Stoked

Sgt. is finally on his way home. It's been a long month. Now we begin the wait for his orders to Iraq. But, he's coming home!!!!

Ahhh...Much Needed

My weekend was nothing short of amazing. This was the first time I had met S in person and we had a fantastic time. We've been e-pals and bloggy buddies for a while and she' s way more fabuloso in person. DC is fantastic. We saw so much stuff and she was a fantastic "cruise director." Her son just left for Iraq and we've added a yellow ribbon to the tattered one from Sgt's first tour in his honor.

Update on trip later...

Looking Old

This past week has been a rough one. Work has been absolute hell and, coupled with PMS, I'm just about to get to my breaking point. I'm one of those people who believes in faithful use of sunscreen to keep my skin looking as healthy as possible. Yesterday I checked my face before I got out of the car and in the rear-view mirror all I saw were my eyes. I'm 33 and I look old this week. I look old and just worn out. It really ruined my day. Normally my face is pretty vibrant - it does show my lack of sleep from time to time - but I have never thought I looked old. But I do. It's the same look Sgt. had on his face when he was finishing up his tour in Iraq and it saddened me because I remember how he told me he felt and it reflected in his face. Now my days of stress, anxiety, working 65 hours a week, being a mom, being a wife, being it all is catching up with me.

I went home last night and finished packing for a girl's weekend to D.C. and gave myself a nice little facial cleansing with extra moisturizing thinking it was just the effects of my day. No. I still look old this morning. Hopefully my girl's weekend will give me some renewed vim and vigor.

If S pops in here, I'm ready sista!

Hodge Podge

Monday night BG and I went to pick up some candy to make goody bags for Sgt. and his soldiers since they are all so far away from home for their month of training. I originally planned for maybe 100 bags, which would be plenty with a few extras. Sgt. called and I had not told him about my surprise but then he drops on me that all 3500 from their brigade are there. YIKES. So, I nonchalantly ask him if he will actually see all these people and he tells me yes. Crap. So as I'm struggling with keeping this affordable and wondering what I've gotten myself into, he calls again and I re-ask him again and his answer changes back to only having close contact with about 150 or so. While I couldn't tell him why I was being so nosy, I'm secretly planning an empty bag with his name on it. Grrrr....3500 vs. 200....HUGE difference. So, BG and I have been stuffing candy bags and I know not a one of them will appreciate the fact I've hand curled the 6 strands of ribbon that ties each one of them closed. But I know it and it makes it just a tad bit special. While we were at Costco loading up on candy, Sgt. called and I put the phone on speaker and gave it to BG to talk to him and this is how their conversation went:

Sgt. "Hey BG. What are you doing?
BG "Shopping daddy."
Sgt. "Shopping? Did you buy any prezzies?"
BG "Daddy prezzie."
Sgt. "You did, what did you get daddy?"
BG "Candy. Daddy and friends candy. Yum"

Sweet. The days of keeping secrets are over. She then wowed the cashier when she answered the question of cash, check or credit.... with the prompt answer of "CREDIT, pease." In the midst of training her to be a teenager, we are still doing typical 2-year old things like alphabet, numbers, animal sounds and, of course, cash or credit. Sheesh.

I picked up an iTunes card while I was there and while waiting for the people to get it out of lock up, I struck up conversation a gentleman who was duly impressed with BG's ability to choose credit, properly answer the phone and give out mommy's secrets. After talking with him for a few minutes, I explained to him what my buggy full of candy was for and that my little Benedict Arnold had put the word out. He told me his step-son was preparing to go back to Iraq and I told him Sgt. had been once and we were gearing up for another go of it. He asked me how I felt about it. I gave him this answer, "Sgt. believes in what he does and I believe in him. It's not up to us to make policy, only to do the job that is asked of us." He questioned the "us" part and I explained to him that it wasn't just Sgt. doing his job, it was our family's job. Part of being a family is picking up where someone else can't. For some reason this doesn't apply to putting the trash bag back in the can or changing toilet paper rolls, but we manage to make it work. It's as simple as that. He told me I had a great attitude about it and wished us well. We shook hands, BG threw out her best, "SEE YA" and we left.

Casual check out line conversations are some of the best and I usually like them. You get the occasional azzhole who wants to bitch and moan but for the most part, you can get a tiny glimpse of someone in that 2 minutes. You leave with one of two opinions...azzhole or hmmm, okay. I like leaving with the hmmm, okay and like for people to see the same about me. Not that I'm trying to make an impression on anyone, but being gracious to someone takes no energy. People's attitudes sometimes rub off on me and maybe I'll rub off on someone one day.

Begone

Sgt. left this morning for a month long guard training. Friday he left super early so they could load their equipment on rail cars returning Saturday afternoon. BG stayed with my parents and I had a slumber party. It was me, Ernest&Julio Gallo, Ben&Jerry and the Monsters of Rock (I love 80s hair bands). Oh, glorious. As soon as I got home I slipped into my pajamas, ordered pizza and enjoyed a lot of wine. I got up Saturday morning to meet a girlfriend for breakfast before heading off to shop for a dress for a charity event we are going to when Sgt. gets home. Found the perfect dress - on sale, which makes it even better.

We got home about the same time Saturday afternoon and enjoyed some "us" time since BG was still with my parents. I got to eat a total of 5 meals with both hands without it getting cold, which is soooo nice (as I know all moms with toddlers understand completely). It was a good weekend.

Yesterday while he went to pick up BG, I made brownies for him and the guys in the advanced party who are convoying down today. I offered to cut them into bunny shapes for Easter but he declined.

News on the deployment front has been updated: Their anticipated deployment is one year out. Their unit readiness is only about 75% and their equipment will slowly be coming in over the next year. ACES are here. M4s are here. Tanks not here yet. Takes a huge weight off our shoulders but we also know that it could change in a moments notice. Until then, I'm glad we have a little better idea of what and when to expect.