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.

Where do I go from here?

For this journey I won't need any luggage, a laptop messenger bag, or a passport.

When I started this blog the teen was in high school and like many of you, my life revolved around my kids activities. Our social life was completely intertwined with whatever he was participating in as indicated by my blog posts. I wouldn't change any part of that but it now leaves me at a crossroads.

The teen became the soldier this month. He is several states away starting a new life and our life, my life, no longer revolves around him.* That leaves me with more free time in real life and less blog fodder for this world.

I don't want to abandon my blog (I'm sure it seems I have some weeks) but I just don't feel like the name, Not Your Average Soccer Mom, describes me or my life that well. I'm still a Mom but not a full time one anymore. As he grows I feel like I should, and my blog along with it. I've thought about playing around with the Army Mom thing but to be honest I don't want my identity to revolve around "Mom" anymore.

So I'm looking for some inspiration. Some ideas. Some...something to put me in the right direction.


*Life may not revolve around him but we do anxiously await his phone calls. It's hard to be so far away & not talk to him every day.

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.

The Big (or maybe not so big) Announcement

I posted earlier in the summer about the teen's decision not to attend a four year university mainly due to cost. (You can catch up here.) Since that had been the plan all along he was at a crossroads about what to do instead & weighed his options with a lot of thought.

*****
I never really thought about it before now but what pressure to decide your future by the time you graduate. Hell, I'm 34 years young and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
*****

The only option that was not on the table was going straight to work. Working a dead end job for minimum wage is not something that we wanted for him. Obviously.

There is a very nice community college nearby that he could have attended for two years and then transferred to a four year university to finish his bachelors degree. That would have been a much more affordable option for us so we even offered to pay community college - no loans necessary & of course he would live at home. We'll call this Plan B.

Plan C was joining the Army. I know, I know. I was vehemently opposed to this option from the start because...well you can imagine why; however I was keeping an open mind.

So the teen embarked on a fact finding mission arranging a meeting with both the college counselor and the Army recruiter. His dad went with him to the recruiters office & they talked for hours. Literally. The teen decided to take the test that tells them which job he is better suited for.

During that week we did a lot of talking weighing the pros and cons of both options. The guys told me everything the recruiter had talked to them about including the GI Bill, aka when they pay for college. They talked about the Army band and the band on each post.

Then he took the placement test. And did really well. After the test he meets with the recruiter again and is offered a job at this time. I knew that. It's standard procedure and we all agreed it wouldn't hurt to listen and then take a few days to think it over.

In the meantime I thought he was still leaning towards community college. That meant being at home and being closer to his girlfriend. The only downside was he wouldn't be able to continue to play and study music while he was there.

The next week the teen and his dad went back to the recruiters office. Again they were there for hours. When the teen finally called me he said that S was on his way back to the office and would call me later. I asked about the meeting; the teen said he was offered the job he wanted and we would talk about it later.

S finally called me that afternoon and I immediately started in with the questions. Then he dropped the bomb - the teen had enlisted.

I FUH-REAKED out.*

I was under the impression it was a meeting and that we would discuss it before any decisions were made. Apparently the teen had a different view of it all and had been doing a lot of thinking on his own. After I calmed down a little S was able to tell me more details. I sighed (heavily) and said "well it's only for two years." To which S replied "He signed up for four years."

And I FUH-REAKED out. Again.*

So to summarize the teen has enlisted in the Army. For four years. And I'm dealing.

He doesn't actually leave until January so I'll have time to get used to the idea before he leaves.

And then I will FUH-REAK out. Again.

*FUH-REAK is putting it mildly. Very mildly. Very, very mildly.

August already?

I just cannot believe it's August. Already. I blinked and now summer is almost over.

Here's the lowdown of our happenings since the graduation & cruise:

The teen has made the decision on what his future will hold that I will reveal at a later time. He hasn't told everyone in his family yet (most notably his mother) so I won't advertise it until he does. Just in case the wrong set of eyes sees it. Ahem.

There's been a lot of working and very little playing. We haven't been on the bike once this summer. Blasphemy! I plan to rectify this next weekend...now if the weather would just cooperate.

Speaking of weather we've been sweating. A lot. The norm has been 90+ temps for this summer so it's not been ideal for any outdoor activities. So I've taken to indoor activities like shopping. Specifically Christmas shopping.**

We just got back from an impromptu trip to WV to meet up with friends for a 24 hour visit in the wild & wonderful state. Fabulous.

...and well that's it. Seems like I've been busy doing nothing. How about you?

**Christmas is only 144 days away. How's that for a reality check?!

Proud moments

While I've been away THIS happened





It was a proud moment for S & I and all of our family to see him walk across the stage. Yep the teen finally graduated and we all sighed of relief that high school was finished over a big stack of IHOP pancakes.

What? We like IHOP. Not to mention it was freakin' 8PM on a Wednesday night and IHOP was right around the corner.

After our celebratory dinner/breakfast it was time to get ready for the graduation cruise. We planned, packed and dreamt of nights on the sea not at all worried about what was to come.

College plans & arrangements were made and only the money part wasn't nailed down. His school of choice had some staffing issues in the financial aid department that caused his paperwork to be sent to us late. "Don't worry" they said.

So we didn't. Then vacation was over and a bill was waiting in the mailbox.

No problem! We had already talked about student loans and narrowed our very small amount of choices* down to one lender - Sallie Mae. Little did I know what I was in for.

First of all, the criteria set by these institutions is just crazy. They really expect a high school senior to make $12,000+ a year? No, they don't but it's their way of forcing the parents to be responsible for the loans.

Not an issue, I thought. Signed my name on the dotted line and told them to proceed. A few days later we got the "good" news - we were approved! Yay! At an astronomically HIGH interest rate.

Uh, excuse me Sallie Mae maybe you didn't hear but I have an 883. In fact Trans Union pats me on the back and says I'm in the top 20% of the nation with that score. Turns out SM could give a darn about any of that.

With this interest rate his loan would be DOUBLED by the time it was paid off, and that's with making a monthly interest payment. Some "they" somewhere makes that decision and there is nothing more that they can do. I can accept it. Or not.

You know what I did when they said that? Bad ass that I am...I cried.

Then I called S & cried some more. It wasn't that we were told no, but it was pretty close because there is no way in hell that I'm going to hinder him (or us) with a loan like that. By the time he graduated he would owe over $100,000.

My God!

S sat him down and explained it all to him. I will tell you as proud as I was when he graduated, it was at that moment that I was most proud of the teen. He took the news in stride, much better than I expected. Then with a very grown, mature attitude he made the decision not to accept that college on those terms and began to talk of Plan B.

I'm not sure where Plan B will take him yet. He's weighing all his options now so there will be an update to come on that but this weekend he stepped into adulthood. And he's walking tall.

My suggestion for any parent hoping to send their little ones to college one day - College Fund. A big, huge college fund. Or maybe start playing the lottery because the costs are only going up.

*Thanks to the new health care plan.

Just wondering...

*How much of Heidi is real and how much is plastic? Definitely a 20/80 split...and I'll let you decide which is 80%.



*Why it is so hard for people to use their turn signals? It doesn't hurt. I promise.

*Who thought "untrimmed chest" would make good lyrics in Trains "Hey Soul Sister"? Unless the song is about Chewbacca. But I don't think it is...



*Why the city is working on a major landscaping project...when budget woes are forcing them to close schools and raise the meal tax? Besides the fact that they could not afford to maintain parks & other public areas last year, bushes should be the LAST thing they spend money on.

*Signs in the same city say "DUI Illegal - City Wide". Are there cities that allow it some areas but not others? I think I'll skip a visit to those towns.

*Why are the teen & his gf holding a gnome during Prom pictures?**







**Because the photographer made them. And when I say "photographer" I mean ME.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...right?

If that statement is true then ya'll must ADORE me! :D

I won't bore you with all the details (at least not til I've uploaded all my pics!) but we have been highway bound for the last week.

First a trip to Albany NY to visit friends and see some of the great places that upstate New York has to offer. Or should I say what great EATS they have to offer since I sampled my way through the city. From Pasta Fagioli to chocolate cream puffs, to Polish coffee cake (Placek) and the perfect soft serve I had it all.

Let's just say I imagine heaven to be like Bella Napoli's - the Italian bakery we went to. Breads & desserts oh my!

Thursday we had to return home so that we could go to the teen's college on Friday in order to register him for classes. "On the road again..."

Then we returned to his future college on Saturday for a special invite only scholarship reception.

When we got home that night I was b-e-a-t. I mean totally exhausted.

But you know what they say...no rest for the weary...

Guess that's why we had a belated Easter picnic/egg hunt yesterday. Three hours in the park with the little ones would wear anyone out but then like complete fools we worked in the yard after that.

Phew!

Needless to say I've got a lot of catching up to do - with blogs, with work, at home, etc, etc, etc. and no energy at all to do any of it.

Remembering the good parts.

You would think after such a lackluster week of posts I would have something spectacular to write about.

Um, not really.

I can tell you that last week I had some pretty good parts even with all my hormone induced bitching.
***
The teen received his first scholarship. And I say first, because we're hoping for like a million more.
***
We totally dominated during our dart match, smashing the other team with a 10-1 win. That's pretty hard core even if the other team does suck.
***
Lil J came to visit me on Friday and she was relatively well behaved. It wasn't till the end when she got tired that she got whiny.


The 5th frame is downright scary looking huh?! At that point she wanted everything I touched including my camera and that just wasn't going to happen.
***
My coupon class was a complete success. I've actually been invited to speak to two other groups as a compensated speaker. Dolla, dolla, bill ya'll...who couldn't use a few more of those?!
***
And finally my favorite author Denise Grover Swank has sent me Chapter 17 of her soon-to-be-a-smash-hit book Chosen so I'm off to read!

Taking out the garbage...

Budget cuts for the arts?

No worries. The true artists improvise.

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Even though...

Even though you forgot to set your alarm last night and got up late...

Even though you don't like tomatoes...

Even though you won't wash my car...

Even though I got sunburnt watching you on Saturday...

Even though you eat all the mac & cheese...EVERYTIME...

Even though you never shut the shower curtain...

Even though you don't shave like you should...

Even though you call me "loser" everyday...

Even though you park closer to the house than I do...

Even though you drive me crazy sometimes...

Your Dad & I are still super proud of you.
Happy 18th Birthday!

(Don't forget rent is due on the 1st of every month.)

*What will I call him now that he's an adult. Ex-teen? Adult-child? He-who-lives-in-my-house-and-eats-much?

It was so worth the soggy hot dogs...

This Halloween I played the part of the proud band parent. (Although I did wear a halo, it wasn't that much different from everyday life since I'm always a complete angel. Right S?)

On Saturday the teen's marching band competed in their first USSBA State Championships and...

WON!

The teen is on the end in the red uniform.

Our show this year is called "Phobias". At first I wasn't in love with it, and it's still my least favorite of all four seasons the teen has done marching band. (The first year we did Disney's "Fantasia"; second year was Frank Sinatra; last year's show was the music of Blood, Sweat & Tears.)

But it's grown on me. This little snippet of their opening is one of my favorite parts. (The sound isn't the best so turn up the volume to get the full effect.)



This year we have props that are a huge pain in the ass, but pretty cool looking on the field.

This one is my fav. That's claustrophobia if you were wondering.

For those who may not know what a "band competition" is basically several bands perform their show and they are judged on several different criteria. Typical categories include music, marching, percussion, drum major, general effect, and color guard. Those scores are then combined to determine overall place.

Saturday we took 1st in every category except percussion.

Who's your daddy?!

From the mind of Me...

*The teen's Jazz band rocked the house on Tuesday.



*Those LATISSE commercials scare me. Why would anyone want longer lashes SO bad that they would risk having their eye color change?! "...there is potential for increased brown iris pigmentation which is likely to be permanent." Um, no thanks. As they say be careful what you wish for.



*I may not know sweaters but I know socks. I'm wearing these today & loving them.



*Counting down the days until December 1st. That's when Virginia goes smoke free. Can I get an amen?! I love playing darts but coming home smelling like an ashtray is not my idea of fun.



*For those naysayers that claim video games are bad for the kiddos, please point them in my direction. The teen is excelling in percussion and I'm attributing it to the hours spent playing Rock Band.



*I totally carved these for our competition tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that the rain holds off.



*Tonight's football game is Senior night. That means S & I are walking the teen down the track in front of everyone, so if you could give a little nod upstairs that I do not trip and fall I would really appreciate it.



Have a great weekend ya'll!

My favorite things

A few of my favorite things from this past week:

The teen participating in Homecoming week & dressing up with friends as Kiss.*


Taking a few quick pictures of the kids before the homecoming dance since they were running late.


Being able to walk around my finished deck.


Seeing this gobble-gobble sitting in the corner.


Having these ladies over for a Sunday/Birthday dinner.



*Notice the absence of "Gene Simmons"? The kid that was supposed to the fourth backed out. The guys still had a blast & I still got embarrassing pictures to pass around when he least expects it.

It was a good week.

At least it was a good week for some of us. My week was pretty bland but the teen had a GREAT week.


He got his first grades of the year - all A's except for physics, which was a B.

Not too shabby.

Then he found out he was nominated to homecoming court. Although he ended up not being one of the final 4 guys, the best news of the week was still to come.

On Friday we received THE LETTER.

And when I say "we" I really mean the teen, since technically it was addressed to him.


He got his acceptance letter into college. His first pick college.

Oooh la la.

Then he rounded the week off nicely with a SUPERIOR rated, FIRST PLACE performance at Saturday's competition.

Booyah.


So the teen is college bound in 2010 and we are about to be college broke.

And when I say "we" I really mean S & I.

Makes you wonder why the teen is the one with the "serious face"?!

Revenge is so sweet...

Remember my Back to School post where the teen dissed me?

When I got home on Wednesday I confronted the little bastard him.


Can't you see the remorse on his face?

Yeah me either.

So I threatened to post embarrassing pictures of him on my blog for all the world to see. Of course being the cocky, know-it-all teen that he has become he just laughed at me.

Little did he know that I've already featured this picture TWICE:


Or that I would have no guilt about posting this one:



And he probably didn't think I would go a few years back to show you why his nickname is "Stash":



Or that I would remember this video from last year where he was a "chicken":



Forget about chocolate...

Revenge is sweet enough.

Back to School - NYASM style

For the last week friends have posted pictures of their kids heading back to school on their blogs & Facebook. I've commented & "liked" photos of their kiddies dressed in their first-day-wear, most of them looking pretty excited.

Or at least their mothers made them smile. Whatever...

In return I thought I would post a picture of the teen on his first day as an official senior so you guys could oooh & ahhhh over it...


Um, yeah.

It just didn't happen. Instead here is what took place this morning...

Scene #1 with Brandy:

(As we passed in the hallway)

Teen: "Loser"
Me: (a half open eye, very groggy) "Shut up"


Scene #2 with S:

(In the kitchen)

S: "Have a good day at school"
Teen: (laughs as if this is a retarded statement)
S: (play punches teen in the kidneys)
Teen: (laughs harder)


Scene #3 with Brandy:

Me: "Teen!"
Me: "Teen!"
Me: "TEEEEEENN!"
Me: (walks to down the hall to his room) "Hello?"
Me: (looks out the window to find he has already left)

Not only did I NOT get a picture but I also did NOT get a goodbye.

~sigh~