Life's Greatest Treats........

I'm forever grateful for life's greatest treasures...........YES, ICE CREAM & WINE!!! It's 8:30, J is in bed, I'm going to get my favorite flannel PJ's, eat this ENTIRE pint of Ice Cream & I'm going to limit myself to only one glass of Wine in this rather LARGE wine glass ;)
This bottle of wine, Jazz Berry, a dessert wine from the Adam Puchta Winery from Herman, Missouri ...............my absolute favorite! My last bottle, must mean I need to book a trip to Missouri!!!!!!! ;)

I saw a sign at an Antique Shop a few weeks ago that said:

MOTTO TO LIVE BY:

LIFE SHOULD NOT BE A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE WITH THE INTENTION OF ARRIVING SAFELY IN AN ATTRACTIVE AND WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS, CHOCOLATE IN ONE HAND, WINE IN THE OTHER, BODY THOROUGHLY USED UP, TOTALLY WORN OUT & SCREAMING, WOOOOO HOOOOOOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

Love It!!!!!!!

Game 1

Jonathan's first Soccer Game was this morning for this Season. Oh man, words can not express, nor can these pictures convey just how much of a little Soccer Stud J Man is. Without a doubt I'm the obnoxious Mom that screams with excitement from the side lines. I wish I would of calmed down long enough to get some better shots, maybe next time ;)


Here he goes, playing defense and yet ahead of the pack taking the ball down the field
And Again...........


Jonathan is in the way back, you can see his arms swung all the way back after he threw the ball in.

And my favorite of all. Jonathan SLIDE TACKLED 4 TIMES!!!! As I said I'm so focused watching, yellin, screamin, that all my pictures are after the fact. But you can see how quickly he gets back to his feet to get to the ball!
And now he is down
Game Over, Good Job Cougars!!!

Good Bye JPPSO

Today I came to work and on my desk were a few Good Bye Goodies.......Tomorrow is my official last day at JPPSO (Joint Personal Property Shipping Office) at Fort Lewis, WA. I received a small promotion and on to the Freight Section I go come Monday.

I was not expecting gifts, I had heard that a potluck had been planned, but I was truly thrown back by all the goodies I received today.

Stuff was just scattered about all over my desk & tons of good bye emails & phone calls. I even received a very unexpected phone call today at work from my cousin Donavon. He was not calling in regards to my party, but he actually called my work line and was teasing me about one thing and another :) These flowers were from my Boss.
Senior Master Sgt Gallop presented me with a very nice Plaque.
And, look at ALL that food. I'm the talk of the office when it comes to food. I love it, they all know it, and we all enjoyed it!
I'm all smiles, b/c I get to be the first to Dive In!! I think we have almost 40 people in our office, so you gotta take it while you can get it. There was so much food, I even down dressed today, but I should have wore my "Pie Pants"!
Marcie & Robert...Marcie is the Chief of the Customer Service Division and my former boss when I first came on board. Robert is my side kick and sits next to me in our QC office, he is a Total Trip and I really get a kick out of him. The two of them are the same age as my parents & have children the same age/older than I!!!
The 3 amigos...... There are a few people I will truly miss from my office and these are 2 of them. Eric came on board the same week I did and he now lives just down the street from me. Eric sat in the cubicle next to mine when I worked in Customer Service, I used to throw stuff over the petition to annoy him. He has a beautiful family, and it's a joy to have them so close by, now I can throw stuff over his fence (ha, ha). Holanda has been a breath of fresh air since she joined the JPPSO team, she is truly NUTS and I love her "I don't give a crap what people think" attitude. Her & her family have become close to ours!
Holanda being Holanda, multi tasking in our photo! She is talking to someone at the same time ;)
My camera died b/c I failed to charge the battery so I did not get photos of everyone, but this was a gift from one of the Women in my Office Susan. She shares my passion for Great Food & she has given me some Excellent recommendations to places here in the Pacific Northwest. We have shared many stories and she has obviously really gotten to know my personality with these gifts!!
Just a few of the cards I received. I even had many of our agents call and send emails today wish me well.
Inside some of the cards were these great Gift Cards!!!!!!! Wowwww Weeeeeeee
My picture I took did not do this Plaque Justice, but it's a Fabulous picture of Beautiful Mt. Rainier with my name (married name ;) and my time of service here with Outstanding Performance.
Sean was even in on it and had flowers delivered to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is an Amazing Husband!
My Boss also bought me this Mum that is now sitting on my table along with an additional generous gift card! You don't know people appreciate ya, until you go to leave!! ;) Thank you all & Good Bye!

When it Rains, It Pours.........

MY CELL PHONE WAS STOLEN, NOT LOST, SOMEONE ACTUALLY STOLE MY PHONE AT THE POST OFFICE ON POST!!!! I set it on the counter while I finished filling out the address for Sean's Package & someone stole my phone!!!!!!!!!!!
My phone has everyone's phone number, address, birthday, etc. ;(

10 Days and Counting

Sean has only been gone for 10 short days..... 355 TO GO

So far the washing machine has leaked all over the laundry room and bathroom floor

The half bath toilet has a leak from the base of the toilet

I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to re-gain internet access on my new laptop when somehow it mysteriously vanished

Sean, before he left taught me how to put a DVD in the TV, what he didn't teach me was how to get the TV to work once the DVD is over. I thought I had this figured out a couple weeks ago, evidently not b/c I couldn't get the TV to work for 3 days. Probably not such a bad thing, but I promised Jonathan an episode of Animal Planet

The light to change the water filter came on the refrigerator and I was so proud b/c I read the directions and changed it. Then, the darn light would still not go off, so I once again had to trouble shoot this problem. I hate having to read directions, stuff should just be self explanatory. I could not get the light to go off!!!

I could not figure out how to download new songs to my IPOD from this new laptop either!

So, finally last night I broke down and asked Sean all the questions I needed solved when he called! He answered them all with no hesitation and got me back on track.

So, this morning, Monday Morning started off well. I decided I better drive Sean's truck today because he instructed me to drive his truck as often as I would like and at least a minimum of once a week. I have not drove it since he left b/c it's just BIG. I thought I better drive it today. When I went out to start it this morning, I remembered that before you turn the key all the way over to start it I have to wait for a coil light to go off & I did and then we jumped in and off I went to drop Jonathan off at daycare. Well, it was making a rather loud noise every time I hit the accelerator. I thought "what the heck is that noise"?? So I tried to just coast as much as I could to the daycare and then left the truck running while I went in to drop off J thinking it might need to warm up. When I returned to the Truck it sounded fine so I figured I had conquered this problem. So of course I was 5 minutes late to work this morning. I HATE TO BE LATE ANYWHERE! It's a huge pet peeve of mine! So, then I had to leave work today at lunch to go to a dr. apt. and I get there and I CAN NOT park that thing in any of the parking spots in the parking structure!!!!! I was so mad at myself that I had forgotten that I had this apt when I decided to drive Sean's truck. I had to search for a parking spot outside the structure in down town Tacoma, not an easy task! I was once AGAIN LATE FOR THE 2ND TIME TODAY. URGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! So, my apt was done and off to work I go, driving a tad faster than I should have been trying to get back to work by 12:30.............thennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn WABAMOOOOOOOOOOOO I blew the right front tire!!!!!!!! I didn't get back to work until 3pm!!!! Late Again :(

It's been 10 days, 355 to go........

Sean called me tonight and of course I wasn't in the best mood. We have a limited of time to talk and before he hung up he said "hang on, I want to tell you something" He proceeded to tell me how boys have a bad habit of writing ALOT of very obscene things in Porta Potties & then says "I have made it my mission to write I LOVE MY WIFE in all the ones I go in" Aweeeee, be still my heart!!!! He then said they have added on to that line like "I love your wife too" we just laughed & laughed and he said "I'm just going to keep writing I love my wife"!!! And, just like that, within an instant Sean is able to say/make one small gesture and I'm happy as a lark again! I'd do this day all over again, tire blow out and all..........I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!!!

Take me out to the Ball Game...........

Sean bought Jonathan & I tickets to the Mariner/Yankee Game before he deployed. Sean knows how much I love baseball & I've been taking Jonathan to games since he was just 3 months old. Even though our hearts lie with the Dodgers, I certainly enjoy watching the Yankees. It was such a Beautiful Day in Seattle too! We are having what they call Indian Summer & I'm LOVING it!!! The longer the rain postpones, the happier we all will be!
We parked at the Coast Guard Docks and walked a block over to the game. It's free to park there if your military!! ;) Sean has always said that he thinks Jonathan should go into the Coast Guard if he ends up wanting to join the Military because of his love for the water.
Big Ship! I wonder how much action the Coast Guard gets out there on Puget Sound.....
A fellow Jorge Posada Fan!! He played tonight after his 3 day suspension....Tisk, Tisk
Were in the Stadium & Jonathan is ready to EAT ;)
Me & the Boy, we just got done scarfing down some super yummy nachos. We sat next to a very friendly retired Physics Professor that got a complete kick out of J & I. He started out annoyed that we were wearing Dodger Gear and cheering for the Yankees, ironic that we had to explain to a Professor that one is American League & the other National, touche, touche ;) I think he was truly fascinated at watching us consume all the favorite ritual baseball game treats. He brought a half sandwich in his "fanny pack" ;) He was actually rather enjoyable!
The view of downtown Seattle from behind home plate on the upper deck
A Seagull dropping in
Yankee's LOST :( But, we had a great time, the weather was cool & the sun was SHINING, we filled our bellies with peanuts & cracker jacks! Thank you Sean, we enjoyed a Wonderful Day at the Baseball Game!!

Fashionable Warrior Bracelet

Last Night I got the makings to make my Fashionable Warrior Bracelet for the Fashionable Warrior Women's Study on the Armor of God. The class actually started last week but I was unable to attend with all that took place getting Sean ready to deploy. When I signed up for the study, I must have some how missed where it said "FASHIONABLE" ;) Class starts at 7, approx. 45 minutes from my work and I typically try to get a run in after work before picking up Jonathan. So, that being said, I barely had enough time to get there in time and showed up "Fashionably" late in my sweaty RUNNING CLOTHES ;) !!!
Before..................

After...........
Pretty Cute with all it's trinkets. I must say, even in my running clothes, the class was Awesome! I'm sure there were a few women that desperately wanted to take me on a shopping lesson. Everyone was all decked out & sporting all their accessories. I Swear I missed where it said "Fashionable"! This is not the first time that I have showed up mis-dressed to a Church function, or any function for that matter. One year at MOPS in Missouri, the steering team put on a Fashion Show of What & What not to Wear. They even had Mommy Models and one strolled down the runway in a pair of Denim Overalls as What NOT to Wear ;( I was wearing my very favorite Denim Overalls that day. I think Misti did that on purpose b/c she didn't like them ;) I sported my new bracelet today & showed it off to my co-workers.

Sean called tonight & sounded pretty tired. He said they are out of water in the showers so he had to take one with a bottle of water!!! The internet service has been pretty bad so we haven't been able to successfully communicate via email yet. It was Wonderful to hear his voice tonight!

Oh, and I still wear those denim overalls ;)

Fall Soccer Season Begins

Jonathan plays fall and spring soccer, and tonight was his first practice with his new team & new organization. He is playing with the YMCA this fall b/c I was trying to make my life a little easier this year. By the time I get off work, I barely have enough time to get him picked up and to practice on time and the YMCA was much closer than having to drive him back to Post. And, let me tell you, BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I'm not one of those Mom's that thinks that kids playing sports is just for fun and socialization. That may sound horrible to some, but really, our children have preschool & play dates as toddlers to learn that. I was even bored just watching!!! I have this Fabulous magnet on my refrigerator that Sean bought me that says "I have burst of being a lady, but they don't last long" and it's so true. I told another Mom how lame I thought this was! Horror waved over her face ;) Oh well, what can you do. This is our very first time Ever playing a sport outside the Military Installation, guess I'm going to have to suffer in the spring and find a way to make it work or learn to keep my mouth shut. ;)
When we got home tonight, we had a bag on our front door with a note advertising for a local food drive. You fill your bag & they come pick it up on Saturday. Now how cool is that? I have participated in many food drives, but none that come pick the food up for you!!
I had Jonathan pick out the foods he wanted to give and put them in the bag. I noticed at first, that as he was taking things from the pantry, he was selecting things he did not like. I explained to him that what if he was on the receiving end of a bag full of stuff he didn't enjoy......
So, finally he decided he would part with his Favorite Chicken Noodle Soup, Tuna, & his favorite Jelly. I was proud of him for finally sharing some of his favorite things for those less fortunate. I'm awfully impressed with his 3rd Grade Teacher & him being a Male influence while his Dad & Sean are away has been a blessing already. I complimented Jonathan on the way to practice tonight on how well behaved he has been in the last few days and how Helpful he has been. He told me that his teacher told him he was a natural leader and needed his help to display leadership to some of the other children in his class. Jonathan must have really taken that comment to heart, b/c he has been such a true help this week! I'm not sure how long this will last, but for now............I'm proud of my boy! His burst of being a gentleman, last much longer than mine of a lady!!!! ;)

My Favorite Things, and ALL in ONE Day!

These are my Omni 8 Grid Favorite Pair of Running Shoes that carried me thru my 5 mile run this morning. I started running when I was 14, the summer before I started High School on the Cross Country team. There were ONLY two reasons I started running. 1st was that my oldest sister would come home from Cross Country practice with a Burrito from Miguels Jr. and a Pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and 2nd was our competitive nature to be better than one another. Kelly was the 3rd fastest runner in our school district and was a much faster, more natural runner than I. I barely made varsity that year as the 7th fastest runner, but enjoyed me a whole bunch of burritos ;) Running is so liberating & one of my greatest passions. I have for many reasons fallen out of my routine. So, this morning I vowed to get back into it and enjoyed a beautiful run on the Chehalis Trail close to my house.
I bought this cake mix yesterday at the same store that I bought my sign & I got it for 75% off! Why would a Chocolate Cake Mix from Barefoot Contessa be 75% off??? Well, just in case there is something wrong with it, I think I should eat the entire thing myself so I don't harm anyone else ;)And, leave it to Seannie to have a gift sent to me. He made this order before he left and I'm pretty sure there is enough of my favorite coffee and creamers to last me the entire year he is gone ;) Thank you Sean!!!!
I had the day off today for several apts, but I did make some delicious brownies that were on Wives with Knives Blog this morning and brought some to my neighbor whom I work with that was promoted today! Congratulations! And, was able to pick J man up from School. He is still so stoked about the 3rd grade, he says continually how "Awesome" it is!

Our Weekend

A few post back I talked about making a Layered No Bake Pumpkin Pie with Misti for my Dad when he came to visit. Well, here is my Dad & Jonathan enjoying Pumpkin Pie for Breakfast yesterday morning. Yes, they had Pumpkin Pie for Breakfast, terrible I know! My Dad was to full the night before to have any pie for dessert, Jonathan heard my Dad say that he wanted Pie for Breakfast so OF COURSE Jonathan wanted Pie for Breakfast TOO!!!! It was one battle I wasn't in the mood to Battle! Jonathan doesn't even like Pumpkin Pie ;)

Don't they both look devious?

Today we took a small trip over to Sumner, WA. It's a small quaint town that sits at the base of Mt. Rainier. OHHHHHH, What a Cute Town with lots of small adorable Antique & Boutique Shops that were filled to the rim with Fall Decor!!!
Jonathan is telling Sue a Story & Saying "Look At Me"!!!
After we browsed all the shops we ate at a place "The Buttered Biscuit" I asked around for a good place to eat and this was recommended more than once.
Sue ordered SOS!!!!YUCK, DOUBLE YUCK!!!!! SOS doesn't sound good, doesn't look good, and I surely wasn't going to sample it. I remember eating SOS for MANY meals as a child. And, my goodness, could there be anymore of this on the plate?? Sue didn't like it, so my Dad traded his BLT with her. GROSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

This was my favorite Antique/Boutique shop and I wanted EVERYTHING in there. I settled on a sign to hang over my table. LOVE IT!!!
Here it is, Come Gather at Our Table. I was hesitant to buy it in Red because I wasn't quite sure it would mesh with my newly painted Blue Dining Room. But, I think it will go great & I'm going to hang it tonight!! I will take pictures after and post it. I'm certainly going back to a painting that I fell in love with! What a neat town, reminded me so much of Oklahoma & Missouri, just what I needed! My Dad & Sue are headed back to CA now, we will see them in one month for my cousins wedding!

9/11

It's been 8 years since September 11, 2001. Over 4300 US Soldiers have lost their lives since the War on Terrorism began, and over 35,000 have been wounded. This morning, September 11, 2009 marks the day of my count down for Sean to return home. He left us for Iraq for his second tour of duty there this afternoon. All in All, it's been a Horrible day, but at least the sun was shining and this is the view from our home of Mt. Rainier.
A picture of the 3 of us
And just us two
My Dad, Sue, and I came along for the very long process this morning of dropping Sean off at the bus on Post. This is his huge duffel bag. Can you imagine packing everything you need in one duffel bag & a back pack for an entire year?
I even helped
Just two of the piles of duffel bags. 400 plus soldiers left today from Fort Lewis. Sean's unit is one of the last to deploy this year from here, hundreds & hundreds have already left.Sean putting his flashlight on his weapon
Leaving his formation, getting ready to go. So many families standing by. Children playing, wives talking, and the tears were flowing! It's never easy to say good bye & a year seems like an eternity as you stand there waiting & waiting for them to go. Your mind fills full of "what if's" & you process every birthday, holiday, anniversary, evenings that will be missed.

A buddy of Sean's, Josh came out to say good bye. Josh is a great guy and made light of the situation a bit and him and Sean talked GI Joe talk for a long time.
Here they go, loading in the buses!

A group of Bikers came out to escort the first load of Buses to the Plane. So, as I said, it was a horrible day!!!! It was so difficult to say good bye. My Dad & Sue flew out from CA to be with me and I didn't completely loose it when Sean boarded the bus. I shed a few tears and was trying my very best to be "tough"! When we got back home this afternoon, I went to my bedroom, shut and locked the door, laid on Sean's side of the bed and balled my eyes out!! Oh how I pray that the year will pass quickly! I love you & Cherish every ounce of your being Sean. We will be here waiting for you to come Home!!