Six Month Update

I can't believe it's been six months since I last posted -- oh, who am I kidding? I CAN believe it! Here's some random rambling about life in my world lately...


My girls are doing good. Each has had some changes with jobs, etc. lately, but they are doing good. They are really a lot of fun to be with! Jessica will be done with most of her majors this fall, with just a few classes to finish up in the spring. I think she is ready to be done! It's been over five years, but she will end up with four majors. KayLee and Heather have each changed jobs and are very excited about that. Heather has also taken steps to complete her GED (she has aced the pre-tests) and plans to enroll in college for the spring semester.


I'm still at the same job at the grain elevator and it has been a very long, dragged out fall because of the weather. Harvest is late, and still not complete. I've been putting in some long hours, but the overtime will be helpful for Christmas shopping! I am beginning a five day weekend right now, though, but am probably going to end up going to work for a few hours Thursday evening to try and catch up on some things. I don't spend much time on the computer at home after staring at one for ten hours a day at work.


My love life is wonderful; the man I've been dating for nearly a year is the best guy I've ever known. :-) I enjoy spending time with him on his farm, and I think the manual labor has been a contributing factor to me losing 25-30 pounds since last spring.

Last, but definitely not least, we had to say goodbye to our dear Shep this morning. He was
15 1/2 and just really struggling with some things in recent months. I have never had to take a dog in to be euthanized before. Heather and I stayed with him; it was painful for us, but I'm glad we were there. We then took him to the farm and buried him under a nice tree in the grove. Heather was only two when we got him, so she hardly has a memory without him and he was one of her best friends. It has been a tough day, but we know we did the right thing.

That's all I can think of for now. I hope you all have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

Blog-Pourri

Wow, it's been too long since I've updated, so I'll probably just ramble on with some random "news" -- which may or may not be newsworthy.

Update on "Duck, Duck, Goose" -- they are growing fast and now living happily on the farm.

Heather has her license, a vehicle, and a job that she enjoys. KayLee's new job is going well also. Jess is finishing up finals this week. Next fall should be her last semester and then she'll graduate with three or four majors.

Mother's Day was great -- got to hang out with two out of my three daughters. They spoiled me by getting me gifts, even though I told them to make me a homemade card and I'd be happy.

My dating life is progressing just wonderfully. I have made mistakes in the past, but have vowed to do things right this time -- and I think I am being rewarded, because this man is fantastic! He is amazingly kind, fun, thoughtful -- and "real". We've been spending more time together lately, even though we live about an hour and a half apart.

I am part of a phone tree for families of soldiers who have recently been deployed. I made my first calls tonight, and I think I am going to really enjoy it!

I am feeling GREAT after my surgery. It took me about a month to feel 100%, but I am thrilled! For those of you who told me it was the best thing you ever did -- I am in complete agreement!!

Work is fine. A little slower in some areas lately, so I have been able to catch up on some filing that's been piling up since December. (Yep, I said DECEMBER! Filing is last on my list of priorities, and a putzy job that I do not enjoy at all.)

Happy May everyone!

Duck Duck Goose

As soon as Heather walked through the door saying "Mom, you know I love you...", I suspected something was up. :-) Behind her was a friend of hers carrying a box and I immediately heard chirping-type sounds.

I know Heather had stopped at the farm and fleet store a couple times this week to see the baby chicks and ducks. She heard me say the other day that they are cute, and I guess that was her "in" -- so she bought two ducklings and a gosling. Her intent was to buy just the two ducklings, but the little goose was in a pen all by itself and she didn't want it to be alone so she bought that one, too.

So now we have three small (but loud) new "pets" in our porch. Pretty sure the city (using the term "city" very loosely) ordinances do not allow such pets. When they get bigger, they can go to the farm where there are pens already set up.

Heather is doing a good job of taking care of them. She cleans their...struggling for a word for the plastic bin in which they currently live, so I'll just say "pen"...each morning and evening and keeps their food full and water fresh. Well, as fresh as it can be kept, because the goose keeps jumping in it to kind of swim in place. She is completely responsible for them. All I have to do is confirm that, "Yes, they are cute.", when she asks me.

Spring Break in DC

But not for me! Heather flew out there and will be spending the week with my sister. Although I'd prefer to be there also, it doesn't work with the budget or my work schedule right now. My sister has a new puppy and an adult yellow lab, plus she's dog sitting this week -- so Heather will keep busy with them and I'm sure she'll love it!

Today they went to Mount Vernon; it is close to my sister's house and we've been there before, but I guess they have some new things to see. They have something planned for just about every day, so I can't wait to hear all about their adventures.

My big excitement this week was my visit to the dentist yesterday. I had to get a crown prep and ended up with half my face being numb for most of the night. Today it's sore and I keep accidentally biting my cheek. I can't open my mouth very far and it takes me forever to eat. Perhaps this is a diet plan that can work for me!!!! Unfortunately, the dentist said I'd feel better after a couple days. But I hope he's right -- I've got another date on Thursday! :-) So I guess the trip to the dentist wasn't my "big excitement" after all. At least I hope not.

Can I Please Do Your Dishes For You?

Who can resist a guy with a line like that, huh? This is my girls' little brother (their dad's four year old son). He comes over to visit every once in a while and one of the first things he does is drag the kitchen stool over to the sink and start running water.

Sunday he was here with Heather, KayLee and I when we made Easter cookies and dyed eggs. He really is such a good boy! Once again, he asked if he could do the dishes. A person would have to be crazy to say no, right?

While I admit it might seem a bit strange that my ex's son (my girls' "brotha from anotha motha") spends time here, I think we are a positive influence in his life. He comes over and likes to play games, play with the pets, clean, do dishes...and he really isn't any trouble. He keeps me busy, though, because like most four year olds, he is curious and has kind of a short attention span. I just figure I'm getting some "grandma practice". Not that I'm pushing to be a grandma in the near future, but I do think it's going to be a lot of fun...someday!

Patriotism

Last night we went to a send-off ceremony for a National Guard unit that will be deploying to Iraq in a few weeks. A friend of ours is the commander of this unit, and we went to show support for him and his family. I am SO glad we went! It was an amazing ceremony, but even more amazing was the support shown by the community in their attendance. Most importantly, and most impressive, were the numerous soldiers who are willing to step up and complete the mission assigned to them. There is such a display of respect, and I admire them so much. They were introduced individually and I sent up a quick prayer for each of them as their names were read.

Spending several of my childhood years on an Air Force base, we were exposed daily to many rituals that might seem "different" to those not familiar with military life. At 5:00pm, "Taps" played over a speaker system that broadcast to much of the base area -- perhaps not all through the housing area, but it was all over the commercial part of the base. If one happened to be outside at that time, whether walking, riding a bike, driving a car, whatever...you stopped right where you were until "Taps" was done playing. When we went to the movie theater, before the start of each show the National Anthem was played along with pictures or videos shown on the screen to accompany the music. Everyone stood, hats were removed, and respect was demanded. I loved this atmosphere! I still get teary-eyed when I hear the National Anthem, as well as other patriotic songs like God Bless the USA, America the Beautiful, God Bless America, and more.

I also get teary-eyed when I see peoples' lack of respect for our military, and for our country. I remember watching someone in front of us at a hockey game a few years ago who remained seated and was text messaging during the anthem. I tried not to let it distract me, but I sure was curious as to why/how the person could remain oblivious. I realize the singing of the National Anthem may seem routine for some, but just like the hymns and liturgies in church that might be repetitive, if we concentrate on the words, they are something we need to hear and understand. Every. Single. Time.

Heather went with to the send-off ceremony and she was clearly moved. I was so happy to share it with her. She's heard me talk about our life on the base, but I think she got a true glimpse of the dedication of the troops last night, and a deeper understanding of what their duties include. I am going to be helping a good friend of mine (the wife of the aforementioned commander) with the Family Readiness Group during the deployment. I'm not sure what my exact role will be, but I will be helping to keep in contact with family members during the time their loved ones are gone to keep them up to date with information and check in with them to see if there are any concerns or things they need help with. I am looking forward to being a part of a support team like that! It's the least I can do, and I am so happy to do it! Heather has offered to help also, so I think that is just great!

God Bless America and our Troops and their Families!

Half a Pound

No, the title doesn't reflect my cumulative weight loss over the past year (I wish! I'm sure it's much less than that. Or perhaps equivalent to whatever the uterus weighed, which was unfortunately less than the 30 pounds I was hoping for!).

I was picking up a few groceries yesterday and stopped at the meat counter to check out the choices. Because it's just Heather and I at home, many times I use just a half a pound of hamburger at a time. Sometimes I'll cook and crumble a whole pound, use half and freeze the other half. But yesterday I spotted some ground sirloin that looked pretty lean, and was a decent price, so I decided to order just a half pound of it and try it. So, the guy weighs it out, wraps it up, and hands it to me while saying, "They're accepting applications at W*l Mart." I just said, "Oh really?" and he continued with "No, actually I think they just laid off some people." Hmmph. Do you think he was feeling sorry for me because I only ordered a half a pound of meat, and considered me jobless? Okay, maybe it wasn't the half pound of meat -- perhaps it was my extremely casual appearance to which I've become accustomed in the past couple of weeks while I've been away from work. Not to insinuate that my appearance is usually anything more than casual, but by "extremely casual", I just mean a minimal amount of makeup and hair styling -- just enough to keep from scaring young children and the elderly.

The meat counter guy is someone who used to work in the plant where I used to work, so maybe he was just trying to offer me a friendly "tip". But what I wanted to say was that I was getting paid while I was shopping yesterday (thanks to my job benefits that covered my medical leave), glamour or no glamour, and that if I'd really been that in need, I don't think I'd have chosen a half pound of meat from the meat counter. That wouldn't have been the wisest choice. Do you know how much mac 'n cheese or R*men noodles I could get for the two bucks I paid for the ground sirloin?!

It just makes me chuckle. But it also makes me glad. While I still do watch what I spend, I am thankful that I no longer have to calculate the total as I add items to the cart every time I shop. I am also glad I have a good job that I like.