"Leaving on a Jet Plane..."

Not me, but the solider. His leave ended yesterday when he boarded a flight to the great state of Texas and this morning he will be Korea bound.



South Korea of course, though the exact location is unknown at this moment. There are three potential places he could end up but he won't know till he arrives 17 hours from now. He will live and work there for at least the next year.

We are so proud of him and everything he has accomplished, but still sad that we won't see him for so long. I hate thinking of the holidays we'll miss being together and how he may change during his year away.

If you have a free minute today please say a little prayer for him. And us.

"I am an American Soldier"

This time two weeks ago we had just landed in Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...

No, we didn't break into song but I was mighty happy to be there to see The Soldier graduate from boot camp. He has been gone since January with only weekly phone calls and a couple of letters from him to keep us up to date, we were looking forward to seeing him and his new "home".

Early Thursday morning we sat amongst other families anxiously awaiting our soldiers arrival and subsequent release. They were supposed to have a demonstration showing us what they learned during their time in boot camp but with Oklahoma weather being what it is, the frosty temperatures that morning prompted them to cancel that portion of Family Day. Luckily they were able to move inside so we could witness The Soldier's promotion.

After the short ceremony he was released to us until "twenty hundred" or 8 PM in civilian speak. And as I imagined the first thing he wanted to do was eat. His one request was "anything but chicken and rice".

The big event took place the next afternoon. Again we were surrounded by other families and as we made our way into the auditorium my heart swelled for every one of those soldiers. The program started with all 196 of them standing and saying The Soldier's Creed:

I am an American Soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.

Even now I get chills remembering how they stood so proudly and said those words.

The rest of the weekend was a blur of camouflage and food, but I'll never forget that moment...

I am the mother of an American Soldier. And damn proud of it.

Army Strong

The Soldier left 3 weeks ago. He was in processing the first few days so we were able to text & talk to him just about every day but now that basic is under way we don't hear from him for a week at a time. If his squad does well during the week then they are granted phone time on Sundays.

We were just settling down after dinner wondering if he would call this week when the phone rang. His voice was a little scratchy but he sounded good.* As you can imagine we were full of questions. Unfortunately the weather caused some havoc with their training schedule so they haven't done much. He actually said that it was more like girl scouts than the Army.

I think that statement will come back to haunt him soon enough.**

The Soldier seems to be adjusting to Army life quite well. He uses words like "chow" and "MREs" (Meals Ready to Eat) and does his own laundry. Already he seems so grown up. And Army Strong.












*I sent him a box of cough drops yesterday. :)

**They are supposed to train for the gas chamber this week.

Only 4 days...

Until he starts a new journey.

Until we're "empty nesters".

Until another bedroom is empty.

Until dinner time is quieter.

Until his car sits still.

Until I cry.

Until the teen becomes a soldier.

Baby let's cruise...

A month ago today we were just returning from our graduation cruise. Where has the time gone? While on the high seas the real world takes a back seat. The biggest decision of the day is what to eat.

This is S & I's seventh cruise & the teen's second. Since it was a celebration cruise he brought a friend along and my sister and her friend joined us for a relaxing 5 days aboard the Carnival Glory headed for Canada. It was our first cruise that wasn't going "tropic" but no matter because it was truly Glory-ious.



First I have to mention that this ship had the. best. music. hands. down. I found myself singing in the hallways, in the elevator and of course in the many lounges on board. It was a nice mix of classic rock & popular songs with some dance music thrown in.

Then there were the shows. Oh the shows! If you've ever been cruising you know they like to entertain you with "Vegas-style" shows. Sometimes they hit their mark & sometimes not. On the Glory they had a magic show that was AMAZING. Some of the tricks we could figure out but there were a few that made my mind spin. Making a motorcycle disappear...hello?! I never did figure that one out. Plus their soundtrack during the show was totally ipod worthy.

And how can I forget the food? THE FOOD! It's everywhere. Twenty fours hours a day. Lots of seafood (yuck!) and desserts and...well anything you can think of. No one will ever starve on a cruise.



While the weather was better than expected on this trip (only one foggy day) the two ports of call took a back seat to the ship & the cruise itself. We took advantage of the slight sway and dark interior room taking more than our fair share of naps. It was heavenly.

We sailed out of NYC...



...And went down the Hudson right by the Statue of Liberty


I LOVE this picture of them!


I don't care for this pic as much. I have awful posture.


Ah yes, this is more like me.


Oh Canada! Halifax, NS to be exact.


heehee...Sackville...heehee


Even better than the book version!


Welcome to Saint John...


...where you too can be accosted by a weird albino dude drinking milk in 90 degree weather right after taking this picture...**


...and buy your lobster at good ole' McD's...


...before taking a boat trip to the Reversing Falls.


My only regret is that we had to disembark and come back to reality. I'm already counting down the days to the next one.

**No really this albino dude asked me if I wanted "to have a conversation aye?" to which I replied "uh no" that did nothing to stop him from trying to talk to me. Even after a slight confrontation with S he still continued to follow us for another block or two until he finally said "Hope ya' have a shitty vacation" and then went off in another direction. True story.

The Perfect Cure

This weekend we had a celebration for a combination of things - birthdays, Mother's Day, a new birth - and all the kids were in attendance.

I'm still trying to climb out of my blah-ness. Trying to get back to normal. Well as normal as I can get anyway. I can't say I've ever been quite right.

Nothing brings a smile to my face more than seeing their happiness.





See what I mean? It's almost impossible to be in a bad mood with them around. You can't help but smile.

Sometimes I wish I could bottle it up and save it for a gloomy day.

A little of him...


A touch of her...


And a ton of this smile...


Throw in a mushy moment...


Serve with a side of cake.



It would be the perfect cure for the blahs.

A picture is worth a million words...

So this one tells you how much Little Miss loved her very first circus.**

And this one lets you know how spoiled Bratty Nephew #3 is.***



**Not unlike her Aunt one of her favorite parts of being there was eating Icees and popcorn. Yes, I let the munchkin make a mess, stick her head in the popcorn bucket and then sent her home with blue fingers!

***He's the one in the middle that doesn't have a blurry face. Hey I don't want to be sued for posting some random kid on here.

Another year gone by...

It's hard to believe that you've been gone for two years. I can still see your smiling face & hear your laugh. It feels like just yesterday I called you to find out what you had for dinner. Or that I held your hand as we watched Wheel of Fortune together.

While you might not be by my side, you're always in my heart.



I miss you Granny!

It's a wrap!

Another Christmas over and gone. Bah. Where does the time go?*

Christmas was great and chaotic all at the same time.

We always spend Christmas Eve at my aunt's house, crowded in her apartment, opening presents and enjoying holiday only foods. This year was no different although I do think, much like Gremlins, we multiplied because it seemed to be more of us than ever.

The more, the merrier right?!

I guess it was that phrase that led to me having 5 extra overnight house guests on Christmas Eve plus an additional 4 on Christmas morning. For the math challenged that would make 12 peeps at my house.

Everyone seemed to love their gifts, including me. S gave me some fabulous stuff including the new Glee soundtrack, The Tudors season 3 DVD(that we've already watched in it's entirety), stainless steel pans, cast iron pan, boots, purse, etc. etc.

He spoils me. And I deserve it.

Lil Sis gave me a Keurig carousel for my k-cups and my middle sis gave me knee socks that are adorable. (I'm wearing a pair today!} My aunt gave me a new Kathy Van Zeeland purse.

I'm carrying the red one that S got me today but trust me when I say it was a tough choice since they are both cute!

Okay, enough bragging. Let's just say I had a great Christmas!

As documented by the 350+ pictures I posted on FB. Woowee! Here are few of my favorites:

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

It's a wrap! Literally...

*Please tell me I'm not the only one that honestly thinks she is a year younger than she really is & catches herself trying to put the wrong age on forms. All. The. Time.

Ocupados

Please excuse my absence as I have company today. And I'm dealing with some "poopy" situations.





Literally.

Oh Baby!

Meet my new grandson..."Lil Man"

He was born at 12:40 this morning weighing in at 6 pounds 11 ounces, and he is 19 3/4 inches long with a head full of hair.

Maybe it's time to re-evaluate children's programming

Today I have company.

Cause the school says he has pink eye.


He says doing this makes him feel like a girl.


He wonders where he stepped on the booger that is on the bottom of his sock.



Me? I'm just glad I took my pill today.



The end.