempts... one point for Caleb.
- I have mentioned this before, but I am a total failure at figuring out our tv (maybe that's part of the reason I hardly watch it!)... so while out shopping yesterday Caleb saw a remote that does EVERYTHING... he said we should get it for me when he's deployed... however, the remote is about the size of my for-arm... I would rather have 3 remotes than this massive remote- it would probably take me the same amount of time to find the button! (not sure how the points should go on this... maybe a point for Caleb for noticing this remote/realizing it may help me... but I should get some type of sympathy points for trying to figure out our 3 REMOTES).
- While out yesterday (and everyday) Caleb is a true gentleman- yes, he still opens the doors for me- even the car door! We went to the library- he helped me carry out the stack of magazines/cds that I checked out (maybe because I was struggling a bit at first... or because I was walking so slow/hobbling while holding them all)... yesterday we went to Elizabethtown to run errands/pick up my ring (from Caleb- 5000 points for him on this one!) and it was raining... scratch that... it was down-pouring- like monsoon-ish... Caleb dropped me off/picked me up at EVERY stop that we made... however, he does this other times that it's not raining, and I think it's because of my sloth-like walk/moving... I can be totally ready in the car, but for some reason it takes me about 5 minutes to open the door/get out/start walking... all while Caleb is standing- waiting- patiently for me... which brings us to my "walk"... yes, I run, but walking gets me... I am so slow... I like to take my time and just walk. While Caleb, our mission/goal-oriented military man likes to just "get it done"... I think it almost kills him to walk with me... (maybe that's why I have to beg him to go on walks?) he is so patient and grins/bears it while I am trying to keep up with his pace... (we hold hands all the time and it probably looks like he's my dad- dragging his child through the parking lot LOL)... however, I would like to admit that I'm still trying to concentrate on "picking up my feet" while walking... I am one of those "scufflers"... which absolutely KILLED MY MOM... the heels of my shoes are so thin it's ridiculous... but I'm trying... bless Caleb (and my mom) for their patience with me... 10 points for each of them.
- So, if you've noticed the points Caleb is in the lead... and it seems like I have no way to catch up... HOWEVER, this is where I start making some points... we got our tax money back (whoo hoo! Before I add any more, Caleb gets another 20 points for trying to do our taxes... you have no idea how many W-2s I had- you can't know how many forms I had b/c I don't even know how many I had... I think I stopped counting at 8(?)- take it easy on me though- I worked several jobs back in MI before coming here... and found jobs down here)... anyways, we got our money back and div-ied it up- put some in savings and other respectable places... then split the rest between the two of us... Caleb spent his on (I can't remember right now) and I have yet to spend mine... well, the other night Caleb was looking at paintball stuff, and I kept reminding him that he had just spent his tax-refund money, and just smiled (full-knowing that I still had my amount)... then, later that night as I'm SLEEPING... yes, sleeping... passed out... Caleb has a conversation with me... and asks me IF he can buy a paintball gun... from there my memory fades... a few days later a HUGE package shows up... inside is... A PAINTBALL GUN?! WHAT?! Caleb replied with "you said I could..." ME:"when was this?!" Caleb:"the other night..." Me:"oh... like, when I was in bed... sleeping... I remember..." agh... I DO remember now saying that he could in fact buy it... but c'mon doesn't that at least half count as "sleep talking" (pity-points for me here?!) ONLY MY HUSBAND... ;) I however will add that I have told him that he will NOT be able to ask any more questions if I am sleeping... and not to even THINK about trying something like that when it comes to him wanting his bike... NO WAY. So... for all of our blog-followers, I am putting my foot down when it comes to buying a motorcycle/bike... so, remember that if/when Caleb ever tries to pull anything/ask about a bike...
- This is the LAST thing I'm saying about "only my husband" and it has to do with Caleb.. sleeping, and I'm going to humor all of you, but I feel that it's ok as this has started to become MY blog.. ;)
I can't even tell you how many times Caleb has talked in his sleep... like full-out CONVERSATIONS...
One time he was in Germany... giving directions/a plan of attack... and giving the coordinates of his platoon... (under a bridge)... (he would be the WORST POW I think...)
Another time, he got up, took his pillow and started walking towards his unit... I woke up taking his pillow and he went back to bed...
There have been MANY times that this has occurred... and at times I have to admit that I talk back to him... and he replies... c'mon, I have to humor myself through this as I don't sleep well, and when I am (FINALLY!) asleep he wakes up talking to me... but most recently, I wake up to: Caleb's face VERY close to mine and a "finger-gun" talking military-jargon to me... OH. MY. GOSH. "CALEB! Put that gun away!!!!"... HAHA, I was dying of laughter, but then, had to LEAVE THE ROOM because I was laughing so hard... he GRABBED DAISY, like football-grabbed her, and slept... they BOTH slept... (yes, Daisy sleeps with us) and she took FULL advantage of this as she got to sleep with him AND use his pillow (you wouldn't believe how many nights I have woken up NOT to Caleb talking, but to heavy breathing/drool by my face... only to see: DAISY. Agh... only our DOG! ;)
- In light of Earth Day I decided that our household is switching to cloth napkins... I hadn't wanted to do so before b/c it was THAT MUCH MORE laundry, but really... the amount of laundry we do at our house is already astronomical, so what's a few more pieces of fabric? And hey, we could use them MULTIPLE times before we wash them- like my dad always said "when the going gets tough, or you've run out of laundry, just wear your under-wear inside out... get more use out of it..." (no, I have never done that, and am pretty sure that he hasn't, but it's the thought that counts in some situations...) so... I decided (yes, he was gone when I made this decision, so he didn't really have a say) that we were switching- we use way too much paper towel, and because I am adamant about using Bounty as the smell of it reminds me of my grandma- yes, I spend almost $2 more to buy Bounty just for this purpose... so, I decided that I was going to "cut back" on buying paper towel and switch... and told Caleb about it- he was on board... until the other day I came home and Caleb bound into the kitchen wanting to show me his awesome purchase from the commissary's "case lot" sale... low and behold an 8 PACK-ALMOST TRIPLE ROLLED paper towel... how could I not laugh... apparently he mis-interpreted "cutting back"... but, he did save us a TON by buying this in bulk... and yes, it was Bounty ;)(only my husband). 1/2 point for Caleb (for getting Bounty/going to the store/realizing a sale/good deal) but a 1/2 point for me for TRYING to save our environment...
- I ALSO decided that I'm going to put silk flowers on the headstones in our cemetery by our house... I am going to (try) and switch the flowers every night- so the other night while we were walking I was talking to Caleb about it and trying to figure out how many days it would be to complete the entire cemetery... I asked "how many headstones do you think there are?" He paused a moment... and asked "how many people are dead in there?" I paused... hesitated... not sure what he was talking about and out of no where he replies (to his own question)... "ALL OF THEM!!" and starts snickering... I stopped... what in the world... and started laughing... not sure if I was laughing at his attempt-of-a-joke or because he was snickering at his own joke.. like, really, snickering. (only my husband)... but I will admit that that joke far outweighs so many of my failed attempts... one point for Caleb.
- I have mentioned this before, but I am a total failure at figuring out our tv (maybe that's part of the reason I hardly watch it!)... so while out shopping yesterday Caleb saw a remote that does EVERYTHING... he said we should get it for me when he's deployed... however, the remote is about the size of my for-arm... I would rather have 3 remotes than this massive remote- it would probably take me the same amount of time to find the button! (not sure how the points should go on this... maybe a point for Caleb for noticing this remote/realizing it may help me... but I should get some type of sympathy points for trying to figure out our 3 REMOTES).
- While out yesterday (and everyday) Caleb is a true gentleman- yes, he still opens the doors for me- even the car door! We went to the library- he helped me carry out the stack of magazines/cds that I checked out (maybe because I was struggling a bit at first... or because I was walking so slow/hobbling while holding them all)... yesterday we went to Elizabethtown to run errands/pick up my ring (from Caleb- 5000 points for him on this one!) and it was raining... scratch that... it was down-pouring- like monsoon-ish... Caleb dropped me off/picked me up at EVERY stop that we made... however, he does this other times that it's not raining, and I think it's because of my sloth-like walk/moving... I can be totally ready in the car, but for some reason it takes me about 5 minutes to open the door/get out/start walking... all while Caleb is standing- waiting- patiently for me... which brings us to my "walk"... yes, I run, but walking gets me... I am so slow... I like to take my time and just walk. While Caleb, our mission/goal-oriented military man likes to just "get it done"... I think it almost kills him to walk with me... (maybe that's why I have to beg him to go on walks?) he is so patient and grins/bears it while I am trying to keep up with his pace... (we hold hands all the time and it probably looks like he's my dad- dragging his child through the parking lot LOL)... however, I would like to admit that I'm still trying to concentrate on "picking up my feet" while walking... I am one of those "scufflers"... which absolutely KILLED MY MOM... the heels of my shoes are so thin it's ridiculous... but I'm trying... bless Caleb (and my mom) for their patience with me... 10 points for each of them.
- So, if you've noticed the points Caleb is in the lead... and it seems like I have no way to catch up... HOWEVER, this is where I start making some points... we got our tax money back (whoo hoo! Before I add any more, Caleb gets another 20 points for trying to do our taxes... you have no idea how many W-2s I had- you can't know how many forms I had b/c I don't even know how many I had... I think I stopped counting at 8(?)- take it easy on me though- I worked several jobs back in MI before coming here... and found jobs down here)... anyways, we got our money back and div-ied it up- put some in savings and other respectable places... then split the rest between the two of us... Caleb spent his on (I can't remember right now) and I have yet to spend mine... well, the other night Caleb was looking at paintball stuff, and I kept reminding him that he had just spent his tax-refund money, and just smiled (full-knowing that I still had my amount)... then, later that night as I'm SLEEPING... yes, sleeping... passed out... Caleb has a conversation with me... and asks me IF he can buy a paintball gun... from there my memory fades... a few days later a HUGE package shows up... inside is... A PAINTBALL GUN?! WHAT?! Caleb replied with "you said I could..." ME:"when was this?!" Caleb:"the other night..." Me:"oh... like, when I was in bed... sleeping... I remember..." agh... I DO remember now saying that he could in fact buy it... but c'mon doesn't that at least half count as "sleep talking" (pity-points for me here?!) ONLY MY HUSBAND... ;) I however will add that I have told him that he will NOT be able to ask any more questions if I am sleeping... and not to even THINK about trying something like that when it comes to him wanting his bike... NO WAY. So... for all of our blog-followers, I am putting my foot down when it comes to buying a motorcycle/bike... so, remember that if/when Caleb ever tries to pull anything/ask about a bike...
- This is the LAST thing I'm saying about "only my husband" and it has to do with Caleb.. sleeping, and I'm going to humor all of you, but I feel that it's ok as this has started to become MY blog.. ;)
I can't even tell you how many times Caleb has talked in his sleep... like full-out CONVERSATIONS...
One time he was in Germany... giving directions/a plan of attack... and giving the coordinates of his platoon... (under a bridge)... (he would be the WORST POW I think...)
Another time, he got up, took his pillow and started walking towards his unit... I woke up taking his pillow and he went back to bed...
There have been MANY times that this has occurred... and at times I have to admit that I talk back to him... and he replies... c'mon, I have to humor myself through this as I don't sleep well, and when I am (FINALLY!) asleep he wakes up talking to me... but most recently, I wake up to: Caleb's face VERY close to mine and a "finger-gun" talking military-jargon to me... OH. MY. GOSH. "CALEB! Put that gun away!!!!"... HAHA, I was dying of laughter, but then, had to LEAVE THE ROOM because I was laughing so hard... he GRABBED DAISY, like football-grabbed her, and slept... they BOTH slept... (yes, Daisy sleeps with us) and she took FULL advantage of this as she got to sleep with him AND use his pillow (you wouldn't believe how many nights I have woken up NOT to Caleb talking, but to heavy breathing/drool by my face... only to see: DAISY. Agh... only our DOG! ;)
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