I finally have some spare time today. The boys and I are off and just having one of those lazy days. Its FREEZING outside 34 degrees to be exact. We are still in our PJ's and enjoying every moment of it. The boys are down the hall playing and I am back in bed under my down comforter "catching" up on the 1001 tasks that I have been neglecting.......ummmm yes this blog is one of those tasks. So lets see what have we been up too.

The boys got their report cards last week and I am happy to report that Daniel got straight A's and Donnie got 2 B's and the rest A's. I am so proud of my little men. They have phenomenal teachers and the school is great!! It's such a difference from any school that they have gone to before. Remember that there is only a handful of military around here so essentially we are in the civilian world and I love it. They have so many resources at their finger tips. The teachers are the greatest asset. What a great group of people. I am so blessed to work with them.

We are gearing up for ATC. We will be gone for about 5 days. I am looking forward to this in a strange way. I will keep you posted.

Halloween was a blast. I am so used to trick or treating at around 6 but here it starts at 4.....It was strange to do it all with the sun shining on you but it was chilly and I was glad to go in when it was all said and done. This year the boys wanted to be scary. I miss my little pea in the pod and rubber ducky. They grow up so fast. They did ride their scooters though. I am dreading the day that they say "I'm too old to trick or treat" although I do realize that it is coming up fast.

Along with the cold weather comes comfort food. Yup tis the season to eat right? Well I have been working out and changing my habits. I have lost 40 lbs and am enjoying life so much more. I still eat the same things but in a different way. I am still sticking to it and plan to through the holidays. It's just harder because I am cooking so many sinful delights for everyone else. I made an awesome pot of homemade chicken and dumplings the night before last....ummmm ummmmm good. I froze some of the broth before I thickened it so if one of us gets sick we can have some good wholesome soup. I am going to bake cookies with the boys today as soon as I get up and get us bundled up enough to go to the store and get all the ingredients. I do love to cook and am so glad that I have the schedule that allows me to do so again. Not only does cooking act as a stress reliever for me but we are eating so much better than we were. I don't care what anyone says eating out is just plain bad to do when you are doing it all the time. We go about once a week. I should start posting my recipes.....let me know if you want me to. Most of the things that I make are from scratch but none are very hard to do.

New Season

I am hooked.....COMPLETELY on CSI, Grays,......etc. I DVR them and then Donte and I spend our evenings fast forwarding through the commercials and enjoying all the new shows. I swear I love the DVR, what a GREAT invention. Who would have thunk it. Everyting else is pretty much the same except for the fact that it is getting colder and winter is around the corner. Today one of the people at work said "I don't mind the snow, I just don't like when it goes below 0" OMG HEEEELP :0)

A Song.....This Womans Work

Every once in awhile a song comes along that wraps itself around your heart. For all of those who have lost a friend, a loved one or just seen the sadness that comes with the final chapter of life.....this song sums it up. I heard it on Daniels fav movie and then it came on a commercial for CSI...it has been on mind since and I had to go out and find it.

Donnie lost his student teacher last week in a car accident. He was 46 years old....he was prior service and had decided that teaching was his calling. He was a sweet man that always had time for a child. Donnie always said how fair he was and how he could explain things to him when no one else could. The whole class and school felt his death. May he rest in peace....may they all until the day that we meet them again.
For my Small Grandpa, My Big Granny, Lisa, Pena, and all the others......

Pray God you can cope.
I'll stand outside
This woman's work,
This woman's world.
Ooh, it's hard on the man.
Now his part is over.
Now starts the craft of the father.

I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.
I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.

I should be crying, but I just can't let it show.
I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking:
All the things I should have said, but I never said.
All the things we should have done, but we never did.
All the things I should have given, but I didn't.
Oh, darling, make it go,
Make it go away!

Give me these moments.
Give them back to me.
Give me that little kiss.
Give me your, give me your hand babe.
give me your pretty hand

(I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.
I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.)

I should be crying, but I just can't let it show.
I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking
Of all the things I should have said, but I never said.
All the things we should have done, but we never did.
All the things that you needed from me.
All the things that you wanted for me.
All the things that I should have given, but I didn't.
Oh, darling, make it go away.
Just make it go away now.

I know it's been awhile since I posted but life happens and time flys by and its been weeks before you even know it. The boys are doing great in school and have settled in really nicely to their routines. I am truely loving working at the school. My stress level is nill and I absolutly love the people that I work with. For those of you that are close to me you know that's quite the change from my previous job.

Donte has thrown himself fully into recruiting again. He has a knack for it and is doing well. I hate him being gone in the evenings but it sure beats being deployed. There was a BBq a couple of weekends ago....a battalion BBQ...I am still not sure what to make of it. Like I have said befor its just different. I remember in Germany and NC having BBQ's and it being cold. We would bundle the kids up and be out there for hours. Pleanty of beer, laughs and good times that would surely be remembered and laughed about for years to come. The BBQ here was blaaaah...People were just sitting there and no matter how hard you tried they just sat there.....like lumps on a log....there was no real mingling and no comraderie. No happiness being spread, no laughter weaving its way through. If you know me you know that I am no where near shy and even I was ready to get outta there. I was the only wife there from our station because everyone else was out of town so I was kinda on my own.I guess the best way to explain it is that it's station to station. If you a from a different station you don't mingle......I FIND THAT SOOOOO STRANGE. We are headed for ATC in November and thank goodness I know that we will all be there.....and dang it I am gonna have FUN. I will have a few drinks and hopefully have a fist full of laughs that will create great memories.

Daniels birthday party was great. He didn't want a cake, he wanted a Krispy Kreme cake so 6 dozen donuts later he had one. All the kids had a blast and we were pooped by the end so you can calol it a success.

We had spirit week last week at school and the boys and I got into it. They needed haircuts so I took some liberties for crazy hair day.....it was a hit in school and Daniel begged to keep his mohawk....uhhhhh NO WAY LOL. Friday night was the dance and boy did they have a blast. The DJ was great and over 500 kids showed up. Then Saturday we marched in the homecoming parade. It was a busy week to say the least but well worth it. The PTO here does a lot and is in no way a gossip club. They raise tons of money and do great things for the kids and staff. They sponsored the dance and the admission was a canned good to donate to a shelter....it really doesn't get any better than that.

The doggies are getting bigger and are driving me nuts.......thats what they do best :0)

Pictures.....posts to follow

Busy as a Bee

We have been busier than ever lately. With school in full swing and all the other events going on it feels like the days all run into each other. We have a fun filled weekend last weekend. Daniel turned 8 on Friday and thelast kid went home at 6 on Saturday......I had a headache from you know where....but it was worth it to see the boys have such a great time. I still have to download the pics but as soon as I do I will post them. Well I have to run again but promise I wont wait this long again to blog :)

Lazy Days

This weekend has been absolutely beautiful. Sunny sky's with highs in the low 80's and high 70's. We were going to go to the city but we had a lot we needed to get done at home so home we stayed. I am glad that we did. I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing weekend. The windows wide open and the breeze is just right. I wish everyday could be like this. A slice of heaven right here on earth.

Army Wives

I got asked the question today.....Are you Army Wives like the girls on the show? Now people ask me this with a certain tone in their voice....almost like they are not sure if its OK to ask such a thing. I am a proud Army Wife but living away from a post is so different. What are the chances of someone asking you that in Ft. Stewart or Ft. Bragg...the answer is slim to none. However here in the burbs of Chi town its fair game as an Active Duty soldier is rare. People will come up to you and give you a hug or just shake a soldiers hand to say thank you. It's a nice change because you see that people do appreciate the military. But back to the question at hand. I am sure that many people have different opinions on this but I will share mine as candidly as I can. First by posing another question...Do you thing the surgeons on Grey's Anatomy reflect the real doctors in a major hospital? The answer is no. Not all of us cheat and have so much drama going on. Yes there are the ones that do but that is a fact in military and civilian life. It's a life you cant begin to understand unless you have lived it. There is a big difference between your husband going on a business trip and your husband boarding a plane with a rucksack on his back and a gun slung on his shoulder. Can you really project on a TV screen the emotions you feel as you watch the one you love disappear into a plane or bus.....knowing darn well that that may be the very last time you will ever see them. I remember Donte's last deployment to IRAQ....You hold onto every second like its forever, you take pictures and videos, I remember closing my eyes as he gave me my last hug goodbye and trying to etch the smell, the feeling into my brain......just in case. I remember holding the tears back to be strong for my boys to assure them that Daddy knows what he is doing and he will come back to us. I also remember looking him dead in the eyes and telling him "if its you or them you KILL them before they can harm you!" I remember the first night of the many to come when sleep was hard to find. I remember us going home and calling Kimmie. Then like a net they are there my fellow Army and Air Force wives. We have many different backgrounds but no matter what the background when the bonds are formed they are there and they are stronger than most could imagine. It's like your family away from home. They know your ups and downs and how to help. They know when to back off and when to push. Donte was gone when I was involved in a horrible accident. My girlfriends were there. Nikky sat by my bedside until they released me from the hospital and another girlfriend brought her kids and stayed at my house until Donte's flight came in. They held my hand made sure my babies were OK and that I wouldn't have any additional stress. I made it through with the support of my family and my friends. The Army life is not for all but for those of us that love our men we make it the best that we can. Through the moves, the separations and all the trials of military life it's worth it. There is no way that a TV sitcom could ever define what a true Army Wife is. It's easy to see....shes the one that is washing the cars in the driveway, the one that is toting her kids to all the appointments that come up,the one that juggles her job with her home...making sure that her home ALWAYS comes out on top, she is the one that smiles with a deep sadness that is left in her eyes, she is the one that has bags under her eyes because for the last year her other half has been gone and she just tosses and turns at night, shes the one that stays strong for her other girlfriends that are going through the same thing, shes the one that organizes 1001 events to make it through that year with out needing a straight jacket, she is the one that has as much grace as any woman can possibly have and in the same moment be able to put someone in their place if they step out of line and she is the one that starts crying as soon as she sees the wheels of the plane that is carrying her husband touch ground on the flight line. Just don't be so soon to judge her because of what you see on a program, take the time and listen and you will be able to understand what an ARMY WIFE is really all about.

Puppy Doggggie

My husband, the tough as steel, buff, hardcore soldier taught our sweet little puppy how to SPEAK!! Why oh why oh why.......It's not bad enough that we have two Jack Russells but now we have one that thinks if he barks and sits he will get a treat. Lord help me get through this!!!

Michelle.....This ones for YOU!!

Michelle I FEEL YOUR PAIN, I UNDERSTAND, I SYMPATHIZE.....wanna go get a drink? Michelle is one of the sweetest, caring, fun to be around people that I have ever met. She is also the assistant principal at the boys old school in NC. In our years there I was solely a MOM. I didn't work in the school system, in fact I worked eons away on a post called Fort Bragg. I honestly didn't realize the impact that parents have on the staff that take care of their children for the majority of a school day. Now before I get hate mail I understand that every child and every teacher is different. I have had my share of teachers that should have chosen a different path.....one that had them sit in a chair ALONE with no contact with kids. I also understand that some kids are a bit more difficult to work with but when you choose to teach you should choose to have compassion, love, understanding and most of all patience. I'm in the office so I don't get the wrath of Mom and Dad directly on me but WHOooooooaaaa Nelly can they get feisty. Its funny you see if you ask any kid in the school they will tell you that Michelle will get you if you mess up...they usually say this with fear in their eyes and a funny little twitch that goes down to their toes. I have never once seen her raise her voice in an ugly way, be mean or demeaning to child but I have however watched her tell a child that THIS is what needs to be done so they better get to it. I have seen her talk to children...not talk down to them. RESPECT is what she commands and RESPECT she has. Ms. AF is the AP here in the school I work at and guess what, same attitude. I LOVE IT. Its so nice that with all the new aged do this, try that and whatever you do BE AFRAID to tell the child what they need to do, that there are still people out there like Michelle that have a knack and are honest and treat kids and people alike with Respect and in turn she gets the respect that she deserves. So to Michelle, and all the other staff that work at any school, anywhere...THANK YOU for being patient, caring and loving, for returning calls instead of running from them, having the guts to steer kids in a path that is less chosen, that may be a longer harder path to follow, but is the right one for that child, for having the love to console a child until they are OK and pushing them ever so lightly that they may stand on their own feet with the knowledge that someone is there to catch them if need be, to show parents that it's OK to get emotional over their kids because for every ounce of love they have for their kids you have the same for your own, for having the sound mind not to reach across the desk and put your hands around someones throat and squeeze...they know they deserve it sometimes, and for me I thank you for being you, that even if my family wasn't born and raised with yours, that your family always had open arms for us as Donte, I, Donnie and Dannie have for all of you. We miss you and your family a lot!!! I think Donte is still having withdrawals from being away from your Mom and he refuses to coach here...what would a ball team be without Donnie, Dannie, Charlie, Jacob, Jaggir and Taylor? OK I gotta quit before I get sappy! When we come visit we will have to go and grab that drink!!

My Baby

He's no so much a baby anymore but to me he will always be my sweet darling Chubba Bubba. You couldn't tell now back when he was just a little pip squeak he was chubby little thing. He will be 8 in 10 days. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around it, that he no longer needs me to kiss his boo boos and pick out his clothes....where do they get off doing all that growing up. INDEPENDENT has a whole new meaning when it's your child wanting to be free of you. OK so hes not wanting to be completely free of me just a little bit free of me. Is there any difference in that last sentence??? Oh well, on with my story. As I said before I work in the Front Office of the boys elementary school. I have two co-workers that sit in the same area as I do. I have mention L before, she is sweet and kind and just a good soul. A is a hoot, I love her, shes funny and could literally juggle a boatload of monkeys on her toes. A also has a jar on her desk.....C....A.......N.......D.........Y. Why oh why. I asked her to put fat free taste nasty candy in there but she aims to please the chocolate lovers and jolly rancher lovers in the world. This would include both of my kids. Now there are rules in a school and one of the rules state that when you walk in the hallways you have to be quiet. So as I sit at my desk plugging away on the computer I notice that it's time for my little one to come in from recess. I see his class coming in and there he is. L points him out and by the look on his face I could tell that he was up to something. I don't know why but when your a Mom you learn to read the slightest looks and hone in on them like a sniper with a target. He is smiling just a bit too wide and his eyes are dancing a jig. I take a deep breathe and brace myself.....meanwhile all the kids are very quietly walking back to the classroom and then Daniel walks in front of the office door and God bless him he just couldn't hold it in....."MOM AFTER SCHOOL CAN I HAVE A PIECE OF CANDY OFF OF MS. A'S DESK?" with that I put my finger to my lips and stifle my laughter which is more than I can say for L and A who laughed out loud. Thank goodness he has a great teacher who understands that kids just sometimes have to be kids.

My little CHUBBA BUBBA...don't you just want to cuddle that sweet angel of a baby?


There he is a few weeks ago in the white shirt, at Six Flags leaving poor Mom behind. At least he looked back to make sure I was in his sights.

Mission Box!!

Donte's station made mission box!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOO. This means that they recruited enough recruits for the year. The Army states that they should get XXXX amount of soldiers to sign up for the year. If they dont get their numbers they are in big trouble but if they make it they get an atta boy. So Donte is actually home this weekend. I am down with a bug but Donte and the boys are outside fishing. I am actually sitting on the couch looking out of the window at them. I thank God for my three men. The boys were too cute this weekend. They hate when I get sick. Usually they can climb into bed with us and get their cuddle time but when I am sick I keep them at arms length. I dont want them to catch what I have. They absolutly hate this. Especially Daniel he was standing at the door to my bedroom, quiet as a mouse. The conversation went like this.
"Daniel, whacha doing?"
"nothing"
"Dannie"
"can I come in"
"no honey Im sick and I dont want you to get sick"
"ok" (he says this in an itty bitty voice that just makes my heart melt)
"Mom"
"yes"
"I love you"
"I love you too baby boy"
"see you later"

He is off and I can hear him running down the stairs. Oh to be a little kid again.

Tornado Drill....Ooops I mean TORNADO THE REAL THING

School started Thursday before last and the day started out busy as ever. New kids coming in. Parents crying at the thought of their kids entering kindergarten. Me misting up a bit because I now have a 3rd and 4Th grader. The energy was great. The staff had been busy getting ready and were more than ready. The kids were a buzz, new teachers, old friends, new friends and of course showing off the new school clothes, backpacks and shoes. We settled into the day and to tell you the truth I was feeling pretty good. The school day ends here at 330 and around 230 we get a fax in about a storm coming our way. I had watched the news and knew that there was going to be rain and a storm. clouds were forming and the sky started to grow a bit darker but hey its just a storm right........WRONG. We kept getting more in for about the storm and then we got the news that a tornado was spotted. I swear what was five minutes felt like three days. Parents were calling and the switch board lit up like a Christmas tree, at the same time parents were coming in signing their kids out. Then the police dept called and NO ONE, absolutely no one was supposed to leave the building. By now its pretty dark and the wind is going the rain is pelting down and we have a school filled to the rafters with scared kids and worried parents. The Principal and Assistant Principal are out in the lobby as are the teachers and they are making order out of a very chaotic situation. We are checking Id's and getting everything as orderly as we can in the office. I am calling the police department every 15 min to get updates and to tell you the truth I am a bit scared because my kids are in the school too. They just aren't with me. But L advises me that they are safe and in the best place that they can be in. I finally get the all clear that the tornado would not be hitting us and that the parents can get the kids and go. It was roughly 445. So about 1 1/2 hours had gone by and we did it, we made order out if chaos. We worked together as a team and not one little hair on any ones head was out of place. Not bad for the first day of school huh. Who said that working in a school was boring?

Turning 32 a New Job and Getting Sick

I was called in early to start my new job. I was hired at the local elementary school to work in the front office. I had often played with the idea in NC but never acted on it.....I really wish that I would have. I absolutely love my job, love the kids, and love the people that I work with. The hours are perfect and my kids get to hang out in the office before and after school so I don't have to worry about daycare. Their homework is done before we leave and we are home at the very latest by 430. One of the nicest parts is that we truly work as a team. It's nice to work hard and actually get credit, at my last job I would work hard and our psycho leader would gobble the credit up like she did something special. She had a knack of causing rifts between the workforce and somewhere inside she loved drama because if there was drama to be had she made sure that it was in our section. It's funny how when you are in the middle of something detrimental you don't see it, but when you leave its clear as crystal. Don't get me wrong the job itself was not bad, it was doable but the people you work with make a huge difference. Lets just say my morals are good and so are my intentions. I do not believe in stabbing people in the back and I do unto others as I would want done unto me. I believe other than one other person in the office I was the only one that lived like that. I guess I was a little hesitant when I went into my new job here but after the first few minutes I saw that the school was a whole different ball game. A good one. The ladies in the office are great and we work great together. It gets hectic at times, like the tornado the first day of school (coming in a new post), but we worked together and came out unscratched. The principal and the Assistant Principal are two of the best people to work with. Their attitudes are great and they have an appreciation for people period. Their is no animosity between the ranks and everyone is respected for what their speciality is. From the janitor to the head of the school everyone works as a team. The only thing I didn't take into account was the fact that kids harbor germs...lots of them!!! My poor immune system was in for a shock. I went to work Thursday feeling great, by lunch I felt a little funny and by 3 I was ready to crawl into bed. I spent yesterday in bed with Gatorade, theraflu and Tylenol. I swear I have used at least a box and half of tissue and my nose feels like sandpaper. My dear hubby went out and bought me some Vick's and cough drops. I hate being sick. I haven't been sick in a very long time and since it came out of the blue it really knocked me on my hiney. Of course this weekend is perfect. Highs in the low 80's and sunshine everywhere. Oh boy....yup.....I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself. I turned 32 on Thursday and was so looking forward to celebrating with Donte and the boys but my date was with my bed and a box of puffs. I actually can breathe out of at least one nostril now and hope that by tomorrow I can breathe out of both. I know TMI......but it's my blog and I'll tell all if I want to!

It's Raining it's Pouring the Old Man is Snoring

Its been raining for what seems like forever. Our cute pond in the backyard looks like it could hold Noah's Ark. aaaaahhhhhh and every morning when I leave for work its as if the Gods say "OK that's our signal, shes going to work, let it start to pour". I made a deal with my friend Angie today, shes in Orlando and they need rain and we need their sunshine....so we are gonna swap!!! Aren't we brilliant? THE ANSWER IS YES. Well not only is it raining....this girl is yawning and my bed is calling.

Battalion Organizational Day

Well life has been busy with the kids getting ready for school. They called me in a week early so everything has been smashed together. Friday we had our battalion organizational day. We were off to Six Flags Great America. We were supposed to meet at the entrance of the park at 10 in the morning. We were there and ready at 9:30 and waited until 10:45 for everyone else to get there. If your military you are used to the hurry up and wait but never have I had to wait that long....again another joy of the recruiting lifestyle. We got into the park and started enjoying ourselves. Now I am a big chicken!!! No way was I getting on those roller coasters, uh uh, NO WAY. So I waited in line and then gracefully stepped aside and went to the exit of the ride. The kids were having a blast to say the least. Daniel had never met the height requirements so he was more than ready to give the roller coasters a try. They have their Dads stomach for that and truly enjoyed themselves. The battalion had a picnic lunch set up for us. The times were from 1300 to 1430. Not bad I thought as I figured that this would be a perfect way to meet some of the other spouses and relax a bit. Well I did meet some nice spouses but it wasn't the same. There was no familiar family feel and again I am an Army Brat and have been a Army Spouse for over 11 years now. It was alien to me the way some of these women acted...I know you get the good and bad in every situation but seriously I felt embarrassed for them and their family members. The food was good and the kids were more than ready to head back to the rides but yet another surprise came up. The higher ups felt that it was necessary for everyone to hang around so they could give some awards out...OK that's nice to recognize people that do above and beyond. Dontes station even got recognized for closest to year end mission, they were only one away and of course we were all very proud. So I figure 30 minutes top and these awards would be done....15 min.....20 min.....35 min.....come on people, its hot out here (did I mention that we were in the sun)...finally a hour later we were released. One of the veteran spouses said that they usually wait until ATC to do that and that she had never seen it take so long. I just politely smiled and nodded. You see I vent here, I let the steam pour out of my ears here because frankly I don't know what this life is supposed to be like. Are we supposed to be happy that everything is late and that we are made to bake in the sun on our family togetherness day....perhaps the reasoning is that we should be happy that our soldiers are actually able to spend some special time with us...I don't know, this is all new and I am still trying to get used to this. Now I am not ungrateful that my husband is here on US soil with us I thank God that Donte isn't deployed, its a been there done that many times situation for us and I am thankful that he is here with us. We had a good afternoon and I even went on the water ride where I got completely soaked. We went home tired and eagerly welcomed the softness of our pillows under our heads.

Saturday we were finally able to have Dontes promotion BBQ. It was great. His stationed showed up with their significant others in tow. Donte worked the grill like he always does and I swear that man knows magic to make the food taste like it does. The kids were having a blast and all scurried upstairs to play. We honestly didn't hear a peep out of them until it came time to eat or come down to snack. Towards the end the older girls came to the living room as well. I don't blame them. Hanging out with younger boys can drive you crazy. The guys were in the kitchen playing dominoes and talking......well I say talking but it usually resorts to jokes and picking on each other....I don't know something about smelling like BBQ is better than smelling like wet dog or bologna. Finally.....this felt right. We all had a great time and there was that old feeling of settling in coming back. Its hard to pack up and move but I have always made the transition easily....maybe this time it was just going to take a little bit longer.

The rest of the weekend was spent picking up the last few things for school and getting the kids shoes. They both picked out two pairs and of course in the same line as their clothes none of them matched each other. They are really growing up on me. They have their own sense of style and know what they want. I guess I can officially look back on the days where they would dress alike. **Sigh**

Starting From the Beginning

I remember when Donte came home and told me that he had been selected to be a recruiter. I was shocked to say the least and had heard numerous horror stories about being a recruiters wife. So I did what any smart Army wife would do.....I called my friend Melody because her husband had been a recruiter. Mel said they "loved it", hmmmm loved it huh....OK my nerves are relaxing a bit. She basically told me that they work a lot and that there are some long nights and some weekends where they work but over all its not that bad. There is no CQ or Staff Duty (soldier has to sit at desk and log phone calls and barracks checks for 24 hours, no field problems and no deployments. Essentially its as close to living the civilian life as you can get while still active duty in the Army. OK I am feeling better....

Fast forward to right before we leave Bragg....

Donte went to recruiting school, we had our house packed, painted, found a property manager, put the house up for rent, rented the house, had going away parties (sniff, sniff), and said our goodbyes.

We decided that we would drive both cars from Fort Bragg all the way to Chicago. We left after the boys got out of school and drove an hour to Greensboro (hubbys hometown) where we attended a family members high school graduation...it was very special as this beautiful high school senior that I had known since she was 8 was dying of a Brain Tumor. After numerous treatments and years of fighting the tumor had taken over. She was in a wheel chair and spoke with a slur that made her embarrassed to speak. We had just seen her a few months before and you couldn't tell that anything was wrong with her. She was her spunky little self and I am so glad that we had the chance to know her and love her. She lost that battle a few weeks after the last time we saw her. We then attended her graduation party that was hosted by the Make a Wish foundation. We spent time with family and friends before we headed to Waynes house. Wayne is Dontes best friend, he was our best man and is a huge part of our family. We spent some time laughing and reminiscing about all the good times and of course we got some much humored slack about moving to Chicago.

I went to sleep that night with a heavy heart and butterflies in my tummy. Chicago here we come...you cant get more exciting than that...on the other hand we were leaving our home that we had planted solid roots in.

We left a little late the next morning. The minivan packed to the rafters and the back seat of the Honda packed tight as well. Daniel rode with me and Donnie with Donte......with the assurance that they could switch off and on. They were so worried about getting equal time with both of us. It was like a game to them. I was so relieved to see that they were excited and had embraced this crazy Army life.

we drove through many states and a heck of a lot of rain and 10 hours later we were in Indianapolis. I called Embassy Suites from my cell and got us reservations for the night. We only had a few more hours to go until we got there so we decided to take it easy and even agreed that there was no need to set the alarm that night.

The next day we took off with the knowledge that this long car trip was almost over. We drove right by Chicago. I was so excited and then I realized that I needed Gas. So I call Donte and we take the next exit and land smack in the middle of a not so nice part of Chicago. We get the gas and take off. I am a little bit worried what if he has to recruit in an area like that? We continued on to Great Lakes Naval Base I tried to soak it all in. I do this whenever we move. I look at the buildings and the roads and imagine that in a few weeks it will all be second nature to me. It makes me feel better as if this new place will soon feel warm and comfortable....it would feel like home.

We checked into the hotel on post and unloaded the necessities. Donte hooked up the lap top so we could go online whenever we wanted. We all showered and got ready to go explore. Well we get to the minivan and my battery is dead!!! Oh Fun, at least it didn't die when we were getting gas! I had the battery replaced and prayed that this wasn't a sign of things to come.

Over the next few days we were visited by Dontes Station Commander, we will call him Famous Daves, he told us that the station was great and how great life was going to be. Hardly any long nights or weekends. After we went to the room I expressed how great this was going to be...Donte looked at me and said "don't count on it....I have heard different"...I should have listened to my hubby but I shook it off and went on with the tasks of getting a realtor and finding a place to live. Great Lakes was not only too far but they wanted to put us in tiny housing because the new housing was for people who had lived there for at least a year....sore subject.

We found a great house in the suburbs, 2500 square feet, two car garage, pond in the backyard with a fountain and a school that was located in the subdivision itself. We registered the boys for school (NC would not promote them because they still had 4 weeks of school left there, even though they could have made straight F's and still passed) and set up delivery dates for our household goods (HHG).

The boys were excited and scarred about going to a new school and to tell you the truth I was a little nervous myself. We were out here by ourselves, no other military families to lean on. No Army Brats for the boys to connect with......Please God let this go smoothly.

We walk into the school and are greeted warmly. Both boys teachers have their desks set up with their names and books ready. The other kids come up and welcome them and I can breathe a big sigh of relief. Donte and I decided to speak with the principal and the assistant principal. I was still a little nervous and wanted to make sure that they knew the situation in case the boys were to get upset or start feeling sad. I also had to speak to them about the boys missing the last two weeks of school so that they could go to Sri Lanka for their Uncle Adams wedding. They were both great and as we sat there talking I mentioned that I was looking for a job. They had a position open in the front office and explained to me how to go online and apply. I did apply and two interviews later I received my job offer and was all to ready to enjoy my summer with my family....because he wouldn't be working late nights and weekends....RIGHT??

more to follow....

GO ARMY......Recruiting

Well as most of you know my darling hubby is now an Army Recruiter. He was selected by the Department of he Army for this.......so NO WE DIDN'T ASK FOR IT. So I thought it would be fun to share my perspective on this. Army life has basically been the same from post to post....but this assignment is NOTHING like regular Army life. I am an Army brat myself so you would think after growing up Army and being married into the Army for almost 11 years I would know what to expect. I am as green as a cucumber when it come to this. Please buckle up and hold on tight. You will be tuning into a whole new way of life.

Laptop Crash, BOOM, thwaaaark!!!

Well last night as I sat on the laptop piddling around on my email.....the unthinkable happens. First it shuts off....I immedialtly make sure that the power supply is plugged in....it is.....and then I try to restart but I get this black screen with white writting saying that my system is unstable and then it gives me various modes that I can restart in. I invain tried each and everyone and the blasted thing would not reboot. So upstairs I went to search out the recovery disks and other disks for all the software. After I gathered all the above I was just plain upset that this computer that goes everywhere with me has now decided to take a break....I mean these things are not supposed to happen right? Well I decided to let it wait until morning because I had promised the boys that we would go to the movies.

So this morning I got up and started recovering the laptop. Everything went well but my wireless internet button was missing. Hmmmmm I call Comcast who tells me that I need to call Compaq and get the driver update or go online. Well since the phone was there I decided to call....What in the world did I do that for. The bright shining light on the other end informs me that the drivers are in the computer but I will have to pay a fee to talk to someone who can tell me how to get it done..now he says this to me like I am a dumb ass..So I said No way am I paying another red cent to get this laptop working and that Compaq sucks and I should have gone with another company! You see I didnt want another repeat of my Alltel situation so I just said what I had to and hung up. Plan B. My brother and his wife have a roommate his name is Ron and he is GREAT. He told me where to go online and what to do and said if I couldnt get it he would be home on the evening to help me.....what a saint!!! So I went online downloaded all that I needed got my key to unlock the majic pearly gates of the wireless internet and Bada Bing Bada Boom......I am gleefully connected. Now I am updating the system and am currenty on number 57 of 77 updates. Then its just the printer and the scanner and I am done. Thank God I have everything saved to my external hard drive!!!!

A big thanks to Ron the computer genius.

Skinny Bitch

My girlfriend Kari, who also happens to be one of my old neighbors from North Carolina and a dear friend, called me the other day and told me that I HAD to read this book. The name of the book is Skinny Bitch. You see we are on the same diet...one that is working for both of us. So she tells me if you really want to get into this whole diet thing read Skinny Bitch. So off I went to Barnes and Noble and of course they didn't have in stock so I ordered it online and finally got here last Saturday. I picked it up on Monday and decided to start reading and man did it open my eyes. Now some of the stuff was a little far fetched. I am a carnivore and will not give up meat....even if it just decaying flesh, but you know what bye bye soda and bye bye most dairy. The book also has references through out so when your one eyebrow raises at some of the info you can actually go look it up.....its scary what we are taught and what the effects are. To each his own I say but weather you feel like changing your habits or not its an interesting read. And to tell you the truth I haven't had soda in about a week and I kinda miss it but feel good that I am over it. I can give up milk no problem...I think its gross YUK.....its the cheese and the ice cream that will be hard but you have to start somewhere right. Now one of the thing that I liked about the book was the frankness...and when I say frank I mean it. There is no sugar coating what so ever, it's blunt and to the point. I loved it!!

I also just started reading the Blog of War. This one is much harder and I am only a few pages in but it really hits home. I can't begin to count the number of close friends and comrades that we have lost. The one that left his wife and two boys behind that are the same age as ours. He gave it all and did it proudly and we are forever thankful to him......I often think about his wife and two boys and my heart breaks. I think of the soldier that would come to our house in Germany and want hot wings and then I think of his wife and three little children that will never hug him again. I think of the man that went off to war and thought that he would make it back and retire and enjoy it....he never got to turn in those retirement papers. I thank them all, for their honor, duty and in the end their ultimate sacrifice. When I look at my husband I thank God that he is here. That every time he faced danger that he faced it with courage and determination and because of that and the grace of God he can still have the joy of tucking our boys in at night. I don't know how long this book will take me to read. I find myself putting it down a lot even though I have the need to keep reading because I want to know but in the same instance I already know the out come so I know the pain that comes with it.

Frustration and Self Control at its Best

I can not STAND companies that pride themselves on customer service and then turn around and hire tweedle dumber and tweedle dumbest to work for them. As most of you know Donte and I moved to Chicago on military orders...yup that's right we didn't just decide to move we had to. So we get here and lo and behold the cell company that we had is not available in this area and after a few months of dropped calls and missed text messages I called and complained and the rep for the said cell company told me I would be better off to disconnect and go with a carrier that had local towers. OK made sense so off we went and found Verizon. I then call old cell company to disconnect. I get a rep named Lisa and she is as sweet as can be and says "please just fax your military orders and it will be done within 24 hours".....Great I think....this will be easy. Well 48 hours later I call back and they say "no ma'am no orders please fax again". So I call Donte ask him to re fax and to make sure that he gets a confirmation letter out of the fax this time. He does this I call and they say 24 hours again. So I call back ....this time its dumb as rocks one

DAR1 (Dumb as Rocks One)...."No ma'am we don't get faxes"

Me..."WHAT??????I just spoke to two people in three days that said fax to this number and now you say there are no faxes."

DAR1..."no we don't get them."

Me..."Please put me through to your supervisor"

me on hoooooooooooooooooooold forever.

G (Supervisor)....."yes Mrs. Slade we have received both your faxes but our faxes go straight to email and the person that it went through to is out."

Me...."OK well cant someone go and get them. It has been over three days and two faxes later and you still have not closed out my account."

G..."let me see what I can do"

Me.....on Hooooooooooooold again

G..."OK we will have it taken care of in 24 hours."

Me..... "Great Thank you do I get a confirmation?"

G....."someone will call in 24 hours."

72 hours later.......................................

I Call in the morning cant remember what time. Get in touch with another supervisor (this company has way too many supervisors)O

Me....I explain the situation

O....."I will get it done." (in his best superman voice)

Me....."good thank you."

O....."I will call you back in 20 min."

Me.......(slight hope that this will work) "Thanks."

45 min later I call back

Me......"O, this is me, can you tell me the status?"

O......"the lady that has it is out until 1130 so I will have to call you back at 1200 this gives me the time to get it all settled."

Me. Annoyed but still polite... "Thank you"...I hang up the phone and whisper dumb ass he should have called and at least told me that

One o'clock comes and I call back....notice that I am the one doing all the calling back

Me...."I have called three times today. You give me time frame for a return call and do not call. I would like to know whats happening with my account....I am getting a bit frustrated."

O...."yea ma'am I am still waiting on the fax...we are really busy."

Me..... "I know that you are busy (I wanted to scream, how busy would you be if I put my foot up your ...but alas I didn't.)but its ridiculous that I have been dealing with this for days and no one there can seem to figure it out."

O..."I apologize ma'am as soon as I get the fax I will call back." ( at this point he sounds like Charlie Browns teacher and there is steam starting to come out of my ears)

Me..... "OK and just to make sure that we are on the same sheet of music we are military they are military orders so the one phone still under contract we are cancelling with no penalty."

O..."ummm I don't think so. Its a case by case." ( CASE BY CASE IS HE KIDDING???)

Me...."I talked to the supervisor before you and the statement made to me us that if you have military orders and you are moving to a place where you do not offer service we can cancel that contract without penalty."

he then proceeds to give me some mambo jumbo and I calmly state through my gritted teeth that "there is no fee...call me when you get the fax."

Called for the 4Th time by this point I am highly aggravated. They patch me through to stinky attitude, I need a life girl who thought that she was the cream of the crop. "We cant patch you through to O you will have to deal with me." ( Is she for real, I may sound sweet but hell I was raised an Army Brat, am an Army Wife and my parents didn't raise a sissy...yes I am respectful...but I have a limit.)

Me......I state that I have been working with a specific person and would like to keep working with him as I do not want to have to explain myself for the 100th time.

SAINALG (stinky attitude, I need a life girl).…unreasonable and rudely said that she could not get o on the line and I could hang up and call back if I wanted another supervisor.

Me....CLICK!!! You guys just don't know how close I got to screaming but I had to get my account straight and hey she has to live with herself right?...Right now I am so not liking being a mature grown up and just want to bring her down a few notches.

I call back for the 5Th time at 2:55. I get a Rep who is trying to locate O (who I would like to throw a pie at) and here I am on hold again!

Finally I get another supervisor, we will call him "L" who actually had some brain matter that worked and thanks to him and me scanning what he needed. We are now out of our contract, with no early disconnection fee!!

Me...."Thank you for getting this resolved, but what happened to O?

L...."hes standing here but was a bit confused, I am so sorry that you have had this much trouble." .....uhhh you think!!

Me.."Thank you again L have a nice day."

Now what I really wanted to say was......I better not they may suspend my blog due to the violence and profanity. I am all calm now after taking the boys to swim practice, cooking dinner, washing the dogs, doing a load of laundry (I really miss my cleaning lady...do you think I could get her a visa to the states...she probably wouldn't come...I wouldn't leave Germany either)Cleaning the kitchen and tucking the boys in.

so if you ever have a problem with ALLTEL....who I have to say were great until I had to disconnect....drop me a line/ L gave me his agent ID and direct line ....in case I ever need it. Trust me I wont but if you do and would like to cut through the crap to get your problem solved....drop me a line.

Photoshop

Well I went out and bought Photoshop a few weeks ago and have been playing with it ever since. Well I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and on the sales nook guess what I found.....




Yup I was happier than a kid that didn't get caught in the cookie jar. PS is harder than I thought it would be and this book that cost me 9.98 tells me all the little secrets that I need to know. I started working on some pictures last night and tried out many of the different techniques and before I knew it, it was 1100 and time for bed.

I am working on the pics from the promotion and as soon as I get them done I will post them.

The boys have two weeks of swim left. I am sad in a way but glad in a way as well. Swim four days out of a five day work week was a lot of driving for me but well worth it. Donnie is now a Flying Fish and Daniel is a Fish. I am very proud of my little men as they worked really hard this summer to reach their goals.

Well I have a Computer/Game Room to set up so I better be off to it. But before I leave here is the first picture that I created with layers in it. A bit remedial I am sure but never the less I was proud of myself.

Here's the original the boys hanging out in the back yard by the Pond.


And here is the masterpiece....the boys relaxing in Bavaria overlooking a lovely lake and mountain.

CONGRATULATIONS Sergeant First Class Slade

Yesterday was the big day. Donte was promoted to Sergeant First Class, E7 and I am so very proud of him. As usual the day started off hectic as I scrambled to get the boys ready for Soccer, by the grace of God we made it and I explained to the coaches that they would be leaving early. No problem they say. I get a few errands done and go back to pick the kids up. The situation goes like this. I go to the soccer field...ummmm where are my kids....in fact where are all the kids? I turn around trek back to the building in the 198978735 degree heat.....OK high 90's but it felt like 198978735. There they were in the middle of the huge indoor track in the nice air conditioning playing with a ball the size of Jupiter. No kidding this ball was like a huge blowup beach ball that would crush you if you got caught under it. I stand at the door and try and wave my kids down...the little one saw me and then acted like he didn't. The coaches are all so enthralled with laughing at the kids that they don't notice me either. So now I had to debate....do I walk in and chance getting smashed by this ball.....Ummmmmm NO just ain't worth it. I finally get the coach's attention and he gets the boys. I tell them to come on we have to get ready and get this they are upset......why......"we didn't get to play with the big balls"!!! I almost fell down laughing at this. Oh the things that come out of kids mouths. As soon as I get them home and into the shower I hear the front door open. Donte is home and now all four of us are getting ready. I specifically tell the boys to shower, get there undies on and put lotion on. I get showered and start getting ready. Now my husband is in the room with me but I am moving at warp speed so he could have been 10 states away for all I knew. I got my clothes ironed, the boys pants ironed......and then noticed something...in the midst of all the excitement my loving husband is fast asleep on the bed. "UH HUM" HONEY I say, "can you iron the boys shirts while I finish getting ready?". "Sure" he says like we have all the time in the world. I explain to him that we women have to pluck, primp, blow dry, curl, and do 1001 other things in the effort to look great for the cameras at these events. He in turn looks at me like I have 4 heads and nods his head in agreement. So off to the ceremony we go. We get there in plenty of time and sit around while everyone else arrives. Donte has always had a good bunch of fellow soldiers but these guys and the poor lonely gal are hilarious. Never a dull moment. They read his orders and then they yank his E6 rank off and I very carefully place his E7 rank on and punch in square in the chest as hard as I can. It was very different from when I pinned on his E6, back then you had rank with the prongs and you made sure that the dammits were missing because what is rank if you cant cause pain right....ahhhhh the Army way. Donte then said a few touching remarks about God, his wife (that's me) and the kids. His fellow recruiters had the local store make cupcakes with E7 rank on it (was nice because this is nowhere near a military town) and with a little coaxing they all dug in and got there sugar fix for the day. The big party will be next weekend, here at the house. We will be having a good old fashioned southern style BBQ with all the fixin's and of course the beer.....yuk dont like beer but I know a few soldiers that will. I will post pics either tonight or tomorrow.

Lazy Days of Summer

Wow I cant believe that July is almost over. I swear this year has flown by and I have no earthly idea where it went. I still remember New Years Eve at our house with Chris, Ron, Alyssa, Jordan, Kari, Charles, Kaylee and the four of us. We had fun setting off the firecrackers in the rain LOL and Charles was making make shift mortar rounds in the ditch. Oh the joys of living in the country. I wish I would have taken pictures. I miss having them right next door. I have always been lucky enough to be friendly with my neighbors but a few times I have been even luckier to become friends with them. It was so nice last year this time.Our kids would play outside until we dragged them in to take their baths and then we would have to make them get into bed but after that it was just a few moments before they drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber. Then it was time to hit the porch with Chris and Kari until our eyes just couldn't stay open anymore.....of course the large quantities of wine that we consumed had nothing to do with it. I really enjoyed going over to Kimmies too. Kimmie is such a dear friend and one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life. I miss her and so do the boys. Her kids are the greatest and between them and Jordan the boys always had great babysitters at reasonable prices. Now I am a little anal about babysitters. I had NEVER let a teenager watch the kids until these three wonderful young people came around. You see I was always afraid that the boys would be plopped in front of the TV and be bored but with these teens there was no chance. They were playing board games, basketball, football, jumping on the trampoline and doing crafts. they watched the occasional show or movie but were always exhausted after a day of play. I wish I could have packed them all with me and brought them here. The summer days here have been good in a different way. This is the first summer in a long time that I have had off with the boys. I have really gotten to know what they are all about. They in turn keep asking if I am going to be off next summer too. I really hope that I am. I thought that I would go stir crazy but we have had a jam packed summer, starting off with out trip to Sri Lanka, swim, basketball, Soccer, Hip Hop and just doing things together. So here we are August starts tomorrow and we have 3 precious weeks left. I am excited in a way to get back to work and sad in another knowing that the lazy days of summer are going to be in the past until next year.

Is It Really Sunday Night?

We had a lot to do this weekend. Diggy had a vet appt on Friday and we had to find a new cell phone plan since there is no Alltel here in Chicago. I had been researching all the phone companies and narrowed it down to Verizon and T-Mobile. So Saturday Morning we got up and headed out to check them all out. First we went to T-Mobile and the guys was nice and knowledgeable but the plan and phones that we wanted were way to expensive. So we headed out to Verizon. Let me tell you....Great Salesman, Great Plan, and Great Phones. We were really happy and got a great deal. With our military discount its even better and I wish that we would have switched from Alltel a while ago. After all the cell phone shopping we decided to take the boys bowling. It had been forever since we had been and it sounded like a nice change from the usual movies that we end up at. Well we had a BLAST. The place was a little pricey but it was well worth it. They had couches for you to sit in while you waited your turn and a waiter could by and bring you pizza and drinks. The most fun part though was the Psychedelic Bowling where they turned the lights off and had strobe lights and fake smoke coming at you. We bowled for 2 hours and were completely exhausted. I had taken my camera so we played around with the settings and got some GROOOOOOOOOVY pics. Today we ran a few errands and had to update our new phones, and here we are Sunday night and Monday is right around the corner.....the only good part is that in 2 days and a wake up Donte will be getting pinned his E7.....YIPEEEEEEEE!

Getting Ready for School

The time has come to start getting everything ready for school. You know what I am talking about the book bag, the supplies, the clothes and to my two the shoes. When I was a kid it was Nike's and Keds but that was later down the line. Not elementary I honestly can't remember caring what brand my shoes or clothes were as long as they were comfy and cool. But in today's times our kids are so very aware of brands and not just for shoes but for clothes and what seems like everything else. When I was nine I had no earthly clue who Dolce and Gabbana were (don't think they were around then but even if the were)my parents would have admitted me and my brother to the psych ward if we had ever asked for a pair of jeans that cost over $100. Because back then you could have gotten a ton of stuff for $100. Now don't get me wrong there were certain things in the 80'sand 90's that we wouldn't get caught dead in but I don't think it was half as bad as it is now. We do dress our kids nicely and trust me they earn it. Both boys were Academic All Stars, they are both excelling in sports and they get compliments all the time for their manners. I will splurge on shoes but I do hit the sale racks for jeans and shirts. So yes they get the name brand stuff but trust me when I say that I get it on sale. Why pay full price when you can get it for half. I get this trait from my Mom....in fact it's a running joke in our family...when I come home from shopping I come home with bags not a bag and I used to always say "I saved XXXXmuch money today" so now my Dad will say "soooo how much did you save today?" So Come Aug 1st we will trek out to all the lovely stores to stock up on everything. The only difference from this year to last is that the boys will probably steer away from getting the same stuff and veer towards their own sense of style....it just isn't cool to have your clothes match your brothers. Hopefully I will get some pics of all the stuff we rack up on and I will include the prices as well. I am curious to see how much getting ready for school actually costs. One last note I am giving in and ordering the boys the L.L. Bean Deluxe Book Packs (Back Packs). I have friends that have had them for years and one of my friends bought on for her son in elementary school and he still uses it in High School. So there is the first expense. 2 Book bags + Shipping and handling = $97.75

The case of the missing goggles.

Kids......oh where oh where do I start. As most of you know the boys have been taking swimming this summer and are having a blast. They are actually really good at it and are excelling in all of their classes. I am trying to teach them responsibility so I make them responsible for their swim trunks, goggles and toweles. They do pretty good but for some reason they can not keep their goggles in one place to save their lives. I tell them time after time but God only knows what they are thinking. :) I have to laugh at this because you would think that the water would turn to cement if they didn't have these goggles. I truely believe that they would swim naked or just drip dry but dive in without goggles NO WAY. So I am sitting here writing this post and they are searching franticly......wonder if they have checked on top of the washing machine yet......would make sense since thats where they stripped and put their trunks in the wash. Well I have 25 min to go I think I will let them wait it out a bit. Oh they joys of being a Mom!!! :)

Bloggers Block

For the last few days I have come to the new post screen and pretty much just looked at it. I guess I have bloggers block. Everyday life is relaxed and simple and thats just the way we like it. Hanging out, Swimming and just being with each other is the best part of the summer. I have less than a month to go before it's back to work and back to the everyday grind of the boys being in school. It's hard to believe that I will have a 3rd and a 4th grader next year. It really doesn't seem that long ago that I was jammin' along to Elmopalooza and folding tiny little clothes and those adorable baby socks. I miss those days....the days that they were so excited because they discovered that they had feet or that they could scream. They have grown fast and I know that the years to come will go even faster. I am proud of them. My two young men that drive me absolutly NUTS sometimes but who know their manners and genuinly care about other people and things. They are both smart and funny. Even though the share the same DNA they are truly day and night. One is outgoing and the other a bit shy. One likes to be the center of attention and the other likes to fold into the crowd. But the amazing thing is that they can't seem to do anything without each other. I know that the day will come when they become more independant and do their own individual things but for now I will enjoy seeing them so close and hope that they remember the closeness as they become young men.

So I guess the secret to getting over bloggers block is to just write......:)

Sergeant First Class Slade

Donte made the list for E7 back in March. We were extremely happy and began the long wait for his sequence number to come up. His number is 16 so we guesstimated (that is a word)roughly 6 months. Well on Aug 1st he will be pinned. YIPEEE, HOOOORAH and all those happy party sounds. He works really hard and is very dedicated to what he does and in my eyes no one deserves it more than him.

The weather here has cleared up and we have had the chance to enjoy the outdoors a bit. It isn't as hot as it was before the rain so it's absolutely beautiful. We have about a month left before school starts and we all go back to the grind of homework, working and all the daily joys that happen during the school year. In a way I am ready but in a way I am enjoying the summer with the boys so very much that I don't want it to end. The boys are growing up so fast that soon they will be more interested in doing their own thing instead of hanging out with Mom. So I am treasuring every moment.

RAIN, RAIN GOOOO AWWWWWWAY!

Yuk!!!! Thats the best way to describe it. Its pouring rain yucky cold, dark and LOUD rain. But I guess it's OK since I went to Michaels and picked out some scrapbooking stuff. If it's still raining tomorrow at least I will have something else to do......MOOD FOR THE EVENING BLAAAAAAAAAAH

Reconnecting

In my lifetime, my all 31 years of it I have moved 9 times...wow I had never counted it up before but theres that number......9. Now this is not house to house or dorm room to parents house but real moved like packed up everything that I owned and moved. It hasn't really bothered me especially in the last few years with email and messenger and all the joys of our super technical world that we so joyously cohabitate in. I mean really what I ever did before my cell I don't know...(well I do? Anyway getting back to my post....I am horrible at staying in touch. It's not that I don't care or that I forget about the friends that I had, it's just that I really SUCK at it. Well I had a girlfriend in Germany, Gabi. I love this woman like a sister and her hubby is a hoot and her kids were always so polite. We went on many a day trip together to Nuremberg and Poland. We had dinners and get togethers and phone calls. And through the years I have thought of her often and in my mind said I have got to call or email her and then life happened and it was another 6 months gone. Well after I decided to start this blog up again I emailed my friends and her email came back returned.....WHAT OMG I could have passed out!! You see even though I hadn't talked to her I took for granted that she was right there...just an email away....so what did I do I looked her hubby up in the AKO white pages (Thanks AKO) and swiftly emailed him and he passed on her email. So I emailed her this morning and she emailed me back and even though it has been literally years since we have spoken her email started out like this......

"Shanez, old Girlfriend"

and just like that I felt like no time had passed. That's the greatest part of the military no matter how far, how long or how hard it is for one to keep in touch, we are all connected. So with the promise from both of us to be better at keeping in touch and my heart feeling good and full I will continue to enjoy my rainy day that is just a little brighter with the words from an old friend.

Rainy Days

I woke up this morning expecting to see sunshine and lo and behold what do I see but RAIN,RAIN and more RAIN. I can now hear the thunder and see the lightning (since I opened the blinds). I so dislike rainy dreary days when I have 1001 things to do.......why?.....you ask well because days like this have an effect on me. It sends me to that lazy state of mind that I just can't afford to have, especially today. Well I guess I gotta get my hiney in gear and start the day......Maybe just 5 more min.....naaaa I gotta get this rainy day started!!!

Doggy Training

We have had the dogs in Puppy training at pet smart for three weeks. Let me you tell you its worth every little red penny. It was $109.00 for 8 weeks. Now we have two Jack Russells, they are very smart and easily trainable dogs, even though that is true a puppy is a puppy and potty training is potty training. We have them baby gated in the kitchen and nook so if there are any accidents they are easy to clean up with an enzamatic cleaner (Kills any residue of the accidents). Well the trainer told us to hang a bell by the back door and everytime we take them out to ding the bell with their paw and take em out....after three days of this he got it. Diggy would let you know by crying at the door but Murphy would be hit and miss well now he dings the bell and sits by the door and waits for you to take him out. I am so proud of our little farts. And on another note Diggy is doing much better with trying to kill other dogs. He is fine with Murphy but would get irate at the sight of any other animals. He seriously went after the ducks in the pond at first but now they can walk by him and he doesnt care. He is ok with most dogs but has problems with shaggy dogs for some reason. Anyway I just wanted to share the bell secret with you. We tied it with fishing wire and found the bell in the bird section of PetSmart.

Doggy Trials

Well Diggy got neutered on Friday and did really well. He actually lost 7 ounces before the surgery and now is close to what his weight should be. The doc said that hes nothing but muscle and a very healthy dog. So we did his paperwork and went on to get Murphys shots done. Well did that and got everything we needed and headed to the car.

Donte realized that there was a sports store right next door to PetSmart and wanted to check out the flippers they had so Donnie and I decided to hang in the car with the dogs while Dannie and Donte went into the store. Suddenly Murphy started crying and heaving, I got him out of the car in the nick of time and he started getting sick all over the place and crying by this time Donte was coming back to the car and I told him to get Murphy and take him right back in. Donnie and I stayed in the car with Diggy and Donte and Daniel ran back into the vet. well long story short, 2 steroid shots, a couple of hits of benadryl, and a few hours later Murphy was OK to go home. He had an allergic reaction to the Distemper vaccination. Thank God he was OK. Both puppies are home now and doing fine.

Diggy however does have one of those cones on his head and it is comedic relief in itself. Poor baby is knocking into everything and anything and is ready to take it off now but he has 12 days left before he is fully healed and we don't want him messing with his stitches.

The humans in the family are doing fine and are enjoying a nice and lazy weekend. The only thing that we have really done is go swimming. I love lazy weekends like these and wish they would never end.

Speaking of Lyrics

The boys and I were watching "Singing Bee" tonight on TV. It is truly funny how you think you know a song and then someone comes along and bursts your little bubble of happiness. You see I know that I can sing.....hahaha OK well I didn't say sing well, I just said sing. Now if you live in my house you know that I do this when I clean, cook, do laundry and if you have ever worked with me you know that I sing along to the radio. This is just my way of making work fun. Now my loving husband puts up with it for the most part until I get stuck on a song. when I do this I press that tiny little button, what button you ask......the Repeat button. And yes I go to town. But back to the Lyrics. I was speaking to my friend Shannon who has four little munchkins of her own and she had watched the Singing Bee with her oldest daughter as well and we both agreed that some of the words that we had thought for years were the words to the songs were actually not. When I was about 13 or 14 I really like Aerosmiths song "Dude Looks Like a Lady" but I only caught it when it was on the radio and never paid much attention to the name of the song. Well I would sing along because at that age well we all know that we can sing and I used to run around the house singing "Do the Funky Lady" until one of my friends was like "Uhhhhhh Shanez, it's Dude Looks Like a Lady". Now 18 years later I still remember that like it was yesterday. So I suppose I know deep down inside that I probably sing many songs with words that are to my own making but really whats worse my interpretations of the words or my singing?

Moving....I orginally posted this on my MySpace in April

Well here it is Friday the 13th, our beautiful house that was once filled with all of our little treasures from near and far now sits empty......awaiting the painters that are coming bright and early tomorrow morning. It was sad these last three days packing everything up and watching the packing and moving crews taking everything and putting it all in that huge moving truck. Its funny how you kinda forget all the emotions that hit you like a ton of bricks. You have the excitement of moving and by the way I feel pretty lucky that we are going to Chicago....never in a million years did I imagine that we would be going there, after all theres no Army post there. But then you have the sadness of leaving the familiar,cozy, safe place that you have called home for the last three and a half years. I will miss so much as I know that Donte and the boys will as well. Donte will miss coaching here the most. His face always lights up when he heard that familiar ring of "Coach Slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaade". I told him that he could always get into coaching in Chicago too but he says it just wouldn't be the same. He truly does have calling for it and I know that he made an impression on all the kids and parents as they did on him. The boys will miss everything that kids usually do. There school, friends, sports teams, I could fill this page up with tons of things that they wish that they could pack into a bag and take with them. But I honestly think that they will miss the endless summer nights in the neighborhood playing with Kaylee and Alyssa. If you heard them you would swear that they were siblings. They play all day and argue all day too...but God forbid if they couldn't get together for one reason or another. I took Alyssa with me one day to a jewelry party and mind you I had Alyssa and both the boys and the lady hosting it asked me where my daughter got her blond hair......I think I actually stuttered on that on :). I will miss a lot too. I have made dear friends in the short time that I have been here Kimmie, Tracy and Vokie have been there since the start...my good old ITT days. Then you have the tried and true sports Moms, both Jenn's, Alexis, Michelle, Becky (Ok so shes the Grandma but trust me she didn't miss a thing, she screamed with all the rest of us:)) and Janay. I know that I have only known Jenn and Janay for a short while but I had a blast with both of them....that included some awesome appletinis. I cant believe that I am going to miss the birth of Jenn and Toms son, after all I was one of the first to know I never imagined that I would move before little Jaysik Boston would be born. Then theres Kari and Chris. Never did I think that I would be lucky to have two great neighbors that have become my close friends. In fact I am sitting on Chris' couch writing this, since she and her hubby graciously let us use their home for the week that the packers would be tearing mine apart. I have enjoyed all the endless nights sipping wine on the front porch and talking for hours about everything and absolutely nothing. What will I do without the two of you. We have seen each other through alot and I have tons of precious memories. All in all I will miss so very much but cant wait to make more memories in our new home!!!

Sweltering Hot Days and Rainy Nights

I swear the days here are getting just as hot as the ones down south and for the last couple of days the thunderstorms have been rolling in right around dinner time. I know I should be glad for sunny days.....I am, I promise but they spoiled me here with the picture perfect days and the cool nights with the breeze blowing in through the windows. It reminded me of Germany.....those of you that have lived there know what I am talking about. When we were in Vilseck we lived in front of Big Mike (Big Lake) we had a two story three bedroom and there were those nights that you could open all the windows upstairs and it would feel down right GOOD. The breeze would blow through the house and almost lull you to sleep. Well that's what I was enjoying here, we do after all have the huge pond in our back yard. But BOOOOOO on the rain Gods I actually had to turn my air-conditioning on due to the fact that my windows have to stay tightly shut.

And yes I do feel blessed that the weather is the only thing that I have to gripe about :)

Pictures from last Saturday

As promised....

7 July 2007 Grant Park, Chicago Illinois

Yesterday Donte had to work the taste of Chicago so the boys and I decided to tag along and make a day of it. It was a blast. We got up pretty early and met with another Army family and took the train. I was only 5 little bucks per adult for a train pass that lasted the whole weekend. Yup that's right folks you could go back and forth 5000 times as long as you did it Sat and Sun and it will only cost you .....5 bucks.....and to top that off kids under 13 are FREE. Now you know that FREE is one of my favorite words. We got off at Union station and walked a couple of blocks over to Grant park and hung out. I personally think that the Taste is over rated you have a bunch of restaurants that will sell you little portions for a HUGE price. We ate lunch there and hung out while Donte did his recruiting thing. The boys had a blast!! They did everything from playing Football to pulling up on the chin up bar. They were soooooo happy. The atmosphere was great, there were people riding bikes, and hanging out on the lawn. We found ourselves a bench right by where Donte had to work and relaxed and took it all in. They had a few street performers and bands going, the energy was awesome. Now the weather here has been pretty mild but yesterday it was down right hot. We were dressed for it but after about 6 hours in the sun you start to feel it. At around three thirty Donte was off and we decided to go to the cheesecake factory. Well we decided to walk because come on how far can it be....ummm...we walk for about 40 min through the crowds, past the Sears Tower, the Burberry Store, La Perla, NBC Studios Chicago, The Chicago Tribune and mind you the suns beating on your head and the crowds are thick. Since it was 7-7-07 we saw about five weddings taking place. By now my head is pounding!!! Thank God for Walgreens.....Tylenol and Gatorade and we are on our way again. We walk for about 10 more min and lo and behold theres our beloved Cheesecake factory. We found the family we were with and ate. Now if your familiar with the Cheesecake Factory you know that there portions are huge. Donnie and I split a Burger and the four of us split one piece of Cheesecake and were STUFFED. By then my headache is gone and we are down right pooped!! So instead of walking back we decide to take a Cab. Donte found one that was big enough to fit 8 and we loaded in....Now I have never ridden in a cab other than in Europe so all I know is what I've seen on Sex and the City and other programs like that. Well I'm sitting behind the cabbie and guess what his name was....Ahmed Aljazera.....I had to stiffle my laughter as he made his way through the traffic. Now let me tell you he was good at this. NOT just kinda good but extremely good. We get to Union Station and we just missed the 6:30 train so we hung out until the 8:30 one came along. We enjoyed our train ride back and after a nice hot shower we all crashed for the night.

On another note the people of Chicago are so Pro Military. I can't begin to tell you how many times people have stopped Donte and said thank you. It's funny how a hand shake or a hug can make such a difference but it does.

I will post pictures as soon as I charge my camera so I can transfer the pics.

Missing Germany

I know I havent posted in months and now 2 posts in one day. I was catching up on reading my usual blogs and I came across some pictures of Vilseck. I really miss it. so here are a few pics that I have borrowed from a couple of other sites. I wish I had taken more pictures while we were there.

My first Slideshow......Im finally starting to get this.

Back again

Why do I find it oh so hard to keep this site up????? My Space is definitely easier and well just more fun. But it is hard to write about the going ons in life in the blog there because lets face it....MySpace is mostly an email application....well for me at least.

I may as well fill you in.....Boy where in the world do I start.

The boys and I went to Sri Lanka in May. My not so little Brother Adam married Chrissy in a beautiful ceremony over looking the beach.....and of course with my luck as soon as they vows were exchanged I had enough time to get back to my hotel room before I was SICK and I don't mean just sick but SICK. They even called the hotel doc and after a shot, antibiotics and a God awful re hydration drink I was OK. The wedding was great though the boys enjoyed it and everything was perfect and that's all that counts. We then toured the country for 10 days. We saw so much and it was all so beautiful. If you ever get the chance to go I would advise it. Except for the flight....which lasted daysssssssssssss...it was great. I only wish that Donte could have gone with us. Unfortunately with Donte coming to a new unit it was impossible for him to come.

The boys have been busier than ever. The completed Basketball camp and are halfway through the summer swim lessons. They started out as Guppys and Daniel is now a Minnow and Donnie has completed Minnow and gone on to Fish. They are doing great to say the least and I have met some really nice people in the process. They will start Soccer camp at the end of July and Hip Hop isn't too far away either.

Donte is waist deep into recruiting and is doing great. He really excels in it....him being a people person and all. Now if only DFAS could own up to the fact and get our pay right.....Now I am used to our LES being wrong the first pay period but here we are in July and they still haven't straightened it out. Never mind the endless trips and emails that Donte has had to make to light the so called fire under their hind ends. Other than that its actually pretty great.

I am enjoying my summer off with the boys. I have to admit that at first I thought that I would go crazy with all the time off. I however have been having a blast with the awesome twosome. We stay pretty busy and have really bonded and done alot so far this summer.

And on another note Max and Diggy were with my brother while we got settled and right before we left for Sri Lanka I got a call from Adam saying that Max was missing. My heart dropped as I knew then that something bad must have happened, you see Diggy running off would be normal but Max NO WAY....so all I can pray for is that whatever happened that it happened fast or if someone stole him that they are showering him with love and that as soon as they take him to a vet he will be returned because as with all of our animals he is micro chipped!!! Diggy Butt is now home with a brand new little brother Murphy who is as cute as a button. You see Jack Russells are a two dog breed. They need a companion, a playmate and Murphy and Diggy are doing great together.

Well as with any move we are all making new friends but we are all missing the heck out of our old friends. It's hard but we make the most of it. I wonder if I will ever find some wine sipping (Chris and Kari), Cappuccino drinking (Melody) porch hanging out buddies here.....who knows....I have never had trouble meeting new people but I really wish that I could bring my girlfriends here to live by me again. I miss you all!!!!!

The Windy City

I am embarrassed to say that it has been FOREVER since I posted. Infact I had to reactivate my blog. Well lets see where do I start......We just moved to Chicago and have been here almost 3 days. In thise three days we have found a place to live and will just have to finalize the paperwork. I am tired the boys are ancy and we all cant wait to move into the house and get out of the hotel. Will post more after we are settled.

Time flys

Well I know its been forever again. Our Cat Mali is gone and I was/am very upset about it. I had told Donte that I was going to make her an appt to see the vet on thursday because she was breathing very heavily and on Friday she got out and never came back. She would venture out every once in awhile but never out of the yard. We posted fliers and the whole neighborhood searched but no Mali to be found.

Other than that the boys are doing great, playing soccer and growing by leaps and bounds. They amaze me how fast they grow and how sweet they really are.

We went to see the Broadway Musical LION KING last weekend and it was amazing to say the least. I was in awe of it all and if I could would go at least once a week. The boys and Donte enjoyed it as well. My friend Chris (Christine)and I are going to see CATS on the 18th. I love the theater and wish that I would have started going earlier.

Well I better get going.....boys have a game tomorrow and I am ready to hit the sack.

For Yvonne

BOOK QUOTES

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your Blog (Please include the book and author) along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag five people.


A Million Little pieces, James Frey
That okay with you, Kid?
Yeah
He stands, picks up his tray.

OK not the best bit of info but there it is. I am currently reading a book on the holocaust and dont want to skip to 123 so when I get there I will let you know.

We remember....9-11.....Never forgotten!!