Holiday Posting

Ok, we're back from MI (having returned to a furnace with burnt up wires - scary - and a fridge that was off - so a whole lot of bad food) with lots of stories, and lots of pictures. Not sure how long it's going to take me to post it all, but it's coming.

I Saw a Movie . . .

For years now, we have been on the crunchy, eating local, organic, cage-free, HFCS free bandwagon. I'm big on keeping up with nutritional news and there are always studies coming out about how all the big food conglamerates are destroying US American health. It is absolutely beyond me how anyone can be paying any attention to the world around them and still buy white bread with high fructose corn syrup in it [seriously, read your bread label today - most brands contain needless HFCS].

Last night we watched "Food Inc." We've had it since it came out, but had never really gotten around to watching the whole thing [I am TERRIBLE about watching movies. I generally fall asleep a few minutes into most movies we watch at home - it's a whole post of its own]. And it was everything I expected it to be. There were even a few things in there that were new to me. What annoyed me was Listening to people talk afterwards about how strongly they feel about these topics. On it's face not a bad thing, except these are people I know, and I know it's all talk. "oh, yeah all those additives and crap they put in food these days is terrible. I only eat organic" then they turn around and feed their families hotdogs for dinner. I am not saying anyone is bad for eating hotdogs [though in most cases ew]. I love a good hot dog here and there, but don't get all high and mighty about your eating habits when everyone knows that's all it is - talk. "I shop at this or that mega organic food store

." [which is, by the way, still a major nationwide chain conglomarate - "whole" or not]. Big effing deal. When was the last time I saw you eat a plate of raw vegetables? Crap from an organic food store is still crap.
Ugh. I am just so sick of people who are all talk. funny thing coming from a blogger I'm sure, ha. But I've really gotten my fill of shallow, superficial people the last few months. I know way too many people who will go on and ona bout how stronly they feel about this or that, but if you actually get to take a peek into their lives, they're full of it. Like the food thing. They'll go on and on about their healthy eating habits- how they only eat organic and shop at X store, but take one look in their fridge or cupboards and I'm sure I'd find lunch meats full of sodium nitrates/nitrites, canned this or that packed with extra salt and preservatives, and junk foods of all kinds. I know I already said it, but it bears repeating: Junk food from an organic food store is still junk food. And I'm not trying to do my own self-righteous thing either. I really don't care if other people want to eat things I don't generally partake of. It's about the talk. Eat hot dogs and Little Debbies all y
ou want, just don't turn around and act like you're all about nutrition afterwards.

Anyway, sorry about the little rant. My real point is that "Food Inc" really is a great movie, esp if you're not as crazy and anal about nutrition news as I am [and I'm definitely not trying to say everyone should be]. It can be a real eye opener. And if it makes more people care about where their food comes from, so much the better - just as long as it's actions, not just talk! Ha.

Still enjoying an awesome holiday, and I really hope you all are as well!

Happy Holidays

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

I haven't really taken any holiday pictures on my phone, but this one captures a pretty large part of it. This whole trying to cut way back on caffiene and alcohol just in case we do happen to conceive is kindof a pain during the holidays! It'd be a lot easier if I actually knew I was pregnant, but I really doubt I am. I figure it will take my body a couple months to be ready. At the same time, though, I don't want to have any really crazy nights out only to find out a couple weeks later that I am.

But aside from my little struggles with coffe and wine, ha, the holidays so far have been AMAZING. I can't even express it. Relaxing, hanging out with family and friends. Finding out that my brother is in a serious relationship with one of my best friends! And working very hard at this making a baby thing. :-D

ha, we're listening to "There's Only One Way to Rock" by AC/DC? or maybe Motley Crew? Either way, the song is on the radio, and Punky looks at her Uncle Boo [my brother] and says, "You know, there's not necessarily only one way to rock." lol. That kid has been full of them this whole trip.

Anyway, our holidays so far have beed just awesome, and I am truely hoping that all my friends out there are having just as wonderful a time. I can't wait to upload pictures, but, alas, there is very little internet access around these parts.

I could go on and on, but I think I'll wait until I upload the pictures. For right now, there is more fun to be had. After all, it's Saturday night And I don't have to work for a week!

Winter Wonderland

I have never seen snow like this in VA before. It's like MI snow! It's awesome. Though it does make me even more sad to leave this house because I'm pretty certain we will never see snow like this down south. We definitely decided yesterday, though, that after we separate from the Marines, we're going to move back to the North, back to four distinct seasons.Watching the dogs bound through snow as high as them was too cute and hilarious.

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

Either way, the snow is amazing. It truly makes the season. There was barely a flake on the ground when we went to bed, and when I got up in the morning to let the dogs out:

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

Then someone decided they were going to go out and shovel snow up above their knees with no snowpants on . . .

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

But we got that all straightened out, and we had a big family snow shoveling party.

Which, of course, eventually denigrated into a snow playing party, which may or may not have been Mommy's fault . . .We all went in for hot chocolate and a little relaxing before MacGyver and I headed out to finish up the last of the shoveling. We ended up slow dancing in the snow to REO Speedwagon MacGyver had playing on his phone. It was one of those small moments that mean a lot.

and then it passed, lol.

Apparently spending the day bounding through neck deep snow is tiring . . .



And just to catch up, pictures of putting the star on the tree last weekend:

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow is the Solstice. I have planned nothing for it, but this snow definitely helps with the feeling of the day. We're also leaving tomorrow for the great white North to see family and friends. We can't wait. I'm sure I will have too much to do and too much to blog about when we return, but there is little to no internet signal up there, so until then, miss you all. Be happy and stay safe!

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

To Be There For a Friend

Back in April I wrote about a dear friend, MMom, who is suffering from lung cancer. MMom is the mother my best friend of more that 21 years, NotDonna. MMom is an amazing woman, mother of 6, grandmother of 8 (with another on the way), who has spent years caring for and nurturing her large clan and numerous friends who have joined the pack along the way. She has been the central grounded point and voice of reason in the chaotic world around her.

She is a wonderful, kind, funny, and amazing woman. And she is loosing her battle. It is absolutely hearbreaking. She has developped lesions on her brain and has lost touch with reality. NotDonna recently made the cross country trip to spend the holidays with her only to find out that MMom likely has less than two weeks left. There will be a large hole left in the world after this.

We will be making the trip Monday to be with NotDonna as well as to visit with family and friends for the holidays. It will be a trip punctuated with emotional extremes. We will be seeing family and friends we've missed for months; we will be going out to old haunts, celebrating Christmas/Yule and New Year's; but I will also be spending as much time as I can with NotDonna.

I cannot imagine the pain she must be feeling right now. Just the legal complications of her situation running through my head are enough to drive me to distraction. And these are factors of which NotDonna is acutely aware, all mingled with the incomprehesible pain of watching a mother who has been like her best friend suffer and slip away before her eyes.

I know all I can do is be there for her. Listen and be present and help with what I can. It kills me that I can't make her pain go away. That I probably can't lessen it even a bit. To be powerless to help my best friend, who I've known for more than 21 years, who I've stayed in touch with constantly as we both moved around the country, through hard times and good. The best friend who can always make me smile. It's maddening to want so badly to ease this pain and know there is little I can do.

But that little I can do, being there for her, I will do. My thoughts and prayers are with MMom and NotDonna, and soon I will be there physically as well.

And any of you out there who smoke, I implore you to STOP. In this age, I don't understand why anyone would do it anyway. I know mothers who openly risk putting their children through this hell, who expose their children on a routine basis to these chemicals (including Punky's BioB*tch who smokes like a chimney around Punky and even did while she was pregnant, ugh!). And I know three people who, at this very moment are dying of lung cancer. All of them are parents. All are wonderful people who will leave great holes in this world.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to break addiction. But think for a minute about what your children will go through watching you slowly and painfully slip away before your time and ask yourself if it's worth it.

Kosher

The other day when I went to get the IUD out, I also had a routine check-up/pap - always a joy, right ladies? Once I was all settled in the stirrups, scooted down to ready-to-fall-off-the-table position, the doc started to talk me through a proceedure I've been through at least annually since I was 18. She said "first we're going to just have a look and make sure verything's kosher."

To which I could not resist responding, "Oh, I'm not jewish."

The doc blinked at me for a moment, then smiled. "That was such a mom joke. You are definitely ready to have a baby."

:-]

I'm on a bus in Norfolk right now, on my way to the ship we'll be sleeping on tonight. The last time I was on a Naval bessel was '02, which makes me feel old and a little nostalgic - as does listening to all the 22 year old girls here talk about whether or not it's a good idea to have kids now or to wait until after they get out. Their general concensus seems to be to wait until they get out and start having kids when they're around, ahem, 28. Lol. So I guess we're basically on the same page.

I can't believe the holidays start this weekend. I have so much still to do! I have to go shopping! But when . . ? i am so looking forward to seeing my parents and brother, though. To spending some real quality time with MacGyver and Punky. Ready to lay around on my mom's couch and do nothing but watch old episodes of "Friends." and then come back to the insanity of the impending move . . . Ha. Ah, life. One adventure after another. I'm ready for my break now please. :-]

Going Underground

We are finally getting used to the idea of our upcoming relocation. It looks like it shouldn't be too hard to rent the house out, and the position I'm going to fill really is an amazing opportunity.

And yet, there is still SOOO much to do in so little time. We have to meet with TMO to figure out whether it's better for MacGyver and Punky to come with me to Rhode Island or stay behind. Christmas break is NEXT WEEK! We have to find a place to move to (or places, as the case may be, in RI and SC). We have to get the house ready to move out of (and I can't describe how big a task that is going to be!) There is so much paperwork, logistics, and details to be tracked. Ugh. I cannot wait to be at that ultimate duty station and know for sure that we get to stay put for at least a few years. It'll be a nice change of pace.

One of those tiny detail considerations to be taken is that I have to make this blog just a little more anonymous. Look for a pseudonym to appear shortly, along with deletions of references to where my actual duty station is and so forth. The blog is going away by no means. And I'm certain that anyone with half a brain and too much time on their hands would still be able to pretty easily track down who I am, but at least it won't be apparent on it's face anymore.

And lastly, I have had a sour stomach for 3 days now, and it's driving me nuts! I have no idea what could be causing it! There are no other symptoms at all! And of course anyone who knows I got the IUD out thinks I'm pregnant. While that would make me really happy, I seriously doubt it considering that would mean we conceived within a day or two of getting the IUD out and I don't think I was ovulating at that point. So I am seeing now that I am in for long months of anything strange going on with my body or health (and probably mood, for that matter) being interpreted as a symptom of pregnancy. WooHoo. We'll see.

Finally, I have to post pictures of the bedroom. It is amazing. I am going to be soo, soo sad to leave it. When I'll get around to those pics, though, remains to be seen. I'm going to be in Norfolk for the next two days for a mini field ex. I've been on a ship before, so this'll be nothing new. And I'm not too concerned about it other than the fact that there are about a billion things I need to be doing at home. It'll be interesting, though, I haven't been to Norfolk since '02 - man, does that make me feel old.

And, as per the previous post, I still hate coughing when I pee.

SARS

I have had this really obnoxious and persistent cough for a couple weeks now, and one strange thought keeps popping into my head:

I hate coughing when I'm peeing.

I'm not sure I can really identify why, but it just doesn't seem right to me at all. Not that I can help it most of the time, because, obviously, if I could I would. But I just don't like coughing when I pee.

The other night I was hacking wretchedly around the house trying to get some chores done, and my wonderful husband, MacGyver, pulled me aside to say, "Honey, I love you. You are so beautiful, and I'm so sad you're sick - But your cough is getting really, really annoying."

Lol. Ah, the love. My cough subsequently became even more annoying because it became cough, cough, hack "Sorry." cough.

Up Hill Both Ways

Yesterday I walked 15 miles. It was our final hump. My feet are not happy today. I need to chill in a tub and get a pedicure. Anyone who doesn't believe up hill both ways is possible needs to join me for a nice "walk" here in lovely Quantico.

I also stood duty last night, so I'm going on basically no sleep (and I've had to cut my caffeine intake way down because I am officially sans IUD! :-)), but is that going to keep me from spending the day putting up the Christmas tree and cleaning up the house? No friggin way. If I'm going to waste my time being tired, it's going to be at work, not at home, lol.

We are slowly readying ourselves for the impending chaos of moving first to Rhode Island for three months, then on to the base in the south. I don't know how we will ever be ready in time, it just seems like too much too fast. But at the same time I know we will be because MacGyver and I always pull it off in the end.

Ups and Downs

If the number of posts I manage to produce is any indication, the last few weeks have been hectic to say the least. Work has been the main culprit, as I mentioned in Happy Day, I have finally reached (and surmounted) the culminating point of my training here at TBS. And it was no short or easy road to be sure, but I/we did it, and it will soon be over.

There have been more ups and downs than I can count. I can say with pleasure that there have been many more ups, but it has still be quite the emotional roller coaster, not just for me, but for MacGyver and Punky as well. Heck, probably more so for them. And the ride isn't over yet.

Recent ups and downs:
- I got home from MOUT to find the bedroom all painted, complete with the gorgeous new bedding and curtains, AND my new dresser (granted, it doesn't have my clothes in it - my old dresser is now hanging out in the livingroom, lol). It's so pretty. I'll post pictures soon.

- For MacGyver's birthday he wanted to take me shopping for new clothes (remember This?), and he actually seemed to have a blast picking out things for me to try on and such. And I came away with a bunch of new pants and a couple of really cute tops. Then we went out for ribs, which was also awesome. MacGyver had such a great time.

- Until we got home . . . I got a message from a friend informing me that our Duty Stations were [finally!] assigned. So I logged on to look. We had asked for Quantico because we love it here, we're getting really into perfecting the house (hello, brand new red bedroom), and we just moved some stuff with Punky's custody case here. So we were FAR from thrilled when Parris Island, SC showed up. As a matter of fact, we were really, really unthrilled. We'll have to rent out the house, we won't be able to finish it (at least not in the next three years), Punky will have to change schools again, as will MacGyver, and a million other small things that make moving to a place you had never considered moving to a huge pain in the a**.

- But, as it turns out, there are much better schools for MacGyver (who has been trying to finish two different degrees for a while now, but I keep interfering by making him move from state to state), and since we know we'll be there for three years, he'll be able to get those done right away, which will make him sooooo happy. He has sacrificed so much for me. AND it seems that this position I'm getting at PI is a pretty coveted one. There are HUGE opportunities for me there that I definitely could not get at Quantico. And further, my best friend here at TBS, Java, who is also a lawyer also got PI! Fun.

- But I love my new bedroom and bathroom and don't want to leave!

- And I had to work every day this weekend.

- But after work on Sunday, we went to the mall to do a little Holiday shopping, and we found a full set of the dishes we've been wanting for literally more than a year. We tried to order them online, but peices of the set were unavailable, and the stores never have the full set. But they did yeasterday. yay! There is a picture of them in the previous post.

- I'm getting the IUD out!!!!!!!

- I was supposed to get it out this morning, but the Dr's office was missing a particular hemostat they needed to do it with. Annoying. So now, more waiting. They promised to call me either this afternoon or tomorrow.

- Either way, I'm getting the IUD out!!! Woo Hoo.

Well, those are the highlights. There have been lots of other little ups and downs, but those have been the big ones drawing me out of the blogsphere lately. Maybe over the next month I'll have time to be a little better. Then again, the holidays are coming up . . .

New Dishes

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

Happy Day

I am Done! Spent a week doing Urban Ops, sleeping on cement in the freezing effing cold, getting woken up by artillery explosions, and missing my family. And yet, a lot of the time, It was still really, really fun. Then this morning (Saturday, ahem), we geared up bright and early and headed out (in rain followed by sleet followed by snow) for our Culminating Event. And it was awesome.

I "killed" the "suicide bomber." And I "survived" the whole ex. I rock.

We are soclose to the end now. There's still a lot of time, but no more sleeping in holes in the woods, and possibly a whole lot less screwing around with us. We'll see about that second part.

I am in such a good mood. The snow is awesome. I made a snow angel outside the armory. But don't worry, I drew in an M16, so it was still very Marine-like ;-). Now I'm just waiting on the hubs and Punky so we can go out (very carefully - people in VA can NOT drive in the snow) and celebrate MacGyver's birthday.

That's right. My beloved is another year older. Not that he looks it - a fact that amuses the heck out of him. His birthday was actually yesterday, though we didn't get much celebrating in. We didn't get done from the week's training until around 8 pm. But his present did come in the mail that morning, and - even though I told him not to before I left(!) - he opened it as soon as he saw the box. He just had to try on his new Heelys.

I got Heelys for Mother's Day two years ago, and he has totally envied them ever since. Well, I finally managed to get a pair in his size, and he loves them. Joy! There's something else I've been trying to get him for a couple weeks. I'm going to try again, if possible, this weekend.

Either way, today is a good day. Except that I now have to come in to work tomorrow too (bye bye weekend). But nevertheless, I am going to enjoy today.

And I can catch up on blogs now!

Last Big Event

I'm going to the field tomorrow for another week. It is our last major field event. If I can just make it through this one, we're pretty much in the clear to graduate. I have a couple of fun things I would LOVE to get up tonight before I leave. We'll see . . .

Either not, can't wait to get back to the blogsphere next week!

Thanksgiving in the ER

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

We are currently sitting in the er after an extremely tasty Thanksgiving turkey because, of course, I had to go and get all sick during the long weekend. Se we figured we'd also get Punky's persistant cough checked out.

Everyone's fine, and I get some codine [of which I'm a fan]. But it isn't really how I wanted to spend the evening. Fingers crossed that we get out of here soon. We have pies to get to!

In the Spirit

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

I had been writing a long, eloquent (right . . .) lovely post about all the things and people I am thankful for this thanksgiving, and there is a hell of a lot I have to be thankful for. But it was becoming quite the long unwieldy post, and I have a turkey to dress. So I've pared it down. What I'm really thankful for at this very moment is this:
This is a terrible picture (it doesn't even begin to capture how friggin hot my husband is ;-)), but our bedroom will be fully painted tonight! I am SOOO excited. I can't wait to post pics of the finished product. Some of you are probably wondering about the master bath . . . Well, that isn't done, but it is closer. Possibly by the end of the long weekend. Probably not. But the bedroom is soclose. And it looks AWESOME.

Plus, after a long search, I found the perfect owl for the wall on Etsy. Now if I could just find a couple of black vinyl paisly wall clings, I would be even happier.

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

All we have left to do after the paint dries is put in the new furnature, curtains, and gorgeous new bedding (we have two different sets that I LOVE, and both match the bedroom perfectly). Hooray for a full on grown-up bedroom with none of either of our old, hand-me down, "ecclectic" college furnature.

For this, among a mountain of other things, I am truely thankful.

Us and Up

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

Ok, I'm pretty certain we were about the last family on the eastern seaboard to watch the movie Up, and normally I wouldn't post about something quite so irrelevant. But this movie struck me so strangely, and I was wondering if anyone else had a similar reaction to the movie.

I thought this movie was sad. Sad to a degree that it actually surprised me even after my brother (Boo), who has always been able to predict my tastes, told me that it would make me sad. I guess it wasn't just that the movie had sad parts, but how quickly they came on. Boo thought the part that would bother me the most would be when the momma bird breaks a leg and can't get back to her young. And yes, that part was heart wrenching. But I knew through my mad deduction skills that that part would have to come later in the movie after the guy had flown away in his house.

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

So I was not prepared for the emotional assault that opened the film. I was totally sucked in to the cute story of the happy couple with the same unusual interests, her desire to drag him along on her crazy adventure, watching them redecorate their new home (and MacGyver had to point out that it was just like us because I would so be the one with the bigger chair, lol),

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

and man was I sucked in when all the clouds turned in to babies. And then, as soon as I was completely at the mercy of this friggin G-rated Disney/Pixar kids' movie, the sad started.There would be no babies for them - a huge fear of mine right now as I count down ever so *ahem* patiently to the removal of my IUD. But they get past it and continue to be wildly happy on their adventure together. And then, WHAM. The end. One of them is gone, and the other is alone after all that. I was absolutely ashamed by how unbelievably choked up I was. And there was a full grown very masculine adult man next to me, but I'm not allowed to say whether there were any tears on his part . . .

It led me into a whole line of thinking I don't even want to pursue. One of those, the happier you are, the more you have to loose sorts of deals. Aching for that poor little old man just existing in the vaccum left after such a happy life. Ugh! I could wax poetic about my marriage to MacGyver; about how happy I am; how our life is so similar to this cartoon love story; and about living every day to its fullest and not looking ahead to that inevitable day when one of us is gone (we both agree that "till death do us part" meant exactly that - not until I don't feel like it anymore or am sick of you or just want to try things out with someone else, ugh, don't get me started). BUT, that isn't the purpose of this post, and I'm not particularly eloquent when it comes to matters of the heart anyway (just check out our Anniversary). My point is, I was not prepared for the emotional blow.

And, of course, Punky barely even blinked. It always amuses me to see different things through the eyes of a child vice the eyes of an adult. Sure, she thought it was sad, but she was more anxious to see him fly his house; they were old anyway; and she obviously has no personal context for that sort of relationship. MacGyver and I were definitely trying to conceal our reactions lest we get teased by our 7 year old daughter for being crybabies, lol.

But was that the end of the sadness assault? No! Once we finally got over the first blow, being amused by the house taking off and all those antics, we encounter a selfless mother bird who can't get back to save her babies and an adorable, loveable, loyal and sweet pup who faces repeated rejection on all fronts. My heartstrings definitely got one heck of a workout during that movie. Yes, it had a happy ending, but damn. I was not ready for that.

I think I'm going soft . . . Ugh. Don't tell the Marines.

So Much To Say . . .

. . . And Yet So Little Motivation.

It seems to be becoming a mantra of my blog. I have so many little half finished posts and ideas floating around, but real life keeps getting in the way of my blogging. At least I've finally found a few minutes to catch up on some of my bloggy buddies.

What sort of things do I really want to yammer about but can't seem to find the motivation to pump out posts on?

1) I didn't accomplish crap this weekend. We had decided that this weekend was going to be completely devoted to cleaning, organizing, and redecorating the house until MacGyver reminded me that Punky had a birthday party to go to on Saturday, followed by the Auction at our church (which was quite fun), and Sunday was Thanksgiving shopping.
- The birthday party was a blast. It was at the roller rink we used to take Punky to every weekend before the last few months of craziness ensued. And I was once again treated to watching my hubby wallop a bunch of teenagers in the races then trade dance moves on them. He's so cute.

2.) I have so much to do this very short week. I have to prep the turkey for Thanksgiving tonight because I have to work until super-late tomorrow night, and I have to get MacGyver's birthday present ASAP (like, tonight, also) since I'll be in the field the whole week of his birthday. Ugh, I was in the field for Punky's birthday, then mine, and now I will be for his as well. Ugh. I would love to go into more detail about my plans for his b-day, but, alas, he has started actually reading the blog, so I suppose that story will be an after the fact one.

3.) I am super excited about getting the IUD out in just over two weeks. We have been waiting to start trying for SO LONG. But the time is finally coming. It is going to kill me to try to keep from talking about that ad nauseum, but I will try. We've already come up with a boy's name, a girl's first name (though either of those may well evolve in the future), and the theme for the nursery, though we still have to decided which room will be the nursery.

4.) As a wonderful surprise for me Friday, I came home to find our bedroom half way painted! And the color we chose is perfect. I can't wait till it's done. I was hoping it would be done tonight, but having just spoken to MacGyver, it doesn't exactly sound like there's a whole lot of painting going on right now . . . haha.

5.) I just realized that if we're going to start TTC that soon, I'm going to have to cut my caffeine intake back down (I say as I crack open my afternoon pop). I had been doing really, really well, but a couple months ago the insanity of the schedule here got the better of me, and I've been a serious caffeine pig ever since. I'm also going to have to start bidding farewell to the glass of wine I enjoy so thoroughly with dinner every night. :-( But it will all be worth it!

And NOW, a question for the masses:

What are you making for Thanksgiving Dinner? Anything new this year to your family/gathering? I'm brining our turkey this year, which I've never done before, but other than that, we're going with a similar menu to the last couple years. And I'd also like to know everyone's favorite Thanksgiving dish.

Little Ears

Sometimes I forget just how much Punky listens in when MacGyver and I are just discussing random everyday things. I'm a little ashamed of myself for forgetting sometimes what an aware and perceptive little person we share the house with. Then yestderday I got a reminder.

We sat down to an awesome dinner prepared by my skilled chef of a husband - delicious orange sesame stir-fry veggies with three different grilled fish filets, salmon, mahi mahi, and talapia. [Hubby is on a mission to find seafood I will eat - so far the list includes shark, which I've always loved, some oysters, and, as of last night, mahi mahi]. ANYWAY, we sat down to a nice family dinner. We used to do these a minimum of 5 nights a week, but with my training schedule this number has dropped to whichever weeknights I'm home early enough and most Sundays. As we usually do for family dinners, we lit the Chalice [http://www.Uua.Org], and said a free-form prayer.

As UU's, our prayers are a bit grab-bag. As a Pagan UU, I usually address my prayers to "Mother in Heaven," "Mother Earth," or some sort of Great Spirit. MacGyver, who was raised Catholic, prays to "Father in Heaven," and Punky generally prays to "God." The first time she tried to mimic me, she addressed her prayer to "Mother in Law," lol! She has also taken to trying to beat us to the punch on the things we often offer thanks for. It's really quite cute. Last night, though, totally took the cake. Her prayer:

"Dear Mother in Heaven" [score one for Mommy] "thank you for [a long list of things MacGyver and I typically give thanks for - family, friends, warm beds, food, wine - really, and so on] please be with those who can't be with us [another of my favorite lines] and please help Mommy to not get recycled and please help Daddy finish the bathroom SOMETIME. Amen."

MacGyver and I just about died. It was hysterical. A little back info in case it's needed: Getting recycled at TBS means you have to start the training over again for some reason, like an injury that you have to recover from before you can complete. Getting recycled would be HORRIBLE. But I'm pretty sure I've never actually told Punky about it, ha. And the bathroom . . . Oh heavens.

Our master bathroom was AWFUL when we moved in. It was a yellowy-beige with blue countertops and a hand painted, Whinnie the Pooh looking, cartoon tree painted all over the one open wall. Complete with gaudy fake birdhouse nailed to the wall. And the leaves were two shades of green, pink, yellow, and light blue. It was gross. MacGyver made quick work of painting it and redoing the countertops and accessories. It looks unbelievable. It is now a dark grey with stone accents and counters. I recently founf the perfect showercurtain to complete the forest waterfall feel, and MacGyver just rigged up the fancy new dual showerheads - too cool. The only thing left to do is to put in the shelving. MacGyver is going to run shelves all the way around the room at the top that I am then going to OVERFLOW with plants, including over and hanging down into the shower. The shelves are the ONLY thing left. The problem? The shelves have been the Only thing left for a number of weeks. And we can't finish the master bedroom and office until after the shelves are up. I am chomping at the bit to say the least. And, apparently, Punky has caught on, lol.

So the prayer was too funny. And it was just another on a long list of constant reminders of just how smart and grown up Punky is getting.

In other news, since I'll be in the field the next couple days and won't be able to post:

we're on the downward slope at TBS now. We only have 70 days till graduation, and only 35 of those are training days after weekends and holidays are subtracted out. WOOHOOO!!!!

AND I'm getting the IUD out in about 20 days. Even bigger WooHoo. Probably won't be talking about our conception journey until we actually concieve because I'm so paranoid about jynxing it, but I will say that we will be starting soon, and are SUPER EXCITED. And we've been practicing every chance we get!

Talk to u all Monday!

Hostage

From Cheap Wine and Cookies

I know I haven't been a very good blogger or bloggie buddie lately, and I am very sorry. But, as with most things in my life ;-], it's not my fault. My laptop has been commandeered in the interest of some sort of huge birthday surprise for me. If you haven't caught on to the fact that MacGyver and I are on a constant mission to outdo one another with surprises - well then you probably haven't been reading this blog very often!

the picture above is the awesome "perfect" watch I surprised him with out of the blue last year [with Sirius Black, the Snaggle Toothed Pup in the background], after an intense couple month long search. His birthday is just around the corner, too, but since he's recently developped an interest in this blog, there will be no details about my usual headless chicken dash to get him something worthy of all the wonderful things he does for me posted until after the fact. Sorry, Honey, I'm wise to you.

So, anyway,m he's had my computer for a few days now [I'm writing this from my phone so a: please forgive any typos, and b: it takes a lot longer so there won't be a whole lot of substance to this post], and for the life of me I can't figure out what the heck he could possibly be doing for/getting me. I am not a tech-y person. I love my computer, but for working, reading, and, of course, facebook lol. I'm not into other tech things. I HATE gaming. I think it's an insane waste of time for an adult [though I'm certainly not trying to pick any fights with that - I have an earlier post on why I think adult "gamers," esp those with families are ridiculous, but it's just an opinion]. So I really can't figure out what he could POSSIBLY be up to, but I'll tell you what, he is soooo excited. Which, of course, makes me excited. Not only am I super anxious to get my laptop back, I can't wait to see what this mystery surprise is. Any guesses?

So I'm sorry I haven't been up on all my lovely buddie's blogs, but I promise I will be as soon as I get my computer back. In the meantime, I'm still "twitting" if anyone's really that hard up for the goings on in the Cheap Wine and Cookies Galaxy.

Every Couple Has a Story

Every Couple has a story.
This is ours.
      How long have you been together?  It's one of those questions people ask all the time, but for DH and I there isn't really a straightforward simple answer.  So I'm going to put as much of it down here as I can, and I'll have a place to refer people who feel the need to know the details.
How We Met

      Neither of us really remembers when we first laid eyes on each other.  There was no sickeningly sweet love at first sight moment, which is fine with me because I think love at first sight is a crock (lust at first sight, sure, but there's a lot more to love than sight). 

      I worked at Applebee's the whole time I was going to Purdue, but I had spent the summer between my second and third years in Michigan cocktail waitressing and hanging out with my family.  Sometime while I was gone, DH started working there.  As it turns out, we both found each other attractive from the very beginning, but we each thought the other was in a relationship, and, as we both hold very deep seated disdain for cheating, there wasn't much flirting, or really even conversation.  [Also, I had spent part of my first and second years of undergrad with my "high school sweetheart" who literally and admittedly wanted to kill me, so I was a little withdrawn at work.  I spent the better part of a year rebuilding myself after that - but that recovery is its own story.]

First Date

      So we both spent time admiring each other, but didn't really talk, until one day I was chatting with another co-worker about relationships and how, after having intentionally spent a year single and free of guys, I was thinking it had been long enough.  DH, who was ringing in an order right behind/next to me, turned and said, "I thought you were engaged?"  He and I got to talking about how we had both been single for about a year; both coming out of very unpleasant relationships, and how we had each thought the other was still in a relationship.  Unfortunately, I had to excuse myself because I needed to take my car (my dead sexy 1976 Mustang II Cobra 302) in to have the oil changed.  DH then pointed out that he loved working on cars and offered to change the oil for me.       He changed the oil on a Saturday when I was working a double, and came in to tell me that it was done, and gave me a note with four things the car needed on it.  The fourth thing was "Date - Dinner and a Movie."  Which was very cruel because I then had to work about 8 more hours with that flying around in my head, so in retaliation, I waited until Monday evening to call him.  Let the games begin!

      We agreed to meet at Starbucks in the Levee and pick a movie from there.  We chatted over coffee for quite a while.  I don't really remember much of what we talked about except that he, like so many other guys, questioned my decision to join the Marine Corps (and at that point I had a rule against guys who raised objection to my military status, but, as it turns out, DH had the power to get me to break a lot of my rules - I also had a rule against dating guys with kids, and I knew he had a daughter; and I had a rule against ever dating my exes - that comes into play later).  At least he questioned it based on his own experience in the Navy and not out of some sexist mindset.  Overall, it was a really pleasant time.  None of the movies showing really struck either of us, so we decided to go for a walk and chat some more.       On our walk, we checked in with his mom, who was watching our daughter, DD (yes, I say our daughter because now, 7 years later, that is what she is).  Yep, I met his mom, and his daughter on our first date.   I had seen K before, but this was the first time I had really met the 18 month old.  She was amazingly well behaved and happy.

      After that, we decided to rent a movie since there was nothing we wanted to see in the theatre, and we went back to my apartment, which was just over the bridge.  Yes, this was our first date, and yes, we ended up back in my apartment, but, trust me nothing happened.  I believe I mentioned we had each spent most of the year before single, recovering from really bad relationships, and, while I can't speak for him, I can say that I was more than a little bit nervous.  My last "first date" had been in the middle of high school.       We sat about two feet apart on my couch and watched almost the whole Mr. Bean movie before we so much as held hands.  After the movie it was pretty late.  We talked a little more, and I walked him to the door where we passed a few very tense seconds.  He didn't kiss me.  I didn't kiss him.  He asked me which way the stairwell was, so I walked him to the stairs.  Then, finally, he kissed me.  And it was amazing.  He looked at me and said, "I've been wanting to do that all night."  And he left.  Remembering it still gives me butterflies in my stomach.

A Few Months

      Obviously, there were more dates after that - and more kissing.  I was faced with another situation I hadn't been in quite a while.  In my previous relationship, I had waited almost a year before having sex.  And while I obviously wasn't 18 anymore, and was no longer inclined to wait quite that long, I did fret about the whole sex step a fair bit.       But, Gd, when we got around to it - well, lets just say I was really, really glad I didn't wait a year, and really, really glad I didn't stay with my ex, ;-).

      And that coincided with when we became an exclusive couple, though we decided from the beginning to keep it a secret at work, which was also fun.  I spent a lot of time with him and DD, outings to the park and quite a few movies.  He wanted to take me roller skating, and I am oh so glad that never managed to happen until after we were married because, while I can give him a run for his money on ice, his roller skating abilities put me to shame.

      It wasn't long at all before he gave me a key to his apartment, and started talking about us a little more seriously.  This would be about the point that I freaked.  While our chemistry and friendship was amazing the whole time, I started to take issue with more and more things he said.  I didn't realize until a year or two later that at that point I was still fairly screwed up in the head from the insanity of my earlier relationship, and nowhere near ready to be vulnerable to another person.       That summer he was supposed to come to a wedding in MI with me and had to back out at the last minute because DD's sitter fell through.  I used that and a comment he made about ladybugs as my way out.  It wasn't dramatic or heartwrenching.  It was pretty straightforward.  It had only been a few months.

A Year in Limbo

      I came back from MI a month or so later, we had both gone on a couple dates with other people, and we didn't talk much for a couple weeks.  It was weird, though.  I would still flush around him.  I still wanted to talk to him.  I had always been able to just write people off in the past and completely ignore them, but for some reason that didn't work around him.       So after a couple strange weeks at work, we found ourselves both out at a bar to see another friend and co-worker's band, Danger Car.  After that, a bunch of us went to another bar, Jakes, where DH and I somehow ended up sitting next to each other.  And then we somehow ended up talking.  And somehow his hand ended up on my knee.  And somehow we ended up back at my apartment . . .

      And from that point on, while we were not a couple, we had a cyclical relationship.       It usually went like this:  We would go out to a bar or club, and have an amazing time together.  Then we wouldn't speak to each other for a week or so.  Then we'd start talking again.  Then we'd go out again, and it was always an amazing time.  But we never "got back together," so to speak.  There were short periods of time where we saw other people (I think more on my part than on his), but we always ended up out together again.  There was some sort of draw there that I just couldn't fight (and trust me, I tried to fight it - I was a huge game player during this period of my life - hell I've always been a big game player).
This cycle continued on for a year.  At the end of my Sr. year at Purdue, he said something to me that was so insignificant that I don't even remember what it was or what it was about.  But at the time it pissed me off.  Then he wasn't able to go out one night that we had planned.  This hurt me, I now realize, a lot more than I care to admit.  At the time I translated the hurt into indignity.

      At the end of the school year, I drove my U-Haul to Applebee's to turn in my uniform and pick up my paycheck.  When he said hi I asked him if he was going to miss me.  When he asked why, I told him I was moving to New York for Law School.

"When?" "Right now," I pointed to the U-Haul in the parking lot.

      We hugged, and that was it.  That was the summer of 2005, and we didn't speak for almost a year after that.       He tells me now that he was really, really angry with me for doing that, and rightfully so.  He claims that I drove him into a bad relationship he never would have otherwise considered.  I still dispute that particular claim ;-)  At the time, I had convinced myself that he didn't care about me at all and that I cared very little about him.  Both of these things were completely untrue.

Reconnecting

      In the period of months after that, we both went on with our lives.  I went to OCS and was commissioned by the US Marine Corps, then picked up with my class at New York Law School two days later.  He moved back to Wisconsin.  We both had some adventures in seeing other people, but were each, ultimately, left wondering what the other was up to.       Neither of us remembers who contacted who first, nor when exactly it was.  It was sometime during the summer of '06, or possibly a little earlier.  We found each other on MySpace (as I said, we still don't know who found who - we both looked each other up), and by the end of the summer were messaging each other a couple times a week.

      The connection came back immediately, and I found myself realizing that I hadn't exactly been fair to him the first time around.  Soon we were talking every day, and working daily to try to figure out how we could see each other in person.       He wanted to come to NY, but had been financially crippled, being stolen from in a relationship while we were apart.  I was a poor student.  We finally pulled it together for November.  Then, as always happens in my life, an automobile thwarted my plans.  (Seriously, I swear I must have killed someone with a car in a past life and karma is playing with me, the comical chain of mishaps involving automobiles, 99% through pure chance, is unbelievable and fairly comical).

      Finally, in January, he made it to The City. First Visit

      I was excited, and very, very nervous about this visit.  It had been more than a year since we'd seen each other.  I had no idea at all how the visit was going to go down, or, really, what he expected.  I had, as always been cagey and vague about our status.

      His flight got in a little early, and he was already at the baggage claim when I walked in.  He saw me first, and snuck up on me.  We hugged, and he kissed me - just a peck, but it made it clear that this visit was neither purely physical nor purely friendly.       We chatted more on the nearly hour long bus/subway ride back to Brooklyn.  It only took a few minutes for my nervousness to dissipate, and I realized I was completely comfortable with him.  We stopped at La Traviata, a nice little Italian place in Brooklyn Heights, and had a long pasta dinner and bottle of wine.
From that point forward, the visit was amazing.  We were completely comfortable together (he is, to date, the only man I've been completely comfortable around).  I took him to do the tourist sightseeing thing:  We went to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center, WAY better that the Empire State Building), to Times Square, and around Brooklyn (in many ways, Brooklyn is the best part of NYC), and we spent a good deal of time just being together at my place. 

      I was very, very sad to see him go in the end.  After seeing him off, the first song out of more than 900 that played on my iPod, one it had never played before, was One More Night by Phil Collins.  It is still a significant song in our relationship. 1000 Miles

      That was the beginning of our whirlwind long distance relationship.  We lived just over 1000 miles apart (think I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers, lol), but we talked every day, and we actually managed to see each other fairly often.

      We stayed at the Hilton in Chicago in February, which is when we "officially" got back together.  He told me, "I don't care what you say, you're my girl now."  Did I mention my fear of commitment? 
I went to Wisconsin and spent a ton of time getting re-acquainted with DD and re-establishing our bond.  On these trips we played, went camping, went to fairs, went swimming, and just hung out at home watching movies - and I introduced her to tater-tot casserole - the beginning of a long and continuing campaign to integrate as many veggies as possible into her diet.

      We met up in Michigan and (after we had been dancing around it for a few weeks), he told me he was in love with me.  He had insisted he was going to make me say it first, but we were out dancing at a bar I used to work at, one of my exes was crying in the corner, and he said, "You win.  I love you."  Doves Cry by Prince was playing.

      When we couldn't be together, we talked every night.  We took turns reading each other to sleep (thank heavens for free nights and weekends!), and we started passing a journal back and forth to write to each other.  It was in this book that I (yes, it was me this time) eventually wrote "Screw it.  Move to New York." And He Did

      He moved to Brooklyn in August 2007.  Three months later, we moved to Jersey City, where I became, in the truest sense of the word, DD's mother.

      In March of 2008, he proposed to me on stage at the very same bar in Michigan where he had first told me he loved me.  My dad and best friend were both there. We got married in my mom's back yard during a torential downpour on the 23^rd of August, 2008.  The wedding was soaking wet, a little redneck, and absolutely amazing.  The rest, as they say is history.