That's Paul. He received an e-mail from Troy University congratulating him and requesting more information because they will feature him on their website.
He is 2 credits away from earning his degree in Business Administration and upon returning he will cut his hours significantly to attend Georgia Tech for his engineering degree...the master plan is for him to full fill his current commitment to the Army and then switch to the Army reserve until retirement and come to work at my fine place of employment and actually.
So far so good now let's see how those plans will be altered....
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Coffee Maker
If you are in our house by yourself and wondering wether Paul is home or not. How do you tell?
No, not by the bed, I enjoy sleeping diagonally while he is gone, and I get "visitors".
No, not his cologne, I keep that out, every once in a while I like to "smell him".
Yes, the coffe maker is sent into exile! Within 24 hrs of his departure I have that cleaned up and put away (closet in the Garage...far far away...). Instant Coffe is as good as you are going to get while Paul is gone.
The love for coffe is something that Paul shared with his Grandmother Louise. Not until he joined the Army, but I remember one vacation when we visited with Louise and the 2 of them shared some coffee and quality time.
No, not by the bed, I enjoy sleeping diagonally while he is gone, and I get "visitors".
No, not his cologne, I keep that out, every once in a while I like to "smell him".
Yes, the coffe maker is sent into exile! Within 24 hrs of his departure I have that cleaned up and put away (closet in the Garage...far far away...). Instant Coffe is as good as you are going to get while Paul is gone.
The love for coffe is something that Paul shared with his Grandmother Louise. Not until he joined the Army, but I remember one vacation when we visited with Louise and the 2 of them shared some coffee and quality time.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Globetrotting Girl
It is January, that means it is time to make plans for the summer.
What to do with the Girl while she is out of school for the summer? I asked her. No camp this year, she just wants to travel. Okay, she is related to my Papi and I. Where does she want to travel to?
Germany
California
Hawaii
Humble, isn't she?!
Now all she needs is a sponsor. Oh that's me.
Ann, this is your official notice, that Christel-Ann wants to "explore Hawaii" as she calls it.
I am checking schedules, fares and felt more than slightly nauseated after I found the prices for a trip to Germany and California. I am not brave enough to check out fares to Hawaii.
What to do with the Girl while she is out of school for the summer? I asked her. No camp this year, she just wants to travel. Okay, she is related to my Papi and I. Where does she want to travel to?
Germany
California
Hawaii
Humble, isn't she?!
Now all she needs is a sponsor. Oh that's me.
Ann, this is your official notice, that Christel-Ann wants to "explore Hawaii" as she calls it.
I am checking schedules, fares and felt more than slightly nauseated after I found the prices for a trip to Germany and California. I am not brave enough to check out fares to Hawaii.
Favorite American Product
Ever since the days, when America was a place that my Daddy travelled to and the only images were from his pictures and the Bill Cosby Show, I have connected this with "American Lifestyle":
Mine was a housewarming gift from a group of friends. Plain Jane that i am I have the white one, but they do come in all kinds of cool colors. The Girls voted for pink, and I was flirting with "Granny Smith Green" but went with white to match the other kitchen appliances.
My favorite sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave us the Icecrammaker attachment. We are having lots of fun creating different flavored icecream, some delicious, some a bit odd and some for the garbage....
Mine was a housewarming gift from a group of friends. Plain Jane that i am I have the white one, but they do come in all kinds of cool colors. The Girls voted for pink, and I was flirting with "Granny Smith Green" but went with white to match the other kitchen appliances.
My favorite sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave us the Icecrammaker attachment. We are having lots of fun creating different flavored icecream, some delicious, some a bit odd and some for the garbage....
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
41 years ago....
My parents got married!
And I didn't realize what day it was until I saw the date on my last blog entry. January 26th 1967.
16 years ago, for their 25th wedding anniversary, my sister and I planned a trip for the 4 of us. With the help of our Grandfather and my Dad's coworkers we booked a cruise to Norway, spent the week-end in and around Oslo and flew back. It was a really fun trip, except for the memory of some old fart trying to pick up on me in the bar of the cruise ship...I was 15!!! And what was I doing in the bar of the cruise ship at 15....I don't remember, after all that was 16 years ago...
And I didn't realize what day it was until I saw the date on my last blog entry. January 26th 1967.
16 years ago, for their 25th wedding anniversary, my sister and I planned a trip for the 4 of us. With the help of our Grandfather and my Dad's coworkers we booked a cruise to Norway, spent the week-end in and around Oslo and flew back. It was a really fun trip, except for the memory of some old fart trying to pick up on me in the bar of the cruise ship...I was 15!!! And what was I doing in the bar of the cruise ship at 15....I don't remember, after all that was 16 years ago...
Quick Update on Paul
My mother-in-law asked my husband to tell me to post when I heard from him.
Obedient wife that I am, here is the post. Paul is in an area where he in entitled to hostile fire pay (not sure that his Mom wants to read that). His connections where fast, Savannah, Atlanta, Leipzig, Kuwait and on to Baghdad. Little over 24 hrs.
Obedient wife that I am, here is the post. Paul is in an area where he in entitled to hostile fire pay (not sure that his Mom wants to read that). His connections where fast, Savannah, Atlanta, Leipzig, Kuwait and on to Baghdad. Little over 24 hrs.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Construction I
We are ready to make some more improvements to our house.
First, we need raingutters! Can anyone tell me why raingutters are not standard on all house? We have a 2 story house, Paul doesn't want to stand up on a REALLY tall ladder (that we don't have) and ask a friend to do the same (needless to say that we don't know anyone with such a tall ladder) all while trying to install gutters, something he's never done before. Long story short, we found a "Gutter-Guy", who will install seamless gutters for us, one downspout will end in a rain retention barrel (Sounds like I am going into the mosquito breeding business, doesn't it!?!) on one of the downspouts I want (yes! WANT!) a and one will just be "normal".
The Rain-Chains are the neatest thing! We saw them last week-end at the Lowcountries' Home & Garden show and the silly guy said we will get it for free, he thought we had a single story house...but he is biting the bullet and I am getting my rain-chain for free. It will end in a copper plate and I am still thinking about the landscaping around it...
First, we need raingutters! Can anyone tell me why raingutters are not standard on all house? We have a 2 story house, Paul doesn't want to stand up on a REALLY tall ladder (that we don't have) and ask a friend to do the same (needless to say that we don't know anyone with such a tall ladder) all while trying to install gutters, something he's never done before. Long story short, we found a "Gutter-Guy", who will install seamless gutters for us, one downspout will end in a rain retention barrel (Sounds like I am going into the mosquito breeding business, doesn't it!?!) on one of the downspouts I want (yes! WANT!) a and one will just be "normal".
The Rain-Chains are the neatest thing! We saw them last week-end at the Lowcountries' Home & Garden show and the silly guy said we will get it for free, he thought we had a single story house...but he is biting the bullet and I am getting my rain-chain for free. It will end in a copper plate and I am still thinking about the landscaping around it...
R & R
Paul is on his way back to Iraq. We spend a great morning together, the weather is gorgeous, and eventually we put the top on the convertible down and drove to the airport. Just like driving him to work back in the days when we had only one car. He grabbed his gear out of the backseat, we hugged and said our good-byes at the curb. It was easier that way, he was running really (!!) late and I wasn't up for sitting around waiting only to see him leave. I don't particularly enjoy pain.
R&R was great! It was wonderful to have him home. But once he got his fishing licence, the "Honey-do List" was neglected :-)
Other than his Grandmother passing away, every minute of his R&R was well spent. The two of us had wonderful hours alone and in the company of good friends, he was able to read to Emma-Louise's classroom on PJ-day and chaperone a field trip for Christel-Ann's class. The Aviation Brigade's CSM was also on R&R and the two of them "compared notes" Mrs Stidley only took of one day from work while her husband was home, that made me feel much better! I took 1 full day and a half day off! Woohoo for me. Woohoo for spending the other vacation hours for Doctor's appointments and sick kids until his return!
He pimped our 55 gallon fish tank, ran errands for me and created a "Honey-do-List" for me. Things to get done before he returns in August. But that is a separate post.
R&R was great! It was wonderful to have him home. But once he got his fishing licence, the "Honey-do List" was neglected :-)
Other than his Grandmother passing away, every minute of his R&R was well spent. The two of us had wonderful hours alone and in the company of good friends, he was able to read to Emma-Louise's classroom on PJ-day and chaperone a field trip for Christel-Ann's class. The Aviation Brigade's CSM was also on R&R and the two of them "compared notes" Mrs Stidley only took of one day from work while her husband was home, that made me feel much better! I took 1 full day and a half day off! Woohoo for me. Woohoo for spending the other vacation hours for Doctor's appointments and sick kids until his return!
He pimped our 55 gallon fish tank, ran errands for me and created a "Honey-do-List" for me. Things to get done before he returns in August. But that is a separate post.
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Don't scold me, I am still a novice blogger and still trying new things....be patient with me!
Patti? Help!!!
Patti? Help!!!
Run!
I'm back to running.
Just decided that I really like myself more when I am physically active and with a rather sedentiary office routine, I needed more Balance in my life. So I put on my running gear and started running again. The weather is noce, our subdivision allows for some decent rounds around the neighborhood and when the weather isn't so good, the treadmills at the Y are only minutes away from work. But soon I became eager for more. More running. And then I came across the Tybee Marathon.
Marathon, Half-marathon and 5k. I signed myself up. 5k will do for me for now. But Paul wants to run the half-marathon with me next year. The Tybee Marathon distance is another loop of the Half-marathon, and he does not like the double rounds, Marathon distance is fine, as long as he gets to see something different with every stride he makes, and I feel the same way...I think?! Will see. For the month of February I will participate in 2 5k runs, and have a 10k in mind for March.
But the more I ran, the more I realized that my running shoes have paid their dues, and I needed another pair. Shooks, I overpronate and have a very narrow heel and the most popular female shoe size. But google helped me once again and I found a wonderful store in Savannah that specializes in running gear. About a dozen shoes later I have THE perfect
to support my arches, correct the overpronation as much as possible and a way to lace it that will keep my heel from slipping.
As a balance to all the running I added a grueling cycling class to my exercise routine. My buns hurt, it exhausts me, but it sure is a lot of fun!
Just decided that I really like myself more when I am physically active and with a rather sedentiary office routine, I needed more Balance in my life. So I put on my running gear and started running again. The weather is noce, our subdivision allows for some decent rounds around the neighborhood and when the weather isn't so good, the treadmills at the Y are only minutes away from work. But soon I became eager for more. More running. And then I came across the Tybee Marathon.
Marathon, Half-marathon and 5k. I signed myself up. 5k will do for me for now. But Paul wants to run the half-marathon with me next year. The Tybee Marathon distance is another loop of the Half-marathon, and he does not like the double rounds, Marathon distance is fine, as long as he gets to see something different with every stride he makes, and I feel the same way...I think?! Will see. For the month of February I will participate in 2 5k runs, and have a 10k in mind for March.
But the more I ran, the more I realized that my running shoes have paid their dues, and I needed another pair. Shooks, I overpronate and have a very narrow heel and the most popular female shoe size. But google helped me once again and I found a wonderful store in Savannah that specializes in running gear. About a dozen shoes later I have THE perfect
to support my arches, correct the overpronation as much as possible and a way to lace it that will keep my heel from slipping.
As a balance to all the running I added a grueling cycling class to my exercise routine. My buns hurt, it exhausts me, but it sure is a lot of fun!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Louise
I have made a few attempts but whatever comes out of my fingertips does not sound right. Is there a way to announce something that you'd rather not have happened?
Louise, Paul's Grandma passed away yesterday. At 92 we can't say that it was unexpected. When he deployed I thought about his Grandmother's age and hoped that I would not have to e-mail him or give him any "news" over the phone.
When I first met her in 1995 she described herself as an old lady. In more recent years she would call herself an old, old lady.
And while we are sad that we will not see her again, we have wonderful memories with her and will continue to let her live through remembering her, telling our children about her and her stories. Emma-Louise carries on her name that she chose. Her first name was Mildred, but she always went by her middle name, Louise.
She once gave me a sweater from UCLA for my birthday. It was 1995 and Paul and I had just met and I was spending my first vacation with him at her home. From the moment we met, she treated me like one of her Grandchildren. I love that Sweater, I wear it often (especially when the Bulldogs are playing) and always have and always will remember her. She "americanized" me a little bit by taking me to Bingo. For my 21st birthday she gave me money and we went to Stateline to gamble. Lots of fun memories!
Louise, Paul's Grandma passed away yesterday. At 92 we can't say that it was unexpected. When he deployed I thought about his Grandmother's age and hoped that I would not have to e-mail him or give him any "news" over the phone.
When I first met her in 1995 she described herself as an old lady. In more recent years she would call herself an old, old lady.
And while we are sad that we will not see her again, we have wonderful memories with her and will continue to let her live through remembering her, telling our children about her and her stories. Emma-Louise carries on her name that she chose. Her first name was Mildred, but she always went by her middle name, Louise.
She once gave me a sweater from UCLA for my birthday. It was 1995 and Paul and I had just met and I was spending my first vacation with him at her home. From the moment we met, she treated me like one of her Grandchildren. I love that Sweater, I wear it often (especially when the Bulldogs are playing) and always have and always will remember her. She "americanized" me a little bit by taking me to Bingo. For my 21st birthday she gave me money and we went to Stateline to gamble. Lots of fun memories!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Bad hair day gone good
Saturday, I schlepped the Girls to "Bedie's Hair & Beauty". Bedie has been cutting my hair. Recommended by a friend and coworker, I have been happy with her. She cuts the Girls hair, mine and talks a mile a minute. A charming southern belle. I sit down and ask her to just please trim the back (to those of you knowing me with long hair...that's a thing of the past....). And we get to talking i tell her that Paul will be home in the morning....and that's when it happened. "Oh Baby I have got to get you Sexy for him!!!!" And slapps on the color without me knowing what's happening. Great. i have gone 31 years without ever doing anything permanent to may hair. Wash out dyes I have done a couple of times but never ever dye. Until Saturday.
And she cut bangs. I haven't had bangs since 5th Grade.
Yikes.
I was fairly sure to be back in her chair Monday morning to get it fixed. I don't recognize myself in a mirror. But everyone arounds me loves it, I get a ton of compliments. I will wait and see, maybe it will grow on me (pun intended!).
Now I would add a picture.....but...my Schlepptop is in the hospital....news for another day!
And she cut bangs. I haven't had bangs since 5th Grade.
Yikes.
I was fairly sure to be back in her chair Monday morning to get it fixed. I don't recognize myself in a mirror. But everyone arounds me loves it, I get a ton of compliments. I will wait and see, maybe it will grow on me (pun intended!).
Now I would add a picture.....but...my Schlepptop is in the hospital....news for another day!
Friday, January 4, 2008
I Kuwait to see him!!!
The Army is loaning me my husband and he is on his way. He just called from Kuwait, and is not getting the usual tent assignment meaning he will be leaving soon....he will be home soon. He defied Murphy. He packed sleeping bag and pillow. Without that he would have been stuck in Kuwait.
18 days. 18 days of "rest and relaxation".
Oh and no its not just me and the Girls who are looking forward to him, but a dear friend just can't wait to have her coffee buddy in town for a while. That's the way it goes, I make the cake and he makes the coffee, she enjoys both.
Now that I know that Paul can't read this, it will not spoil a surprise, his Christmas gift: fishing gear and a trip to go fishing offshore.
18 days. 18 days of "rest and relaxation".
Oh and no its not just me and the Girls who are looking forward to him, but a dear friend just can't wait to have her coffee buddy in town for a while. That's the way it goes, I make the cake and he makes the coffee, she enjoys both.
Now that I know that Paul can't read this, it will not spoil a surprise, his Christmas gift: fishing gear and a trip to go fishing offshore.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happier in the new year.
That is my one and only resolution this year. Be happier. More positive. And my year is starting wonderful! Paul will be home this week-end! Only for 18 days of R&R, but during that time he will be able to celebrate Christel-Ann's 10th birthday with us, and he will be back before Emma-Louise turns 5!
We are half way through the deployment. And eventhough I still don't like it, it is becoming manageable. The weeks do pass. Big sigh.
Thank you Auntie Ann for calling me today. It was really good to talk. Here is a picture for you all:
We are half way through the deployment. And eventhough I still don't like it, it is becoming manageable. The weeks do pass. Big sigh.
Thank you Auntie Ann for calling me today. It was really good to talk. Here is a picture for you all:
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