Wow. Six years since I last posted on here, cannot believe it has been that long. So what has happened?
We just moved back in our house about six weeks ago after a complete home restoration. On 2 January, while Randy and I were at the Tampa Bay Lightning game, I got a call on my cell phone from Emily's. I thought it odd, then had a moment of panic when I thought something might have happened to mom or pop (who were staying with us at the time and were home with the girls) and Randy quickly told me to answer it. I was not prepared for my mom to be on the other end of the phone telling me there had been a fire in the house and that we needed to come home. She stressed that the fire department had been called but I heard panic in her voice so about halfway through the third period of the game, Randy and I hightailed it out of there and drove as quickly as the radar detector would allow to get back home. When we came in through the front entrance, I saw a fire truck leaving so took that as a not-quite-good, but better-than-I-thought sign. When we rounded the curve before our house, I was relived to only see one truck left in front (there had been three). I vaguely remember even putting the SUV in park before jumping out and running up to the house. The girls were on the sidewalk, mom was up towards the house, pop was in their car with their two dogs and our two dogs, and both front doors were wide open. I could smell the lingering tmell-tale smell from an electrical fire. And the house was cold...every single sliding glass door in the house was wide open to dissipate as much of the smoke as possible. And while one fireman was standing in Randy's office, the other one was taking tons of photographs of our 180-gallon fish tank...from the top of the hood to the floor. Something electrical under the tank itself had caught on fire.
Thankfully no one was hurt and everyone quickly evacuated the house. Mom had been in the spare bedroom (with the door closed) just down the hallway from the living room/office where the tank was. Pop was in the family room with the dogs watching a movie and the girls were down the back hall in their bedroom playing on the Xbox. What we learned was that mom and the girls smelled something around the same time. Mom realized it was the fish tank and yelled for everyone to get out of the house. While mom was trying to get her and Grace out (pop headed out the back door), Emily grabbed the nearby fire extinguisher. While mom was calling 911, Emily completely extinguished the fire before the fire department even arrived. Her quick action kept our house from burning down. As it was, the only damages we could find from the fire itself was our now-defunct fish tank and what we could see of the wall behind the tank. Smoke had permeated throughout the house though.
I contacted our insurance company Monday morning (the fire happened on a Saturday night) and started the claims process. Before that time, I had never filed an insurance claim for anything, not even with auto insurance. Our adjuster was great, though, and walked me through what needed to be done. He arranged for a fire inspector to come out to see if he could determine what caused the fire as well as another inspector to give an estimate on cost of repairing the house. They were both there within two or three days. The fire inspector pulled out much of the equipment in the stand below the tank and found a burnt-to-nothing strip cord. That's where the fire had come from. He also noted that the plug in it (there was only one) was also damaged, that one being to the hood lamp, so he took the strip cord and the lamp with him. (It was later determined that the hood lamp had overheated the power cord, but fault was undetermined. good news for us, we weren't found liable.) The other inspector came out, noted the damage on the wall (what he could see of it since the tank was still there and could not be moved), noted floor damage in the office, noted that there was also smoke damage in our bedroom (right off the living room/office) and the dining room (open to the living room).
Several days later I received a copy of his report. It called for a complete replacement of the wall with fire damage. As a note...the fire did not breach the sheetrock behind the tank. Emily's fast action is to be thanked for that. The estimate also called for the replacement of the floors in the living room, dining room and master bedroom as well as cleaning of the popcorn ceiling in all three rooms and repainting of all walls in those three rooms plus the entryway and hallway. Whew!
We eventually settled with the insurance company on personal property...the fish tank complete setup, curtains, dry cleaning that was hanging on our door, and the signed Peyton Manning college jersey that was matted and framed and hung above the fish tank. I had a couple of companies come out and give estimates on repairing the wall. Each one I talked to said they would not do all of the painting nor would any of them touch our popcorn ceiling.
About six weeks after the fire, I was on the phone with the insurance adjuster and he asked me how the repairs were coming along. I told him I hadn't even started because, to be quite honest, I didn't know where to begin! He said no problem, they had a company they worked with that sort of acts like a general contractor...that company would hire the subcontractors, monitor and approve/disapprove their work, pay them, etc. He put in a request to have a rep from that company call me. And the next day I got a call. Belfor Restoration came out and did a walk through the entire house. Over the course of about a week, a change in project managers and much numbers crunching, the estimate came in for them to do their work...at a whopping four times more than the original estimator. I was stunned. Instead of repairs to the living room, dining room, master bedroom, entry way and front hallway, they included the spare bedroom, kitchen, nook, family room, both back bedrooms and the girls' bathroom. It included the removal of all of the popcorn ceilings...in every spot of the house...repair of the damaged wall and baseboard in the living room, repainting of all walls in the house, carpet replacement in the living room, dining room and master bedroom with tile deep cleaning throughout the house and carpet cleaning in the other three bedrooms and family room with determination to be made later on replacement. That's a heckuva lot more than the original estimate! Oh, and Belfor would come in, pack up all of our stuff, take it to their warehouse to clean and have another company come in to remove and clean all of the bedding and window treatments. This would mean that we would be moved to a hotel for the duration...original estimate of three weeks.
Once everything was removed from the house, the painting contractor and his team came in and hung plastic on every wall and covered every floor surface...removing of the popcorn ceiling was going to be a huge mess. And messy didn't even begin to describe it.
Even though the insurance company only paid for the removal and replacement of popcorn-to-popcorn, pretty much no one does that type of ceiling anymore...so we ended up with textured! And yes, we are the envy of the neighborhood...LOL! After 5-6 days of ceiling work, the painting crew started prepping for painting. The fun part in all of this is that I was able to pick out new paint colors for every single room in the house. And I definitely love what I chose more than what was here when we moved in! All-in-all, the painters were here about 2-1/2 weeks doing everything, including painting all the baseboards, the wainscoting and even the built-ins in the family room. They finished and the flooring guys came in. While they got started, Belfor sent in one of their guys to try to clean the carpet in the bedrooms and family room. It didn't work, there were still signs and odor from the smoke so the adjuster was contacted and approval was given to replace that flooring as well. We ended up electing to have wood laminate installed in every area where there had been carpeting except the family room, we chose to replace the Berber with Berber. They ended up taking 3-4 days to do their work. Then it was scheduled to bring our household goods back in.
All told, by the time they were done, we had spent 33 days in the Residence Inn in downtown Tampa. During this time, I was driving Grace up here so she could go to school every day. Emily and I were staying at the house during the day...it saved us from driving back and forth to the hotel twice a day and allowed Emily time during the day to do her schoolwork. It made for long days. So naturally, when they gave us a date that our HHG would be returned, we started packing out our little apartment at the hotel.
By Friday, 8 April 2016, we were back in the house. Randy had asked me a week or two earlier what I wanted for my birthday and I told him two things...to be back in the house and to have steaks on the grill. We made it back in the house two days before.
It took a lot longer unpacking the boxes than I'd planned, but I have done almost all of them myself so I could clean out and clear out...keep, donate, throw away. I did get some help from two friends and it was appreciated more than they will ever know. Dana even came over one day and helped me hang up Randy's "I love me" wall.
I have boxes here and there, probably no more than 2 or 3, in the house that still need to be unpacked but I'm getting there. The garage is another story. Before we temporarily moved out of the house, I cleared out my craft room to give to Grace when we moved back in, finally giving her and Emily their own rooms again. But everything from my craft room is now in the garage waiting to be gone through and gotten rid of, including the furniture. The garage also has close to 200 flattened boxes in there that I am holding for a friend who is moving this summer, but she will be here this week to take most of them. I guess we're going to have to break down and rent a Hippo trailer and clean out the garage because right now you can't even walk through it.
That is pretty much the gist of what happened since we had a fire in January. So much more has happened since then, I'll have to save everything else for another post. It's late and I'm tired and my alarm goes off way too early in the morning!
Monday, May 23, 2016
Friday, August 2, 2013
Doggone it, Jenny!
Ok Jenny, you ignited the fire and I'm back!
I just spent the last hour going through my blog, reading old posts and even tried to update the picture of Randy and I that's on the top (because anyone who has seen me lately KNOWS I don't look like that anymore!)...but I can't figure it out! UGH!
Reading through old posts was fun though, also sad...but it re-ignited the fire.
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I had a conversation with one of my Pavelow sisters last week. Kim is one of the most wonderful women I have the pleasure of knowing and she was one of the first who welcomed me with open arms into the Pavelow family after Randy and I married. She and her husband recently moved from Hawaii to DC and Kim was posting from a hair salon. She was so excited because she found a stylist and fell in love! It got me thinking...when you move, what is the most important 'service' to find? Family doctor? Lawn service? Pool service? Nope, we agreed three things are more important to be taken care of first and foremost...NAILS, TOES and HAIR! I love my hairy godmother. I found her on the recommendation of someone I thought was a friend but even though THAT relationship ended, the more important one, that with my hair stylist, has endured for the 4-1/2 years we have lived here. I lucked out in the nails/toes category - I walked into a salon one Saturday and have been going back ever since. Mai is magical when it comes to taking care of my nails and toes! Of course I found the necessary doctors, lawn service and pool service...but those came secondary!!
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We inherited another dog. Yep, you read right. We had no intentions of getting another dog...ever...after we inherited Missy but we couldn't say no. Her name is Bella and she's a black lab mix. She is the absolute sweetest dog we have ever had...either of us! She has a health issue and is doing well with treatment. We have to keep her in the crate most of time to minimize her excitement but we do let her out with us at night when we know no one will be knocking on the front door. She's great about going and staying in her crate though. Two more weeks and she gets her next treatment and hopefully the vet will give us the go-ahead to keep her out of the crate. Since she's a lab, she loves to run so walking her out to go potty is a challenge. But she's adapting well. I've promised the girls that when the vet clears her, we'll go spend the afternoon with Bella at the dog park and let her run until she exhausts herself.
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Missy and Bella are not our only pets. Last year before I left Fort Walton Beach after the ACA Reunion (Randy had to stay for work so I was by myself), I stopped off at one of the cheap tourist shops on the island and bought the girls two hermit crabs. I bought them each a container for it so they'd have their own but then we read and learned that hermit crabs survive better when not left alone. So, we consolidated the tank thingy-s (still not sure what to call them - they're not aquariums) and put it on the counter above the kitchen sink. Welp, here it is August, 9-1/2 months later and the darned things are still alive! I have no idea how they're surviving - we water their sponges and leave water in their shell-bowl-thingy but they don't eat anything! We feed them but they don't touch it! I can't remember what Emily named hers but Grace named hers Chubby...for the fat claw.
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We also have fish. This time last year, Randy received his second bonus from Cubic and since it was a *good* bonus, I suggested to him that he use it on himself (after all, he went from being off work for almost a year to landing an awesome job and in my opinion, he's more than earned it). He pondered for a week or two on what he wanted and finally settled on a saltwater aquarium for his office. When you walk into our house through the front door, the room directly ahead is traditionally used as a formal living room. Since we have no use for a formal living room, we use it for Randy's office. So, a fish tank in this room would be openly visible. We found a 180-gallon saltwater system with a complete setup and fish...and went about to get it. We contacted the owner, who said he'd need some help tearing it down but in return, he'd help us set it back up. We spent 10 hours between that guys house and ours and finally set it up across from Randy's desk where Randy can take breaks from working and relax, watching his babies float around. The girls set about quickly naming the fish! We have Moe, the king of the aquarium - he's a large, light- and dark-gray Tang who turns wickedly dark when he's agitated. We also have Dori, just like Dori from "Finding Nemo," who is hilarious to watch swimming throughout - you can almost hear Ellen Degeneres' voice when watching her! We have Bubbles, the yellow Tang, and again, just like the yellow fish from "Finding Nemo,' who loved bubbles. There are Electra and Stripe and several others, not to mention the number of crabs and snails. We used to have a spiny blue lobster, the girls named Larry, but all we can guess is that he reached old age and passed...he was a P.I.T.A.! That darned lobster ate the hermit crabs and snails! We had to get all new!
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I just spent the last hour going through my blog, reading old posts and even tried to update the picture of Randy and I that's on the top (because anyone who has seen me lately KNOWS I don't look like that anymore!)...but I can't figure it out! UGH!
Reading through old posts was fun though, also sad...but it re-ignited the fire.
----------
I had a conversation with one of my Pavelow sisters last week. Kim is one of the most wonderful women I have the pleasure of knowing and she was one of the first who welcomed me with open arms into the Pavelow family after Randy and I married. She and her husband recently moved from Hawaii to DC and Kim was posting from a hair salon. She was so excited because she found a stylist and fell in love! It got me thinking...when you move, what is the most important 'service' to find? Family doctor? Lawn service? Pool service? Nope, we agreed three things are more important to be taken care of first and foremost...NAILS, TOES and HAIR! I love my hairy godmother. I found her on the recommendation of someone I thought was a friend but even though THAT relationship ended, the more important one, that with my hair stylist, has endured for the 4-1/2 years we have lived here. I lucked out in the nails/toes category - I walked into a salon one Saturday and have been going back ever since. Mai is magical when it comes to taking care of my nails and toes! Of course I found the necessary doctors, lawn service and pool service...but those came secondary!!
----------
We inherited another dog. Yep, you read right. We had no intentions of getting another dog...ever...after we inherited Missy but we couldn't say no. Her name is Bella and she's a black lab mix. She is the absolute sweetest dog we have ever had...either of us! She has a health issue and is doing well with treatment. We have to keep her in the crate most of time to minimize her excitement but we do let her out with us at night when we know no one will be knocking on the front door. She's great about going and staying in her crate though. Two more weeks and she gets her next treatment and hopefully the vet will give us the go-ahead to keep her out of the crate. Since she's a lab, she loves to run so walking her out to go potty is a challenge. But she's adapting well. I've promised the girls that when the vet clears her, we'll go spend the afternoon with Bella at the dog park and let her run until she exhausts herself.
----------
Missy and Bella are not our only pets. Last year before I left Fort Walton Beach after the ACA Reunion (Randy had to stay for work so I was by myself), I stopped off at one of the cheap tourist shops on the island and bought the girls two hermit crabs. I bought them each a container for it so they'd have their own but then we read and learned that hermit crabs survive better when not left alone. So, we consolidated the tank thingy-s (still not sure what to call them - they're not aquariums) and put it on the counter above the kitchen sink. Welp, here it is August, 9-1/2 months later and the darned things are still alive! I have no idea how they're surviving - we water their sponges and leave water in their shell-bowl-thingy but they don't eat anything! We feed them but they don't touch it! I can't remember what Emily named hers but Grace named hers Chubby...for the fat claw.
----------
We also have fish. This time last year, Randy received his second bonus from Cubic and since it was a *good* bonus, I suggested to him that he use it on himself (after all, he went from being off work for almost a year to landing an awesome job and in my opinion, he's more than earned it). He pondered for a week or two on what he wanted and finally settled on a saltwater aquarium for his office. When you walk into our house through the front door, the room directly ahead is traditionally used as a formal living room. Since we have no use for a formal living room, we use it for Randy's office. So, a fish tank in this room would be openly visible. We found a 180-gallon saltwater system with a complete setup and fish...and went about to get it. We contacted the owner, who said he'd need some help tearing it down but in return, he'd help us set it back up. We spent 10 hours between that guys house and ours and finally set it up across from Randy's desk where Randy can take breaks from working and relax, watching his babies float around. The girls set about quickly naming the fish! We have Moe, the king of the aquarium - he's a large, light- and dark-gray Tang who turns wickedly dark when he's agitated. We also have Dori, just like Dori from "Finding Nemo," who is hilarious to watch swimming throughout - you can almost hear Ellen Degeneres' voice when watching her! We have Bubbles, the yellow Tang, and again, just like the yellow fish from "Finding Nemo,' who loved bubbles. There are Electra and Stripe and several others, not to mention the number of crabs and snails. We used to have a spiny blue lobster, the girls named Larry, but all we can guess is that he reached old age and passed...he was a P.I.T.A.! That darned lobster ate the hermit crabs and snails! We had to get all new!
----------
Been a while...
My daughter-in-law asked me a while back what happened to my blog and to be quite honest, I don't know! Life got busy, I guess.
We're staying busy here in the Anderson household!
Grace is entering the third grade...I have such a hard time saying that! She's still my baby but is definitely growing up! She's excited about school starting up in the next few weeks, ready to see her friends again. She didn't have the opportunities this summer to see her friends that Emily has had and it never hit more close to home than when I overheard a conversation between them. Grace commented that she wants to move to California, specifically San Diego where daddy's home office is located. Emily told her she'd miss her friends but Grace replied she didn't have any. Yep, I privately teared. Maybe this will be Grace's year...*fingers crossed* Up until this week she's been taking gymnastics but decided it's not really what she's interested in so she wants to start playing piano! I've found a teacher locally so she'll start up lessons soon.
Emily is my big-shot fifth grader, wise beyond her years and far too mature for my comfort. Despite our attempts to keep their environments age-appropriate, she's just beyond that. Lord, please help me NOW! She's excited about being in the top grade at the school, and has developed a wonderful group of friends. She received a phone for her 10th birthday but she's good with the rules...and I end up with it more than she gets to keep it! Her friends learned quickly that I read her text messages! What a great group of mom-friends I have with her friends' moms! We watch out for each other and have no problem jackin' up when necessary. The kids have learned fast that we talk and nothing is kept secret. Yes, I know they'll find ways around it, but for now I'm ok with it. Now if I could just get a handle on her mouth and attitude! LOL! I know, the best is yet to come, right???
Randy is blessedly employed and truly loving his job. The corporation he works for is creating a Special Operations and Intelligence Division! They will be their own entity. His boss is absolutely awesome, a former Unit Commander and one of the absolute greatest people you will ever meet. A few months ago, another Unit member was added to the team with the promise of more operators to be added in the near future! Business is growing!! Randy's doing more than just holding his own with everyone he's working with...and I am so proud!
He was elected as Treasurer of the Air Commando Association Tampa Chapter last year and has been actively involved. He came home a few weeks ago from an officers' meeting and said that they were going to have a membership drive in September and oh, by the way, would you organize it? So of course, I said yes. I've spent the past few weeks securing a location and food vendor, working on appropriate entertainment and helping plan a 9/11 Remembrance ceremony. I've spent the past several days going through music, listening to LOTS of 9/11- and America-themed music and really feeling proud of our troops. And yes, I do miss being active duty Air Force. One of the greatest things about the path of work Randy chose post-retirement is that it still keeps us in the community, keeps him actively involved, keeps us involved. I love the men and women who wear the uniform and serve this country!
Once again, for the fourth year, I find myself part of Maniscalco's PTA...and for the third year as president. Things are kicking into high-gear for us with school starting in just 2-1/2 weeks. I'm blessed to have a FULL board of volunteers this year! I look forward to working with the outstanding group of women who have volunteered to serve this year.
Randy and I are headed up to Fort Walton Beach up in the panhandle again this fall for the Air Commando Association reunion. Oh! And a collection of his writings about military life was compiled and submitted for publication in the August edition of the Air Commando magazine. He's going to be published! I am so proud of him!
The rest of the family is good. Our granddaughter, Liliana, began first grade this week. Katie and Lili are still in Georgia, Efren in the Azores, waiting on orders so he can come home. Ryan, Jenny and Nathan are doing well, too...Nathan starts preschool soon (still can't believe that!). Ryan and Jenny are both in school as well. I miss them all terribly!!!!
Until next time...and hopefully that will be in the near future!
We're staying busy here in the Anderson household!
Grace is entering the third grade...I have such a hard time saying that! She's still my baby but is definitely growing up! She's excited about school starting up in the next few weeks, ready to see her friends again. She didn't have the opportunities this summer to see her friends that Emily has had and it never hit more close to home than when I overheard a conversation between them. Grace commented that she wants to move to California, specifically San Diego where daddy's home office is located. Emily told her she'd miss her friends but Grace replied she didn't have any. Yep, I privately teared. Maybe this will be Grace's year...*fingers crossed* Up until this week she's been taking gymnastics but decided it's not really what she's interested in so she wants to start playing piano! I've found a teacher locally so she'll start up lessons soon.
Emily is my big-shot fifth grader, wise beyond her years and far too mature for my comfort. Despite our attempts to keep their environments age-appropriate, she's just beyond that. Lord, please help me NOW! She's excited about being in the top grade at the school, and has developed a wonderful group of friends. She received a phone for her 10th birthday but she's good with the rules...and I end up with it more than she gets to keep it! Her friends learned quickly that I read her text messages! What a great group of mom-friends I have with her friends' moms! We watch out for each other and have no problem jackin' up when necessary. The kids have learned fast that we talk and nothing is kept secret. Yes, I know they'll find ways around it, but for now I'm ok with it. Now if I could just get a handle on her mouth and attitude! LOL! I know, the best is yet to come, right???
Randy is blessedly employed and truly loving his job. The corporation he works for is creating a Special Operations and Intelligence Division! They will be their own entity. His boss is absolutely awesome, a former Unit Commander and one of the absolute greatest people you will ever meet. A few months ago, another Unit member was added to the team with the promise of more operators to be added in the near future! Business is growing!! Randy's doing more than just holding his own with everyone he's working with...and I am so proud!
He was elected as Treasurer of the Air Commando Association Tampa Chapter last year and has been actively involved. He came home a few weeks ago from an officers' meeting and said that they were going to have a membership drive in September and oh, by the way, would you organize it? So of course, I said yes. I've spent the past few weeks securing a location and food vendor, working on appropriate entertainment and helping plan a 9/11 Remembrance ceremony. I've spent the past several days going through music, listening to LOTS of 9/11- and America-themed music and really feeling proud of our troops. And yes, I do miss being active duty Air Force. One of the greatest things about the path of work Randy chose post-retirement is that it still keeps us in the community, keeps him actively involved, keeps us involved. I love the men and women who wear the uniform and serve this country!
Once again, for the fourth year, I find myself part of Maniscalco's PTA...and for the third year as president. Things are kicking into high-gear for us with school starting in just 2-1/2 weeks. I'm blessed to have a FULL board of volunteers this year! I look forward to working with the outstanding group of women who have volunteered to serve this year.
Randy and I are headed up to Fort Walton Beach up in the panhandle again this fall for the Air Commando Association reunion. Oh! And a collection of his writings about military life was compiled and submitted for publication in the August edition of the Air Commando magazine. He's going to be published! I am so proud of him!
The rest of the family is good. Our granddaughter, Liliana, began first grade this week. Katie and Lili are still in Georgia, Efren in the Azores, waiting on orders so he can come home. Ryan, Jenny and Nathan are doing well, too...Nathan starts preschool soon (still can't believe that!). Ryan and Jenny are both in school as well. I miss them all terribly!!!!
Until next time...and hopefully that will be in the near future!
Monday, March 26, 2012
I do believe in having faith.
It's been a busy month around here for our family! Grace celebrated her 7th birthday on the 12th of February and enjoyed a party with a few friends at Sweet 'n Sassy.
Before...
Before...
...and after.
...and after.
In March we (the girls and I) went on a little vacation. We first spent a couple of days up in the panhandle with my dear friend Tammy. ...
The girls in front of a Pavelow helicopter at the Hurlburt Field Air Park.
With my friend Stacey and the girls in front of TGI Fridays in Mary Esther, FL.
(and I just realized I never did get a picture with Tammy while we were there!)
...and then continued north to Randy's mom's house for a few days. The girls always enjoy seeing their Grandma Judy!
Emily, Grandma and Grace out for dinner.
After leaving middle-Tennessee, we drove to Georgia, back to Warner Robins where we used to live. We enjoyed a great dinner with our former neighbors, as well as Randy's daughter and granddaughter. It was fun watching some of the little girls (who aren't so little anymore!) together again.
Finally after catching a good night's rest at Katie's, we headed back home.
Emily with her sister Katie.
Grace with Katie.
Randy told me some awesome news while we were gone...the company he's been working for as a temporary employee (Cubic Defense Applications) decided to hire him on as a full-time and permanent employee! One of the conditions of employment is that he get his PMP - certification as a Project Manager. So he spent last week in Bonita Springs, down south of here by Naples, in a boot camp. He took the class several years ago but since he needs to test again, the company put him through a refresher course. He spent 4 x 10-hour days in the classroom with an additional 4 hours or so of homework every night. To say he was completely exhausted by the time he got home on Friday is an understatement. We're waiting now to find out when he can take his certification test.
This week he's traveled up to Hurlburt Field for just a few days. The day he returns my folks will be here. Randy has to leave 3 days later for a week-long conference up in Nashville. Yes, I miss him terribly when he's gone but I'd never willingly trade him being gone for going back to our year of hell when he was unemployed!
Emily turned 9 on the 19th of March. We had a get-together with her friends at Busch Gardens this past Saturday. The girls had a blast and we all got soaked on the water rides.
Emily, Aubrea, Sol and Jaden at the start of our day.
The 4 girls in front of the flamingos...
...in front of the butterfly of flowers...
...and after lunch in front of one of many waterfalls in park.
So that's the latest goin's and doin's in the Anderson home. We're looking forward to our visit from Momo and Poppa. Emily is especially excited to show momo her new room and bunk beds. Em has really surprised me since she was moved into her own room again. She goes to great pains to keep it clean and is finding 'homes' for everything. She's even taken to making her bed in the morning!
I do believe in faith. God provided for us while Randy was out of work and recently took great care of us with Randy's employment status. He's always provided. Now if I can only continue that faith that one of these days Grace will take a hint from Emily about her own room! LOL!
I do believe in faith. God provided for us while Randy was out of work and recently took great care of us with Randy's employment status. He's always provided. Now if I can only continue that faith that one of these days Grace will take a hint from Emily about her own room! LOL!
Friday, February 24, 2012
My child just said WHAT?!?!?!?
True conversation last night at the Anderson dining table during homework...
Emily...Mom, I don't think Grace should be friends with ####.
Me...Why's that, Emily?
Emily...Because she's saying things to Grace that are inappropriate.
BIG sigh from me.
Me...What Emily?
Grace...Mom? What is passion?
Me...Passion? (Insert audible COUGH!) What do you mean?
Grace...#### said to me that passion means boys' weiners.
.....
.....
.....
.....
Actually, there were a few more pauses than that while I tried to compose myself and formulate an answer.
.....
.....
I finally got up out of my seat, walked over to her and reminded her gently that she is 7 years old...with a look to Emily and a reminder that she is only 9...and that private parts are private. I also told them that passion is something for grown ups, much more grown up than their 7 and 9 years. Not knowing what else to say (I mean for crying out loud! I should not have to be having this conversation with them at this YOUNG age!!), and grateful that my answer satisfied them, they returned to their homework and I returned to what I was doing. I was relieved to not have to say anymore.
O.M.G.! It reminded me of the time when my younger sister Stephanie was somewhere around Grace's age and asked my dad the difference between boys and girls. My dad was SPEECHLESS until my older sister Leann piped up that 'parts are parts!'
This morning I spoke with Grace's teacher about what had been said. Another teacher was in the room when I repeated what was said and her response was perfect..."What exactly does that mean???" LOL! Thank you Ms. D for the laugh...I sooooo needed that!
First grade teachers...not something you'd think they'd have to deal with but they did...and are...and I'm hoping for a reprieve of anymore of these conversations in the near, near future! But to be honest I'm scared...what on this good green earth am I going to do, how am I going to answer when the BIG questions come???
Emily...Mom, I don't think Grace should be friends with ####.
Me...Why's that, Emily?
Emily...Because she's saying things to Grace that are inappropriate.
BIG sigh from me.
Me...What Emily?
Grace...Mom? What is passion?
Me...Passion? (Insert audible COUGH!) What do you mean?
Grace...#### said to me that passion means boys' weiners.
.....
.....
.....
.....
Actually, there were a few more pauses than that while I tried to compose myself and formulate an answer.
.....
.....
I finally got up out of my seat, walked over to her and reminded her gently that she is 7 years old...with a look to Emily and a reminder that she is only 9...and that private parts are private. I also told them that passion is something for grown ups, much more grown up than their 7 and 9 years. Not knowing what else to say (I mean for crying out loud! I should not have to be having this conversation with them at this YOUNG age!!), and grateful that my answer satisfied them, they returned to their homework and I returned to what I was doing. I was relieved to not have to say anymore.
O.M.G.! It reminded me of the time when my younger sister Stephanie was somewhere around Grace's age and asked my dad the difference between boys and girls. My dad was SPEECHLESS until my older sister Leann piped up that 'parts are parts!'
This morning I spoke with Grace's teacher about what had been said. Another teacher was in the room when I repeated what was said and her response was perfect..."What exactly does that mean???" LOL! Thank you Ms. D for the laugh...I sooooo needed that!
First grade teachers...not something you'd think they'd have to deal with but they did...and are...and I'm hoping for a reprieve of anymore of these conversations in the near, near future! But to be honest I'm scared...what on this good green earth am I going to do, how am I going to answer when the BIG questions come???
I love my life!
Days like today are why I love living in Florida. It is February 24th, it is 81 degrees out, there are a few light clouds in the sky, a wonderful breeze is blowing through the trees and the girls just rode their bikes down the street to play at a friend's house. It is absolutely glorious! And yes, remind me I have said all of this come July when the temps reach 100+ degrees!
It seems like it's been forever since I last posted (and no, I didn't look). It has been a busy couple of weeks in the Anderson home. We seem to be getting into the swing of the new semester at the girls' school, both doing extremely well I might add...PROUDLY! Now if we could only improve their organizational skills! LOL! I laugh because I know they get what they have now from me!! I had a setback last week with some oral surgery that is taking me longer to recover from than I had expected, but slow progress is better than no progress as all.
Randy is staying beyond busy with work. He's still a temporary, part-time employee but his hours have really increased. He's traveling here and there - several days up in the panhandle of Florida in our old stomping ground last month as well as an overnight up to Fort Bragg. Last month he spent the good part of a day here one-on-one with a former United States Special Operations Command 4-star general. (Gen Holland is also a former commander of Air Force Special Operations Command - AFSOC - where Randy and I both worked.) Shortly after that visit, Randy was contacted by the vice president of the Air Commando Association (ACA), a retired colonel from AFSOC, who asked him if he will write the nomination package for Gen Holland into the ACA Hall of Fame. What an honor!
Speaking of his writing...apparently TTB is a HIT!!! For anyone who does not know, TTB is Trailer Trash Barbie. A couple of years ago, Randy started posting as his facebook status about the girls' Barbies. He'd find them laying around in various positions and 'scenarios,' find the humor in them and post to his wall. He began to develop a following. But think about the irony in it...here you have an almost-27-year veteran of the USAF, served more than 22 years serving as a combat operator...a warrior to the core. And now he's dealing with Barbie dolls and a 3-1/2-foot Barbie house 5 feet from his desk. LOL! Then came TTB. Randy's creative juices started flowing and he began writing The Barbie Chronicles, a name dubbed by his following. The first storyline surrounds Ken after perching himself on Randy's desk one night for a chat...Randy directed Sgt Joe to 're-school' Ken and the story begins with Ken being picked up at the airport by TTB after his training has ended.
Some of the stuff that comes out of Randy's mind absolutely amazes me. He truly is creative and gifted in being able to take that mental creativity and commit it to paper. I hope one day he actually does take everyone up on their suggestions and urgings to have The Chronicles published. This past week we took the storyline off his facebook personal wall to a facebook public page. House of the Pink Bows (again, think the irony) is up and running with new LIKES every day. As friends are liking the page, we are adding them to a private group where you can read the entire saga of TTB from start to present, as well as read installments as they are added. If interested, send me a message so you'll be added.
It seems like it's been forever since I last posted (and no, I didn't look). It has been a busy couple of weeks in the Anderson home. We seem to be getting into the swing of the new semester at the girls' school, both doing extremely well I might add...PROUDLY! Now if we could only improve their organizational skills! LOL! I laugh because I know they get what they have now from me!! I had a setback last week with some oral surgery that is taking me longer to recover from than I had expected, but slow progress is better than no progress as all.
Randy is staying beyond busy with work. He's still a temporary, part-time employee but his hours have really increased. He's traveling here and there - several days up in the panhandle of Florida in our old stomping ground last month as well as an overnight up to Fort Bragg. Last month he spent the good part of a day here one-on-one with a former United States Special Operations Command 4-star general. (Gen Holland is also a former commander of Air Force Special Operations Command - AFSOC - where Randy and I both worked.) Shortly after that visit, Randy was contacted by the vice president of the Air Commando Association (ACA), a retired colonel from AFSOC, who asked him if he will write the nomination package for Gen Holland into the ACA Hall of Fame. What an honor!
Speaking of his writing...apparently TTB is a HIT!!! For anyone who does not know, TTB is Trailer Trash Barbie. A couple of years ago, Randy started posting as his facebook status about the girls' Barbies. He'd find them laying around in various positions and 'scenarios,' find the humor in them and post to his wall. He began to develop a following. But think about the irony in it...here you have an almost-27-year veteran of the USAF, served more than 22 years serving as a combat operator...a warrior to the core. And now he's dealing with Barbie dolls and a 3-1/2-foot Barbie house 5 feet from his desk. LOL! Then came TTB. Randy's creative juices started flowing and he began writing The Barbie Chronicles, a name dubbed by his following. The first storyline surrounds Ken after perching himself on Randy's desk one night for a chat...Randy directed Sgt Joe to 're-school' Ken and the story begins with Ken being picked up at the airport by TTB after his training has ended.
Some of the stuff that comes out of Randy's mind absolutely amazes me. He truly is creative and gifted in being able to take that mental creativity and commit it to paper. I hope one day he actually does take everyone up on their suggestions and urgings to have The Chronicles published. This past week we took the storyline off his facebook personal wall to a facebook public page. House of the Pink Bows (again, think the irony) is up and running with new LIKES every day. As friends are liking the page, we are adding them to a private group where you can read the entire saga of TTB from start to present, as well as read installments as they are added. If interested, send me a message so you'll be added.
Friday, February 3, 2012
The 5-little girls sleepover...
I'm not sure what possessed me earlier in the week, but I decided to contact the moms of a couple of the girls friends about having a sleepover at our house tonight. Emily has two friends here and Grace has one. Of the five, 3 are seasoned veterans at the sleepover thing and 2 are newbies. So far, so good.
We started off with pizza, which the girls all scarfed down. Then they all did Valentine's Day crafts. After that, daddy grabbed a couple sets of tongs out of the drawer and started chasing the five of them around the house. Oh my goodness, it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen...and then he put a bright blue colander on his head! The girls howled!!! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I know my girls are now almost 7 and 9, but when they were running through the house I could almost hear the pitter patter of their feet from when they were so little.
We started off with pizza, which the girls all scarfed down. Then they all did Valentine's Day crafts. After that, daddy grabbed a couple sets of tongs out of the drawer and started chasing the five of them around the house. Oh my goodness, it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen...and then he put a bright blue colander on his head! The girls howled!!! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I know my girls are now almost 7 and 9, but when they were running through the house I could almost hear the pitter patter of their feet from when they were so little.
Grace and her friend Alyssa
Emily with Aubrea and Jaden
Right now the little ones are playing Donkey Kong on the Wii while the older ones make jewelry in the other room. In the background I can hear the game and quite frequently I hear one of the many eek out a little giggle. I love it.
We still have fingers and toes to paint with little stickers to put on them and then maybe I'll make them go to bed. At the request of Emily, I'm going to make abilskevers for breakfast with fresh blueberries...or beignets...or cold cereal if they don't like either! LOL!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Hello???
SHOW ME THE MONEY! Oops, wait, this is not a Tom Cruise movie, so...SHOW ME THE LOVE!
Please do me a favor...if you read my blog, comment and let me know you're reading it. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Please do me a favor...if you read my blog, comment and let me know you're reading it. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Why the name?
Several people have asked me how I came up with the title for my blog. Yes, they think it's pretty cool but where did it come from?
Well, I'm just a tad, wee little bit anal retentive about certain things...including the behavior and actions of my children. I've also been known to be just a little short-tempered at times. Yeah, I know some of you are laughing your butts off right now, just bear with me. When I started blogging again, I found my former blog was no longer available so I had to try for a new one. I tried every variation of my name that I could think of but you know, Anderson is quite common, as is Mary, and believe it or not, the combination of those two with Kelly left nothing available. So I had to get creative.
While I was sitting at my laptop pondering my choices, the time a little past 8:00pm (the girls' bedtime which is STRICTLY enforced), I soon found myself face-to-face with our almost-7-year-old. "I didn't get my drink of water, I didn't go potty, I didn't brush my teeth, I'm hungry, Emily hit me, Emily keeps talking and I can't go to sleep." I raised my voice, which I seldom do (insert coffee-spraying-through-your-nose laugh here), and told her to get her skinny-little-butt back in bed (ok, now it's snot coming out your nose accompanied by a strong laugh, but no, you're right, I didn't say skinny).
So I'm back to this blog and pondering a name. And that's when it hit me...getting upset with Grace was not worth it, and it certainly would not mean anything ten years from now. So, the name was born.
Most times I do not end up writing about things that won't matter in ten years, but instead will mean as much (if not more) as they do now. It's like the blog about Tommy, that will absolutely mean everything ten years from now. "Manners" is a timeless writing of thoughts, and "Happy Anniversary, babe" was about ten years AGO, but truly I hope to be the same if not better ten years from now...but it certainly will matter!
I love my family and I love my life and while a lot of times I write about things that absolutely WILL matter ten years from now, just seeing the title every time I log on here, I'm reminded that in the daily day-to-day, the few times I get upset (I know...BWAHAHAHA) will not matter in ten years.
Well, I'm just a tad, wee little bit anal retentive about certain things...including the behavior and actions of my children. I've also been known to be just a little short-tempered at times. Yeah, I know some of you are laughing your butts off right now, just bear with me. When I started blogging again, I found my former blog was no longer available so I had to try for a new one. I tried every variation of my name that I could think of but you know, Anderson is quite common, as is Mary, and believe it or not, the combination of those two with Kelly left nothing available. So I had to get creative.
While I was sitting at my laptop pondering my choices, the time a little past 8:00pm (the girls' bedtime which is STRICTLY enforced), I soon found myself face-to-face with our almost-7-year-old. "I didn't get my drink of water, I didn't go potty, I didn't brush my teeth, I'm hungry, Emily hit me, Emily keeps talking and I can't go to sleep." I raised my voice, which I seldom do (insert coffee-spraying-through-your-nose laugh here), and told her to get her skinny-little-butt back in bed (ok, now it's snot coming out your nose accompanied by a strong laugh, but no, you're right, I didn't say skinny).
So I'm back to this blog and pondering a name. And that's when it hit me...getting upset with Grace was not worth it, and it certainly would not mean anything ten years from now. So, the name was born.
Most times I do not end up writing about things that won't matter in ten years, but instead will mean as much (if not more) as they do now. It's like the blog about Tommy, that will absolutely mean everything ten years from now. "Manners" is a timeless writing of thoughts, and "Happy Anniversary, babe" was about ten years AGO, but truly I hope to be the same if not better ten years from now...but it certainly will matter!
I love my family and I love my life and while a lot of times I write about things that absolutely WILL matter ten years from now, just seeing the title every time I log on here, I'm reminded that in the daily day-to-day, the few times I get upset (I know...BWAHAHAHA) will not matter in ten years.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Happy Anniversary, babe!
I know I'm a little early but I'm truly excited...date night Saturday night! Woo hoo! LOL! The hubs and I are headed out to Rick's on the River to celebrate our 10-year anniversary by doing what we did on our first date...eating oysters on the half-shell and drinking cold beer.
Wow...10 years. So many felt in the beginning that it would never last. True, we've had our moments and I am surprised at myself that I finally settled down. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world though, not one bit.
My dear lovely and I started off working down the hall from each other when I was still active duty Air Force. Our paths rarely crossed except for the occasional trip out to the smoke pit. We actually knew each other though for about a year before we went on our first date to Sandestin. We had no place in mind to go so ended up going into an oyster bar. We each had a bottle of beer (him Miller Lite, me Bud Light) but that's where the differences ended. He asked me if I liked oysters and I said yes so we sat there with a dozen between us. We both have detailed methods to eating raw oysters...and found out they are the same! Saltine cracker with an oyster on top, squeeze some lemon juice on it and sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with a dallop of horseradish and a couple drops of Tobasco...VOILA! Yes, involved but exactly the same...yet one of many signs that it was meant to be.
We had talked a little here and there about maybe getting married but did not finalize any plans. Then the tragedy of 9/11 occurred. Shortly after Randy found out that he had made Chief Master Sergeant. In January 2002 he had Chief's week, a week of events sponsored by the major command combining classes with other activities such as a visit to the Enlisted Widows Home and a golf tournament. The week culminates with a formal induction ceremony.
We knew that Randy would be deploying to Afghanistan early-2002, his mom was coming to visit for his Chief's Induction, I was going to San Antonio for a month and would not be back until after he had left...that left us with the week of his activities to find a quick moment to go to the courthouse. Problem was? The week was so jam-packed there were no free minutes, even their lunches were catered in. But we did find one time in the schedule when he might be able to get away...
We had decided ahead of time to limit the people we told. I told Keri (Jordan) McDonald and he told Michael Mahowald and they met us at the courthouse on Tuesday afternoon. Randy was in the middle of a golf tournament at the golf course on Hurlburt Field and left his foursome on the 7th hole, met the three of us at the courthouse in Shalimar, exchanged vows with me and quickly returned to Gator Lakes Golf Course before his group had finished the 9th hole. No one had a clue where he had been.
It's funny to me the things that I remember from that time...I remember the flowers mom and pop sent to us, a huge and absolutely gorgeous bouquet...I remember the phone call from Bobbi Jo Stumpf that night telling Randy and me that she and Brian were having a son...I remember getting up the next morning and driving to Tennessee to get my now-mother-in-law and not telling her at all what had happened...I remember her seeing the flowers from my folks and asking us what they were for but not being able to remember what we told her...I remember Katie coming to the house on Friday to get ready for the induction and not telling her either...and I remember at the induction when Randy's name was called I was introduced as his escort.
My handsome new husband at his Chief's Induction, January 2002
With his mom Judy and daughter Katie at the induction.
With the Maginel's and Engberg's.
Two days after the induction I was on an airplane to San Antonio and Randy returned to work. Less than three weeks later he deployed. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from his deployment there.
My handsome operator.
With then-Colonel-now-Brigadier-General Michael Kingsley, a great commander and friend, after being promoted to Chief in Afghanistan.
I think this speaks for itself!
So here we are babe, ten years later and still going strong. Who would've thought...between us one son, 4 daughters, one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law, one granddaughter and one grandson. I love our family, I love our life, but most importantly I love you. Here's to fifty more!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Manners...
A while back I wrote a post about thank you notes and whether or not they are really important (I do believe they are). I've been faced lately with the simple issue of just saying or hearing 'thank you.' What is up with that? How hard is it to say those two words to let someone know you are appreciative of what they have said, what they have done, what they have offered, etc.? So before I feel I can criticize the actions or inactions of others, I need to first look at myself.
Do I always say thank you to hubs when he does something for me or says something kind? Admittedly no, but I do try. Do I always thank the girls when they finish what they are told to do, or when they see me lying down with a headache, bring me a warm wet cloth for my forehead? I try to, but I do not always. Regrettably, the reason I feel I do not always tell hubs or my girls thank you each time is because I take them for granted. That right there is a realization that I need to stand up to...those you take for granted don't usually stick around, or at the very least lose whatever respect they had for you. I need to make this my New Year's resolution - to be more gracious, stop taking family and friends for granted, to let people know that their kindness is appreciated. If someone is kind enough to take the time to do something for me, I need to be equally respectful and take the time to let them know that I truly appreciate what they did. Right?
Our PTA at the girls' school does a lot for our teachers and support staff beyond fundraising to help them buy what they need to buy. We had a dinner catered for them that started off our school year, our volunteer VP coordinated a desserts and coffee right before winter break, we provide dinner for them on conference nights, we periodically go through the school with a cart full of coffee and donuts just because we can. After we have done something along those lines there are a couple of teachers who are absolutely excellent about placing a little note card in our box in the front office just to say thanks. Those cards go a long way in keeping up our morale so that we can do more to help boost their morale. Having people tell us thank you makes the difference between us doing more because we want to and doing more because we feel we have to.
So I think I'm going to take note of that in my own home, with my own family. Thank you goes a long way. I like to hear it from my children, we are trying to raise them with proper manners. And since I know how it feels to me to hear it, I know then that our children will feel the same way when I say it to him. Same goes for hubs...he's the absolute last person I want to perceive I am taking advantage. I love and respect him too much to do that.
This is definitely something that WILL matter ten years from now. By that point I pray that our daughters are well-mannered young women with grateful hearts. And when hubs and I are sitting outside together...when he brings me my cocktail I will be sure to say THANK YOU! :D
Do I always say thank you to hubs when he does something for me or says something kind? Admittedly no, but I do try. Do I always thank the girls when they finish what they are told to do, or when they see me lying down with a headache, bring me a warm wet cloth for my forehead? I try to, but I do not always. Regrettably, the reason I feel I do not always tell hubs or my girls thank you each time is because I take them for granted. That right there is a realization that I need to stand up to...those you take for granted don't usually stick around, or at the very least lose whatever respect they had for you. I need to make this my New Year's resolution - to be more gracious, stop taking family and friends for granted, to let people know that their kindness is appreciated. If someone is kind enough to take the time to do something for me, I need to be equally respectful and take the time to let them know that I truly appreciate what they did. Right?
Our PTA at the girls' school does a lot for our teachers and support staff beyond fundraising to help them buy what they need to buy. We had a dinner catered for them that started off our school year, our volunteer VP coordinated a desserts and coffee right before winter break, we provide dinner for them on conference nights, we periodically go through the school with a cart full of coffee and donuts just because we can. After we have done something along those lines there are a couple of teachers who are absolutely excellent about placing a little note card in our box in the front office just to say thanks. Those cards go a long way in keeping up our morale so that we can do more to help boost their morale. Having people tell us thank you makes the difference between us doing more because we want to and doing more because we feel we have to.
So I think I'm going to take note of that in my own home, with my own family. Thank you goes a long way. I like to hear it from my children, we are trying to raise them with proper manners. And since I know how it feels to me to hear it, I know then that our children will feel the same way when I say it to him. Same goes for hubs...he's the absolute last person I want to perceive I am taking advantage. I love and respect him too much to do that.
This is definitely something that WILL matter ten years from now. By that point I pray that our daughters are well-mannered young women with grateful hearts. And when hubs and I are sitting outside together...when he brings me my cocktail I will be sure to say THANK YOU! :D
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Thomas Reese Anderson
We made it through the holidays! Christmas was actually pretty good. My older sister came down from Tallahassee for a few days and it really was great having her here. The girls are absolutely in love with their Wii and the games they received...I was fretting for nothing. They are sitting in the family room with me right now playing Donkey Kong. They were happy and content with everything they received. Whew! Until next year...
My sister went home the day after Christmas, which was also the same day that Randy returned to work. We seemed to be settling into the groove, just took it easy for a couple of days. Then Randy received a phone call on the night of December 27th. I didn't even hear his cell phone ring. I was busy getting the girls ready for bed when he walked into the family room and asked if he could talk with me. I told him I'd be there in just a few minutes, after I got the girls in bed but he told me no, that it could not wait. I went to his office with him and he looked me square in the eyes and said that Tommy was gone. I asked him what he meant, I mean where did Tommy go? He said 'he's gone, he died.' Randy looked like a pillar made of stone, it was not hard to tell he was in shock from the news. I immediately broke down. Once I had recomposed myself, we started the difficult task of letting his children know as well as telling my family. Even though I broke down into tears each time I had to tell someone, I still was having a hard time believing that Tommy was really gone. Randy and I then spent the rest of the night getting him packed and ready to leave for Tennessee the next morning. I did call his mom, spoke with her briefly to let her know that Randy would be there by the next evening, the girls and I would swing through Georgia, pick up Katie and follow on the next day.
When we arrived at Judy's it was still surreal. As we pulled into the driveway I could see Tommy's truck back by the shed and my first thought was that he was probably inside at the table eating some of his momma's cooking. It took a minute for it to register that Tommy wasn't there after all...and he never would be. Randy and his mom were already at the funeral home so Katie cleaned up and we drove her there, I would follow later when she would take the girls back to grandma's. I spent the last half of the visitation there with Randy and truly marveled at my mother-in-law. The little pint-sized woman that I have known now for more than 11 years showed remarkable strength and poise while she spoke and spent time with every single person who walked through the door to pay their respects. Every once in a while I would see her dab at the corner of her eye but never once did I see a tear make it all the way down her cheek or even hear her voice crack. I was not even able to go near the casket without choking up and instead of embarrassing myself or my family in front of family I was meeting for the first time, I stayed away. Instead I preoccupied myself with Diane and Debbie, two of Randy's cousins who had been side-by-side with his mom since she first heard the news. The next day for the funeral I stayed back at the house with Emily and Grace while everyone else went to the funeral home. I stayed back not only to stay with the girls (who Randy and I both felt were too young to go) but also to heat up the food that had been given to us by so many people.
It was after everyone left that I started getting worried about Randy and his mom. Randy and Tommy were the best of friends, not just brothers. Almost every Saturday night they would talk for a couple of hours on the phone. As for their mom and Tommy? He lived further in town but most mornings she would make him breakfast and he would stop by on his way to work. Or in the evening he would stop by and eat supper with her. Tommy kept up all of the maintenance on her house, took care of her lawn, repaired anything that was broken, painted whatever she felt needed painting. It was a few days after the services that I stopped worrying that she was in shock yet functional. We were sitting at the kitchen table, Randy and Katie had left already to head home and Judy and I were having coffee. I had left the room momentarily and when I returned she had tears rolling down her face. When she realized I was there she quickly apologized for crying...to which I told her what I had heard from my own mother - our loved ones who pass are worth a lot of tears, don't ever feel bad for shedding tears for someone, they've earned it. That is when I learned that Judy was not in shock at all, just very strong in keeping her feelings private, close to her heart.
We spent a few days at Tommy's house, cleaning it out, moving his things and getting it ready to return to the owner. His mom zipped from room to room while I moved things outside. In no time we were done. And just as quickly we loaded up my Durango and the truck and trailer that Randy's cousin Diane had brought over. We left his former home, never to return.
We (Randy and I) inherited a little dog while we were up there. Several months back when Tommy was playing golf with some friends, he became buds with a little female Chihuahua mix. She followed him around to the end of the game and he absolutely fell in love with her. He named her Missy and took her home. After Tommy passed, Judy went to his house and got Missy to take her back to Judy's house. Randy and I felt it was the right thing to do to take her with us. As I sit here writing this, comfy with a lightweight quilt over my legs, she is curled up beside me with her entire body - including her head - completely under the covers, as happy and content as she can possibly be! She sleeps with us at night (something Randy started) and her favorite position is in between us with every part of her under the covers and snuggled up against one of us. She is absolutely precious and lives a life of peaceful coexistence with Chessie! LOL!
Randy has buried himself in work, staying very busy. It is still almost surreal to both of us that his brother, his younger brother and only sibling is gone forever. We've all heard it said that time heals all wounds but I do not agree. Some wounds never heal, no matter how long it has been. It is my belief that time makes it easiER to deal with them, but it is never easY.
Will it matter ten years from now? Absolutely - by that time, Randy will have spent ten years without his best friend and Judy ten years without her youngest son. But memories will always keep Tommy close to all of our hearts. To us Tommy died too soon. To God Tommy died at just the right time. Maybe ten years from now we will better understand or at least better deal with him being gone...and then again maybe we will not. Only time will tell.
My sister went home the day after Christmas, which was also the same day that Randy returned to work. We seemed to be settling into the groove, just took it easy for a couple of days. Then Randy received a phone call on the night of December 27th. I didn't even hear his cell phone ring. I was busy getting the girls ready for bed when he walked into the family room and asked if he could talk with me. I told him I'd be there in just a few minutes, after I got the girls in bed but he told me no, that it could not wait. I went to his office with him and he looked me square in the eyes and said that Tommy was gone. I asked him what he meant, I mean where did Tommy go? He said 'he's gone, he died.' Randy looked like a pillar made of stone, it was not hard to tell he was in shock from the news. I immediately broke down. Once I had recomposed myself, we started the difficult task of letting his children know as well as telling my family. Even though I broke down into tears each time I had to tell someone, I still was having a hard time believing that Tommy was really gone. Randy and I then spent the rest of the night getting him packed and ready to leave for Tennessee the next morning. I did call his mom, spoke with her briefly to let her know that Randy would be there by the next evening, the girls and I would swing through Georgia, pick up Katie and follow on the next day.
When we arrived at Judy's it was still surreal. As we pulled into the driveway I could see Tommy's truck back by the shed and my first thought was that he was probably inside at the table eating some of his momma's cooking. It took a minute for it to register that Tommy wasn't there after all...and he never would be. Randy and his mom were already at the funeral home so Katie cleaned up and we drove her there, I would follow later when she would take the girls back to grandma's. I spent the last half of the visitation there with Randy and truly marveled at my mother-in-law. The little pint-sized woman that I have known now for more than 11 years showed remarkable strength and poise while she spoke and spent time with every single person who walked through the door to pay their respects. Every once in a while I would see her dab at the corner of her eye but never once did I see a tear make it all the way down her cheek or even hear her voice crack. I was not even able to go near the casket without choking up and instead of embarrassing myself or my family in front of family I was meeting for the first time, I stayed away. Instead I preoccupied myself with Diane and Debbie, two of Randy's cousins who had been side-by-side with his mom since she first heard the news. The next day for the funeral I stayed back at the house with Emily and Grace while everyone else went to the funeral home. I stayed back not only to stay with the girls (who Randy and I both felt were too young to go) but also to heat up the food that had been given to us by so many people.
It was after everyone left that I started getting worried about Randy and his mom. Randy and Tommy were the best of friends, not just brothers. Almost every Saturday night they would talk for a couple of hours on the phone. As for their mom and Tommy? He lived further in town but most mornings she would make him breakfast and he would stop by on his way to work. Or in the evening he would stop by and eat supper with her. Tommy kept up all of the maintenance on her house, took care of her lawn, repaired anything that was broken, painted whatever she felt needed painting. It was a few days after the services that I stopped worrying that she was in shock yet functional. We were sitting at the kitchen table, Randy and Katie had left already to head home and Judy and I were having coffee. I had left the room momentarily and when I returned she had tears rolling down her face. When she realized I was there she quickly apologized for crying...to which I told her what I had heard from my own mother - our loved ones who pass are worth a lot of tears, don't ever feel bad for shedding tears for someone, they've earned it. That is when I learned that Judy was not in shock at all, just very strong in keeping her feelings private, close to her heart.
We spent a few days at Tommy's house, cleaning it out, moving his things and getting it ready to return to the owner. His mom zipped from room to room while I moved things outside. In no time we were done. And just as quickly we loaded up my Durango and the truck and trailer that Randy's cousin Diane had brought over. We left his former home, never to return.
We (Randy and I) inherited a little dog while we were up there. Several months back when Tommy was playing golf with some friends, he became buds with a little female Chihuahua mix. She followed him around to the end of the game and he absolutely fell in love with her. He named her Missy and took her home. After Tommy passed, Judy went to his house and got Missy to take her back to Judy's house. Randy and I felt it was the right thing to do to take her with us. As I sit here writing this, comfy with a lightweight quilt over my legs, she is curled up beside me with her entire body - including her head - completely under the covers, as happy and content as she can possibly be! She sleeps with us at night (something Randy started) and her favorite position is in between us with every part of her under the covers and snuggled up against one of us. She is absolutely precious and lives a life of peaceful coexistence with Chessie! LOL!
Randy has buried himself in work, staying very busy. It is still almost surreal to both of us that his brother, his younger brother and only sibling is gone forever. We've all heard it said that time heals all wounds but I do not agree. Some wounds never heal, no matter how long it has been. It is my belief that time makes it easiER to deal with them, but it is never easY.
Will it matter ten years from now? Absolutely - by that time, Randy will have spent ten years without his best friend and Judy ten years without her youngest son. But memories will always keep Tommy close to all of our hearts. To us Tommy died too soon. To God Tommy died at just the right time. Maybe ten years from now we will better understand or at least better deal with him being gone...and then again maybe we will not. Only time will tell.
Tommy with Katie before Randy's USAF retirement dinner.
Tommy with Grace in December 2005.
Thomas Reese Anderson with Emily Reese Anderson, late summer 2003.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Traditions
I'm really struggling with Christmas this year. The tree is not up, the lighted garlands are not hung on the built-ins, there are no lights outside, I'm not even doing Christmas cards this year. Yes, we are all incredibly thankful that Randy is now working and that we are climbing out of our hole (almost there, yep! almost there!). Even with all of the activities that are going on at the girls' school and that I'll be working in the PTA's holiday store all next week, I'm still struggling.
I've looked back often at my childhood. My mom always decorated the house beautifully with her REAL tree and her REAL evergreen wreath on the front door, with lots of homemade, handmade ornaments. I don't remember a whole lot about the gifts I received over the years, but I do remember the tins upon tins upon tins of homemade Christmas cookies that lined the landing on the way to our basement - my favorites were always the cocoons and mom's toffee! We would start Christmas morning opening our stockings until mom and daddy got up and had made a pot of coffee. Then we'd open our gifts and get ready to go to grandma and granddaddy's. Later that evening we'd head home, put on our new pajamas from the night before and then watch The Wizard of Oz.
So then I got to thinking...what kinds of traditions are Randy and I setting for our girls? We've always put up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving...but not this year. I've always hung lighted garlands around doorways in our old house, around our built-ins here...but not this year. That same weekend we'd hang our lights outside...but not this year. Our advent calendars are always up by the first...yes, they are up this year but it wasn't until the fifth. In my defense though, some Christmas decorations were up that weekend after Thanksgiving...but not nearly everything, not this year. I am usually almost finished with shopping by the first of December...but not this year. So I've failed miserably this year...but ten years from now, will it matter?
I say yes. Growing up, if there had been one time, one Christmas season when mom didn't put out her decorations, would I remember that? I can honestly say I would. So I think it is more than reasonable to believe that if I don't get my arse in gear and put up the tree and everything else, my girls will remember this year...and remember it clearly.
I've learned that many times it is the traditions that are remembered, not always the gifts received. I don't want Emily and Grace to remember this as the worst Christmas ever. Time to drag boxes from the garage to the front room...I have a tree to set up!
I've looked back often at my childhood. My mom always decorated the house beautifully with her REAL tree and her REAL evergreen wreath on the front door, with lots of homemade, handmade ornaments. I don't remember a whole lot about the gifts I received over the years, but I do remember the tins upon tins upon tins of homemade Christmas cookies that lined the landing on the way to our basement - my favorites were always the cocoons and mom's toffee! We would start Christmas morning opening our stockings until mom and daddy got up and had made a pot of coffee. Then we'd open our gifts and get ready to go to grandma and granddaddy's. Later that evening we'd head home, put on our new pajamas from the night before and then watch The Wizard of Oz.
So then I got to thinking...what kinds of traditions are Randy and I setting for our girls? We've always put up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving...but not this year. I've always hung lighted garlands around doorways in our old house, around our built-ins here...but not this year. That same weekend we'd hang our lights outside...but not this year. Our advent calendars are always up by the first...yes, they are up this year but it wasn't until the fifth. In my defense though, some Christmas decorations were up that weekend after Thanksgiving...but not nearly everything, not this year. I am usually almost finished with shopping by the first of December...but not this year. So I've failed miserably this year...but ten years from now, will it matter?
I say yes. Growing up, if there had been one time, one Christmas season when mom didn't put out her decorations, would I remember that? I can honestly say I would. So I think it is more than reasonable to believe that if I don't get my arse in gear and put up the tree and everything else, my girls will remember this year...and remember it clearly.
I've learned that many times it is the traditions that are remembered, not always the gifts received. I don't want Emily and Grace to remember this as the worst Christmas ever. Time to drag boxes from the garage to the front room...I have a tree to set up!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tears already...
Katie and Lili are leaving tomorrow to head back home to Georgia and the tears have already begun to swell in my eyes. To say that I have thoroughly enjoyed spending the past few days with our granddaughter is certainly an understatement. The joy and 'brightness' she brings to our lives is immeasurable. I'd give everything I have to have them nearer to us. Just to hear her say out of the blue 'Nana, I love you,' brings me more joy than I ever thought possible.
The love I have for our granddaughter does not lie solely with her. We Skyped tonight with Ryan and Jenny...we don't do that nearly enough...and we were able to see Nathan (our grandson whom I love just as much as our granddaughter), Since they live in California and will soon be moving to Colorado, we do not get to see them nearly enough. I truly hate having our family spread all over the continental US.
One of the highlights of my life was summer last year when we had all of Randy's children, with spouses and children, under one roof. The only person missing was my biological daughter Jamie. Here are some pictures that were taken then. All photos provided courtesy of Ashleigh-Faye Photography.
Granted, the pictures are almost a year and a half old so obviously Nathan has changed as well as Grace's hair is finally growing out. But it still remains the same, I love my family. Need I say more?
The love I have for our granddaughter does not lie solely with her. We Skyped tonight with Ryan and Jenny...we don't do that nearly enough...and we were able to see Nathan (our grandson whom I love just as much as our granddaughter), Since they live in California and will soon be moving to Colorado, we do not get to see them nearly enough. I truly hate having our family spread all over the continental US.
One of the highlights of my life was summer last year when we had all of Randy's children, with spouses and children, under one roof. The only person missing was my biological daughter Jamie. Here are some pictures that were taken then. All photos provided courtesy of Ashleigh-Faye Photography.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thanksgiving 2011
We have so much to be thankful for, I honestly do not know where to begin. One year ago Randy had just been laid off from his job, but we had so many promising leads on the horizon that we genuinely had no worries. Yes, money was a little bit tighter than what we were accustomed to so Christmas ended up being less than normal but none of us minded. We had no doubt that Randy would find a job by February...at the latest. The new year began but still no prospects. Randy never once admitted to being worried or concerned, he still had faith that he would find a job...and soon. Winter ended and spring began, followed by summer in June. That's when things took a down turn. Randy had been interviewed in May but nothing came of it. That was the first and only interview he'd had in 6 months.
So what happened after that? He went on a few more interviews but...nothing came of them. Then at the beginning of October, 48 weeks since he'd been laid off, he received a call from that interview in May. By the middle of October, 50 weeks post employment, he had started working!
Now back to Thanksgiving. What am I most thankful for? Obviously that would be that my husband is working again. He's been lifted from his depression and is rediscovering his purpose. I'm also thankful for our girls. It took them a couple of months to realize what it meant to have daddy out of work but they hung in there with us and endured...even when that meant they couldn't go to a birthday party...or we couldn't go to the go-kart track...or to the movies...or that they couldn't take gymnastics or piano lessons or guitar lessons...they began to understand and when they asked and the answer was 'no,' they didn't throw temper tantrums (which was their normal reaction).
I'm also thankful for my family. When things were VERY slim, they stepped right in and helped us out. Thank you mom and pop! Two of my very best friends, my sisters Leann and Stephanie, were never more than a phone call away, ready to listen to me sob through tears, knowing that I just needed to vent and get it off my chest so that I would not cry in front of Randy.
During our whole ordeal, when I wasn't even looking, I found a church for the girls and I to go to. For about 6 months we went just the three of us but then Randy joined us as well. It was a spiritual uplifting that we certainly needed. I'm thankful to Janice, the mom of one of Emily's classmates who introduced us to the church. I'm also thankful for all of the unknown prayer warriors...thank you!
This has been a very quiet yet joyful Thanksgiving. Katie brought Liliana down on Tuesday and we've enjoyed a wonderful time together. Lili cracked us up last night, see the video below:
She is so precious, she absolutely warms my heart. While I've been typing this she called me across the room...just to say right out of the blue, "I love you, nana!" It's terrific when you hear that from your own child, but even more awesome when you hear it from your granddaughter!
I'm thankful for so much this year...our family has truly been blessed during the darkest time of our almost 10-year marriage. God has blessed us in many, many ways, for which we are so thankful.
So what happened after that? He went on a few more interviews but...nothing came of them. Then at the beginning of October, 48 weeks since he'd been laid off, he received a call from that interview in May. By the middle of October, 50 weeks post employment, he had started working!
Now back to Thanksgiving. What am I most thankful for? Obviously that would be that my husband is working again. He's been lifted from his depression and is rediscovering his purpose. I'm also thankful for our girls. It took them a couple of months to realize what it meant to have daddy out of work but they hung in there with us and endured...even when that meant they couldn't go to a birthday party...or we couldn't go to the go-kart track...or to the movies...or that they couldn't take gymnastics or piano lessons or guitar lessons...they began to understand and when they asked and the answer was 'no,' they didn't throw temper tantrums (which was their normal reaction).
I'm also thankful for my family. When things were VERY slim, they stepped right in and helped us out. Thank you mom and pop! Two of my very best friends, my sisters Leann and Stephanie, were never more than a phone call away, ready to listen to me sob through tears, knowing that I just needed to vent and get it off my chest so that I would not cry in front of Randy.
During our whole ordeal, when I wasn't even looking, I found a church for the girls and I to go to. For about 6 months we went just the three of us but then Randy joined us as well. It was a spiritual uplifting that we certainly needed. I'm thankful to Janice, the mom of one of Emily's classmates who introduced us to the church. I'm also thankful for all of the unknown prayer warriors...thank you!
This has been a very quiet yet joyful Thanksgiving. Katie brought Liliana down on Tuesday and we've enjoyed a wonderful time together. Lili cracked us up last night, see the video below:
She is so precious, she absolutely warms my heart. While I've been typing this she called me across the room...just to say right out of the blue, "I love you, nana!" It's terrific when you hear that from your own child, but even more awesome when you hear it from your granddaughter!
I'm thankful for so much this year...our family has truly been blessed during the darkest time of our almost 10-year marriage. God has blessed us in many, many ways, for which we are so thankful.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
"I broke my toe"
So, a few weeks ago when I was trying to get the girls to finish cleaning their room, I separated them and let them only clean it one at a time (they were playing too much otherwise). At one point I was holding Grace's hand and leading her to her room when her left foot came back as my left foot came forward and CrUnCh! OUCH! My pinkie toe immediately swelled up and had a tinge of black and blue. By the next morning the entire area where your toe is connected to your foot was black and blue. UGH! Have you ever had a broken toe? If you have, then you know that the only thing that can be done is to tape the broken one to the next toe. So I did.
Two weeks later I woke up on a school morning and went into the girls' room to wake them up. On the way in there, on my cut through the family room, I stubbed my toe on Grace's boot! O.M.G.!!! Yep, it hurt like the dickens but I continued to walk on it.
Fast forward to last week - 2-1/2 weeks post first break. I decided to go to my doctor. My foot was STILL swollen and in a LOT of pain. He had x-rays done and determined that I definitely broke it the first time....and re-broke it in the same spot the second time. Fortunately the break was not in the joint of my toe so my doc taped it up and sent me on my way...with a bottle of painkillers.
Two weeks later I woke up on a school morning and went into the girls' room to wake them up. On the way in there, on my cut through the family room, I stubbed my toe on Grace's boot! O.M.G.!!! Yep, it hurt like the dickens but I continued to walk on it.
Fast forward to last week - 2-1/2 weeks post first break. I decided to go to my doctor. My foot was STILL swollen and in a LOT of pain. He had x-rays done and determined that I definitely broke it the first time....and re-broke it in the same spot the second time. Fortunately the break was not in the joint of my toe so my doc taped it up and sent me on my way...with a bottle of painkillers.
It's only for a year, after all
Wow, it was a busy week! Thankfully it is all over now and we can focus on what's ahead...Randy's favorite holiday! YEP, that's right, Thanksgiving!!! Randy does ALL of the cooking except for the sweet potatoes and I do the clean up. On the menu this year and most every other year?
Cajun deep-fried turkey
Dressing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows and pecans
Green bean casserole (he has mastered this in the slow cooker!)
Dirty rice (YUM!)
Biscuits (not from scratch but definitely not from a can!)
Our agreement since we were dating is that he cooks the entire dinner (believe me, he wants to!) and I clean the mess up. I can live with that since he is, admittedly, a much better cook than me! ;)
Efren, Katie and Liliana will be here on Wednesday, am getting very excited for them to get here...I miss my grandbaby!!! I talked to her on the phone today and she kept saying over and over that she gets to come to 'Nana's house'...I miss that girl so much!
We told Katie this last week that if Efren gets orders for a remote tour (an unaccompanied, one-year tour) she and Lili may come live with us. Yes, I know it will be hard, I'll go so far as to say it will probably be downright difficult. Many of you know how difficult it was when we all lived together six years ago...the results were not pretty. Much has changed since then and Katie and I both are in different places than we were then. We've talked much about how to handle this or that --- hubs and I have had the same conversations. It was actually me that pushed the vote to 'yes' to have them stay with us - I know that with hard work and perseverance we can make this work. I plan to tap her gift of organization - she's already said she will help me de-clutter my house! My only negativity towards it all is giving up my craft room/office...but since I'm giving it up to allow Lili to have her own room, it's worth it. It's only for a year, after all. Efren put it for his assignments this past week (he has actually been on his base for nine years but has deployed so much that his overseas return date keeps getting pushed back, out of the reach of orders) and so now it's a waiting game...
Cajun deep-fried turkey
Dressing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows and pecans
Green bean casserole (he has mastered this in the slow cooker!)
Dirty rice (YUM!)
Biscuits (not from scratch but definitely not from a can!)
Our agreement since we were dating is that he cooks the entire dinner (believe me, he wants to!) and I clean the mess up. I can live with that since he is, admittedly, a much better cook than me! ;)
Efren, Katie and Liliana will be here on Wednesday, am getting very excited for them to get here...I miss my grandbaby!!! I talked to her on the phone today and she kept saying over and over that she gets to come to 'Nana's house'...I miss that girl so much!
We told Katie this last week that if Efren gets orders for a remote tour (an unaccompanied, one-year tour) she and Lili may come live with us. Yes, I know it will be hard, I'll go so far as to say it will probably be downright difficult. Many of you know how difficult it was when we all lived together six years ago...the results were not pretty. Much has changed since then and Katie and I both are in different places than we were then. We've talked much about how to handle this or that --- hubs and I have had the same conversations. It was actually me that pushed the vote to 'yes' to have them stay with us - I know that with hard work and perseverance we can make this work. I plan to tap her gift of organization - she's already said she will help me de-clutter my house! My only negativity towards it all is giving up my craft room/office...but since I'm giving it up to allow Lili to have her own room, it's worth it. It's only for a year, after all. Efren put it for his assignments this past week (he has actually been on his base for nine years but has deployed so much that his overseas return date keeps getting pushed back, out of the reach of orders) and so now it's a waiting game...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Let the fun begin!
I mentioned in an earlier post how much I despise stores that start putting up Christmas things before even Halloween. I'm going to have to eat my words...anyone have any A-1 Sauce?
My step-daughter, her husband and our granddaughter will be here for Thanksgiving. Traditionally I've always pulled out the artificial tree (after buying a real tree one year and having to tie it to the walls with fishing line since it had already fallen over 3 times, we decided never again), the fat bin bulging with light strands (nope, no pre-lit here), the bins of greenery - gold ribbons - gold ornaments - and lights that hang up and around our built-ins in the family room, the ornaments, the other decorations, etc., on Black Friday. But I told the girls that this year we're going to do things differently. Katie and her family historically have always spent Christmas with her mom. My folks aren't coming down after Christmas this year. Leann is coming down to spend Christmas with us though and we're very excited about seeing her. But what it boils down to is that I want more people to see our house all decorated. So, despite everything I have said in the past, despite the fact that I have NEVER done this before Thanksgiving, I'm breaking out the boxes of Christmas decorations today. Yep, today.
So when the girls finish cleaning up their room so that there is at least a path cleared from the door to their bunk beds, we're going out to the garage and start going through boxes and bins.
I'm actually pretty excited, although I think I'll probably wait a few weeks before pulling out the tree!
My step-daughter, her husband and our granddaughter will be here for Thanksgiving. Traditionally I've always pulled out the artificial tree (after buying a real tree one year and having to tie it to the walls with fishing line since it had already fallen over 3 times, we decided never again), the fat bin bulging with light strands (nope, no pre-lit here), the bins of greenery - gold ribbons - gold ornaments - and lights that hang up and around our built-ins in the family room, the ornaments, the other decorations, etc., on Black Friday. But I told the girls that this year we're going to do things differently. Katie and her family historically have always spent Christmas with her mom. My folks aren't coming down after Christmas this year. Leann is coming down to spend Christmas with us though and we're very excited about seeing her. But what it boils down to is that I want more people to see our house all decorated. So, despite everything I have said in the past, despite the fact that I have NEVER done this before Thanksgiving, I'm breaking out the boxes of Christmas decorations today. Yep, today.
So when the girls finish cleaning up their room so that there is at least a path cleared from the door to their bunk beds, we're going out to the garage and start going through boxes and bins.
I'm actually pretty excited, although I think I'll probably wait a few weeks before pulling out the tree!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Veteran's Day
I'm going to climb up on my soap box for a little rant so please bear with me.
Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, it is a day when we remember fellow service members past and present and appreciate the sacrifices they made. It's also a day to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, who left families behind, who left very small children behind, who left parents and siblings behind. So on this somber day (now don't get me wrong, I don't expect to see everyone crying all day long) why do some people insist on saying 'HAPPY Veteran's Day???' What is so happy about remembering the one who lost his life in a training accident and left behind a young wife and infant son? What is so happy about remembering the four who died in a fiery crash, one of whom left behind a wife and young son, another who left behind 4 beautiful daughters and a beautiful wife? And there are others, just from the Special Operations community, who gave their life, leaving behind a spouse and often children.
Maybe I'm blowing this way out of portion but there is nothing 'happy' about Veteran's Day. If you want to do something to make someone happy, find an airman/soldier/squid/grunt and shake their hand, tell them thank you for your service. The next time you are in an airport and you happen to see a group of men and women in their BDUs, ask them if they are coming or going...if they are coming home, tell them thank you for what they've done...if they are going, wish them the best, tell them you will pray that they are safe and then do it!
Will it matter ten years from now? I sure hope so. Some of the lives lost from our community happened ten years ago and they are certainly not forgotten.
A veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America for an amount of up to and including their life.'
That is why you will not hear me wish anyone a 'happy' Veteran's Day.
Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, it is a day when we remember fellow service members past and present and appreciate the sacrifices they made. It's also a day to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, who left families behind, who left very small children behind, who left parents and siblings behind. So on this somber day (now don't get me wrong, I don't expect to see everyone crying all day long) why do some people insist on saying 'HAPPY Veteran's Day???' What is so happy about remembering the one who lost his life in a training accident and left behind a young wife and infant son? What is so happy about remembering the four who died in a fiery crash, one of whom left behind a wife and young son, another who left behind 4 beautiful daughters and a beautiful wife? And there are others, just from the Special Operations community, who gave their life, leaving behind a spouse and often children.
Maybe I'm blowing this way out of portion but there is nothing 'happy' about Veteran's Day. If you want to do something to make someone happy, find an airman/soldier/squid/grunt and shake their hand, tell them thank you for your service. The next time you are in an airport and you happen to see a group of men and women in their BDUs, ask them if they are coming or going...if they are coming home, tell them thank you for what they've done...if they are going, wish them the best, tell them you will pray that they are safe and then do it!
Will it matter ten years from now? I sure hope so. Some of the lives lost from our community happened ten years ago and they are certainly not forgotten.
A veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America for an amount of up to and including their life.'
That is why you will not hear me wish anyone a 'happy' Veteran's Day.
Holidays around the corner...
I get so excited as Christmas approaches, I absolutely love to decorate the house, put up the tree, hang some lights outside and fill under the tree with lots of presents. It's my favorite time of the year.
What irritates me though are stores that begin displaying Christmas things before Thanksgiving, some even before Halloween! I love the holidays as much as anyone but for crying out loud, lets get through one holiday at a time! I walked into CVS recently and the entire front of the store that you must pass through to get to wherever you are going is full of Christmas. Even Publix, my favorite grocery store, has a huge display of toys and ornaments and lights...UGH!
OK, enough complaining about that. Thanksgiving is two weeks from today. Randy's getting excited because it is his favorite holiday. He does almost all of the cooking... deep-fried turkey, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with pecans, green bean casserole and dirty rice. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! This year Efren, Katie and Liliana will be here for the long weekend. The girls are especially excited...they love any time they can get with their big sister. And of course Randy and I cherish every moment with Lili. The only thing that would make the day better is if Ryan, Jenny and Nathan could be here...maybe another year.
So what will I be doing on black Friday? Hopefully I will be sleeping in unless I find an ad that says the gift I'm getting Randy this year has a huge price break. Then I will brave the crowds. I've actually gone the past couple of years even though I do not like shopping. Surprisingly I did fairly well, didn't get into any fist fights at least.
So will it matter in ten years if I brave black Friday and get Randy his gift? Probably not since it probably won't last that long. But despite that, it will be worth it to beat the crowds and actually get him something he wants. Hopefully he will remember that.
What irritates me though are stores that begin displaying Christmas things before Thanksgiving, some even before Halloween! I love the holidays as much as anyone but for crying out loud, lets get through one holiday at a time! I walked into CVS recently and the entire front of the store that you must pass through to get to wherever you are going is full of Christmas. Even Publix, my favorite grocery store, has a huge display of toys and ornaments and lights...UGH!
OK, enough complaining about that. Thanksgiving is two weeks from today. Randy's getting excited because it is his favorite holiday. He does almost all of the cooking... deep-fried turkey, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with pecans, green bean casserole and dirty rice. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! This year Efren, Katie and Liliana will be here for the long weekend. The girls are especially excited...they love any time they can get with their big sister. And of course Randy and I cherish every moment with Lili. The only thing that would make the day better is if Ryan, Jenny and Nathan could be here...maybe another year.
So what will I be doing on black Friday? Hopefully I will be sleeping in unless I find an ad that says the gift I'm getting Randy this year has a huge price break. Then I will brave the crowds. I've actually gone the past couple of years even though I do not like shopping. Surprisingly I did fairly well, didn't get into any fist fights at least.
So will it matter in ten years if I brave black Friday and get Randy his gift? Probably not since it probably won't last that long. But despite that, it will be worth it to beat the crowds and actually get him something he wants. Hopefully he will remember that.
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