Id

You know when you go on a trip or vacation and you're extra careful and double check (sometimes triple-check in my case!) to make sure you have everything? Some of you may have gone somewhere where you have needed to carry your passport... I remember when we went on our cruise I kept my passport on me at all times... I would constantly open my bag to make sure it was still in it (even though I just looked like 5 minutes before)- in this case it probably would have been easier and I may have enjoyed myself a bit more instead of worrying about it the entire time if I duct-taped the passport to me... sometimes I think back to that time and think that I should tape my military id to me... Seriously, your military id is everything- you can't do anything without it... Try to buy groceries and you don't have it? Sorry- no can do- and you may think, well fine, if you don't have your id just go off-post and get your weeks worth of groceries... Well my friends, how do you suppose you get back on post to put your milk/frozen stuff away in time and just go home?! Yeah, you're going to need your id... Saturday night Caleb and I went to Louisville to see a movie (yes- round trip almost an hour and a half to see a movie-did I mention military posts are usually in the middle of no where?!) and on our way back home it hit me... I immediately realized I forgot my id... At home! I have joked so many times before about "forgetting my id" but this time I really did... I knew I did- I left my entire wallet at home! I had NO identification card at all... I looked at Caleb and was like, "seriously, I forgot my id..." and while I said it I was picturing it by the computer in our guest bedroom, but STILL looking for my wallet in my purse thinking... Hoping that it would somehow show up in my purse- how many of you do that?! You KNOW you forgot it but keep looking as if you will it to show up somehow... Nope, sorry, keep looking, but it's not going to magically appear... you can't will it to show up... So, back to my realization that I had indeed forgotten my id at home... I called my friend (basically savior/hero in times like this!) Mekala... I told her what happened and jokingly (yet somewhat serious) asked if I could still get on post without mine if Caleb was driving... She laughed (!) and said, "Sarah you know that you can't- they will arrest you..." and then continued to laugh... before I could even ask her she said "I am already on my way to your house-where is it? Meet me at the gate in 15 minutes..." When we pulled up to the gate I saw my hero, driving a little Saturn,waiting for us... people in the military say that "your family becomes your friends, and your (military) friends become your family"... I think so! Mekala has come to my "rescue" so many times before and I am so grateful for her... especially in times like this- all I wanted to do was go home, have some dinner, and chill out... without my id I wasn't going to be able to even go home, nonetheless chill out/have dinner... I would like to add that I did think about hiding in our trunk to get/"sneak" on post but knowing me and our luck, we would have been the car that the guards "randomly search/check"- haha what a sight that would be- "sir, we need you to open your trunk so we can finish our check"... And out pops me... As funny as that seems and as tempting as that sounds at times to lighten the guards' moods I immediately put my id in my purse... ;)

The difference...

I am currently reading "chicken soup for the military wife's soul and read a short story about the difference between a military wife and other spouses... "I never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person" she wrote... And added that "military wives aren't better or worse than any spouse but that there is definitely a difference"... I can clearly remember a day when I was driving through downtown Kalamazoo with my dad- it is one of those "teachable moments" that has forever changed my view/life... On the steps of the courthouse people were picketting the war... My dad rolled down his window and said how they should be grateful for their rights- they were able to protest bc people have fought in wars for that right... And then added
to get out of our country if they didn't appreciate that right and give respect to those who have fought and continue to fight-for them and their rights... I couldn't have been more proud of my dad! Jane Addams said "America's future will be determined by the home and school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence, we must watch what we teach, and how we live." With that said, I have always been extremely patriotic and am forever grateful to those who have served and continue to do so... God bless the special men and women who have taken it upon themselves to defend our freedom and stand up for the freedoms for those who can't stand up for it themselves... so as you can see, I am ever proud of my husband who serves and I am a proud military wife... when we were dating I knew Caleb was going to be in the Army and when I said "I do" I not only said I do to him but "I do" to the military life as well- I admit that it has taken me a while to learn that the Army comes first... No matter what. I could go on and on about how different our lives are being married to the military... and how different my life is than what I imagined it would be like when I signed up "for this" but little did I know that I signed up for: having my best friend away more times than he is home, saying goodbye to many friends who have became my family and forever changed my life... and little did I know back in 9th grade watching the twin towers fall, the true impact that that day has and will have on my life... It forever changed all of our lives... by this time I will be halfway through a deployment as Caleb will be deploying late this year... There are no books/resources/etc that can truly prepare you enough for an entire year being separated from your best friend- an entire year: it is every holiday... It is thousands and thousands of memories that will never be made together, never shared, never reminisced about later... Yes, nothing can prepare you for the responsibilities and characterisitics you must take on being militry wife... yesterday while grocery shopping Caleb wasn't really acting like himself... I knew he had a tough day at work but also knew that something else was bothering him... "what's up Caleb?!" he didn't respond at first and then very solemnly he said that his first friend and guy he had trained with was killed while on mission in Afghanistan. My heart broke... I prayed for this soldier, his friends/family that he left here to soon, for Caleb, and for those serving/their family/friends... And then I went silent... We have been through deaths together-including grandparents and friends but nothing like this... war hit home... as a military wife I need to be strong for my husband but nothing can prepare you for that... God bless our troops... they give everything and expect nothing- not even a thank you- they are fighting for people who can't fight themselves... For rights/freedom, and for us... Everyday... We are all blessed by them... Please pray for our troops and those like Caleb's friend who have given
their own life... For you. Also, pray for those
that stand behind that soldier as those spouses are fighting a war within themselves... I don't care if you are for or against the war, but respect those that have fought and are fighting... Be thankful- you are
free and have rights... If you don't have enough respect for that, I think my dad said
it best... "please, get out of my country..."

Cooking 101

While Caleb went home for "leave" I stayed home and kept myself busy... Not by coloring my hair (for once!)- well, to be honest, I had no choice in coloring it as I did it the week BEFORE he left ;) ... but I kept myself busy with.... cleaning/gardening/organizing/etc... one of my first things "to do" was to clean our kitchen... Not "clean" as in dust/mop but clean out our fridge and cupboards of "bad" food, as in "unhealthy"... my neighbor and I watched "Food Inc" which is a documentary that totally freaked us out for a day... And just finished reading several books by Michael Pollen (read "Food Rules") as well as we both attended a food/cooking class that a friend of ours hosted- I went in with an open mind as Caleb warned me not to "go crazy/all out" (note: this friend makes her own EVERYTHING and goes to an actual FARM for EVERYTHING... Else! So... Going with an open mind/notebook/pen I went... And came home with several ideas- she brought up several valid points and after further research I decided to start small and change some things (but waited until Caleb was gone-poor guy, he didn't even know it was coming)... My first step was to get rid of anything with "MSG" on the label... Then further cleaned keeping in mind one of my friend's points: "if it isn't deemed "safe" for a pregnant woman to eat, then why should we? What makes it "ok" for the people who are nourishing themselves and a baby? (think about it...) I would also like to say that I got rid of everything that has "soybean oil" in it (as I am allergic to it) but that would be almost impossible and leave Caleb with... Nothing... Zilch. So I cleaned out our kitchen and went shopping (which I might add took me almost 2 hours) because I was really thinking about what I was buying for us... and I am proud to say that Caleb handled it very well and was "on board" with it! Yes... That was my biggest obstacle... Phew! So once I had written a week's meal plan we started to cook... And the following is what happened...
1. I made chicken enchilladas for a family in our FRG and gave my sister the recipe as she was cooking for a family in their church (we got our love for cooking for others from my mom, who got it from her mom...) my sister called me back saying that everyone loved it and was making it for the 2nd time in THAT week bc it was such a hit... As I was telling Caleb he looked at me with sad eyes and asked when I was going to make it for us bc it is...his FAVORITE meal... I am making it... Today ;)
2- a bag of shrimp: has been in our freezer for...forever bc after I bought it Caleb was super hesitant about wanting to eat it... Well I was tired of looking at it everytime I opened the freezer and figured that he would eat I if I a.put it with pasta and b.made it spicy so I did just that-as I was cooking he came in and started picking at the shrimp and threw one away... "what ARE you doing?!" "they haven't been "de-pooped""!!!!!!!! He replied... I stopped and grabbed my phone to call my sister as she is a fan of shrimp- a modern day Bubba from Forrest Gump... As Caleb was searching the bag to see if it had in fact been "depooped"... (I have insisted that my family/friends look on tuna cans to insure it's "dolphin safe"-check yours now!!) and this is what my sister said: "they're usually "de-veined" but don't worry, they only eat dust anyways"- this left me being more confused... when I called my mom and asked she didn't know and told me to "google" it.... Which I haven't as I am not really ready to see if Caleb is right... Do shrimp need to be "depooped?!" whatever....he ate it and enjoyed it... All but the WHOLE WHEAT pasta.... Whoops, my bad for trying to be a little more healthy! ;)
3- while driving Caleb said he hadn't had "dirt-n-worms in...forever so I said we would make it (last night) and all we needed was pudding and Oreos... "no that's not it!" "yes it is...my mom made it all the time," I said... "well maybe my mom made it different..." no worries- I was already calling my aunt to figure it out (after the shrimp episode I needed someone to make sure I was right! While on the phone Caleb said "whip cream!" "that's it!!! That's the other ingredient-nice job...10 points for Caleb.. Who then insisted he wanted to make it "healthy" (although I am pretty sure that it's impossible! Lol)- he made sure we got fat free/lowfat/sugar free pudding, Oreos, and don't forget, whipped cream! ;) I am still positive that "dirt-n-worms" is a treat and doesn't have to be healthy, but whatever makes him sleep better at night ;)

Catching up with the Lohmans!

Whoa!!! To all of our faithful family and friends who read our blog... I am terribly sorry that you have been waiting a bit for us to update our blog!!! Yes we are alive and well, however BOTH of our laptops are not doing so well... At all! Didn't I say a little bit ago that I was (knock on wood) waiting for my laptop to bite the dust?! It did... As well as Caleb's... Which I did NOT expect at all! So here is my excuse for the lack of updates- after my last blog something happened (yes, no worries, I will blog about it) and then Caleb left and BOTH laptops died on me... We do have a computer/desktop but I am afraid of it as it is Caleb's precious computer that I may do something to that I am not supposed to (if I need to remind you: I am awful with technology!!) so... I decided to blog (because it was killing me that I hadn't updated/blogged in a bit) and am in fact using... My IPOD!! Yes, I will say again that I have a love/hate relationship with technology stuff... A
as my laptop is at the computer dr. and Cabe's is on it's way...

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.

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 ;)