Friday, July 20, 2007

He's home!

Surprise! yesterday morning, the dog started going bananas. I was busy, and disregarded her at first -well, she gets peeved at the wabbits, and the deer, and the kids playing next door need her attention, as does the mail carrier and that backhoe over at the other neighbour's house.... When she didn't obey the "quiet" order, I looked out the window and - HI!!! We didn't think they were going to cut him loose until Sunday!

Yay.

So... we have reservations for next month to go out and see the most beautiful toddler in the entire planet - oh yeah, and her parents... (they think we want to see them... HA! we just want the baby... they can go do something else....) and we are packing, the thrift shop will love us, and the Half Price Book store too. Space bags are a wonderful invention! We are trying to get brutal about sorting through "stuff".

don't forget Sunday on Standing by - to blog about Army Wives.

LAW

Monday, July 09, 2007

OK, done.

Done with my snit/sulk, whatever you want to call it. I should just realize that this Brigade can't do what they say, nay promise, to do. No one could, I suppose, but they have made a habit of messing up every plan I have ever had that depends on them. The question would be, I suppose, why I even start with the trusting them bit?? I don't honestly know. So, we'll live with the limbo a while longer.

Today is the last day at work. I need another week to finish what needs to be done before I turn it over to someone else! The brief from hell ate the last week. 132 pages... don't EVER do the table of authorities until everyone has put their two cents in. and make sure you tell everyone that any changes after a certain time... won't be put in. you need at least a day to get that done, the table of contents and exhibits as well.

I've started on a couple of projects, cleaning out the spare room chest of drawers (which became another clutter magnet) and getting all the Army stuff like extra uniforms etc put away properly so moving that will be easier. We both figure that if I get this type of thing done, this move may be easier .... (the sound you hear is the chortling from all the experienced military wives busting a gut.. go ahead... we all know it will turn into the stress peak it always does!) Need to get some bubble wrap.... boxes.... TAPE

Army Wives is starting to be an almost enjoyable show. but for heavens sake..THOSE BLOODY BERETS! some of these people look like they are wearing shower caps! and they have made Frank (the Major) into a cardboard cutout martinet. He's the worst of what most civilians expect of military parents. I know my father in law (a serving Navy sub commander) wasn't that way, rigid, etc. and nor was my husband. Denise, his wife, is the doormat type, at least she has been until now. Would be nice to see more of the spouses working outside the home. But I finally read the book (Tanya, good one,!) and I can see where they get some of the spouses' attributes. They sort of merged and blended them, and its easier to have most of the spouses at home.

How was your weekend? ours was SO HOT! and heavy and nasty. and then a thunderstorm with rain that made me think we were in a gale! better than the hail a couple of weeks ago, I suppose I should have expected it, I watered the plants really heavily that morning! it's the "if I water/wash the car, it's going to pour" syndrome.

LAW

Saturday, July 07, 2007

gone again

I was asked if I had stopped blogging.. no, I haven't, but it has been a hell of a week or so. First, and most important, he's OUT of the Litterbox. After a hot couple days on the good side of the berm he called me from the first stop in the USA, having the now traditional lobster roll... it was breakfast this time. Then to the place where they were supposed to only be for a week... that's where it all began to go pear shaped. We had all been assured that the reintegration work would go on 24/7, no break for the 4th. So we didn't make plans, except some of us planned to work and make some extra $$. then....the first call - hey, we're getting a 24 hour pass, want to come down? well.. duh. So a friend of mine and I made plans to drive down, this was to be our 4th of July freedom date! We made reservations. (oh and when the folks at work found out, they called the hotel and paid for the room!) about 5 hours later... nope, we are getting a 3 day pass...but... (uh oh) it appears that we are going to be helping everyone else through the redeployment..... another 3 weeks or more. So cancelled the reservations. Friend drove down and picked them up, big reunion... in the parking lot of Caribou Coffee... no band, no flags... but he's THERE!

Here we segue into the work situation. I told the boss he was coming home and that we were going to be going to visit the grandbaby...so there was my last day, right? when this 3 week thing came up, I said I was available.... everyone at work was happy, except the boss, who had maintained that my last day is set, and he won't deviate from that, to the despair of some of my co workers. Then the monster brief from hell necessitated my working on two of the three days he was on pass, I had promised I would be there, and since 1/2 the office was off, I couldn't find anyone to take over..... I'm a contract employee and if I don't work, I don't get paid. It would have been great to have something to do for the next 3 weeks while waiting for him to be DONE with this deployment all together, and been able to save more $$. Thank goodness I hadn't made any plane reservations. Cancelled the hotel and the car for our grandbaby visit.

OK, I know, I should be and AM very grateful to have him back safely. But dammit... how many more goodbyes do we have to say! Everyone else will come back, flags and bunting and hooorah. and our guys, will come back in the POVs they drove back with this morning, after spending 3 weeks doing not much more than sheparding the returnees through the maze of redeployment and while the new groups go home to their families, turning around and helping another group through. ok, so I'm whiny this time. get over it.

And I will. but why is it "first in" has to be last out? Granted, he's safe, but living in barracks and eating mess hall food still... oh, LAW, shut up and get over it. I will... but I maintain that today, I'm gonna sulk.

LAW