Weekend Update

Wow, what a weekend! Started out with the husbands big homecoming. Hurrah! He got in on Friday afternoon around 330. I met him at the airport in my red "marilyn" dress and he was suitability appreciative. hehe. We went to dinner at Zorbas, which was DELISH, and wound up the evening out with a twilight stroll along the waterfront. Was very nice.

Tried to wake up for church on Sabbath, but didn't make it. I listened to the service on the radio in my jammies, and Andy staggered out of bed at around 1 in the afternoon. We threw on clothes and went to Deception Pass to hike down the cliffs to the beach and then collected agates for a few hours. Was loads of fun, but I swear I need to get in better shape. Coming back up the cliffs just about sent my legs into noodle-mode. Spent the evening on a "date", starting out with dinner at Outback Steakhouse and ending up with Star Wars III. :-)

Where was I? Oh yes, Saturday night. So that ended the date night and we did the sleep in thing again on Sunday, lazed around the house until about 3 then went into town and bought some gourmet coffee (more apricot creme and a bag of creme brulee. Yummy. Our whole house smells good!). At 4 we met B and B at the theater and did the Madagascar thing along with about 10 other couples and probably 70 families with little kids. Was loads of fun. I especially liked the New York parts... seeing home in animation is pretty cool. hehe. Went to Casa Rodriguez and had some primo Mexican food and then the 4 of us adjourned to our house to play 90s Trivial Pursuit. It ended up being a clash of the titans, with Beth and Andrew duking it out with the dice to see who would get the lucky roll first. Bruce and I counted ourselves lucky to have 1 or 2 wedges in our game pieces by the time Andy actually won the game. We're looking for a rematch again soon.

Aaaannnnnd the final day in our long weekend .... MONDAY! We spent a frightening amount of money on Andy's computer (all budgeted though, no worries!), loaned money to a buddy for HIS computer, and bought me 2 skirts, 3 shirts, and a light jacket. Then the guys (Andy, Sylvan, and Goh) went to see Star Wars III and I spent a very contented 3 hours in a comfy chair at Barnes and Noble. Wound up the evening with Blade 3 here at home while eating leftovers and snuggling on the couch. What a great weekend. And the week ahead?

...we're currently sitting in Andy's office with me avoiding work and he playing with the new computer stuff. The plan is to start work around 1 when he has to report in to get his records, then work tomorrow and Thursday and Thursday evening we had down to Portland for ANOTHER long weekend. I love leave time. heheh. Pictures to be posted soon, as soon as we finish fixing our network. None of us can connect at the moment....

Homecoming Insomnia

The husband arrives home in approximately 12 hours, and I sit in bed with Pleasantville on the television (the midnight movie... its almost over) and my laptop on my lap. I tried to go to sleep, I really did! I turned the light out and then tossed and turned, thinking about husband coming home, work to do, and fun things that will be taking place in January ... thinking about how to be present for those fun things... husband home in less than 12 hours, dinner tomorrow, husband home...etc. :-)

The world has been a busy place the last few days... Beth and I went to the library on Monday, then I had a doctors appt followup on Tuesday and slept most of the rest of the day, B and I went antiquing on Wednesday then played trivial pursuit Weds evening (she won), then tonight she and Bruce came over for dinner and we played trivial pursuit AGAIN (and she won... a-GAIN) and then... I tried to go to bed. >sigh< (see above notes about the not sleeping)

Its funny to think that I didn't know B and B a month ago, and now we hang out at least 2x a week and chat online about once a day. hehe. Its so nice to have a friend in town to call up and say "lets go get coffee" and end up at Baskin Robbins. NICE!

Now Im babbling about my Trivia Shame and Homecoming Insomnia and getting giggly every few minutes when I look at the empty side of the bed next to me and realize that husband will be HOME at 230-330 tomorrow afternoon! TOMORROW! WOOOOO HOOOOO! oops. Thats TODAY. :-)

ok. NOW Im getting hungry and since its 145 am I better try to go to sleep again or I'll end up going downstairs and EATING. Horrors.

Stupid Bee

Argh! I am so stupid. I have no work today so Beth and I got all excited about spending a day wandering the island looking at antique stores, doing lunch, etc. and then at about 9 pm last night I realized I HAVE A DR APPT. At 1 pm. In Mt Vernon, which is decidedly OFF the island. growl. SORRY BETH!

>sigh<

This means that I must fill my day with chores... vaccuming, dishes, finding the floor of my office... oh well. We all need one of those, too! I will put Hitchcock on the laptop and sort for hours quite happily. hehe

Finally Healed!

I think Im finally back to normal when it comes to my energy level and the ability to read, watch tv, transition from book to computer or galley proof to hard copy, etc. I have had several doozies of headaches this last week trying to work when I guess I shouldn't have. I was told I would be able to work within a day or so of the surgery, but I guess most people don't work in such eye-intensive jobs. I had to ask for an extension on my deadline! Today at least I have been able to work normally. Got a lot of editing and review done and its only 8 pm so I should be able to get at least 2-3 articles written, too! Hurrah. :-)

In other news, Andy and I are looking forward to the end of the week when he will be returning home for a couple of weeks. We don't have much more together time this year, so every minute counts! We're already planning a few vacations, including CA to see my side of the family in early September, and OR in June to spend some time with his side of the family....Will have news on our SAR submission and orders situation, as always, as soon as we know more!

Grandma Boyd Update

Hurrah! Grandma came through her spinal surgery well and is heading to rehab shortly. We're all so happy!

Miracles

I can SEE! The miracle of modern science. No pain either, or at least... not much. when they took the speculum off my right eye it was bruised and that hurt, otherwise nada! I can see, I feel good (tired, a bit sore and swollen in the eye region) but otherwise good! Hopefully this next week I can calm things down with life in general and have time to do a real post...

NERVES!

Screaming nerves. Tense, tight balls of nerves bouncing around like Mexican jumping beans. That's me. Right now. AHHHHHHHH!!!!! There is going to be a KNIFE in my EYES tomorrow. I thought I was ready, really I did... but as of about 9 pm this evening I think I need more than just valium tomorrow. I need 3 valium! Maybe 4! >sigh<>sigh< Why can't I panic like a normal person? Instead I get cold hands and an urge to SCRUB THE FLOOR.

Ok, I think the panic attack has eased for the moment. Hopefully I will log in tomorrow or the next day and say "I was so silly! This has been a piece of cake! I didn't even SEE the suction cup with a knife attached to it coming at my eye. I laughed in the face of the doctor when he offered me valium because I didn't need it! It was fun!" >gurgle<

Really. If you don't hear from me again.... Im just trapped in the horror movie where Im strapped to a chair and machines are coming at my eyes (thanks for the visual, Nic!) ... or the Sci Fi flick where it all comes right in the end because the weirdness of my eyes ends up making me bionic or something (thanks for the thought, Ash!). :-) I am now going to try and call my husband again, probably waking his roommate for the 3rd time tonight as husband hasn't actually BEEN in his room yet this evening...stupid clinic.

I love you all. Goodnight.

Procrastinationating, part 2

HA! I have pulled out the big word again. Love my invented term. Especially since Im sitting at my computer with a HUGE stack of work on the left, an even larger pile of unread books on my right, coffee (apricot creme... almost gone! have to replenish) going cold in the mug at 11 o'clock, and Doris Day blaring out of the speakers. Have to finish all this stuff before surgery or else run the risk of needing to ask for a deadline extension which I HATE to do... even though my boss/client owes me BIG cause I introduced him to his wife. :-)

If wishes were horses....here are my wishes of the day:
1. I wish my husband were home and not scheduled for deployment this year...
2. I wish we lived closer to home (NYC)
3. I wish my work was done for the day and I could just laze around watching Blade II and Blade III and Wonderfalls, and reading at least 2 of this huge stack of books on my right (see above)
4. I wish I had more time to finish my novel, and could work it in every day and still be able to clean the house occasionally, finish my work on time, and relax in the aforesaid manner with a remote control and books.

Ok, better stop procrastinating. Have already done nothing this am except talk to C-mom, Hubband, and the Queen. Oh, and fed the cats. I missed the pathfinder pancake breakfast. Slept through it. >sigh< Gotta get a new alarm clock and/or move the one I have away from the bedside so I have to GET UP to turn it off.

The Piper

"I saw the Piper coming down the Valley with a shadowy host behind him. The others thought I was only pretending–but I saw him for just one moment. And last night I saw him again. I was doing sentry-go and I saw him marching across No-man's-land from our trenches to the German trenches–the same tall shadowy form, piping weirdly–and behind him followed boys in khaki. I heard his music, and then–he was gone. But I had seen him–and I knew what it meant–I knew that I was among those who followed him."

For those of you who have never read L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series, you wouldn't know this quote and what it references... I have read the entire series of 8 books several times, and read Rilla of Ingleside again this afternoon. The book takes place during WWI, and Walter (the speaker above) has visions of the piper piping young men to war. Walter dies in battle the day after he writes this, and a poem he had written entitled The Piper was published (in the novel) in newspapers across the world.

The book is so poignant, and with my own sailor "going to war" in a few months, I think I felt it more than ever. The strength that is required of men who go to fight for the future and the women who watch them leave...are we as strong as those of old? To lose a son, husband, father, lover....are the women of today strong enough to truly accept the horror that our ancestors did? Are we strong enough to see that those men fought and died nearly 100 years ago for an ideal that is still being defended around the world. Did they die in vain? Do our soldiers and sailors and airmen in Iraq die in vain? I wish that the poem supposedly written by Walter had truly been published, I would love to read it... to see the words penned by a courageous young man who so firmly believed in his way of life that he enlisted in the "war of wars", overcoming his fears of pain and brutality. But for today...I hope to be like Rilla, to look at the young men leaving for war and say "I will not break faith"...

"We'll follow–we'll follow–we won't break faith." And then I looked at the khaki ranks and wondered if those tall fellows in uniform could be the boys I've laughed with and played with and danced with and teased all my life. Something seems to have touched them and set them apart. They have heard the Piper's call.

10 Favorite Things... in no particular order

I am taking up the cause... as thrown at me by the Queen...My 10 favorite things, in no particular order:

1. My husband. I have known him for 10 years, been married to him for 7 months, and just love everything about him. Even those little annoying things that drive me nuts (can't think of any right now, but there MUST be some....). He is my best friend, my confidante, my lover....
2. My sisters... I love my sisters... they are my best girlfriends, understanding and sympathetic and crazy... perfect! They accept me for what I am, even when they are telling me Im WRONG and should CHANGE and what was I THINKING?!
3. Kitchen Stuff: Baking, cooking, stirring the bubbling pot... and right now? Apricot Creme coffee. Its my newest favorite thing. The Queen and I found a shop downtown this afternoon during our little ramble that carries gourmet coffees. I tried a cup of Apricot Creme this evening, with a purring cat and a good book... can't beat that for a cool Spring Sabbath evening when the husband is away...
4. Reading. I almost said reading and writing, but they are great in so many different ways and as much as I love writing... it is WORK for me. I love the research of it, and the words appearing on the page, but what I love most is READING what I or others have written. Reading is a way to transport myself from the real world to another one, be it a good one, a scary one, a silly one... its somewhere else and entertaining. My sis and I always read a lot growing up, and Ash and I used to beg to spend time together and then confuse our parents by seeing each other, shrieking with glee, and flinging ourselves onto my bed, the couch, or another handy soft surface and reading. "We thought you wanted to spend time together" they would say. We were! :-)
5. Marshalls. I know my sisters will understand this one, but there is just something about Marshalls... especially the big one in E. Norwalk, that is so therapeutic. Ash and I used to make it our Sunday "girls outing" to go and wander, and scavenge, etc. Its like a big garage sale that is indoors. You have to hunt for the good stuff, hunt even harder for the best deals, and then you get the fun of looking at weird things too....Ross is a decent substitute, but its not as much fun without the Bug along...
6. Grace and Jackson--I know someday there will be more babies in the family, and that I will eventually have my own. But for now... Grace and Jack are my BABIES. MY babies, no matter what their mothers think. :-) I miss them dreadfully and am horrified because of how much of their lives Im missing out on. Gracies first steps, Jax's first words... and even the bad things! My Gracie fell down the basement steps the other day. Poor little mite. :-( And Jackson has pneumonia! Anyway, they are both just wonderful blessings from God and cheer me immensely. Grace has taken to talking to me on the phone in her own little language and it always lifts my spirits to hear her solemnly telling me what's on her mind.
7. Traveling--The world is a great and beautiful place. Thanks to the wandering life we led as kids, I think I have permanently been imbued with a gypsy temperament. I dont' want to MOVE a lot, but I HAVE to travel. The husband and I are planning a nice long vacation once he gets home from cruise... have to start saving up for it! Top of my list of favorite travel destinations is Florence. I adore Italy overall, but Florence has that "je ne sais quoi."
8. New York City--There is nothing like HOME and I have to say that I consider the Greater NYC area HOME as I have never considered any place on earth. The vibe in the air, the opportunities, the energy. There is no comparison.
9. My cats. As much as they drive me nuts, I really love my "kids". They are such distinct personalities, and keep me from becoming too wrapped up in work or a book or the house by forcing their little heads and paws onto and into whatever Im doing.
10. Family--I have a great family, close and supportive. I guess that adage about the family that prays together stays together is very true for us! I got lucky enough to have FRIENDS not just RELATIVES. I even lucked out with the best in-laws in the world. God is good to me!
11. I decided to add a number 11 because there is something that I try to put in every part of my life, and figures largely in my enjoyment of the above...and that is...GOD. I dont always have the relationship with Him that I want to have, but I know He is there; laughing with me, crying with me, putting out His hands and guiding what I do as long as I ask Him for help and accept what He offers....

Ok, there are mine! I think Im going to toss the baton to Hummingboyd next... what are yours, Hummingboydus!?

Yigafawn

Just got off the phone with my Opth and he said he has been working the numbers and it looks like Im clear for LASIK. He said if we have to do PRK I will still be having the surgery on Tuesday, sooooo, no matter what, but Tuesday night I will be glassesless! >gulp<>wink<

Not much else to report, except that we found out we dont really have a deadline for deciding our orders, and that A can submit a packet for SAR more than once. Doesn't do much for my controlling nature, but he feels better cause there is less pressure on him to decide something from the Navy. Im trying to do the less pressure thing, too, I just don't deal well with the unknown... OR the thought that if he goes on cruise AND gets into SAR I basically won't see him from September to June. >sigh< We'll see what happens. Im kind of annoyed at the navy right now. They had said if they left early they would have the guys home for the holidays, but NO, now they say they leave early, home for 2 weeks in the early fall, and not home again until March. Depressing. No husband for anniversary, thanksgiving, christmas, OR my birthday. Maybe not even for his, let alone new years, valentines, etc. Pbbbttthhhhttt. That's my feeling.

Ok, Im off to work. I didn't finish last night's stuff as Beth came over to cheer me up after the above news and we chatted until about 2 am. Meeting her this afternoon for coffee and some book browsing (great little used/new bookstore in town). Should be fun, an excuse to take a little break. :-) Then... tomorrow is church and back to the grind in the evening. Im borrowing the Blade Trilogy to watch while I work.... Sunday is the pathfinder pancake breakfast and finishing up about 16 hours of work... then on Monday I have to clean up the house a bit (has to be clean to lessen risk of infection from LASIK incisions), do final reviews, mail off all my work to Judd, and be in Mt Vernon by 1 pm to be dilated and have all my presurgery stuff done... then its TUESDAY and time for SURGERY! >gulp< Anyone have a machine to slow time?

The Eyes Have It

I finally decided to go ahead and do LASIK... AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Im not the best person when it comes to things coming at my eyes. Strange perhaps, since I wore contacts for so many years, but Im a little scared. Of course, the fact that the surgery was weeks away in my mind and now perhaps will be on TUESDAY probably doesn't help. Turns out that they only have 1 surgery day each month at this clinic and its either Tuesday or the middle of June. Andy will be leaving right around the day they have it in June and I would rather go through the whole thing with him gone than have him have to leave in the middle of my followups.

I may end up having to reschedule after all and do PRK or LASEK, as my corneas are apparently right on the borderline thickness for LASIK. They need it to be a certain thickness so they can make a deep enough slice for the laser and still have enough cornea left to adjust. If it is too thin, I can't do LASIK and will have to have one of the other forms of the surgery. I really would prefer to have LASIK as the healing time is much much shorter and the discomfort level supposedly smaller, too. We'll know Monday after my complete pre-surgery workup. I'll have to find someone to take me in on Tuesday for the surgery...and Wednesday for the follow-up. I have a proposition for my sister on that front, but SHE ISNT ANSWERING HER PHONE! hmph. Anyway.... prayers, please!

Other news: Hubband is in Fallon, having a ball with some new assignments but dissapointed because they emptied out the pool and he had been looking forward to swimming every day while he was there. Im busily trying to get on top of all the work I have to finish this week and still leave time in the schedule to do the dishes and clean the house, etc. We'll see what happens!
For now, Im off to edit.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday, Nicole Renee Plantier Woodside!!!!!!!!!!! (Just making sure you don't confuse yourself with any other Nicole...)

Sleep: The Best Medicine

I figured out what was wrong with me... well, Andrew did, actually. I had the worst headache all day yesterday... to the extent that when I went for coffee with Beth I think I sat there like a lump and said all of 2 words. I felt dreadful! The headache made me nauseous, I got dehydrated, forgot to eat lunch (good thing we shared that scone, Beth!) Dragged myself around the house doing laundry in the afternoon and husband took me to dinner to keep me from having to cook since I wasn't feeling well. Got home from dinner and husband suggested I lie down and take a little nap... He snuggled me up and we... woke up at 11 to find we were still feeling exhausted and were sleeping on a sheet-less bed. hehe. We made the bed, got back in, and slept until 6:30 this morning! I dont think I have ever slept that long, but boy... it sure felt good! Headache gone, nausea gone, feelin' good! Hubband said that he thought with work being so nuts and me being stressed about his next detachment I was probably just sleep deprived.

In fact, feeling SO good that I am having a perfectly marvelous time calling Judd names because he and Pia are off to Italy tonight for 10 days. Snog. Odious pug-loving egomaniac. Etc. :-D Good thing he knows I love him. hehe. I had to stop calling him names though, because he is giving me more work for the next 2 weeks while he is gone and A is gone. That means more money, less bored and depressed Chrissy, etc. :-)

Chocolate Mooses

For all of you who like telling the editor when she mispells something.... I DID IT ON PURPOSE THIS TIME SO SHUT UP!

Ahem.

So, went to dinner last night at the home of my first ever Internet-only acquaintance and had a spiffy time. :-) Hubband said I only babbled a LEETLE bit, so we're well pleased. hehe. The food was great too... even though it was chocolate mooses (chocolate, blecch) for dessert (just kidding, Queenie, they were great...I emptied my dish!)

I do need to put a little disclaimer in here.... I DID look up the O.H. bloggers, and I DID find her that way... but I didn't read all the stuff that was on there! I only looked at ladies blogs ... and only those over 21! The goal was to find out A) what people near my age DO in this town, and B) perhaps find a friend that I can get away from the house with...I think I succeeded in the second, but the 1st... I STILL dont know what people do in this town! I did discover, in my searchings, a multiple personality person, a few overstressed stay-at-home moms, and ONE NORMAL PERSON (Hi, Queenie! I mean YOU!). Very fun.

And now, to LAUNDRY. hmm. Should that be "to launder".... and what about the dishes? WHAT ABOUT THEM?! Yes. I know. Im insane. So is my cat, who is currently trying to attack a piece of paper, my headphones, and the keyboard.... all at once. I wonder if HE has multiple personalities? Hmmmmmm.......

More than Conqueror

I AM SPARTACUS! Ok, mixing quotations rather dreadfully, but I have FINALLY conquered the honey stream! Yes, it took this long. We couldn't pull the oven hood down to get it all out of there, but with applied pressure a few times each day and discreet application of a honey-removing tool (a.k.a. a butter knife), I was able to succeed in stemming the tide. Wow. Long sentence. Other news.... don't have any. Unless being on the edge of an emotional sniffle fest at the prospect of Husband leaving again counts. >sigh< At least this time he is only going to Nevada! PHONE CALLS! HURRAH! If I can just make it through this year ... I will officially be a "seasoned" navy wife (salt me, Im DONE!).

Ok, better stop. Am babbling (or is it rambling?) and really should be concentrating on the provision of culturally conscious care taking into account the childbearing beliefs and practices of the Amish (Im so proud of my 2nd Mama! The DISSERTATION is coming along great!). Break is over! Back to work! woo woo!

(Scuse' me, but you see, back in old Napoli.... THAT's AMOOOORRREEEE. Gotta love Deano)

Aaaaaannnndddd, here we are again. Just after birdseed (look closely at Andy's hair and you can see it all stuck to his scalp) and just before food and fun. Do ya think MAYBE we're newlyweds? Look at those sappy grins!

Here is a shot of us where you can actually see our faces, we aren't squinting into the sun after a night of raucous card playing, or smeared with frosting. So. Here are the husband and myself just after the ceremony and just before the birdseed...

Printer Trials

Who would think it could take 2 electronic savvy people 6 hours to set up a new printer?! I guess when you figure that he rewired my entire office before even STARTING and that our new printer is smart enough to do everything except knit an afghan it isn't very surprising. Now we are debating whether or not to run a 150-foot phone cable from our bedroom across the entire house so we can hook up the fax capabilities. To string the wire, or not to string, that is the question.

Yes. Im tired. I give up. Im never even remotely interesting when Im tired. Except maybe to my cats...and then only as a scratchpad or pillow.