Homecoming Neuroses

Homecoming has officially been published. WAHOO! Not only that, the ship is docking a day earlier than previously supposed. HOWEVER, the boys still may not get HOME until that original date so Im not changing my ticker YET. What if by doing so I jinxed it and they were, say, another day late beyond the day late they already might be? Yes, I think it is official. I have become the neurotic navy wife lying in wait for her husband with soon-to-be polished fingers and toes, plucked eyebrows, and slinky clothings. In the meantime, while waiting, Im the neurotic who is lying in wait in a messy house, waiting until the time is closer so that I can fill the entire last week with a flurry of activity and not end up chewing holes in the desk, or going really crazy and trying to clean the chimney all by myself.

Dont YOU wish you were here?

hahahahahahahhahaha

You haven't enjoyed a cup of coffee until...

you try to sip it in slurps and gulps while moving the cup all around your office to keep it out of nose and paw reach of an enormous black cat. In fact, as I type this, said cat is sitting on TOP of my laptop (its in a dock) intently eyeing my cup of chocolate raspberry coffee... no, he has made his move! I deftly stop typing, swoop the cup out of his reach and onto the other side of the desk. In the beginning when we would play this game, I lost regularly. Engrossed in my work, I would (swoop, back to the other side. Now he's facing me dead on, back on top of the laptop, and twitching his ears at me) miss his approach and he'd have his nose buried in the cup before I could grab it. Ive gotten much better (swoop) at the whole thing. He learns too, though, and has gotten tired of missing the cup so he is now just following my hand with the mug back and forth across the desk. Of course, Im having fun with him, too, and waving it in weird (that one was close) shapes through the air, just to make his head bob and weave until he looks drunk. He just perched on the laptop again and is licking his chops at me. Soon Ill get the disgusted chirp (SWOOp) that means he's going just to grab it out of my hand with his monster paw and damn the consequences!

Anyway, like I said, until you've shared your coffee (or fought over it at least) with a 2 foot long 18 lb cat.... you've not had a GOOD cup of coffee.

Im going to go now, and sip at the coffee (gulp, swooop) until Ive had my fill, then let him catch the cup he so ardently has been chasing around my desk for the last 20 minutes (he just grabbed at it with his paw... then tapped my hand twice impatiently). After all, the caffeine doesn't do a thing except put him to sleep. And he's so happy after a good slurp....

Closing in...

Im not sure if that title is because I felt for most of today that the WALLS were closing in on me, or it that's just anticipation of the homecoming that is thankfully looming closer and closer. Im willing to hear any suggestions.

Am sitting here with my eyes closed listening to classic U2 (One)and the syncopation of Titai purring as she snuggles into my lap. Im in the office, with pictures of Hubband smiling down all around and was trying to work before realizing that Im extremely sleepy. Of course, with U2 and Titai.... I won't be going anywhere for a while.

Ive gotten terrible at staying in touch since homecoming actually entered my radar with a vengeance. ADd the phone being out this weekend and my poor family is feeling neglected I think. Did get to talk to my MIL and both sisters today, so that was good.

Im just rambling, so will leave you all with one big revelation Ive had recently: I write like my mother. I spent a weekend reading the letters she had sent home from Africa a few weeks ago and just browsed through the blog last night. Was struck as I went that my narrative style is very similar. Made me feel a neat connection with her. :-)

Andy and Necola (a surgical tech on the ship, raised as an SDA) and an unidentified guy in the background. hehe.

Marmaris Turkey

Firelight Reflections

I have spent a quiet Friday evening, played scrabble with my sister-in-law (weirdest game we've ever played....in terms of the back and forth of the score), crocheted on Jaime's afghan, listened to some nice classical music, and read a favorite Sabbath book Ive had since I was little. All of this was done in front of the fire, with dancing flames and warmth filling my little living room. I wasnt the only one basking, either... I just looked up from my yarn and saw Oberon sittin on the hearth, straight and tall and elegantly glossy (Titai must just have given him a bath... he was looking a little scruffy earlier), just staring into the fire and purring. He sat there for about 10 minutes with his tail quietly twitching before he wandered off to parts unknown (probably that strange destination also known as DADS OFFICE).

There are so many interesting things to think on with the stereo trilling out some Gazunov, the fire slowly dying, and my heater creaking as it turns on to combat the unseasonably cold weather. Homecoming is soon, work is flowing, we're moving in less than 6 months....wow!

Its interesting, I think that the animals get as much out of Sabbath as I do. They have calm, they have my attention without it being divided by the television or work on the laptop, or cleaning the house, or reading a book, or running errands, or any of the million other little things that occupy my time and keep the house "hopping" all week long. When Sabbath arrives, the kitties snooze and purr on the rug in the bathroom while I soak in the tub, they curl up next to me on the couch when I read, they sniff delicately at the cup when I make tea or cocoa, and protest mildly when I bundle up to head outside for a walk or to go to church.... but welcome me with twitching tails and happy eyes when I return. They hang around the kitchen when Im cooking, asking me delicately what Im up to and if I'll share, and go on their little prowls every evening.

I know that with Andy home they are going to be confuzzled for a while, but just think how much MORE contented they will be to have Dad, and Mom, and the fire ... and that nice silk rug Dad bought them (because it isn't MINE you know, I only look at it... they roll on it and purr at it, and pet it, and sleep on it)... I think then their little kitty lives will be just about perfect. I know mine will be.

As homecoming nears....

Chrissy: argh. stupid npr commentary about fighting for life and those you love
Chrissy: has me all sniffy
Chrissy: Ash said Im a mess
Chrissy: and Queenie says Im neurotic
Chrissy: >sigh<
Chrissy: >sniffle<
Chrissy: Im afraid they are both right
Care-bear: well they probly are
Care-bear: no offense intended
Chrissy: what if it doesn't go away?!
Chrissy: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Care-bear: um
Care-bear: Dear Patient,
Care-bear: Your current prescription is unavailable.
Care-bear: As soon as the drug is in circulation again, and you begin dosing yourself daily, your symptoms should disappear.
Chrissy: ahhh
Chrissy: ok
Care-bear: If you have any further questions, please
Care-bear: don't call.
Care-bear: My secretary is going on vacation and will not be able to take your call.
Chrissy: daily doses of my Andricus Boydus prescription
Chrissy: sounds good


Thank God for family with a sense of a humor!

Valentine's Day... sort of

I guess I couldn't have asked for the day to be any better under the circumstances. V-day fell on a Tuesday this year, which helped a lot! Two of my favorite tv shows are on Tuesday night. I bought a shirt to wear for homecoming and a nice fun little novel to read, found the perfect V-day gift for Andrew, and then came home and indulged myself in pizza, chocolate-chip cookie dough, and black cherry vanilla coke while watching Gilmore Girls and Supernatural. Not too shabby a night! If only hubband were here....

Carefully cropped to preserve the innocent... Jake's first bath. :-)

Mama Woodside cuddling with Jakey

Grandma and Grandpa Plantier playing with Jackson.

Bathtime... Jax was helping mama bathe Jake...

Christina Boyd, BA, h

I know many of you have followed the progress of 2nd Mom's dissertation with bated breath... seeing which team would collapse first from the strain -- mama and I? or the reviewers? Well, I have happy news! Mama had her defense 1 week ago today and was given very minor changes. She was told that it was among the best dissertations that they had ever seen, and the person who looks as style, grammer, punctuation, etc. said that she had NEVER seen a dissertation as clean as that one! WAHOOO! So, why the h after my name? Well, the general consensus of the family is that while I did not earn a PhD like Mama did (HELLO DR WICKWIRE!!!!!!), I deserve at LEAST the 'h' of it after my name. :-)

So here we are: V.L. Wickwire, RN, CNM, PhD and C.L. Boyd, BA, h

All kidding aside, big big kudos go out to 2nd mom for all her efforts! The hard work paid off in the end!