I'll be drinking Blood Margaritas...

I was up at 6:30 this morning with Alyssa. It's my husband's turn to sleep in, so up I was with a grumpy little toddler. She's been yelling at me when she wakes up in the morning, lately. I swear if I could understand her, I'd do whatever was needed to make it stop. But, I have no clue what she's trying to say when she points that finger at me and barks out her orders. Oh well... I have NO idea where she could get the bossiness from.

I'm off to Kohl's this morning. I've got my 15% off coupon and they've got an "extra extra savings sale" going on. Who in their right mind, with $15 bucks, would pass that up? Then I'm going to swing into Target. The past few days have included a bit of shopping. We went to Aldi yesterday. I just love that place. Spend $100 there and it's like spending $200 at Wal Mart. OH, and on Friday I went into Food Lion. Bought $42 worth of stuff, and paid $18 after coupons. Whoo-hooo!

So, tonight will be Alyssa's first adventure with Trick-or-Treating. I'm so excited! My little Supergirl is going to be knocking on doors and yelling "BOO" at people. At least, I hope so.  After she saw me put on a black bird mask the other day, I'm a little worried what she's going to think when she sees the other kid's costumes. Her poor little heart just stopped. I could tell when she jumped backwards, gasped, and looked as if she couldn't decide if she should scream or run, or both. Poor thing. And, am I evil since I found it hilarious? Nevermind, don't answer that.

We're going to a friend's house before trick-or-treating to have a couple of drinks. Gotta get warmed up for an evening when Alyssa will be staying up way past her bedtime, y'know. My friend has already told me about the Blood Margaritas she's going to make. Never had one of those... I may just have to have two to form an opinion. The good thing about it is that they live just across the street, so we won't have to worry about driving. Then we're going to go through the neighborhood, with our girls, to rack up some major candy. I bought several bags of candy a couple of weeks ago, thinking we'd take Alyssa out for a little while and then come home to give out candy. As much as I joke about eating all her candy, I really don't want any of it in the house. I guess I could just put it all in a bowl on the front porch. I'm sure the first kid to come by our house will appreciate it.

Happy Halloween!

It's Friday and I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing.

The days are slipping away. It seems as if time has accelerated beyond my normal perception. While, I'm happy that it's Friday (because that means two full days with my stud muffin), I'm not happy because this past week just seems as if it's evaporated. Kind of like an ice cube in Arizona. Time can be cruel, and I don't mean just to the aging woman...lol. I can't imagine time going this quickly while Bruce is in Korea. What's a girl to do?

One thing I'm going to do is make a list of things I want to accomplish while he's gone. Which reminds me... I was going to write about this yesterday, but a fellow military spouse beat me to the punch. She's just the cutest thing... but quick. I read her list yesterday and when I finished I felt like I needed a nap. She's got way too much motivation. Makes us thirty something moms feel lazy! LOL... give it ten years, she'll slow down. So, anyway... here's my list:

1. Learn another language (using Rosetta Stone). Brush up on my German, and work on French.
2. Take some online courses to finish up my degree
3. Enroll Alyssa in swimming classes
4. Find some kind of volunteer work
5. Become a ninja
6. Write my blog everday

I'm sure there will be other things to add to it, but that's what I'm starting with. I've got a sister in TN, so I may try to kidnap her one weekend just for the fun of it. I wonder if I could pull something like that off? That'll take some planning, though. She's a fighter when provoked. I might just put it on the list after I accomplish #5.

Alyssa will be dressed up as Supergirl for Halloween. She can't say "Trick-or-Treat", but she's got "BOO!" down pretty good. I doubt anyone will turn her away.
So, Happy Halloween to all! May your kids get nothing but the good, expensive candies so you can steal it from them while they're asleep. That's what I plan on doing ;0  (I will, of course, rationalize it by saying that I was doing 'safety checks').

I hope I'm a good shot.

I just applied for a gun permit. Yeah, they let anyone apply for these things. I had to answer several questions regarding felonies and misdemeanors, and you know what I found hilarious about that? The fact that I had to stop and think. Seriously. I realized at my age, and from time to time living vicariously through some of my friends' stories, that there've been some laws broken. After thinking about it, I remembered that I wasn't involved in any of them. But as for some of my friends, and I won't name names... let's just say her name starts with an "S" and ends with an "acie", well... she's not gonna be getting a gun permit anytime soon ..::wink, wink, Stacie::.. No, I'm not really throwing her under the bus. I just love to get her all riled up.

I come from a family that knows how to use guns. As a matter of fact, I have a 15yr old niece who can put most men to shame with a little target shooting. Her little brother is about the same. Talk about some cute kids! Oh, and my neice isn't just 'cute'... she's really, really pretty... so I get such a kick out of it when my brother sends me pictures of her and her latest kill. There she is with her little pretty smile, long hair, and.... a dead deer. They like to hunt wild turkey, deer, and dove. Just depends which season is open.

So, anyway, I have a standard to uphold, here. Hell... I'm surrounded by good shots. My husband is an expert shot in the military, my sister is pretty scary with a rifle, and my brother regularly gets his limits in season. And my dad? HA! Let me tell you: This one time, I was out at his house helping with some yard work and he wanted to move some tin for his roof from out of the yard. Well, he told me that he'd seen some copperheads recently, and that he wanted me to stand back when he lifted the tin. He was holding a rifle at the time, too. So, I take a couple of steps back as he lifts the tin and before I know it, he's pushed that tin out of the way, pulled that gun up, aimed, and shot the head off of this little copperhead. It makes a difference that it was a little copperhead, too, because there wasn't as much to aim at. I mean, the whole thing happened in a matter of maybe five seconds. That was one of those defining moments that I knew my daddy was one of the best.

When I applied for the permit, I was told that they'd either send it to me in about 30 days, or they'd call me to set up an "APPOINTMENT". When I heard that, I went back to racking my brain, just to make sure there wasn't anything I had forgotten. LOL... I can see it now.... (Phone rings) "Well, Claire, it seems we need you to come in and discuss a few things". All I can say is, I think the statue of limitations ran out on me for biting that little girl in kindergarten, so I should be ok.

Can I get a breeze here, please?

Whew... almost 85 degrees where I am, and it's so humid, too. It's just hard to believe that November is a few days away and this is the weather we're having. Hopefully, it'll cool down so that I can open all the windows again. There's nothing like cool, fresh air going through the house, with the curtains billowing out, catching all the smells from outside wafting through. It's just heaven. The only drawback to this is the amount of dust that comes into the house. It's as if the dust fairy comes in with the breeze, waves her wand, and *Poof*... dust everywhere. Looks like I haven't dusted in a month. This is a problem. You see, I have standards... and these standards dictate that I do not dust more than once every two weeks. It keeps me from becoming obsessive/compulsive. Not that I have any history of this, but you can never be too careful.

I'm picking up my Jeep from the dealership this afternoon. I really hope these are the last of any repairs that will be needed for a long time because I've got other things I need to spend my money on.... like plane tickets to Korea. Thinking of Korea reminds me: we just watched the F1 Gran Prix, which was in Yeongam, Korea. This was the inaugural race for this track. Amazing race. Wet track, plenty of crashes, and it really shook up the leader board for the projected driver's championship. Oh, how I wish Alyssa and I were going with Bruce. If we were, then we'd be within reasonable traveling distance to six races. I guess I'll just have to hold on to the memory of Indianapolis '06. Now, that was, so incredibly, one of those instances of being in the right place at the right time. I may just write about that experience tomorrow.

Censorship

Censorship sucks. I've just realized that I really have to censor my thoughts on here. Even though the whole point is for me to write about what I find interesting.... God knows who'll take something I write and misconstrue it into something else. It's a good thing I love my wonderful husband so much... and respect his career and clearance, or else I'd say "Get over it... not my problem". You see... I just wrote this interesting post about this stupid punk who was smoking a joint on his front porch today. He happens to live directly across the street. He's 15, not in school, and there's something else going on over there. Well, I called the Sheriff's dept and reported it. If he's dumb enough to smoke a joint on his front porch, he deserves to be busted.

So, herein lies my issue... my previous post was hilarious... oh, if you missed it then you just missed it. It was up for all of 10 minutes before my sweet, darling husband SQUASHED it. Oh well. He's worth it.

Dolls and Dancing

I just ordered a Hug-A-Hero doll for Alyssa. The people who came up with this idea are brilliant. Not exactly cheap, but I figured it's well worth the investment. So, I took a few pics of Bruce in his ACU's and picked out my favorite. This picture will be put on the front of a 17" pillow. It's a doll, it's a pillow. Basically, it's a pillow in the outline of his body with his photo on the front. The back of the pillow will have the Army digital camo. I splurged and got the voice recorder, too. Now, she'll be able to hear "I love you sweetie" anytime she wants. Damn near makes me cry. I'll probably sneak in her room after she's asleep and 'borrow it' til the morning. I have no shame.

OK, something to laugh about: I got busted dancing like a fool today. Bruce had called and said he'd be late, so Alyssa and I were killing time listening to Louis Prima and cavorting around downstairs. I was singing at the top of my lungs and doin' my goofy dance moves that only a toddler can appreciate, when Bruce walked in through the kitchen. Early. I never even heard him. It wasn't til I saw him that I just about dropped Alyssa and stopped dancing. I forgot that I'd asked him to take my Jeep and fill the tank, so he parked in the garage instead of coming in the front door.

"I'm just a gigalo, everywhere I go, people know the part I'm playin'"... well, my time of playin' the cool and sexy wife just ended. I hope he'll be able to get the memory from this afternoon out of his head. Hopefully, I'll restore my image as 'sexy wife' tomorrow night on our date night. LOL... I'll play hard to get. HAHAHAHAHA!

On a side note...

Today, I have had a couple of conversations that made me think about life and death. So many times, we take for granted the people we have in our lives. Whether it be our children, spouse, parents, siblings, or friends... they can be taken away in an instant. Of course, these life moments are never planned. They come on unexpectedly, with great shock.
Bruce and I were having to discuss what would happen to Alyssa if, tragically, something happened to us. I realized that this must be something all parents worry about. But then, I began thinking about my parents. Those thoughts made me feel like I was a kid again, waking from a bad dream. My point is: treat those you love better than you treat the acquaintances in your life. Don't pass up the opportunity to make a phone call to say "Hello, just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you".
Also, make sure the ones you keep close are the ones that deserve to be kept close. Are they bringing anything to the table? And by that I mean, are they contributing to your happiness and well-being? Do they think of you first, or as an after-thought? If not... kick their ass to the curb. There's someone out there to take their place, and do it right!

Whine and Wine

One always leads to the other.... at least for me. Bruce usually gets home in the afternoon and plays with Alyssa to give me some time to myself. That's when I get a glass of wine. There is, inevitably, some whining throughout the day, so I savor this first glass. I prefer Merlot, and as I start to sip this red concoction, I feel myself begin to let go of the stresses that accumulated throughout the day. Now, let me pause here to interject... NO, I do not need wine to wind down. I am perfectly capable of winding down by other measures. Like sex! But that's another blog, and I'm sure I just shocked the hell out of some family members. LOL, I like to do that sometimes.  But, anyway... as the days wear on, and December cruelly creeps upon us, I wonder what I'm going to do when he's not walking in the door around 6pm to relieve me. I dread it. I am so lucky that this man comes home, smiles, kisses me, asks me about my day, then whisks Alyssa away for her bath and bedtime story. It gives me some time to sit at the computer or wander around the kitchen while I cook some chicken. By the time he comes back downstairs, I'm the bestest, happiest wife a man could ask for. The routine is going to change, though, whether I like it or not. It's going to be "All Mommy, All the time." That's cool. I can deal with it, being the fabulous gal that I am. But don't y'all think for a second that I won't whine about it. On a positive note, what's going to be really cool is when Alyssa performs a new trick six months from now. The opening line for this will be "Have you ever seen a two year old open a bottle of wine?"

Coffee and Trust

Bit of wisdom: Don't drink four cups of coffee, when you normally drink two, and expect to feel calm and relaxed. This bit of wisdom I forgot. I had a friend and her daughter over this morning for coffee and a play date, but drank my two normal cups starting at 6:30am. So, she shows up with her cutie in tow, and I proceed to have 2 more cups while the girls are playing. About 20 mintues after the fourth cup, I began to sweat. As the saying goes, I felt like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew. Phew... my heartrate is up, my hands are shaking, and if it weren't for my daughter napping, I'd probably be fiendishly cleaning the house right now. I'm sure the urge will pass by the time she gets up. Anyway, it's not smart to operate large machinery under the influence. Vacuum cleaners fall into this category in my book.

I am so excited about this weekend! I've worked out a babysitting arrangement with a friend, so now we'll both be able to have date nights with our husbands. Which means Bruce and I will be having dinner and going to a haunted house this Saturday night. I can see it now....::soft music playing::.... romantic dinner (in which all we talk about is our daughter), then on to a fun-filled time at the haunted house (of which, in the middle of the haunted house I will think, "Why the HELL did this seem like fun?!"), then back home by 10 (which in turn will only make me feel old, considering my nights didn't even get started until 10 before the baby). LOL... no, I'm not really that negative, but while Date Nights are great in theory, they're hard to live up to. I'm still excited about it... and anyway, all the real fun probably won't happen til after we get home ;)

Which reminds me of a story: When I was about 17, I went to a haunted house with several friends. We were all psyched up for having the hell scared out of us. Oh, and the haunted house wasn't just a house. The way it was set up, you had to go through a house, then go outside to get to a bus which had been decorated and had people hiding in it and they'd jump out, then we'd have to run across a field to get to the next designated spot, and so on, and so forth. There were probably five or six different scary themed areas on the property. WELL... let me tell you, this was a rude awakening on how friends can leave you high and dry, not caring if you live or die. We were all running from the bus when this ungodly scary guy comes out of the woods with a chainsaw running. It was realistic. Too realistic. Motor was running, he was revvin' it, and you could even smell the oil comin' from it. This guy did not look good either. Huge, bloody guy who was yelling loudly how he was going to KILL us. Like I said before, we ran. Took off screaming across the WET grass as if the devil himself were chasing us for our souls. Now, you'd think if you fell down, a true friend would stop and help you up. They definitely wouldn't pause, turn around, laugh hysterically, then turn back around and take off running again. Right? Well, that's just what I did. I wasn't stoppin' for nothin'. I left poor Andrea laying there on the ground, screaming her head off, as that chainsaw beast was headed towards her. She lived, but that was the night that I realized I needed to work on my trust-building techniques.

Where to start?

Well, let's see. I guess I could introduce myself with a few current facts.
I'm in my thirties. I'm married to an incredible man who is also a Staff Sergeant in the US Army. We have a daughter, named Alyssa, who is 22 months old. She's amazingly brilliant, even though she can't control her bodily functions and has yet to put two different words together. It'll happen. There is a domesticated miniature tiger who runs around our home. We call her Ginger. As long as she is fed and watered, we're safe.

Currently, we're living in GA. Of course, being a military family, that will change sooner rather than later. The Army has decided that my husband will be leaving for Korea soon. I thought we'd all be going together, but.... no Kimchi for me. Oh well, I'm heartbroken, but I just gotta rub some dirt in it, as they say. It will be a year apart, but I'm not worried about him. Made him sign some contracts in blood and threatened to set his ass on fire if he does anything. By 'anything', I mean anything stupid with someone else. It's my issue, not his. He's a really good man, but I'm of the frame of mind "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone's NOT out to get you". I guess here is a good spot to interject that I am a confident, well-adjusted, brilliant, sexy, and quite humble gal. I'm just smart enough to realize that I have a real gold nugget of a guy, and I'm not going to let him get away. So, anyway, time is creeping up on us and we're trying to get the important things done before he leaves. Like... buy a gun. Whooo hooo, I can't wait. On our anniversary he took me to a firing range and I found out that I am particularly competent with a 9mm. Ah, that was a night. But, I digress....in order to get the gun, I've got to get a license. Which means I have to get an actual GA driver's license to do that. Whoops! I guess I let that one slip for the last two years we've been here. It's amazing all the little things that have to be done to be prepared for something like this. I mean, down to getting a peep-hole for the front door! Which reminds me, I don't have that on the list. And so the list grows...

Well, that's about it for me today. I'm going to get fodder for the next entry. See y'all soon.