Sunday, May 1, 2011

Day 112: Bouncy Bouncy!

So, I thought that I should probably update this blog before my hubby gets home, and I lose all sense of reality. lol.
I'm noticing that as I prepare for his return, I'm going through some of the same things that I did right before and then right after he left 4 and a half months ago.
For instance,
-I cry for no reason, at strange times.
-I clean for unknown reasons.
-I'm eating lots of chocolate.
-I keep running out of ways to keep myself busy.
-I'm counting the hours!!

I just can't believe that he's coming home. This time tomorrow, we will be together again, and it's just crazy to think of where I was back in January.
I wanted to take this as an opportunity to thank all of my wonderful friends and family that stuck by me during this crazy time. I can't believe how much has happened, and I don't think I would have made it through without all of your support and love.

Through this deployment, I've learned that my family is my rock, I've learned about grief and loss, and I've also learned that I can handle so much more than I give myself credit for. Each and every day I would wake up and think, "Alright life, what do you have for me today? What's the next problem you're gonna throw at me?" After awhile, I started to make myself look at it differently. Instead of focusing on the problems that life was presenting, each night, I would make a mental list of all of the moments that made me smile that day. Those were the moments that made me look forward to another day of work, etc.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm completely cured of my anxiety, and that now I can look forward to our next deployment, instead of dreading it. I'm just saying that after this deployment I feel like I know myself better than I ever have before.

Again, thank you to everyone for reading my ridiculous rants and listening to me complain for 4.5 months. You are the best audience a girl could ask for!

I'll try my best to remember to update after the homecoming, but I'm not making any guarantees. Now I'm off to finish cleaning the house.
Much love!
-Jessica

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Day 108: Frightening Times

Sorry for the lack of an update yesterday, but I had too much to deal with to even think about blogging.

Last night, my brother called me around 8:30 or so, and informed me that my dad was in the hospital. He is a track coach at the middle school that I attended, which is also the school where my mom works, and he was at practice after school yesterday. He was running with some of the kids and fell and hit his head on the asphalt. Apparently, he was unconscious, and they had to do CPR on him until the paramedics arrived, and when they got there, they had to shock him with the paddles because his heart rate was so irregular. Sooo anyway, they took him into the hospital, and put him on some sedatives, and then hooked him up to a ventilator. Last night he had a couple of tests, because they don't know what caused him to fall, and he later woke up and was responsive, etc. But he was in the ICU last night and all day today. I actually just got word from my mom that they finally moved him into his own room, so that's a step in the right direction.
I just don't know what to do. I know I have to be here to greet Kent and be with him when he FINALLY gets home.. (that's another rant), but the daughter in me wants to just hop in the car right now and drive back up to St. Louis to be with my dad and my family. I don't know what kind of difference that I could make by being there with them, but I just feel so helpless....and I hate that I'm alone through all of this. I just my husband back sooo bad. I feel like within the 5 months that he's been gone, I've been through more chaos and pain than I have in a very long time.

It's like the world was waiting for me to be alone to throw all of this at me at once.

Anyway, on top of the stresses of my dad being in the hospital, we had some super awful weather last night, that kept me awake most of the night. There were multiple tornado warnings, and I had to go and sit in my bathtub once for about 20 minutes, but I was very grateful that it all pretty much stayed south of us. I didn't know just how blessed we were though, until I was watching the news tonight and found out that the same storm system that hit us last night tore its way through Mississippi and Alabama, and had some major tornadoes that ended up killing over 60 people. I'm thankful that everyone's okay here, but I'm mourning the loss of those people and praying for their families tonight.

Okay, so I'm not sure I'll be updating quite as frequently after this. I'm just a little burned out on it I think. I'm just ready for my husband to be home, and I'm ready to find out what caused my father (who, by the way, is only 52) fell and smacked his head so hard that he doesn't remember yesterday at all....


Please keep my father in your prayers in the coming weeks. I'll do my best to keep this blog updated.

Much love to all!
-Jessica

Monday, April 25, 2011

Day 106: Cat Love

Well, I was lucky enough to not have to go into work today, so I decided to spend the morning with my mom instead of leaving early. We went to Goodwill, Target, and had lunch at Subway. Good morning. Also, I made a poster for Kent's Homecoming, and my mom laminated it for me this morning, so now it's water-proof!
Yay!
I left around 2, and drove through quite a bit of rain, but nothing too serious, which I was thankful for.
When I got home, my cat was SOOO happy to get to see me. She's been acting Extra obnoxious, and it makes me feel bad for leaving her this weekend. I also found a spot of fur on my bed, where I can tell she's been sleeping quite a bit this weekend.

At least I know that she loves me. :)

So, the waiting game continues with Kent's Homecoming...I'm hoping it's soon, but who really knows at this point.

So, even though I hate to leave my parents' house, I'm really glad that I'm back home. I missed my real bed, and I missed having a tv in my bedroom, and of course, I missed my kitty cat! She's being soooo sweet, it would almost be worth it to leave her more often, just to get this kind of loving from her. lol.
Alrighty.
G'night all!
Tomorrow I'm back to life as usual, unless I get a phonecall telling me otherwise. lol.
Much love!
-Jessica

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Day 105: Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Christ is risen!
What an awesome day. I went to church with my parents this morning, and was reminded of how much I love my home church. It just makes me feel like I'm home. I don't know. It's made me want to go looking for a contemporary church in town again, because I just feel like I get so much more out of a contemporary service than the more traditional services. With the contemporary music, I can focus more on the emotions than trying to pronounce all of the words, and follow the tune. The newer songs just seem to flow so much better....maybe I'm just picky, but all I know is that as soon as I started singing with the Praise group this morning, I was verklempt! I even had to wipe away a couple tears.
Whatever. I'm just an emotional person.

Anyway, after church it was back to the house for bacon and eggs, as per usual Sunday mornings, and my parents went to the Fox to usher the matinee show. I spent the afternoon cleaning out all of my stuffed animals, and deciding which ones I still wanted and which ones I didn't. fun fun.

After my parents returned, we headed out to my grandparents' house on my dad's side of the family for Easter Dinner. It was soooo good. And actually, it felt like it was Thanksgiving Dinner in April, because there was Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, and desserts galore! Really good dinner! And, I got to share the great news that my hubby's on his way home, so it was a night of excitement.
All around a good day!
Now I'm just waiting to get word from my hubby about where he is now.


Also, I won't know until tomorrow morning about 30 minutes before I would have to leave whether or not I need to go into work tomorrow...so that'll be an adventure. lol.
Alright. G'night all!
much love!
-Jessica

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Day 104: Friends! What a Great Day!

Today was a really good one.
I started my say with my former Maid of Honor, Val, and we went to David's Bridal, where she needed to pick out shoes for the wedding that she is currently playing the part of MOH. It was really great to get to catch up with her, and it made me remember how awesome last summer was!
Then, I was off to the US Cellular store to pay my bill and get Kent's phone turned back on. Success.
Following that productive tidbit of my day, I spent 3 hours in a St. Louis Bread Co. with my girlfriends from college! It was super awesome. It's been sooo long since it's just been us girls, and it was great to just sit, eat, and talk FOREVER! I knew it was getting out of hand when we had been sitting there so long that I was beginning to want more food. lol. All in all, just a great way to spend the afternoon.
Girls, we need to do that more often!

After my girl time, we headed out to my grandma's house for Easter celebrations. We had some really good steaks, and my mom even made Cherry Dump Cake!! yay! Oh, and we played a round of Scrabble, and I won! great night!

I got to talk to Kent this morning on Skype, but just through instant messaging. But, it was nice to know that he IS indeed on the move. Haven't heard from him since, but I can only hope that means that his journey's continuing and he's not stuck at his first stop still. I am completely prepared to get a phone call from the automated system that makes me hop in the car before the Easter festivities are complete tomorrow! I just can't believe that he's coming home, and that I will be back to normal life, if only for a little bit! yay!!!!
Okay, this happy girl needs to get some much needed sleep. I only got 4 hours last night, so hopefully I'll do better tonight. Church in the morning, and then it's off to my other grandma's house for Easter dinner.

Much love to all!
-Jessica

Day 103: Great news!

Just a tidbit, since it's almost 4 o'clock in the morning.
Went home this weekend. Just barely made it home before a big storm came through St. Louis. Apparently a tornado touched down at the airport, so now all flights are canceled until further notice. Bummer.

But AWESOME NEWS!
My hubby's on the move!
What a great great great great day!
Okay, now I MUST try to sleep....we'll see if this works or not.....
much love!
-Jessica

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Day 102: Just a Little Hello!

Don't really have a lot to talk about tonight. I'm just preparing to leave to go to my parents' house for Easter this weekend, and I'm really excited because I get to see a whole bunch of friends and a whole bunch of family! This will be my last hurrah before Kent comes home, and I'm just really excited to see everyone. Especially since the next time I see everyone, I will be accompanied by my other half! :)
So, I've been cleaning up the house, making sure Peaches' litter box is clean, making sure she's got enough food for the weekend, etc. etc. My suitcase is packed, and I'm hitting the road as soon as I'm done with work tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll get to leave early tomorrow too!

AHHH so excited!
I just have one more day of work before a weekend full of good times and great food!
I'll see you all this weekend!
That's all I have for tonight....sorry to disappoint. :P
-Jessica

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Day 101: A Day Full of Coupons and Hair Dye

WELL, last night was quite an ordeal. Shortly after finishing my nightly routine, and settling in for bed, I was awoken by the sound of tornado sirens and what sounded like a train hurdling towards my house. Naturally, I shot awake, and instantly thought, there's a tornado in my neighborhood. So, I turned the tv to the local channel, and saw that we were under a tornado warning, and that the worst hadn't even hit yet, so I got out of bed and began to prepare to move to the hall bathroom. So I grabbed my cell phone, unplugged my laptop, and as soon as I stood up, my power went out. So, I put my laptop back down, and instantly dropped to the ground and covered my head, again thinking that a tornado was upon me! After about a minute of that nonsense, I grabbed my laptop again, and ran into my hall bathroom, where I sat for about half an hour, in complete and udder terror. So, I texted Melissa, and asked her to let me know when the tornado warning had passed, so that I could at least go and try to get some sleep, and she called me back, and did her best to calm me down. lol. I was happy that she was able to let me know when the warning was over, because I didn't have power, therefore I didn't have internet. :(
Anyway, after the warning was over, I returned to my bedroom, and was able to fall asleep eventually, although I totally slept with my flashlight, just in case I needed it. Kind of felt like I was back at APO camp. :)
I was so grateful when I woke up this morning and my power had returned! When I got to work I learned that the majority of people who had lost their electricity during the storms had not gotten it back yet.

After work, I had dinner at home, and then headed to Walmart to get posterboard for a "Welcome Home" sign for Kent, and got some baseball card protective sheets, to create my very own Coupon Binder! What can I say? I'm a huge nerd.

Then, I finally got to dye my hair. I've been wanting to do it for a while, but just kept forgetting about it, so I finally remembered to refrain from using any product in my hair this morning so that I could dye it tonight. So far, my hair is still wet, so I don't really know how it looks, but it shouldn't look too much different than it did before, I was just dyeing it to even out my color. My roots were really bad, so hopefully I had an even color now. :P We'll find out in the morning I guess.
Okay.
Well gnight everyone!
-Jessica

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Day 100: Let's Celebrate!

So, I guess since this is the 100th day of Kent's deployment, there should be some sort of celebration or tribute, like if it was the 100th episode of a television show, right? Welp, I didn't plan anything like that....Sorry.
Although with the time dwindling away, it's gotten to the point where each day is another awesome accomplishment. I cannot believe that I have gone 100 days without my hubby by my side. This is a record for us. After 2 months had passed, each day after that was a new record for the amount of time that we've been apart since we started dating back in 2007. It's just crazy to think about.
Anyway.
In awesome news! Kent's college roommate, Alex, and his wife, Kristy just had their twin boys today! I've seen pictures on Facebook and they are absolutely adorable! I literally cried while looking at pictures! lol. I can't wait to meet them when we visit Kent's home area in May. I love babies so much, and it's crazy to think that people from my class at Truman have two of them now! Congratulations Alex and Kristy! I'm so happy for you two, and you will definitely make excellent parents!

Okay. That's pretty much all I have to talk about tonight.
Much love to all!
-Jessica

Monday, April 18, 2011

Day 99: Lovin' Life! Is that bad?

Today was another good one. I'm starting to get a little concerned that all of these good days are just getting my spirits up, only to have them crushed in a couple of days. Oh well, I'm going to enjoy them while I've got them.

Let's see, I went to work, and found out that Melissa's going to be out for the rest of the week. :( Apparently she fell yesterday and busted up her knee pretty bad. Anyway, that means that I'm guaranteed to have to be at work every day until 5pm.... :( I was really hoping I could weasel myself out of work early on Friday, so that I could head back up to home earlier for Easter weekend. I don't know, maybe I can still talk them into it. Doubt it.

Um, after work, I came home, watched a whole bunch of television, and forgot to eat dinner....oops. I had a small snack of cottage cheese and mandarin oranges at about 8:30, once I had realized that I hadn't eaten anything. Then, I finally got to have a complete conversation with Kent on Skype for the first time in about 2 days. It was nice to get to just be able to talk to each other without needing to type, or wait for Skype to reconnect several times over. He says that time is going by really slowly for him, and that makes me feel guilty, because time is FLYING for me! My daily routine lends itself towards speedy days. I get up around 8:30, wait for my hubby to get online, talk to him, play around on Facebook, eat lunch, watch some tv, go to work, get off work, come home, USUALLY I fix dinner, watch about 2.5 hours of primetime tv, talk to Kent again, and blog and go to sleep. It's not the most exhilarating routine, but it works for me, and it helps the days go by quicker. :)
Anyway. I am going to bed now, and hopefully the dogs at the house behind me don't start barking at 6am again, like they did this morning.... >:(

Alrighty!
G'night all!
Much love!
-Jessica

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Day 98: Sooo Much Money....

I spent sooooo much money today. It was simply horrifying. I had to go and get my tires replaced, which cost me a whopping $684!! AHHH! I know that it needed to be done though, my tires were in terrible shape. It just hurts to spend that much at once...grr I guess I'll just have to get used to stuff like that.

And now, I have to make sure that I'm not spending TOO much money, because once Kent gets home...ugh we're planning on spending a whole bunch of money. The frugal girl in me wants to just stay home, not leave at all, and save our money, but I know that won't be possible.

Oh well. Hopefully our tax refund comes quickly. eeeee
Okay. I'm tired.
I've been cleaning all day so I've definitely earned this night of sleep. lol.
g'night all!
-Jessica

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Day 97: Girls' Night

Ugh. I can't believe that I was out so late tonight. I didn't get home until after midnight, and yes the post says that it is still Saturday, but I'm OCD, and each post has to be on that specific day, so I cheated and changed the time.....don't judge...
Anyway. My day was pretty exciting. I went to Sam's this morning to have my low tire looked at, and ending up finding out that I need to buy 4 new tires, like pronto! So, since the wait would have been another 2.5-3 hours before they could get the tires put on the car, I decided that I wanted to wait and get them tomorrow. Sam's was just SUPER busy today.
I also went to lunch with Melissa at Shogun Japanese Grill. Yum Yum Yum!! But it was super expensive, so I'm not sure I want to go there a whole bunch. It will definitely have to just be an every once in a while restaurant! But it was really nice to go out on a saturday and have lunch! Then, I went to Walmart, and finally bought myself a new vacuum. I've been meaning to get one for a long time now, and I finally just made myself suck it up and buy one. And, oh my goodness. The difference a new vacuum makes on my carpet! I got a Eureka! LightSpeed 300, and it's bright orange, which I absolutely love!  (also it might have been the only reason it beat out the Dirt Devil I was also looking at )
So, I went home, and assembled my new vacuum, and automatically started vacuuming. It needed to be done. Like really bad. After doing the living room, and the hallway, I had successfully dumped out 3 containers full of dirt and carpet fuzz, filling up an entire grocery sack! It was ridiculous! Tomorrow, my plan is to clean up my bedroom, and then vacuum that room, as well as get the office, man cave, and hall bathroom cleaned up.
Um, also I guess I have to go back to Sam's to get my new tires.
After my vacuum adventure, I headed over to Melissa's for girls' night, which was a blast! We all hung out, ate a bunch of cheesecake bites, and Tostitos and dip (which was salsa and cream cheese), and talked until we all turned into pumpkins. It was a really great night, and I'm so happy that I went.
Good times.
Okay. G'night
Much love to all!
-jessica

Friday, April 15, 2011

Day 96: Make New Friends, But Keep the Old.

Good day today.
It started off kind of depressing, and I found myself not wanting to do anything at all. I think I'm just getting to the point where I'm sick of seeing all of these soldiers coming home, and not one of them is MY soldier. I'm just burned out. But, once I got to work, my day got better. Then, it got even better when my coworker Melissa asked me if I wanted to come over for dinner again tonight!
We ordered Chinese food, and vegged out while watching Amazing Race on her DVR.
Then, we rocked out to some classic Michael Jackson, and I gave her baby a bath. It was the first time I've ever given a baby a bath, so I was nervous, but I think I ended up doing a pretty good job! I feel like once Kent and I decide to have kids, I'm going to be beyond prepared for this stuff. lol. doubtful.

Anyway. I got home to find out that Kent had already tried to call me twice on Skype. eek! Thankfully he was still online, so I was able to call him and everything worked out. :)

I was just so happy that I got to get out of the house tonight. She also told me that I should never wait for a invitation to come over to her house. :) She's also having a girls' night tomorrow night, so I think that's where I'll be tomorrow most likely. yay!

Okay.
G'night all!
So happy that it's finally the weekend!

-Jessica

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Day 95: I Have Food Again!

I'm doing so much better tonight than I was last night. Kent is fine, although he's super tired. There were some issues that caused him to be unable to get online for a little bit, but he was online this morning, which was wonderful.
Then today was just like all the rest. Went to work, got a headache from the screaming children, got to wear my new tennis shoes, and they're super comfortable! After work, I got out my coupons and went to the Comissary for some much-needed groceries. Also, I'm hoping that this trip to the grocery store will be my last before my hubby gets home, but I know that's wishful thinking. It will depend on how much I eat at home...lol. I'm just ready for him to be back. Time is beginning to slow down for me, and I think it's because every day is beginning to blend into the ones around it...sigh...
Is it over yet?

But, other than feeling impatient for this deployment to be over, today was a pretty good day. I got to talk to my baby again tonight, and he got on early, and we were able to talk longer as well. :)
I don't know.
Maybe after this weekend, things will begin to speed up again.
Okay.
G'night.
Much love to all!
-Jessica

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Day 94: Stressin'

Well, I'm super stressed right now. It was really great day to begin with. I had to go into work early, but it wasn't the end of the world. More money, which is always good.
While at work, my stress began. My trainer finally got all of my training stuff organized, and I now only have 2 months to complete the amount of training that SHOULD take me 6 months. uggh. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to get as much done as I can before Kent gets home, because I know I won't get anything done once he gets home. lol.
Anyway. When I got home from work, I decided to cut my grass. It was getting pretty ridiculous, and I was starting to worry that my neighbors were judging me for the height of my grass. After an hour and a half, I trudged back into the house, and noticed that my tennis shoes had turned green from mowing the lawn. I had been meaning to get some new tennis shoes for a while, so I headed out the door and went to Kohl's to get some new shoes.  Okay, long story short, I was in the drive-thru at Burger King after going to Kohl's, and after ordering my food, I started to drive forward, when some jerk pulled RIGHT in front of me, and drove up to the window. Didn't pull up the speaker and order like everyone else, didn't let me go, and then pull in after me (there was no one behind me), nope. Just pulled right in front of me like I wasn't even there. AND he ordered food. At the window. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was in a complete state of shock, for sure. So, I finally got up to the window, got my food, and angrily drove home, all the way worrying that I wouldn't be home in time to get to talk to Kent....well. It's an hour after he usually gets online, and I'm losing my mind.
He didn't get on this morning either, granted I was at work, but he wasn't on facebook from what I can tell, and he didn't try and skype me either....I'm freaking out.
I know deep in my heart that he's okay, but my head's not so sure. I keep thinking of a thousand things that could have happened, and I can't make my brain shut up... I highly doubt that much sleeping will take place.
okay.
I'm gonna go freak out a little more.
much love.
-jessica

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Day 93: Free Food is My Favorite.

So, tonight, my coworker Melissa offered to make me dinner, and I readily agreed, mostly because I'm completely out of food for dinners, and also because I just don't like sitting home alone every evening. It was really nice! It was just a Voila! Frozen skillet meal, but it was nice not to cook for myself for once. It was a very nice, free meal. Much appreciated. Especially because I'm completely exhausted today.

Hopefully I'll end up making sense in this post, but my brain is all over the place tonight. I feel like I can't put words together to create correct sentences.
Anyway, had a good day. Work, dinner with Melissa, and then I helped her with getting her 2 kids in bed, which was also nice. Gave me a glance at what my life will be like eventually. Annd made me very happy that I don't have any kids yet. I will definitely be waiting at least a couple more years before that happens. I'm not cut out for having my own babies yet. That's for sure!
Okay.
I'm not making sense to myself anymore.
Good night all!
-jessica

Monday, April 11, 2011

Day 92: Sometimes Routines are Nice

So, as much as I know that running is good for me in the long run, it's difficult to remember that when I can barely even walk the next day. I guess I didn't really do a very good job at stretching after my run, so all my muscles were aching when I woke up this morning, and continued to hurt all day long. :(
Oh well, I guess that's just a price I have to pay to get back into shape.

Besides being sore all day, it was a pretty good day. We were really busy at work today, but that's a good thing, because when we have lots of children, it makes the day go by faster! Which is always nice. Plus, my coworkers were all in a much better mood, now that we still have jobs. :)
Anyway. Today was pretty much the same as the rest of the days, but I didn't really mind it. I'm starting to enjoy my daily routine. Yay!
Okay. I've got to go to sleep so I can start another day tomorrow.
Much love to all!
-Jessica

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Day 91: Where is All of This Motivation Coming From?

Today was a good day.
I went to late church, and the sermon was all about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The pastor discussed the fact that when Martha stated that they could not move the stone because there would surely be an odor, it was only talking about the stench of death, but of the stench of sin, that's found in all of us. All in all, it was very good sermon, and it helped to remind me that one day, we will all be resurrected by Christ, and all of our loved ones we have lost will be among us again. It was just nice. Good to know that I will definitely be seeing my Aunt Linda again someday.

Anyway, that started my day off in a really calming way, and after church, I headed to the mall. I have been wanting to go to the mall for months now. I haven't been since Kent left in January, so it was nice to just walk around, be around people, and check out racks and racks of clearance items! And actually, I only ended up getting stuff from Old Navy. I ended up with two tees, a light pink one with some little embellishments, and a tee for Earth Day 2011, and two hoodies, because I love hoodies. One is bright turquoise, and from the Yoga collection, and the other is a zip-up cream jacket (no hood) with a super cute flower print on the front.
All of these were clearance.
All of them were an EXTRA 30% off, on top of the clearance price.
AND, the two sweatshirts were only like 8 dollars on clearance..
You do the math.
Great day for some shopping!!

After my retail therapy, I came home and ate some well-deserved lunch while I perused my Sunday paper that I picked up at Kroger on the way home. After watching Extreme Couponing this past week, I was inspired to make sure I picked up a paper this weekend, so I could try and scope out some deals of my own...didn't really achieve the kind of deals that those ladies get. Oh well.
After lunch, I watched some tv for a couple hours while my food digested, and got changed out of my church clothes, and into my RUNNING clothes. Thaaat's right. Me, the girl who "doesn't do running" had the urge to run around the neighborhood. So, that's what I did. I sprayed myself down with sunscreen, strapped on my ipod, and grabbed a bottle of water, and I was out the door. About 15-20 minutes later, I stumbled back into my house, and barely got my front door closed before I collapsed on the living room floor in a heap of sweat and exhaustion. I was SO over-heated, and stayed in that position for probably a good 20 minutes or so, even allowing Peaches to walk all over my sore body. lol.
After I had recovered, I went to the kitchen to try and scrounge up some dinner, and ended up washing a sink full of dishes, making 2.5 dozen sugar cookies that had been sitting in my fridge since February, and finally dumping out the last of the Cherry Dump Cake that my parents had made while they were here on their visit. After all of that, though, I sat down and enjoyed a nice Velveeta Shells and Cheese EasyMac for dinner. MMM, good stuff.

Then it was time for Army Wives and Coming Home, my weekly therapy session. First, I get Army Wives, which usually makes me cry because it's sad, and then I get Coming Home, which makes me cry because it's so happy, and so I get sad tears, followed by happy tears.
I don't know. It's always such a cathartic 2 hours for me every Sunday night...

Oh, and did I mention that I had a little bit of extra time between dinner and Army Wives, so I turned on the PS3, and did a workout video on Netflix? Yeah, I don't know where all of this motivation is coming from. I'm really baffled.

Okay, well this busy girl is off to bed. Tomorrow begins yet another week...another week closer to HOMECOMING!!

Alright. G'night all!
-Jessica

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Day 90 Saturdays are exhausting

Hello All!
Another very long day... Today I worked Super Saturday...uggghhh.

I don't have a lot to blog about. I'm just ready for this deployment to be over! With each passing day, I get more and more excited, but I'm also reminded about how much I still need to do in preparation for Kent's return. I need to clean the house up...bad! It's a mess...yes, it's a mess, AGAIN. I had it all nice and clean for my parents' visit, but that was a couple weeks ago, and it really only takes me a couple DAYS to get my house back into disarray...lol.
Also, I already need to cut the lawn again...I swear that by Tuesday, two days after I cut the grass, there were already super long blades of grass all over my lawn...sigh...oh well. I guess it was from all of the rain we got all day Monday.
Anyway. I just can't wait. I'm getting really bouncy bouncy!

Alright. I'm literally falling asleep over my laptop....gnight all
-Jessica

Friday, April 8, 2011

Day 89: Bittersweet Results

Well, after the drama that was the last couple days of my life, Congress was finally able to reach an agreement on a framework for the budget, meaning no governmental shutdown.
Which is AWESOME! I was beginning to wonder what we were going to do without Kent's paycheck if the shutdown were to have gone into effect.
I'm so happy that our law-makers were finally able to work together to avoid such an extreme result. Although, I feel like they waited until the ABSOLUTE last minute to do so...
But anyway.
The drawbacks to the shutdown not happening are quite simple: Now I have to go to work tomorrow. sigh.... Really?
I'm just really starting to get sick of these Super Saturdays. I know that the families really appreciate them, and I don't blame them. An entire Saturday of childcare? FOR FREE!? TWICE a month!!? That's unheard of in the civilian world.
I think what really bugged me about the Super Saturday happening tomorrow, was the parents' general lack of concern for the workers that would no longer be getting paid! Yes, what a tragedy that a Super Saturday wouldn't be happening, but really the bigger problem was that the Super Saturday wasn't going to happen BECAUSE SOOOO many CYSS employees would be UNemployed!!! Really parents?! You're concerned about what to do with your child for one saturday? Open your eyes, and consider the bigger picture.

Thankfully, those jobs are still intact.
Thankfully, my husband will be getting paid in full next Friday.
Thankfully, I will continue to be able to work in my center, instead of being transferred across base to another center.
Unfortunately, I need to get to sleep super quick, because I have to be on post at 8:30am....

Anyway. That's my rant for tonight.
much love to all!
-jessica

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Day 88: Do Budgets Really Have to be THIS Difficult?

Well hopefully by this time tomorrow, Congress will have reached a decision about the budget. I don't know what we will do if the government is shut down. Not only will I be out of a job, but my husband won't be paid until the shutdown is over. Yes, he will eventually get paid for that time, but it will all be in back pay. I'm just hoping that if the shutdown happens, that it won't be for very long...that's all I really have to say about that. If I talk about it too much, I just get angry.

Um, today was pretty good, considering the shutdown was looming over our heads all day. I was able to go to the tax center after work and get our taxes e-filed, which is a HUGE weight off of my shoulders. Just one more thing that I can check off my ever-growing to-do list.
Also, time seems to be going fairly quickly still, which is very reassuring. I just can't wait for this deployment to be over. It's crazy to think about how much has happened in the last 88 days! I am in a complete different place than I was back in January: financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and everything in between.
Now I have to start wondering if the communication that Kent and I have maintained during this time has been enough to be able to mesh back together once he gets home.
I don't know, I'm guess I'm beginning to brace myself for the next stage: Reintegration!!!

Okay.
I'm going to sleep.
Tomorrow might just be my last day of work for quite a while...
we'll see.
Please pray that Congress can reach a decision, and give thanks that I've made it this far without cracking!
Much love!
-Jessica

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Day 87: Crazy for Coupons?

For some reason, I'm having problems thinking of things to blog about today. Plenty happened, but I'm just not motivated I guess to get this post started. I've now been staring at this screen for about 20 minutes...hmmm. Okay.
Well. I guess I'll start by saying that I can't believe how quickly this week is going for me. I feel like it was just Sunday afternoon, and now it's already almost the end of Wednesday! Crazy!

Today was another pretty good day. I went in early to work, since one of my coworkers was gone all day for training, and since I came in early, I got the opportunity to leave early! I got to leave at about 4pm. So, instead of just going home and doing nothing, I quickly went to home to gather all of our tax forms and such, and headed back on post to have our taxes filed. I was so proud of myself for actually getting something done! Technically they are not filed quite yet, but after figuring out whether I should file jointly with Kent, or have my parents claim me as a dependent, I will be able to file them tomorrow afternoon after I get off work.

Good times. Yay for tax refunds!

Also, tonight I saw the series premiere of "Extreme Couponing" on TLC, and I am soo impressed. These ladies will rack up a bill of over 600 dollars, and after all of their coupons are added up, they only spend like SIX DOLLARS!! Really?!? That's so awesome!

I would like to say that I want to be able to do that too, but I just don't think I have the organizational skills to be able to achieve those kinds of results. :P
But that's alright, I'm okay with just printing off coupons for the things that I already buy, and just using them when I need those products. I'm kind of okay that my garage is used to house my cars and not used as a stock pile of toilet paper and shampoo. :)
Still, it was a very entertaining hour, and it DID inspire me to go online and print off coupons!
lol

Other than that, didn't really do too much.

Welp, I'm off to bed now.
Much love to everyone!
-Jessica

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Day 86: I Can Officially Save Your Life

Well, this morning I had my CPR training for work, so now I can officially say that I know how to save people's lives. Or so they say. lol. The class was only 2 hours long, and we only took up about 1 hour 40 minutes of that, so I'm not really sure how thorough my training actually was, but I definitely know more about CPR than I did before the course, so I think that's what really matters. :)
After CPR training, I went to work, which was pretty good. It's always refreshing when I see a child that used to scream non-stop when they were dropped off playing with the other children. It's just good to see progress in each of them. I also really like seeing them graduate over to the room across the hall too, though. After a while, you start to dread some of the children's arrival! It's just good to not have to worry about them showing up and ruining your perfectly good day with their misbehavior and loud screams. :P

Anyway. After work, I listened to my voicemail, and had a message from the choir/handbell director at church asking if I was interested in taking over for one of the handbell members who is supposed to be giving birth this week. So, I ventured across town, and ended up staying for choir rehearsal as well. I really enjoyed choir, mostly because I've really missed singing in a choir setting for quite some time. But, I'm not really sure how committed I am to joining the choir and singing with them weekly. They meet on Tuesday nights at 7...which is Glee....and then on Sunday mornings, they meet at 7:35am to warm-up and run through the music again, and that would mean I would need to leave the house about 7am, which means to look good for church, I would need to get up around 6am...I just don't know if I'll be able to do that every sunday morning....we shall see I guess.

But, it was good to get to know some more of the members of the church, and although I really don't think I'll remember many of their names, I do remember their faces, and I'm sure they'll remember me, and that's all that really matters. Yay for putting myself out there!
Alright. I'm tired.
Much love to all!
-Jessica

Monday, April 4, 2011

Day 85: Nobody is Gonna Rain on My Parade!

You know that lovely feeling you get when you're listening to someone talk who has a very soothing voice? Like one of those velvety soft voices that make you feel all fluffy inside?
Well, for some odd reason, I've been feeling THAT good all evening. I'm really not sure why. I mean, it's Monday. I should be dreading the fact that the week is here again, but I'm not.
I don't know.
Maybe it's because I only had to work for 3 hours today. :) We were having some pretty nasty weather, with tornado warnings off and on, and so a lot of parents called and canceled their appointments today, and picked up their children early. By 3 o'clock, we only had 2 children, with only 1 coming in still, so I left at 3:30, after folding the laundry. :) It felt good to get out of work early for once. Even though it was still raining, I got to enjoy my afternoon by scoping out the building that I have to report to in the morning for my CPR class. After doing some investigating, I went home and worked on my wedding scrapbook ALL evening. I can't believe how therapeutic it is for me to just sit on the couch, and coordinate pictures with different papers and mats, and choose the perfect stickers to complete each page. I'm making really good progress on both of my books, and actually, I really need to go get another book for the dating years. I'm not even through our junior year, and the book is already over-flowing!

Anyway. I had a really good day today, despite the awful weather.

Only bad thing about today was that I realized that I have to work a Super Saturday this weekend. :(
But, until then, I'm going to do my best to keep this warm, fuzzy feeling!

Much love to all!
-Jessica

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Day 84: Landscaping 101

Today was a VERY long day!
I got up around 8:30, and hopped in the shower and got dressed for church, before Kent got on Skype. I was so pleased that his mic was working this time around. (it's been on the fritz for the last couple times we've talked)
Then, I was off to church. After church, there was a meet & greet for new people at church. We met some of the elders, and the board of directors, etc. They fed us lunch, which was a huge plus, and we even got a tour of the building, which really helped me to feel more comfortable, now that I know where things are.  :)
After church, I came home and had a snack, and waited for the hot afternoon sun to die down. In the process, I cleaned my poor little kitty's litter box. I felt really bad, because my week was so crazy that I wasn't able to clean it until today. It was pretty bad. Once the clock hit about 4pm, I decided it was time to tackle the big chore of the day: mowing the lawn. Dun Dun Duunnn.
It was quite the daunting task, and I had been avoiding it ever since my parents left, so I decided that today was the day. Ughhh it was so frustrating. My mower kept running out of gas, I guess because I was afraid of filling up the tank TOO much, so I just kept adding too little. Also, it was actually kind of hot today. It got up to like the mid-80's, which is why I waited for the majority of the afternoon to pass before venturing out into the sun.
TWO HOURS later, and I was done. Our yard is a whole lot bigger than it looks, that's for sure. Also, even though I slathered on the sunscreen about a half an hour before going outside, and even though I was wearing a baseball hat the whole time, I still managed to make my sunburn even worse than it was yesterday. Oh well. I'm pretty used to burning in the sun. It comes with my pasty white skin! lol.

Okay. Well, my super sore, super sunburned body is ready to crash, so I'm going to let it.
Much love!
-Jessica

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Day 83: Sale-ing and Sunburning

Today was a really good day.
I went over to my coworker, Melissa's house, where she was having a multi-family garage sale this morning, and it was a great time. I got a small bookcase, an artificial Christmas tree, and a lovely pair of Corona pants. :)
But, I also helped with the sale in general. It was good to be around people on a Saturday. Also, I got to take care of Melissa's baby for a little bit while they were all cleaning up, and she was so cute! Just an all-around good time!

After the sale was over, I came home to unload my garage sale goodies, and get down to cleaning. Also, Melissa said that they are planning on having another garage sale soon, so I was motivated to start making a pile of things to sell at this future sale. I was going to go out and cut the grass, too, since today was so beautiful, but after putting the bookcase in its new home, and organizing the office for an hour or so, I realized that I was completely sunburnt! My face is beet red from this morning, and so are my arms (strangely, my right arm is significantly more burnt than my left arm...) and now I hurt... :(

But, despite the burn, I was able to get a lot of stuff done around the house today. I did laundry, I organized the closet in our office, I filled two boxes with stuff to get rid of, I completed 3 more pages in my scrapbook, and finally watched my Netflix movie that's been sitting on my TV stand for over a week! Overall, I'm pleased with what I got accomplished today. I just hope that this sunburn doesn't last too long. I don't really feel like showing up to church in the morning looking like a lobster!
Oh well. Just another sign that Spring is here!...hopefully...

Okay.
I'm off to enjoy the rest of SNL before bedtime.
Much love to all!
-Jessica

Friday, April 1, 2011

Day 82: April--So Far, So Good

Not too much to complain about tonight.
I finally got Kent's t-shirts from battalion, although I made myself look ridiculous in the process. I went up to the door, and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. So there were a few soldiers standing on the sidewalk, so I asked them if they knew where I was supposed to get "The Balls" tee-shirts. They told me the second door, and I responded with, "I think it might be locked. I couldn't get it open." Sigh. One of them walked over, turned the knob the opposite way than I did, and the door opened RIGHT up. Oh well. They then explained that door was fickle, and that the knob only turned one way, so it made me feel a little bit better about my predicament.
Anyway, I got the shirts, went home for lunch, back on post for work, blah blah blah.
My day was kind of the same as the rest of the days this week, except that it's April!
Then, I went over to one of my co-worker's house, to help her prepare for the huge yard sale she's having tomorrow. I let it slip today that I'm a yard sale guru, and so she told me I was welcome to come over and help with pricing, and also to get first dibs on stuff. lol.
SO, I'm pretty sure that that's where I'm headed in the morning. Told her I would be back to get a bookcase that was there tonight. Only $3!!
Anyway, I'm off to bed. Hopefully. We'll see.
Much love to all!
-Jessica

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Day 81: Another Month Down

Happy last day of March everyone!
I'm so happy that this month is finally over! Now, we're in the home stretch with this deployment, and my anxiety is through the roof. Every day is already feeling longer than the previous day, and I'm hoping that this last month doesn't just drag on forever.
Today was pretty good though. I left the house early to go on post and get the t-shirts that Kent has been requesting for a while from his Battalion.  But first, I had to get gas, because my light came on as I drove onto post, and then I had to swing by the post office to mail off a bundle of eye bills. But, I finally got to Kent's battalion, and I got up to the door, only to discover that their lunch break had already started...sigh...I was so upset. Then I had an awkward half hour to kill before I needed to be at work, so I took the opportunity to scope out the parking lot behind battalion that we're supposed to park in after the welcome home ceremony. During all of the briefings, I was trying to figure out which parking area they were talking about, so I had to investigate it before the excitement of that day made me unable to navigate around post. lol.

So, after finding the parking lot, I took my sweet time driving back across post to work...I let EVERYONE cross the street in front of me, etc, but I still got to work 20 minutes early. So, I sat in my car, and listened to my iPod, while playing solitaire on said iPod. I feel kind of lame, but it was nice to just sit and jam out to some music for once.

Then, I finally went into work, and today was pretty good. A lot of our screamers canceled today, which was a relief, and by 4:30, we only had four pre-toddlers left. Just a nice, relaxed day, which was perfect.

Now, I have to figure out what April Fool's joke I'm going to play on my co-workers tomorrow...
hmmm, so many choices. Any suggestions?

Well, good night everyone! Hope you all had better March's than I did.
-Jessica

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Day 80: Making Friends Over Soup!

Well, thankfully, I was able to find my checkbook today! I'm so relieved! Especially, since I got to work, and couldn't find it anywhere. I was completely freaking out, and debating whether I should call the bank before I left work or wait until I got home and looked one more time. Then, after work, I went out to my car, and decided to look in there again. After no luck looking from the driver's seat, I decided to walk around to the other side of the car, and check the passenger side better. LUCKILY, it was sitting on the floor next to the passenger seat, wedged between the seat and the door. It was the biggest sigh of relief that I've had in a LONG time! It was fantastic!
So, now, I can successfully pay my rent on Friday, as well as pay for the tee-shirts that Kent had me order from his Battalion. What a great day!
After finding my checkbook, I decided to attend Wednesday Lenten Service at Church. And I'm really glad that I did, because I met some people while at the "Soup and Bread" portion of the festivities, and sat with a very lovely woman named, "Cindy" during the service. I'm slowly beginning to feel more and more welcome at this church, and that makes me feel so better about my life here. It's just nice to feel welcomed, and included in something bigger than myself.

Ummmm, what else?
Not much else happened today. But, good news! Tomorrow's finally the last day of March!!! Another month closer to the end of this deployment!
yay!
Okay.
G'night everyone!
-Jessica

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Day 79: Why do I Keep Losing Things??

AHH! I keep losing everything! I've also been super forgetful about lots of stuff, including paying bills, eating meals, and other important things. I just don't know what the problem is.

Today before work, I finally decided to sit down and decide on how much to pay on each of my medical bills that I have filling up my house from all of my eye troubles last summer. I have 3 main bills from 3 different doctors, including the anesthesiologist, and now I've just started getting another bill, from the doctor who has yet to do anything for me in Nashville...sigh. So, anyway, I sat down with my bills, some envelopes, and my checkbook, and when I went to look for my book of stamps, I discovered that I had used them all and not gotten out and bought more yet! I can't believe my memory these days. Well, I got myself organized and headed out of the house about 20 minutes early for work so that I could go by the post office first.

Well, after the post office, I went to work, and actually got there about 10 minutes early, so I decided to begin writing checks and sealing envelopes in my car. Unfortunately, that's the last place I remember seeing my checkbook...I can't find it ANYWHERE!! I placed it in my purse before heading into work, and now I can't seem to find it. I looked in my purse over and over again, I checked my car twice, and I checked the bag that I had taken with me in the car today....I even checked the sidewalk between my car and the front door...
I'm really hoping that I simply left it at work somewhere, like on the staff desk in the infant room, or HOPEFULLY in my cubby. I've decided that I'm not going to freak out until tomorrow. If I can't find it at work, THEN I'm allowed to freak out. Until then, I'm just telling myself that it's there, that that everything is okay....Right?

Okay.
I'm gonna go watch late-night episodes of The Nanny on Nick at Nite.
G'night all!
-Jessica

Monday, March 28, 2011

Day 78: Back on the Same Page

Well, this morning, my stomach and I were finally back on the same page! I felt soooo much better. This is leading me to believe that it was INDEED food poisoning. The fever and the continued pain yesterday was getting me worried that it was more serious than a case of food poisoning, but since it passed so abruptly, I think my original hunch was correct.
Anyway. I went to work today, and when all of my co-workers asked me how my weekend was, I answered with, "well, I didn't really even leave bed all weekend." and when they gave me jealous responses, I promptly interjected with, "well, I had food poisoning, so it wasn't necessarily an enjoyable weekend in bed..." I was glad that they didn't end up feeling jealous that I didn't work the Super Saturday. I think they were all expecting to hate me, since I had the whole weekend off to do what I wanted....Sorry to disappoint guys!

OOOOKK, um not much else happened today. I went to the Commissary for groceries after work, which was cool, I guess. Plus, I got Pepto Bismal while I was there, so in case I get sick again, I'll actually be somewhat prepared!

Ok. So, now that I feel better, I need to make sure that I stay that way, so good night all!
Hope tomorrow is as good as today!
-Jessica

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Day 77: Shower, Please?!

Well, I woke up this morning, still sick as a dog. The only thing that was better than last night was that my fever had broken over night. YAY.
But, I spent the whole attempting to do things. First task, get some food into my body.  I was out of Saltine crackers, so I grabbed a flour tortilla, because I didn't have the strength to stand and wait for bread to toast up. So, I ended up eating about half of the tortilla, and then felt really sick, and full, so I gave up. This all happened around 11:30am or so.  Then, about 3 o'clock, I mustered up the courage to venture into the kitchen yet again. This time, I made myself some toast, put just a little bit of butter on them, and spent about an hour nibbling on that... I was quite thankful that I managed to eat two whole slices of bread.
Um, next task of the day was to finally go down my driveway and get my mail from yesterday. That was one of the more frustrating parts of today. I managed to change out of my pajama top, into a more presentable t-shirt, and then had to lay down in the fetal position for about 15 minutes, before pulling on my sweatpants. After the sweatpants, it was back in the fetal position for another 10 minutes or so, and then finally, I was able to get my shoes and a jacket on. I made it all the way out to the living room, and had to sit down, because my stomach was in SOOO much pain. Anyway, after the little break in the living room, I was able to make it outside for the first time since Friday night, and trudged down my driveway to the mailbox.

I was really excited when I finally got back into the warmth of my bed, mail in hand!

My final, and most daunting task that I needed to achieve was to eat something that didn't consist of just starch. My opponent: Ramen Noodles. Thankfully, I only used a little over half of the seasoning packet, instead of the whole thing, and I think that helped a lot. I am very proud to say that I was successful in this endeavor. I can't believe it, but I've taken my first step towards eating real food again!

The most frustrating part of my day today was that every time I got up out of bed, my stomach would start hurting so bad that I couldn't even make it 4 steps without doubling over in pain. It was so upsetting that I couldn't even have the strength or ability to go to the corner drug store and get medicine for myself. I just felt helpless. :(
I miss my husband.

Hopefully, I will wake up in the morning feeling a ton better, and then I can finally get that shower that I so desperately need!!

much love to all!
-Jessica

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Day 76: Really?

I can't believe it! I woke up this morning about 8am, feeling completely nauseous, and just all-around awful. So, I ran to the bathroom immediately, for fear of puking in my bed, and let's just say that I'm about 85% sure that I have food poisoning, most likely from my dinner last night. I had Zaxby's, which is a chicken restaurant, and the food was awesome!...Last night....this morning?...not so awesome....

Therefore, today has been quite the pathetic display of my helplessness. The only reason I got out of bed today was to go to the bathroom, or to go to the Kitchen to fill up my water cup...Pathetic day....

So, really I don't have a lot of news tonight, because I really didn't DO anything all day. I spent the WHOLE day on Facebook, and watching TV, hoping that my nausea would go away. It didn't. I was able to nap from about 4-5:30 or so..I'm really not sure exactly, because I never really decided to take a nap, it just kind of happened. When I woke up, I was ABSOLUTELY freezing, even though my heat is set to 72 degrees, so I decided to take my temperature, just to see if that was the issue. Upon waking up, my temperature was 100.4, and just about 40 minutes ago, I took it again, and it was 101.6!!
Hopefully, this doesn't mean that I have something worse than food poisoning.
I really hope that I wake up tomorrow feeling a whole lot better than I did today. I need ONE day off that I can actually enjoy this weekend...

Okay.
I'm going to wait for my hubby to get on Skype now, and then, it's sleepytime! I'm really stoked to sleep!!

Alright.
G'night all! Hope everyone is feeling better than I am tonight.
-Jessica

Friday, March 25, 2011

Day 75: Not Much to Say Today

Ahh. It's finally the weekend. This week has just been inching along at a snail's pace. I can't believe it. Each day felt like two! But finally, tomorrow is Saturday, and I can lounge around the house, work on my scrapbooking, and watch a movie or two. My current Netflix is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", so I'll probably try and make time to watch that tomorrow afternoon at some point.
Also, even though it feels like I JUST did laundry, I have to do some this weekend...poo.

Today was pretty good. We only had a couple of screamers this afternoon at work, but I was just not in the mood to listen to it today, so I took it upon myself to coddle them relentlessly...Sigh...oh well. I have days when I'm okay with letting the children cry it out, but for some reason, their screaming almost made me want to start screaming and crying with them. I think I'm just ready for the weekend.

After work, I went to Kohl's to use my 30% off coupon, and finally found a tablecloth for my kitchen table! I'm still on the fence about it though, because it's a little bit too small for my super large table, but I think it doesn't look too silly, so I'm going to see if I still like it after looking at it for a weekend.

Okay.
Tired.
Must sleep.
night now.
-Jessica

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Day 74: Beans, Beans, Beans

Well, today was pretty similar to the previous couple of days. Didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, since the hubby called me on Skype at about 1am this morning. Thankfully, after our half hour conversation, I was able to fall back asleep pretty quick. lol.

Ummm...today I went to work, put children to sleep, fed them snack, changed their diapers, comforted them when they were screaming bloody murder, ummmm washed my hands probably 50 times, and had a pretty good day. Not much to complain about, really. Which is also a little frustrating. Everyday seems to be feeling the same as the day before. Hopefully, this weekend will be a much needed little break from the monotony.

Then for dinner, I had a super lazy dinner of canned Pork 'n Beans, and potato chips... I'm certainly not proud of this choice of dinner...but I didn't really have anything in the fridge or freezer for dinner, and I didn't feel like eating a sandwich, so when I opened up the pantry to choose a soup, the first can I saw...was Pork 'n Beans. lol. It wasn't even a brand name can, it was Kroger brand...sad night. Oh well, I was able to add a couple of spices and seasoning (mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning salt...lol), and it was pretty decent.

Although, the whole time I was eating them, all I could think of was the scene in Dennis the Menace, where Dennis has been kidnapped, and is sitting at the campfire with the bad man, as he heats up a giant can of beans...silliness.

Anyway, my day was a good one, but also pretty mediocre as far as events, good or bad.

I'm going to go to play games on Facebook until I get tired. Then it's off to bed!
Night all!
-Jessica

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Day 73: Tardiness is not Appreciated

Well, today I finally had a day where nothing got me choked up. I'm very proud of that fact. I was even able to talk about my aunt's passing with a couple of my co-workers. I didn't get into any details, but now there a few people at work who know that my aunted passed away this past weekend. Which I think is progress. But, it was mostly because people kept asking me if I wanted to work for them this weekend for Super Saturday, and I kept saying "no" because I don't want to get roped into working, and then either want to, or have to go home. So, I would answer, "Well, I would, but my aunt just passed away on Saturday, so I want to keep my weekend open, in case I have to go home." They understood, but none of them really seemed concerned about my loss. They were mostly concerned with the fact that I can't work for them...sigh.. Oh Well. I guess I can't ask for everyone to be super understanding and sympathetic. Maybe I should have started crying to get them to see that I'm upset about the situation. Whatever.
Ok. umm, work was pretty good. Nothing super crazy happened. Just another day.
After work, I went to the Commissary on post to get a couple groceries. While perusing the aisles, I got a call from my hubby! I was shocked, because it was like 5:30pm our time, which means it was like 3:00am his time. He said that he was waiting for one of his men to show up for duty, apparently he was already 3 hours late, and he was just curious as to how late he was going to decide to be. He sounded so tired and angry, I felt so bad for him. He shouldn't be dealing with such laziness. Especially since the soldier was one of his higher enlisted men. This guy should be setting an example to the other soldiers, but instead, he's apparently been showing up late to his post repeatedly.
I don't know. I just think it's ridiculous. In the civilian world, if that guy showed up late day after day, he would lose his job. It just seems crazy that there aren't more consequences in today's Army.
Oh well. I just hope that Kent laid down the law when that guy finally decided to show up to work. I really hope that he told him what for!
Anyway. Kent warned me that he was most likely not going to be getting on skype tonight, since he was still awake 6 hours ago, and I completely understand. That man needs his sleep! But, it's still hard to get myself to go to bed without yakking at him. At least he called me! :)
Sometimes I think I'm the luckiest army wifey in the world!

Okay, speaking of needing sleep, this Army Wife/Baby Caregiver needs quite a bit of it.
Sending my love to all of my diligent readers!!
-Jessica

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Day 72: Spring=Allergies

I'm so happy that spring has finally arrived! The weather today was absolutely gorgeous, and I took advantage of the weather as much as I could.
So, I kept my windows rolled down, opened up my sunroof, and blasted my ipod on my way to work, as well as on the way to Walmart after work, and then on the way home. Good times.

Although, the coming of spring also means that my allergies are returning as well. I can feel my sinuses slowly swelling up, and getting more sore each day. I dread the day that I will wake up with another sinus headache that knocks me right on my tuches. But it's okay, because spring also means that my hubby is almost home!! yay!! I'll gladly take an allergy attack head on if it means that he would be home sooner. :)

Oh, and I think I've finally figured out why Peaches is so fixated on the back sliding glass door in my kitchen in the dark. Tonight, I heard a cat wailing outside my house, and it sounded really close. I was in the bedroom, and once I saw that Peaches was hiding under my bed, and not the one making all the noise, I ventured out the kitchen to investigate. When I flipped the back porch light on, I saw a very matted, sickly looking orange cat, standing on my back porch, making a horrible noise over and over again. So, completely freaked out, I banged on the door and yelled "Get!" real loud, and it ran away, thankfully....
Then, still freaked out, I decided to go and get my phone and call my mom. While on the phone with her, I went back into the kitchen, turned the back light on again, and saw ANOTHER cat on my back porch. This time it was a black and white cat, that looked like it was much better taken care of. I think the first cat was definitely a stray, but this one looked like it could be a neighbor's cat. So, I scared that one away too.
I don't know if they can tell that Peaches is here, or if those are the cats that Peaches has been growling at in past weeks, or what. I just know that it definitely got my heart pounding, and that I instantly turned into a very protective Cat-Mommy.
Anyway. Sleep is calling me.
G'night all!
-Jessica

Monday, March 21, 2011

Day 71: Trust equals Faith

So, today was better than I thought it would be. I started my monday by being woken up by my wonderful husband calling me on Skype. Which is totally one of my favorite things now. Yay Yay! Best wake up call.

Well, our talk on Skype made my Monday start off right. Which I very much appreciated. So, after some lunch and a really wonderful shower, I was off to work. Work was pretty good, and the babies were all mostly in a pretty good mood, except towards the end of the day, but that's to be expected, I think. By the end of the day (5pm) we had 3 out of 4 of our children asleep. lol. The beauty of the bouncy seats and all the magic that they possess.
I'm glad that I have a job, because I really don't know what I would have done this week if I didn't have somewhere that I HAD to be. Probably would have spent today in my pj's, eating Lindor Truffles and popcorn, and watching sad movies or something. But, thankfully, I have a job where I get the privilege to work with some amazing little infants and pre-toddlers. I like to think that I'm making a difference in not only their parents' lives, but in the children's lives as well.  I don't know. I get a little mushy when I talk about my kiddos, and I haven't even really been working all that long.
I guess I just really appreciate the way that the babies look at the world. Everything is amazing to them. Bubbles can entertain them for hours, and no matter how many times they go down that little slide in the classroom, it's just as exciting as the time before.  I just really love to witness their innate innocence, and experience the amazing trust that they give to anyone who is willing to give them a bottle or rock them to sleep.
Which brings me to the sermon that the pastor gave yesterday in church.  He spoke of the undeniable trust that infants possess just naturally, and that we must look at faith in the same way. It's not about trying to base our faith on understanding the scriptures, etc, but faith is based solely upon trust. Trust in the Lord that he will be there for us. I think that this message is part of what is getting me through this difficult time in my life. I'm just trying to remember that God has a plan, and that I have to trust that he will see it through.

Anyway. I'm feeling better, and I think that losing my aunt is actually helping to strengthen my relationship with the Lord, which to me, is ironic, because my aunt was also my godmother. Even in death, she is helping to  guide me on my spiritual path. I'm hoping that this will be just the push that I need to get my relationship with God going in the right direction again.

Ok. So, goodnight to all. Thank you all so much for all of your kind words and thoughtful prayers in this trying time.
Love to all!
-Jessica

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Day 70: Trudging through this month

So, for a while there, this month was just flying by, and it was getting me excited that it would soon be April, and that my hubby would be home in the blink of an eye. Well, if this weekend is any indicator as to how the rest of this month is going to feel, then I'm in store for a very long 11 days.....Sigh. This weekend just seemed to trudge along very slowly.
It probably didn't help that I went from having my parents here, and two people to talk to all the time, to going back to talking to a cat. lol. It's also been a rough couple of days, which is to be expected, but today, I definitely felt a lot better than yesterday. I'm still not happy, or even content, really. But I think I'm beginning to reach the stage of acceptance. Not sure though. I've never really been through the grieving process before, except with this deployment, but the loss of a family member is just a whole other monster than a deployment.
I'm supposed to be at work tomorrow at noon, unless I get a call telling me otherwise, and I'm nervous. I'm excited to see my babies again, and stop dwelling over my sadness, but at the same time, I really don't want to cry at work. I'm doing what I can to try and keep my personal business out of work, but I don't know if when they ask me, "how was your weekend, jessica?", if I'll be able to just say that it was fine. I don't know. Hopefully I don't have a breakdown in public. But, whatever, we'll just have to wait and see.

I made it to church today, which I think was really good for me. It was good to 1. get out of the house, and 2. get to spend some time talking to God in a church setting. And yes, I began to cry several times, including during prayers, when they prayed for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, etc. So, yeah, I was one of those people who cry in church....again.... But it really made me feel more at peace about losing my aunt. It was a good purging of emotions. I could feel the love of the congregation, and of the Lord in that room this morning, and it was comforting to know that strangers were, in effect, praying for me and my family.

Anyway. Today was better than yesterday.
That's all I can really say. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better.
-Jessica

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Day 69: okay

Well, just as I suspected, today was a hurricane of emotion for me.
My parents left for St. Louis today around noon or so. It was hard to see them leave, but I know that it will be better to have tomorrow all to myself so I can get some chores done, such as laundry, before hopefully returning to work on Monday.
After staring at my computer for a couple of hours after they left, I finally decided that I couldn't just sit around all day waiting to find out terrible news, so I went to return a book to Goodwill for my mom, and ended up wandering around for a good hour or so, dreading returning to my empty house. So, I headed across town to look at Hobby Lobby, my favorite store, and walked around waiting to be inspired by a new hobby, but nothing really struck me....except soap-making, and I don't even use bar soap, so that's pointless.
Then on my drive home, I mistakenly listened to Rascal Flatts, and began to sing along, and once I started listening to the beautiful lyrics I was singing, I began to cry. Thankfully, in the past couple of months, I've had a lot of practice with calming myself down in order to be able to drive, and when I had calmed down enough, I went and got myself some Subway for dinner, since I didn't really feel like reheating anything, much less cook anything.
I got home around 6, to read the news that I had been avoiding all day. My cousin had posted that my aunt had passed early this afternoon, surrounded by her family, and that she did so bravely. She also said that my aunt was peaceful and happy in the end. That makes me feel better, of course, but upon first reading this paragraph, I was a wreck. So, I let myself have my cry. It lasted longer than it probably should, but I had my cry. Then I found a couple of friends who were online, and began to talk with them. I would like to personally thank Kristen and Brianna for being there for me in that moment, even if it was just online, because I was not ready to talk to anyone on the phone yet, nor was I capable of speaking, so just being able to chat online was really good for me. It really helped me to regain my composure. I ate my sandwich, and then cracked open a bag of sour gummy worms. One of my personal favorites.
After much eating, and some more crying, I had achieved a state of..i don't know what it was. I was sick of crying. So, I finally felt strong enough to call my mom. Boy, was I wrong. I only got through about 5 words before starting up again. She had posted a picture of my aunt at her 50th birthday party, which was about 10 years ago (she would have been 60 in September), and it made me so happy to see a picture of my aunt Linda the way that I remember her the most. The hilarious, creative, and loving woman that I grew up idolizing. I don't know. Something about that picture...just made me start to cry all over again. But not because of losing her today, but because of that was a picture of the beautiful woman that was slowly taken away from us by ALS. Lately, it's been hard for me to imagine her back in those days, so the picture was a nice reminder.
Anyway. For those of you who are worried about me. (mom...) I'm okay. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm doing really well, because that's a lie. I'm not doing well. I'm not even "fine". I'm just, okay. I've been better, but I know that I'm not at rock bottom. I'm just going to take this one step at a time.
As of right now, my next step is to finish this blog so that I can get ready for bed.
SO, on that note, Goodnight to you all.
Please keep my family in your prayers.
--Jessica

P.S. God just gained a wonderful new angel with some really awesome quilting/crafting skills. I know there's got to be a big party going on in heaven right now.   :)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Day 68: The Calm Before the Storm

Today was much better than yesterday, and I'm feeling a little better about the situation with my aunt, mostly due to the kind words that you all gave me! I love knowing that my friends and family are there for me when I need them the most.
In fact, I was able to kind of enjoy today. It was my parents' last night in town, so dad grilled up some cheeseburgers on my new grill, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner, and after that, I treated them to a movie. We went and saw Beastly, and I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but Neil Patrick Harris was hilarious in his role, and I actually was able to forget how much I hate Vanessa Hudgens during the entire course of the movie, which is quite remarkable. lol.
It was nice to go and escape from this life for a couple hours, so the movie was much appreciated.

Not much else really happened today. I went to work, it was fun, the weather was absolutely beautiful, etc, etc.
I'm just worried that since today was so nice, that tomorrow is going to be that much worse... Keep up those prayers!!
Much love to all.
-Jessica

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Day 67: Dreading this Saturday.... :(

Ok, today's post is a depressing one. Just a warning....
I really wish Kent was home, especially this weekend. My mom got a call last night from my Uncle Dan, her brother-in-law, telling her that my Aunt Linda, her sister, has decided that she is ready to meet her maker. My aunt was diagnosed with ALS about 4-5 years ago, and has been suffering from the horrible disease ever since. There is no known cure, so it was really more of a waiting game. But, over the last couple weeks, I've been hearing from my mom and grandma that Linda has decided that she is done fighting with the monster of ALS, and wants to go to be with God now.

This saturday will be her last day.

I don't know what to do. I feel numb about the situation, and I almost feel like if I ignore the issue, then it won't be real...I know that Saturday is going to be one of the hardest days yet. My Aunt Linda was always my favorite Aunt growing up. She was a brilliant quilter, a loving mother, aunt, wife, and grandmother. She was also my godmother, which I'm pretty sure she would just use as an excuse to buy me more Barbie dolls, and other amazing presents. Sometimes I wonder if I already feel like she's gone. I haven't had a real conversation with her, or been able to hear her voice in so long, that I thought I had already made peace with her illness, but now that she's really going to be gone, I feel like my world is crumbling around me.

Plus, it doesn't really help that my parents are also leaving on Saturday. They have to get back to their regular lives, as do I, it just falls on a really rotten day.

I don't really know what else to talk about. This is really the only thing on my mind.

So, um. I would like to ask all of you who read this blog still, to take a moment to send out a prayer for my family. Even though she's been sick for so long, this is still going to be a very difficult time. So, prayers for peace for my family and for a comfortable and peaceful end to my aunt's long and vicious battle with ALS. But also, I would like to ask for everyone to send up a prayer for everyone who is dealing with this fatal disease, as well as their families. Nobody deserves to suffer the way that Linda has.

Ok. I'm going to sleep.
Gnight
-Jessica

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Day 66: A Saturday in the Middle of the Week

Today was another good day. I woke up at 7:15, and got ready to go to my Brigade Reintegration Briefing. I was actually quite excited once I left the meeting. It was reassuring to be talking about Redeployment happening within the next month or so! I was so giddy after the meeting, actually, that I almost forgot that I had to drive over to work to fill out my employee satisfaction survey...which ended up only taking about 5-10 minutes to complete. After all that nonsense, I went back home to get my parents so that we could go to the PX and look at lawnmowers. I really wanted my dad to help me buy a lawnmower, because I really have no idea what to look for in a lawnmower, so his opinion was very helpful. We ended up getting a Poulen Pro (spelling?), and my dad put it together for me, and taught me how to fill it with gas, prime the engine, and finally, how to start the engine and push the mower. I feel a little embarrassed that I am only just now learning these basic life skills, but I've never had to worry about mowing a lawn. Hopefully I don't have to mow TOO many times before Kent gets home, because the little practice run that I did didn't really go that well...hahaha

It was crazy, though. Today kept feeling like a Saturday, and I kept getting upset that I have to go into work tomorrow, because it's so strange to me to have a day off in the middle of the week! Ridiculous.

For dinner, we fixed my absolute favorite dinner of all time--Spaghetti Pie, which is basically baked spaghetti for those of you that have not had the privilege to experience it first hand. I love this week because I can cook actual meals, and there's not a zillion helpings leftover! Not that we don't have any leftovers...but that's alright, I'll eat them next week when I'm alone again. :(
Then, my parents challenged me to a game of Scrabble. And I WON! AND I used all of my tiles in one turn and spelled "strained", earning myself 92 points for one turn. Remarkably, my mom was only like 3 points behind me at the end, though. After the first game, we had a re-match, and I won again! It was just a good night for my brain I guess!! hahaha
Good times. Ok. bed.
-Jessica

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Day 65: A Pleasant Surprise

Well, I received a pleasant surprise today! I was given tomorrow off from work, so that I can spend some quality time with my parents while they're here! I was definitely not really expecting to get an entire day off of work this week, so I was super happy to find that out today. Yay!
Unfortunately, I still have to go on post for our Brigade's Reintegration Briefing at 9am, and go into work to fill out some online survey, but after that, my parents and I are going to have the whole day to do whatever we want. I have no idea what we're going to end up doing, but I know that whatever we decide, it will be awesome.


Anyway. My day was pretty good. I went to work for all of 3 hours and 10 minutes, since this week, I've apparently been given the lovely privilege of leaving early each day! YAY!!! I love it when bosses understand that your personal life is important too. It gives me hope that I'll be able to spend a lot of time with my man when he gets back this spring!!
Then, when I got home, my parents made Hamburger Stroganoff, which is one of my absolute favorites, and my dad got to experience the reason that I hate my stove sometimes. For some reason, it takes my stove over 30 minutes just to get a pot of water to start boiling! It's so frustrating, and I was glad that my dad got upset about it too, because that means that it's not just me that thinks it takes entirely too long. At least I know that I'm not completely crazy.
lol.
Then it was time for a new episode of Glee, which of course, did NOT disappoint! I was a little afraid of the fact that they were going to be doing original songs, because one of my favorite parts of Glee is their covers of both mainstream, popular music and broadway songs.  But I was definitely impressed by the new songs of tonight. The two that they sang at Regionals are definitely destined to be on the Top 40 by the end of the week. Hopefully Glee will continue to impress me when it returns in April, because it's always the highlight of my week. Wonderful television.
Also, my mom made Cherry Dump Cake tonight for dessert, and it was SOOO good. I'm so glad that we have a bunch leftover too, so we can keep eating it the rest of the week. :) Great times! Plus, now I know how to make it on my own, so I can bring it to potluck functions, etc. Super yummy, yummy!
Well, I'm off to bed so that I can wake up early and go to the Reintegration Briefing. Hopefully this one will give me more information....doubtful....
Ok. Much love to all!
-Jessica

Monday, March 14, 2011

Day 64: I Could Get Used to This

I was awoken this morning by a text message from my room lead at 7:55am, asking if I could work from 11-5, instead of just 1-5, because she had to go to a funeral, so I said, Sure. So, about an hour later, I trudged into the bathroom for my morning shower, and then had a lovely bowl of cereal for breakfast, and sat around in the living room, chatting with my parents, and hoping that Kent would be able to get online before I had to leave. Fortunately, he did! It must have been fate that made him get online an hour and 45 minutes earlier than he is used to, but it definitely worked out perfectly! I feel so outrageously blessed that I am able to talk to him so much. I was definitely not expecting this amount of daily contact, and I thank the Lord each and every day that we are able to communicate so often.
Then, it was off to work! I was there so much earlier than I'm used to, and it was strange having both lunch AND snack with them, as well as helping put them down for their naps. Usually, when I get there, the pre-toddlers are already asleep, with some of them waking up already. It was very weird.  But, anyway, it was a really good day at work, and I even got to go home early (4:30), since I came in 2 hours early, and we had a lot of parents cancel because of all of the rain today. Good times.

After work, I came home, watched tv with the parents, and then dad decided to break in the new grill by grilling up some steaks and beef hot dogs! Yum Yum! What a great dinner! Also, it's so great that I'm not completely and solely responsible for all of the prep work and clean-up. I love having other people in the house. I love not being alone....well, except for Peaches! :)

It was such a great day! Like I said, I could get used to this.
Ok, night all!
-Jessica

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Day 63: I'm on a roll now!

Another great day today. I was unfortunately unable to awake from my coma this morning to go to church, so that wasn't all that good, but it was really nice to sleep in, so I can't complain. Remembered that there is no such thing as daylight savings time in Afghanistan, so talked to my hubby an hour later than usual, and then watched Legally Blonde while I awaited the arrival of my parents. 
They got here around 3, and we sat around and talked for about an hour or so before we ventured out to get some groceries for the week. We went down to Walmart, and I bought myself my first charcoal grill!! I'm so excited! It was only $35, so if it breaks, or gets stolen, it won't be the end of the world, but it's actually pretty nice, too. It has a shelf on the side of it that lifts up, so you can put the meat or a pan of sauce right there. And, it's got places to hang utensils, etc. I'm just way too excited about this grill. Hopefully one of these days this week is nice enough that we can go outside and grill up the steaks and hot dogs we got! Yay for spring!

Hopefully, my schedule works out this week so that I don't have to work everyday at the same time, but as of right now, I have NO idea what my schedule is. I'm assuming that tomorrow I'm supposed to be there from 1-5, since that's been my normal schedule, so that's my plan unless I get a call that tells me something else. Who knows, really? I guess it's good that my parents and I haven't made any concrete plans for their visit, because then not knowing my schedule would be more of a problem. But, really, I would be perfectly happy just sitting around each night, watching some tv, and eating good food. I'm so excited for this week.

Tonight, mom fixed Taco Salad, and it was sooo good. It doesn't get much better than eating the food that I grew up with...except if Kent were here to enjoy it with me...but, so is life. He will be leaving that awful place in one month and about a week! I'm so ecstatic! When I think about the rest of the deployment in those terms, it makes things seem so much easier. It feels like he's going to be here in a matter of 2 weeks or so. It's a challenge not to get too excited too early!
Anyway, I'm going to stop for tonight. I've got to get to sleep in case my lead calls me in at 8 o'clock in the morning. GAHH!
Night all!
-Jessica

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Day 62: Clorox Wipes and Onion Rings

Today was awesome!
After talking with the hubby in the morning, I took a nice, long shower, which was absolutely fantastic! I even took the time to shave my legs, so that I could wear capris today! Yay! Which brings me to the next awesome part of today. It was beautiful outside! Absolutely gorgeous! I wore capris and a short sleeve shirt, and I wasn't cold at all! Spring's coming, which means that the day that Kent comes home is getting closer too! YAY!!

ALSO, I got my $8 Crocs in the mail today! I had gotten a very confusing email from Dick's Sporting Goods, which is where I had ordered them from, telling me that my order was cancelled, due to incorrect product information. But, I had already gotten an email confirming my order with them. So, I just decided to wait and see if I got the shoes anyway. So, this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see the box sitting inside my screen door! Yay for cheap shoes! And, I wore them all day, and my feet don't even hurt, so I fully plan on wearing them to work this summer, because our dress code states that we have to have closed-toe shoes. And for all of you who detest the duck-like shape that most crocs give you, like I do, they look like actual shoes, which is awesome. Here's a picture:


















Anyway, I love my new shoes, and I love that I only paid $8 for them!

After my shower, and after getting my crazy cool new shoes, I cleaned my house from top to bottom. I even moved Peaches' litter box into MY bathroom as opposed to the hall bathroom, because she keeps getting litter all over the place, and since my parents are going to be here for a week, I didn't want them to have to deal with that all week. Annnd, I cleaned both barhrooms, cleaned my stove top with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and even made my bed! lol

Then, about 3 hours later, I decided to head out into this beautiful weather and run a couple more errands. Don't worry, I had the sun roof and my windows open, and music blaring! I went by Walgreen's, and then went to the nearest Valvoline and got my oil changed, finally, and got my back tire filled up by some professionals. I was so proud of myself. After that, I spent like an hour walking around Hobby Lobby, without buying anything (I still don't know how that happened), and went to TJ Maxx, followed by stopping by Kohl's to exchange a belt that I had gotten that was WAY too big for me!

Finally, my wonderful day ended with a lovely visit from my friends from school!! They were in Florida for spring break this week, and on their way back up to Missouri, they stopped by my house and went out to dinner with me! I was so happy to see them again, and to finally get out of my house with other people! Not to mention, people that I can be myself with! I feel like the girls at work don't really know how I behave outside of work, so it was nice to just be a goofball again, and forget my stresses for an hour or so.
We went to the sports bar up the street from my house that I've been wanting to go to for a while, but haven't had the courage to go by myself. So, with friends in tow, I ventured into the unknown, hoping that the food was good, as well as the atmosphere. I was SO surprised at how yummy the food ended up being. Nothing too fancy, we all had cheeseburgers, but they were fantastic! Also, I got onion rings with my cheeseburger, and they were some of the best onion rings I've had in a while! So good! I hope that I can go back there quite often, since it's so close, that I could probably walk there if the weather is nice enough. (But, I'll wait until I have someone here with me, that I can walk with...I don't like walking alone in the dark)
All in all, a very great day!! Thanks to Pat, Julie, Megan, Lisa, and Rob for stopping in Clarksville just for me! Safe travels on the rest of your drive!! Hopefully, you will all still be in Kirksville when Kent and I visit in May!!!
Ok.
I'm tired.
G'night!!
-Jessica

Friday, March 11, 2011

Day 61: Excitement is brewing!

Well, I guess I now have an extra day to prepare for my parents' arrival. As it turns out, my dad has to work tomorrow, so my parents won't be arriving until sunday. :(
But that's alright, because now I have more time to clean! lol. I really need to clean Peaches' litter box, it's getting scary in there. haha!
Today was very much like the rest of this week. Got up, got to talk to KENT!! YAY! Went to work and took care of babies all day, which was good. Today was pretty relaxed at work, which was awesome. We had three new babies who were all younger than 3 months, which was nuts, but they were all pretty easy-going. Also, I'm SO glad that I don't have to work Super Saturday tomorrow. My back is KILLING me! I'm sure that means that I'm picking up the children incorrectly, but I tried to do it the "proper" way today, and almost fell on my face, with a baby in my arms. Thankfully, my cat-like reflexes kicked in, and I saved myself. Regardless, I will probably just stick to my awful way of lifting them! o well...
After work, I headed to the PX to get a few things, and ended up with half a cart full of stuff that I've been meaning to get. I'm now the proud owner of a paper towel holder and a toothpick holder, which I have been restraining from purchasing since we moved to Tennessee in November! Also, after the PX, I drove out to Target and got a lazy susan for my kitchen table, as well as bath mats for both of our bathrooms. Now, I feel like my house looks just a bit more complete than before. I'm slowly but surely making it more and more homey. It makes me excited to have nice things and be able to enjoy them, even if they're not completely essential to my life.
Another thing I'm really excited about is that my friends that went to Florida for spring break are stopping in Clarksville on their way back up to Misssouri!! YAY! Best day ever! AND, it's not going to just be for a quick chat at a McDonald's! We're going to go somewhere to eat. Like, a sit-down restaurant. I get to see friends, and talk with people who aren't 16 months old! YAY!! I'm super uber excited! Hopefully it all works out!!
Anyway, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to close up shop for the night, and rest up for my day of cleaning and laughter with some great friends!
Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy!
-Jessica

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Day 60: Dealing with a Dirty House

Ugh, I have so much to do in the next couple days.
I finally washed the dishes in that were filling up my kitchen sink tonight, and cleaned out my microwave, which was covered in butter from all of the microwave popcorn that I eat. hehehe. So, I'm really proud of that, because I've been ignoring them for quite some time now... And, tomorrow after work, I'm planning on going out and getting myself a tablecloth for my kitchen table, so my kitchen will hopefully look more grown up!! Then I still need to clean up the living room, man cave, and my room, which is a complete mess. (surprise, surprise!)
Today was quite a long day, if I do say so myself.
Went in to work at noon, but I left a little early, because I wanted to swing by the Shoppette first, and fill my back passenger-side tire with air. I had a note on my driver-side window last night after work that said, "Your rear passenger-side tire is LOW.", so I figured if a stranger thought it was a problem, that I should probably fix it.
Well, too bad that I'm completely incompetent when it comes to anything pertaining to cars. I drove into the parking lot and up the air machine, and for some reason, didn't see the button on the machine that you're supposed to push to start up the compressor. Well, I attempted to fill my tire without the machine on, because I don't know what I'm doing, and I ended up making the tire even flatter. So, in a panic, I called my dad, because I didn't know what else to do. He suggested that I go inside and ask for assistance. So, I did. I had to wait about 5 minutes for a man named Dave to come up from the back, and the cashier, Dave and I ventured out into the 40 degree weather to figure out what I was doing wrong. Well, as I mentioned before, I hadn't pushed the button. So, that was obviously the first step. Weelllll, apparently those air compressors need time to warm up soooo we stood around for another 10 minutes, waiting for the compressor to be ready to use, and we finally got the tire back up the pressure that it was when I pulled into the parking lot, and I was already 15 minutes late for work, so I thanked Dave for his help, and explained to him that I had to go to work, and that I would make another attempt later after I got off work. ughhhh frustration...
Bad thing was, I forgot that I had a mandatory staff meeting to attend at 5:30 this evening...and it was 2 hours long. Needless to say, my back tire is still low....mostly because after my staff meeting, my first priority was going to the PX and getting dry food for my Peaches. She ate the last of it yesterday, and had to go a WHOLE night without food in her bowl. Poor, neglected cat! lol. She's completely spoiled rotten!!

Anywho, Peaches is nice and fed, and I'm not completely sure I'm going to be able to sleep tonight...my hubby still hasn't gotten online night...am I irrationally worried about this? Of course, it's what I do.
Ok, I'm going to at least turn off my lights and watch some tv.
Here's hoping that you all sleep a lot better than I will!
-Jessica

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Day 59: Wednesday, Wednesday

I'm so happy that this week is almost over. I'm so excited for my parents to get here on Saturday! I just hope we can find enough stuff to do that's cheap and/or free during the week!
AND, my room lead said that she would do her best to get me a day off next week, which would be excellent! Also, I'm really looking forward to some home-cooked meals. I feel like I eat the same stuff everyday, so it'll be good to be able to cook for 3 instead of just one.
Work today was....long.
I was only there for 5 hours, but it felt like the last 2 hours took FOREVER! We had so many children screaming and crying all at the same time, that I thought I was going to lose my mind! One of them was obviously super tired, and began to scream and wail uncontrollably, so we put him on a cot and attempted to get him to go to sleep. Well, that little boy screamed and screamed for about 40 minutes. He REFUSED to go to sleep. When we finally gave up and took him off the cot to change his diaper, he was covered in slobber, and I did my best to clean him up. I'm still not completely sure why he was so upset. I think it was maybe because he was SO tired that he just couldn't sleep. I don't know. When his mom showed up, she said that he's been having problems falling asleep lately, and that it wasn't completely out of the ordinary for him to do that.

SOOO yeah.
My head hurts pretty bad after the day I had today.
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I just had to take a little break from blogging, because Kent just called me, and we spent about 15 minutes discussing his leave once he gets home. He has to turn in the paperwork soon, and I guess he was working on filling it out, so he decided to call me and make sure the details were set.
SOOO, now I'm super peppy and giddy! I can't wait to have my man home, so we can drive all around the country visiting various relatives and friends! YAY!! We're going up through St. Louis, and up to his home area first to see his friends and family, and visiting Truman people while we're in the area, which should be a great time, and then we're going back down to my parents' house to see them for a couple days and visit with my friends and family, before heading back home to spend some quality time together relaxing.
So, I guess I have some leave slips to turn in this week at work!! EEEEEEE!!
Ok, I'm going to TRY and go to sleep!

Night All!
-Jessica