The thing that I am thankful for today is that Thanksgiving is just another day. I don't say that with bitterness, sarcasm, or anger, or even sadness. I truly say it with thanks. One of the things that worried me most when we first got married (and spent our first Christmas apart due to our first deployment!) was that I would fall apart at holidays.
I'm really good at falling apart. I seem to have it down to a science. I don't really need a catalyst, but if I have one, gracious sakes, it is a sight to behold--or to hide from, if you can get away...
That Christmas actually turned out fine. Most of the other wives in our unit had gone home, since their husbands were deployed. I didn't have vacation time from work, so I couldn't leave. I woke up Christmas morning and went over to our chaplain's house. He and his wife and their little girl let me join in their Christmas breakfast. I will always love chocolate chip pancakes because of that day. (The words "chocolate chip pancakes" in my head are always said with a New Jersey accent because of them!!)
Then, guess what! Chaplain D took me to the office and I got to talk to S on the phone!!! This was before we had a computer, much less internet, and we got one 15-minute phone call per week. It was the greatest gift ever! And then, everything was fine for the rest of the day.
Since then, I've kind of just taken the holidays as they come. I don't like the stress that is created by making sure that everything is "exactly the way that it is supposed to be," so we do things differently every year. No one gets disappointed, and we have some great memories of all the different things we've done for holidays over the years.
But, best of all, I don't ache with missing him when he isn't here. I miss him the whole time he is deployed, but holidays don't make it worse. The Army has taught me that the 2nd Tuesday in October is just as special and wonderful as December 25th if your family is together. We enjoy the time we have together, AND we find ways to enjoy the time that we have to be apart. We look forward to him coming home, but we refuse to be miserable while he is gone.
Today we will have brisket and ribs at the home of good friends. I made chocolate chip pecan pie (that will probably taste horrible because I cooked it too long) and we will finish the plan for our Black Friday shopping trip. We will miss S, and maybe we'll talk to him on Skype for a while...and maybe we won't. But, we will be THANKFUL and we will be HAPPY and we will celebrate a VERY SPECIAL holiday in February. No one else will think it is a special day, but it will be bigger than all the other holidays combined for our family...and we'll be thankful then too!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Football
R's teacher has a son who is a senior at "our" high school and plays on the football team. At the beginning of the season, I made R a tshirt with Mrs. J's son's number on it. He's worn it to all the games, and this week--the last game of the season--he actually got to meet him before the game.
W is the biggest player on the team. R--not such a big kid. It was so cute to watch him pick him up--he literally looked like he was picking up a piece of paper!! R was THRILLED!! It was like he met a rock star!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
5 Years
S has a "tradition" or "ritual" or whatever you want to call it, as his way of remembering a friend who was killed in Iraq exactly 5 years ago. Every year, on November 13th, he has "a Guiness for Sean."
This year he is deployed, so he couldn't do it. I told a story to some friends, and G said he would drink it in S's place. He didn't offer in a college kid "anything for free beer" way. He understood the sincerity behind the gesture...that its a little thing that S does that signifies something BIG to in his heart.
I think it is kind of cool that a "non military" family helped out with this...now they know his story too. And they appreciate his sacrifice--even though the didn't know him. They know about him. Never forget means never forget.
November 13, 2009 A Guinness For Sean
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Clothing Sizes
When I worked in retail (it was a children's store, but for some reason, the topic of sizes for grown ups came up) my manager told me that some manufacturers will put smaller sizes on their clothes because it would make women buy more.
I thought she was nuts. I mean, everyone can SEE what they look like, right? For example, if you wear a size 16 in Brand A and a 10 in Brand B--your body is still the same size. It seemed ridiculous to me.
Well, today I'd like to make an announcement to all the clothing manufacturers out there (I'm quite certain they ALL read my blog. Being the fashion expert that I am and all). Here is the announcement. THAT SMALLER SIZE TAG TRICK ACTUALLY WORKS.
Why have I changed my mind you ask? I'll tell you. Because I've been trying to lose a little weight lately. I'm below my WW goal weight, but I'd like to lose some more--who wouldn't--and it gives me something to occupy my time and thoughts.
So, yesterday I put on a pair of jeans I bought a couple of months ago. They were a little small when I bought them (but it was Kohls giant sale and I had a 15% off coupon AND they were on clearance, so all together they were about $6). I figured it would give me some incentive to keep up the weight loss thing.
When I put them on yesterday, they fit just fine. Good for me. Although, the size tag was quite disappointing. It is certainly not the size I'd like to tell people I wear. (I don't think anyone would ask, but you know...if they did.) But, since I knew they were too small a few months ago, I was relatively happy.
Today, I put on a pair of shorts I bought last summer (that were WAY too small then--but again, big sale, incentive, blah blah blah) just to see if they would fit. They do. Maybe a little snug, but they are denim, so they'll stretch in a few minutes. Also, it will remind me to limit the halloween candy intake for the day.
But here's the important part about these shorts. Other than the fact that yesterday I thought it was cool enough to wear jeans and I was very wrong. It is still hot.
The important thing about the shorts is that, according to the tag, they are 2 SIZES SMALLER than those jeans from yesterday. So, guess what. I now love this brand of shorts. I don't actually know what the brand is, and J can't read yet so he can't tell me what the tag says. I could probably look in the mirror and read it backwards but that is not the point. The point is this. If I had to choose to wear those jeans or these shorts--I'm going with the shorts. Even if it actually WERE cool enough for jeans outside.
In fact, I might just turn these shorts inside out so everyone can SEE what size they are. Do I care that my body is exactly the same size it was yesterday in the jeans that I didn't approve of the tag? No I do not care. I am smaller. The tag on my clothes says so.
So, if I were you clothing manufacturers I would start putting smaller sizes in my clothes. You might even inspire someone like me to get a new wardrobe--even if I don't have a coupon and there's no clearance rack. Maybe...but the "quest for the best deal" thing is an issue best dealt with separately...
I thought she was nuts. I mean, everyone can SEE what they look like, right? For example, if you wear a size 16 in Brand A and a 10 in Brand B--your body is still the same size. It seemed ridiculous to me.
Well, today I'd like to make an announcement to all the clothing manufacturers out there (I'm quite certain they ALL read my blog. Being the fashion expert that I am and all). Here is the announcement. THAT SMALLER SIZE TAG TRICK ACTUALLY WORKS.
Why have I changed my mind you ask? I'll tell you. Because I've been trying to lose a little weight lately. I'm below my WW goal weight, but I'd like to lose some more--who wouldn't--and it gives me something to occupy my time and thoughts.
So, yesterday I put on a pair of jeans I bought a couple of months ago. They were a little small when I bought them (but it was Kohls giant sale and I had a 15% off coupon AND they were on clearance, so all together they were about $6). I figured it would give me some incentive to keep up the weight loss thing.
When I put them on yesterday, they fit just fine. Good for me. Although, the size tag was quite disappointing. It is certainly not the size I'd like to tell people I wear. (I don't think anyone would ask, but you know...if they did.) But, since I knew they were too small a few months ago, I was relatively happy.
Today, I put on a pair of shorts I bought last summer (that were WAY too small then--but again, big sale, incentive, blah blah blah) just to see if they would fit. They do. Maybe a little snug, but they are denim, so they'll stretch in a few minutes. Also, it will remind me to limit the halloween candy intake for the day.
But here's the important part about these shorts. Other than the fact that yesterday I thought it was cool enough to wear jeans and I was very wrong. It is still hot.
The important thing about the shorts is that, according to the tag, they are 2 SIZES SMALLER than those jeans from yesterday. So, guess what. I now love this brand of shorts. I don't actually know what the brand is, and J can't read yet so he can't tell me what the tag says. I could probably look in the mirror and read it backwards but that is not the point. The point is this. If I had to choose to wear those jeans or these shorts--I'm going with the shorts. Even if it actually WERE cool enough for jeans outside.
In fact, I might just turn these shorts inside out so everyone can SEE what size they are. Do I care that my body is exactly the same size it was yesterday in the jeans that I didn't approve of the tag? No I do not care. I am smaller. The tag on my clothes says so.
So, if I were you clothing manufacturers I would start putting smaller sizes in my clothes. You might even inspire someone like me to get a new wardrobe--even if I don't have a coupon and there's no clearance rack. Maybe...but the "quest for the best deal" thing is an issue best dealt with separately...
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Goodbye Pics
Remember when I described "the goodbye" at the airport and the guy who was taking our pictures? I was, ummm, not very happy about it. I was also worried that he might be some anti-war whack job that was going to use pictures of my family in some anti military propaganda blogs or whatever.
I thought I had lost the guy's phone number, but when I got my new phone, I was moving numbers over to it, and I found his number. (Remember, N and I had a disagreement about what his first name was. N was right. That's why I couldn't find the number--I was looking under John. His name was Frank.)
I thought about it for a while, and I ended up calling him. He was a nice guy. He's a veteran of some sort (he was here in town because he was going to the VA hospital). Apparently, he really did think that he was doing us a favor. He said he would mail them to me if I wanted him to. He also said some news station was asking for pictures of soldiers and their families and he thought about sending them in, but didn't want to do it without my permission.
I told him that I wasn't comfortable with that, since I would rather know what someone's motivation was before giving them our photos, but that I would like to have them.
He didn't get around to mailing them to me for a while, and then he called and told me he was coming back here to see another doctor, and he would bring them to me. I met him in town, and he gave me the pictures, but he said he lost one of the memory cards that had most of the photos on it. It was kind of a bummer to drive that far for just a few pictures, but I guess that's ok. These seem to be the ones he took from far away, so he must have lost the card he used when he got braver and moved closer to us.
Anyway, they aren't very good quality, but here they are. Just so you know, there IS a picture of me hugging him goodbye, but it is from the back of me...I just can't bring myself to publish such a thing!
I thought I had lost the guy's phone number, but when I got my new phone, I was moving numbers over to it, and I found his number. (Remember, N and I had a disagreement about what his first name was. N was right. That's why I couldn't find the number--I was looking under John. His name was Frank.)
I thought about it for a while, and I ended up calling him. He was a nice guy. He's a veteran of some sort (he was here in town because he was going to the VA hospital). Apparently, he really did think that he was doing us a favor. He said he would mail them to me if I wanted him to. He also said some news station was asking for pictures of soldiers and their families and he thought about sending them in, but didn't want to do it without my permission.
I told him that I wasn't comfortable with that, since I would rather know what someone's motivation was before giving them our photos, but that I would like to have them.
He didn't get around to mailing them to me for a while, and then he called and told me he was coming back here to see another doctor, and he would bring them to me. I met him in town, and he gave me the pictures, but he said he lost one of the memory cards that had most of the photos on it. It was kind of a bummer to drive that far for just a few pictures, but I guess that's ok. These seem to be the ones he took from far away, so he must have lost the card he used when he got braver and moved closer to us.
Anyway, they aren't very good quality, but here they are. Just so you know, there IS a picture of me hugging him goodbye, but it is from the back of me...I just can't bring myself to publish such a thing!
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