Robin and Mark's Wedding

This past weekend I got to travel to North Carolina to celebrate my friend from college, Robin, and her marriage to Mark! I left on Friday (which is why I have been scarce around here) and drove the 6 and a half hours to North Carolina. Friday night, we had the rehearsal which became very harrowing when a tornado touched down about a mile from the church and an actual fire siren went off to warn us. I was looking for the nearest basement, but luckily, we made it and had fun at the Western themed BBQ.



Saturday we got up early and went to her friend's salon to get our hair done, and then off to the church to get ready.


Then, when the formalities were over it was time to party at the local winery. I was able to see more friends from college and drink my favorite beverage! Since Michael left, I really have stock in wine and have become quite an expert. The wine at this vineyard was so sweet and good that my Mom and I brought back a case! Some of us remember the night, while others (I won't name names) probably have some fuzzy memories. We had a great time! Congratulations Robin and Mark! Michael and I wish you nothing but the best!

How Many Days until Spring Break?

When Christmas time rolled around, the thought of an extended amount of time off from school was scary. I would have more time to sit at home by myself and wish Michael to come home. Now that we are approaching Spring Break (time actually did go fast when I think about it), I cannot wait for it to be here. I always reach this point in the year...when my students are very restless and summer can't get here fast enough.

Why they don't have our state test later is a wonder to me. By taking it so early, it gives the students the idea that they are finished for the year. The BIG event they have planned for all year is over, or so they think. I remind them the BIG event of fourth grade is actually getting to move to fifth grade, but they don't like to hear that!

At least this weekends trip to NC for Bina's wedding will give me a bit of a break. Only a four day week as I get to take Friday off to travel...or, umm, be 'sick.'

Oh, and 16 days until Spring Break....

Base Confusion

So yesterday, as I was running errands around town, I wanted to stop by the base so I could go to the Commissary (grocery store) and BX (base exchange - kind of like a Wal-Mart). I love driving on base, showing my ID...it makes me feel important. It's even better when Michael is home and he shows his ID because then he gets saluted - I have to say it makes me very proud of him, and when he doesn't get the salute I get very mad at the guard.

As you drive around the base it is very important that you drive EXACTLY the speed limit, and aren't on your cell phone as you will get a very large fine, and possibly your husband in trouble! This being said, I had finished my errands, and was driving very s l o w l y off the base, when suddenly I realized I couldn't leave the way I normally came in - the gate had been closed. I started to panic - there are only a few places I know how to get to on base, the commissary, the BX, where you get a new ID, and the registration office. Anywhere else is completely foreign to me. Since Michael had been e-mailing me, I decided to send him one back trying to get directions (It's a pretty big base). Meanwhile I am following people around base, hoping they are going to another gate to leave!

My loving husband did e-mail me back the directions, and also a friendly reminder to "Now get off your phone or you are going to get a $300 fine, I've told you that before." Clearly more worried about the fine then me being stuck on base. I guess it wouldn't be the worst place in the world. I did find the other exit and had a nice tour! As for me getting a ticket for being on my phone - it didn't happen this time, they can kiss my civilian a**.

Band of Brothers

Today has been a very busy Saturday! I Skyped with Michael and got to talk to him a lot today as he send me on errands around town. I picked up some DVD's for him, a new bookcase for us (it was agreed upon that I could get the new bookcase if I got him DVD's), and then had to run by the Base to pick up some groceries and stock up on pet items! They are expensive - half the bill to be exact!

Now I am setting on my couch, finally eating my salad and watching Band of Brothers. I absolutely love this series. It is amazing to me the amount that these men had to go through. It takes a special person to be a soldier anyway, but during WWII it was a different kind of war. It is remarkable how these men bond together to get the job done.

I am so thankful that Michael is not in a way like WWII. I know the war now is just as dangerous even if it is different in many ways. I am thankful that I get to see him on the video, e-mail and talk to him on the phone. Back in the 1940's you would be lucky to get letters once a month.

Michael and his soldiers all have a very special bond. I don't understand half of what they talk about, and although this annoys me because I have to know everything, I understand. I will never understand what Michael is going through over there. I mean, I will have some sort of idea depending on how much he decides to share with me, but I will never full know what it was like. Some of it is because he wants to protect me, and some because he simply can't tell me. Either way, it will be something that he and the rest of the soldiers will share together forever. So until I can share the special husband - wife bond again, I am glad he has these guys with him.

Speaking of Countdowns....

So I only have one counter on the side of the blog for the one year mark of the deployment. BUT, there is something to look forward to BEFORE that. Michael's R & R. The plan is that he will be home for my birthday which is amazing because we haven't been together on my birthday in 4 years! Hopefully planes won't be delayed and plans will fall into place, and if they do...then Michael will be home in 93 days!!!! 93 days is double digits, I can do double digits!

Come on June!

Crazy!

So I was sitting on my couch relaxing, watching TV when I receive a text message :

Milford PD posted a bulletin : Gang initiation tonight. They are planning on killing three women at a Wal-Mart. Unsure of which store.

I didn't recognize the number, so of course I decided to confirm with a friend who is actually an officer. He informed me that it was TRUE. Seriously....where do I live?

Needless to say, I am NOT going to Wal-Mart anytime soon.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I know I have already posted twice today, but I cannot neglect my FAVORITE holiday!

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.


Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now go drink a green beer!

Side Note...

199 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fondue Flop

Ok, so there is a restaurant near us called The Melting Pot. It is a fondue restaurant where you can get different cheese fondues, salads, main courses with fondue and then the wonderful chocolate fondue dessert! I have always wanted to go here, and since Michael will be home for my birthday I suggested we go there! I also read it was a romantic place, and I am always up for that - especially when I haven't seen him in 5 months.

So I looked it up online and it is very expensive! Now let me preface this by saying that when we go out we normally spend around $30, a stretch would be $40. The Melting Pot, for two people would cost around $100 including tip. That is very expensive for us, so I told Michael nevermind, I would much rather go to a place where I knew I would get a good meal for my money.

After crossing off that idea, I still really wanted fondue. So I attempted to make my own using a recipe I found online. Let's just say it didn't turn out that way I anticipated. If you have any fondue restaurants that are fabulous send them to me so I can try again!

200 Days

If any of you keep track of my counter on the side with how many days are left in this God-awful deployment we have reached the 200 mark which means tomorrow it will be under 200!!!!! It feels like yesterday I was writing when only 100 days had passed, and I am hoping that it will be that quick when I can writing about 200 days have PASSED instead of being left!

The counter for me is good and bad. When I look at it I think about how much I have been able to accomplish in the 165 days that have passed, and that I have survived somehow. But then I look again, and that 200 days left is still daunting and depressing. When I reach the 182 mark we are halfway there! Only 20 more days until then....then it's downhill. So tonight I am going to have a wine and toast myself for making it to under 200 days to go!

Finally...Updates from Iraq!

I have been begging Michael to send me pictures for months now! All I want is to see a clear picture of him. Finally, he sent some. Last week, he and a few other soldiers took a palace tour, that's right, they give tours! He is doing well and getting anxious for leave I think as others around him are gearing up to take theirs in the next few weeks. Three months to go until I anxiously await the board changing from "On time" to "Arriving at Gate...." at Philly International.

Here is a picture of Michael and his roommate Keith. They are standing by a burn barrel at one of the stops. If you look closely you will see that Keith has a boot on his foot. He tried to jump a fence after a fellow soldier had a medical emergency during a PT test. Needless to say, he turned into the medical emergency.

To the right is a picture of Michael standing in a palace that had been bombed during the beginning of the war in 2003.



Below is a picture of Michael and his commander Major Sullivan. They are waiting for the tour to begin. This is my favorite picture of him, he looks so handsome in uniform!



















To the right is Michael standing in the Ba'ath Party House. It was the first target of the war in 2003.



Below is the Victory of America Palace. I'm not sure why they started to build it, but for obvious reasons it was never finished.

The Dreaded Test

It's that time of year again....State Testing is upon us! Every year my students work their little hearts out for 6 days on reading, writing and math. Or at least I hope they do. During those 6 days I pray that they remember everything I taught them. I am not one of the teachers who hype up the test. Personally, I think the test is a waste of time and money. I just don't understand how you can base a students learning, a teachers ability to teach and a school's ability to educate on one test. Ridiculous.

So far we have completed the math portion of the test. Due to budget cuts, my grade does not have to take the writing test this year, so that leaves us with just reading. I am scribing for two students this year so I am especially thankful that we don't have writing. One of the boys that I am scribing for is adorable. I have had him all year and he makes me laugh every day. During the test, this is no exception. I have him do all his work on another piece of paper, and then he dictates to me what to write. After every, math problem he completes, he looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows. It's his way of asking if he did it correctly. Of course, I can't tell him whether or not he did it correctly, so I just smile and remind him that I can't tell him. At least the testing isn't boring this year!

Re-doing the House!

I am never a big fan of change, but I do like updating! The carpet in our house has never been the greatest. Actually, we hate it, I won't lie. Well, the downstairs carpet was replaced a year ago when my very talented brother put in laminate which is gorgeous against the tile! Unfortunately, the same awful carpet is still up the stairs, and all over the upstairs. Thankfully, my husband has approved me to replaced the carpet!

Originally he said that he wanted just the main room, but my brother said that we can get the NICEST carpet for $2500. Michael's original quote for my was $2000 for the MAIN room, and since I can do the ENTIRE upstairs for only $500 more with the NICEST carpet, why not? The hard part will be convincing my husband! Keep your fingers crossed!

On Friday I am also running to Lowe's to replace the vertical blinds on our sliding glass door. They have been there since we moved in. We are missing on panel, and the last owner's dog chewed another, so it's time for a replacement set. I was pleasantly surprised to see Lowe's had it for only $60. I thought for sure it would be much more than that! YAY! I am very excited!

Writers Block

Sorry I haven't posted lately, I have had sort of a writer's block. There hasn't been too much going on around here, and Michael is still working hard over seas. I still miss him terribly, but we have had some great conversations lately, and I think I am out of my February funk. We are getting closer to June, and I know I can make it!

I guess the biggest news is our appraisal came back on our house. We suspected that it would be lower than what we bought the house for, and we were right. The price we got actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it is still too much to lose. We have decided to stay in our house for a few more years, and add a closet onto a room to make it a bedroom which will add value. We have some plans to possible repaint, and do a few more things, which gives me something to look forward to. I love our house. I have decorated the way I want (Michael is a very patient man!), and it is perfect for us. Now if only I can get grass in the back yard! (This is my next goal, after I get our fence fixed next week!) I know it will be nice when we can build our dream home, but we just have to be patient. Living here a few more years will give us the opportunity to save more money and possibly get even more things in our 'dream' house.

Until then, I just need to be patient and plan on which room to re-paint first!

Slipping and Sliding

The storm brought us over 8 inches of snow! As you can see from the pictures below we did have a lot of fun. We had off of school on Monday, and then I was pleasantly surprised to learn that students had off on Tuesday, and staff was to report at 10. I can deal with that!

Well, I could, until I realized that driving to school was a death trap. The roads in town looked like a skating rink, no exaggeration. There was no sign of pavement, just ice. Apparently my employer is trying to kill me. Miraculously I did make it to work - it took me 20 minutes when it normally takes me about 3. Fun!

Today, students were off again as the ice on the back roads was still bad, and staff didn't have to come in until 10. This is working out quite nicely! I doubt that students have off again tomorrow, but I'll take another delay!

Snow Day!

There was such a big storm coming up the coast that I didn't even have to wait for my 5:30 am phone call - school was cancelled last night at 9:00pm! The 'kids' and I had a great time. Rocky ran around like an idiot and Titan just tried to get out of the snow. Right now, Rocky, exhausted from all his running, is asleep on the floor and Titan is trying to get warm in my bed! Happy snow day!

Welcome March!

Slowly but surely we are getting there! Tomorrow will be 5 months since this deployment started. Although February was technically the shortest month, it felt like the longest. I got into a rut somewhere in the middle of the month. I started to be upset because we aren't even half way finished, and I still have 4 months until I see my husband. Today though, after having a wonderful conversation with Michael, I have gotten my second wind. I know that we can do anything together, and although this is the hardest thing we have faced, we will survive! Only one more month to go and then I can start on the downhill slide!

The meteorologists around here are also calling for a snowstorm! It is slated to begin tonight and continue throughout tomorrow. They are predicting 6 - 9 inches. I will believe that when I see it!