Two things a wicked woman will always do

Today I was checking out what search words people had typed in that ended up bringing them to my blog. I laughed out loud when I read "Two things a wicked woman will always do." What I found so funny about this is that someone actually needed to know. Whether they are trying to weed out a "wicked" woman from one who is not wicked by two specific behaviors or not, we'll never know (unless they happen to read this and feel like commenting), or the possibility that someone they know might be wicked and they're trying to find two specific charcteristics to back up what they already think about this person who may or may not be wicked. I will answer this question at the end, but first I need to give a little background to my answer. Thank goodness recent events provided such a clear cut answer.

I'm wicked. My dream last night only confirmed it. Seriously, I am not making this up. Last night I dreamed **let me interject here: please forgive my subconscious if I mention you in the details of my dream, it only means you are important enough to be in my dreams, and it probably means nothing anyway, but just in case it does mean something... you might want to grab a bible and straighten up if you want to get into heaven and are doing something that you are aware of that "heavenly" people don't do** so, anyway... last night I dreamed that I was with a random group of strangers in the street. I don't know what we were doing, but when I became aware of where I was water began filling up the streets. The odd thing was that it wasn't rising around the people and myself, but rather it was lifting us all up above this weird shaped wave. We were all actually on top of the water. I ended up being at the top of the wave (maybe I'm the wickedest) and all of a sudden a sort of cloudy apparition appeared in front and slightly above us. At first, people started saying it was a demon, but it didn't seem quite as menacing as I would imagine a demon to be. This apparition (for lack of a better word) seemed to form itself out of a dark, cloud-like mist into a face without clear features, but rather holes where the eyes, nose and mouth would be. The apparation then tells us something along the lines of: we aren't going straight to heaven, but the people who are have already been taken.

I look around as the wave rescinds and now it is dark and people are scattering. I walk over to a building that is sectioned off on the inside by partial walls. People are taking seats in pews. I notice that there are a lot of people. Actually most of them I knew. They are all sitting together in the same groups as I knew them in real life. The friends from early childhood, middle school, high school, college, and people since then are all grouped respectively. As I walked along the outside wall of long pews (yes, I realize it seems church-like, but it wasn't a church) I am really surprised to see two girls that I went to elementary school with. I thought "Wow, I NEVER thought THEY would be here. I always thought those two girls were so shy and sweet." But there they were, never the less. So, I kept walking towards the back of the room, looking for someone I knew well enough to sit with. Low and behold, there's Kim. My very best friend of almost 23 years. She was about to sit with some girls from high school, and I was trying to get her attention because I didn't want to sit there for some reason. She sees me and we both keep walking towards the back of the room. We then walk into another section that's divided off from the previous room, and we take a seat together. Now this room is almost empty. Then Jennifer walks up. She's my other bestie of about 21 years. She'd dressed to the nines. Of course she's going to look fabulous, she can't help it. I am surprised that they are both there. At the same time, I'm relieved. (Now what does that say about  my selfishness???) Then we "hear" the explanation of why we are all there. It was a very formal lecture, yet it wasn't fire and brimstone. I can't remember exactly what was said, but the gist of it was that we weren't bad enough to go to hell, but we weren't good enough to get into heaven. We had to "serve" four years. I don't know what we were supposed to do during this time, but I remember being bored. Actually, I was emotionless, with the exception of the content feeling I have with being around Kim and Jennifer. To admit to this now really makes me feel guilty. Because I would like to think that if I really did experience this, that I would have the common sense to be a little more interested in what was going on, and not act so blase about it. I mean, it was really as if I was in school, and the teacher was going over something that I already knew. Yeah, I get the Fruedian link to that message too. It's not lost on me.

Anyway, this is where it gets ironic. Bruce walks up. Funny thing was, I hadn't thought about him before he walked up. It's not like I was walking around thinking "Where's Bruce?" or "Oh he must've 'left' already.", it's just that he hadn't entered my subconscious until that point. So, he walks up to us (Jennifer is still standing in front of Kim and I, who are sitting) and he sits beside me and says "Hey, I found a book, that gives shortcuts of how to get this done in two years." I looked at him and said "REALLY?", but honestly I was thinking "Ugh. I have to put effort into this." What's ironic about him finding a book with shortcuts is that the man does not read. In the years that we've been together he's read about three books. It's just not his thing. But this past weekend he starts reading the first book of an entire series (The Princess of Mars) and now he's already onto the second book. Maybe this IS a premonition.

So, it seems I'm wicked for sure. I knew this. I claimed it. And I'll probably end up doing years for it. At least, if my dream is a premonition, I'll be with some of my favorite people. Now to answer the question: Two things a wicked woman will always do... here it is.
#1. A wicked woman will be bored with the idea of purgatory.
#2. A wicked woman will be relieved that all her favorite people won't be going directly to heaven.

I'm off to bed now. First, though, I'm going to talk to my non-practicing Catholic husband on how to do a hail Mary. It might help, who knows?

Thar' she bloooows..... or not.

I just love a Monday that doesn't feel like Monday. It's like an extra Sunday, or the Sunday that follows two Saturdays. LOL... Or, just keep it simple... it's a four day weekend.

We went on a whale watching excursion on Saturday with some friends, but we didn't see any whales. The captain came over the speakers at one point, saying they had spotted one on their radar/sonar, but it never surfaced. I was a little disappointed, but they gave us vouchers to come again on another day. The day was beautiful and the water was mesmerizing. I really enjoyed just being on the boat. It was extremely windy, though, as you can see in these pictures:

 Look at Bruce's hair blowing all over the place.

 Me on a boat, and I'm wearing flippity floppies.

C'mere and gimme some sugah!!!

Tomorrow is kissy, kissy, smoochy, smoochy day. We have nothing exciting planned but I'm just happy Bruce is simply here for it. Last year was pretty lonely with him 6,500 miles away. Thank goodness that's over with! I gave him his Valentine's present early since he gave me mine last weekend. (The Valentine's Ruby Red Jeep, just in case you forgot.) Oh, he milked it, too. I was going to wait until tomorrow to give it to him, but as soon as I picked the package up from UPS he started begging. Well, as close to begging as he gets. So, now he's the proud owner of some sort of Motorola Elite bluetooth thingy. He gave me a couple of options to pick from. All I had to do was choose one and order it. We make it easy on each other like that and it always works out well.

I've got a cute little gift for Alyssa. It's more of a package, though. There's a cup with hearts all over it, with her name on one side and the Hawaiian equivalent of her name on the other side... which is Lani, and it means "Noble". Also in the bag are little items such as animal crackers, washable markers, a curly straw, a tiny slinky, and even some chocolates. She's going to love it!

We went shopping this past weekend to find Alyssa some shoes. We didn't have much luck, but did find one pair. I've got to find some better shopping places, considering I paid $10 for a pair of flippity floppies. Then today I bought her a pair of tennis shoes at Target that cost $22. This is unheard of for me, seeing as I rarely ever spend that much on a pair for myself. I should have thought that one out first, so it's nobody's fault but my own. I "thought" I'd just try a pair on her to see what size she's in now, but once she saw the pink, purple, and silver hearts, it was all over with. She was in love. Needless to say, I'll be finding that Ross that I saw when we were driving around one day.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day! Go find someone you can smoochy, smoochy, kissy, kissy with... and if you're married then your spouse would be the smartest choice. **wink**

Want to play with my golfball?

I learned something new yesterday. It seems that here in Hawaii, if someone approaches you and asks if you want to play with their golf ball they're really asking if you have, or want to buy, ICE. I'm not exactly sure what ICE is (other than the obvious that it's a drug) but Bruce tells me it's been around awhile. So beware... but, I'm imagining there will be some sort of tip-off before the question anyway. Which makes me realize I need to find out the gun regulations.

It was Girl's Night Out last night. Oh, I had such a great time! Although, at one point we thought there would be a total of seven of us, it ended up being a group of four. Two Navy wives, one Marine wife, and myself... the Army wife. We laughed enough for seven though. We went to The Chart House in Waikiki and had a great table with a view of the water. Fireworks started going off halfway through our meal, and just like little kids, we were riveted. Two of the girls I already "knew" from a website I've been on a while. One of those I met in person last weekend, and one girl was completely new to me. The "new" girl was from TN, too, and a complete charmer. We enjoyed a great meal and four hours of conversation without a lull the entire time. We spent almost another hour chatting in the car when we got to our meeting spot. I needed that. The last time I had a girl's night was when Heather and the Hotlanta Hottie and I got together... and I believe that's simply too long between girl's nights out. Bruce said I should do this more often so that I can find the good restaurants before he and I go out. OK, no need to twist my arm.

****************Gripe & Moan Section*******************

*************** Feel free to stop reading.******************

I had a biopsy on Thursday. It'll be up to two weeks before I get the results. I told Bruce this morning that if I were a horse then someone would've already put me down. I'm now dealing with some pretty intense jaw pain too, up by my ear. I can't yawn or open my mouth wide enough to put food in it without having eye-flinching pain. This is not good because I like to yawn and eat several times a day. I'll be making an appointment Monday morning. I go in next week to have my blood levels checked for a supplement they have me on, and to have the stitches removed. I'm scared the doctor will not take me seriously considering I have so many physical issues going on. Jaw pain, joint pains that seem to vary in intensity and location, a rash that's slowly, yet consistently spreading to every part of my body since September, the pain under my arm from the botched reconstructive surgery, and my on-and-off neck pain. Oh, not to forget the weird things on my jawline that are not acne- as it is on the rest of my face- and the fact that I could give a grown man a run for his money with the lovely facial hair I seem to be growing. Ugh. If it weren't for the fact that I have such a wonderful, sweet and supportive husband, an adorable daughter that brings me joy everyday, I honestly don't know what I would do. When I'm with them, I can put several of these things out of my mind (except the pain), but as soon as I step out of the shower and start my routine of covering/hiding all the crap on my skin from literally head to toe, it makes me mad and sad. I have to work to tell myself positive things such as "it'll be different in six months", "Just smile. Nobody will notice them as much as you do", or "I'll find a doctor that will actually take the time to try to figure out how these things are connected." That's all I can do. And at least my husband tells me he honestly doesn't even "see" these things when he looks at me. He does see them, but says he just doesn't notice them because he loves me, and that his mind just seems to block it out. The only reason I believe him is because I've had friends with bad acne and it was the same for me. Their personalities out shined anything on their skin. I take some consolation in that, and just try to smile a lot more. Well, I guess that's more than enough whining... but I really wish I could scream at the doctors, "Please just take the time to consider these things are connected!!!" I'd had that appointment with a wonderful rhuematologist right before we moved here, and thought I was really on the right track to getting some answers, but I now realize it might be a long road here with new doctors. "RUB SOME DIRT IN IT, CLAIRE!!!", and I will. I ain't no quitter.

I may be technically homeless, but I've got a nice car...

I'm running on about 5 hours of sleep, which to some may seem all right, but for me it's not. I'm hoping the coffee beside me will persuade my eyes to come into complete focus. The reason for this is poor lil' Alyssa. She got sick last night and every time she made a sound I was immediately out of bed checking to see if she needed to be carried to the bathroom. I say 'carried' because she is so very rarely sick that she hasn't learned to get up an run for the bathroom. Bless her heart... she'd just throw up in bed if left to her own devices. So, I'd hear a sniff, followed by a cough, and I'd jump up just to make sure there wasn't anything else that was going to follow. She's set up on the couch now with a pillow and a snuggly blanket. I'm set up with the coffee.

Oh, I just had a thought that made me perk up! My new Jeep! **skies open up and angels begin singing** Yes, I have to brag here and get it all out of my system as I'm sure my friends and family are getting sick of me posting comments and pictures on Facebook. So here goes: I got a new Jeep!!! It's bee-yu-tee-full. I had no intention of getting a new one when we decided we were going to need another vehicle. I DID entertain the idea of buying a used 2011, though, but wasn't going to hold my breath. Bruce was saying he wanted a truck, too, so I had no inclination of what direction things were about to go. So anyway, on Saturday we went to the flea market at the Aloha Stadium but finished a lot earlier than we'd planned. I suggested we drive by the car lots then rather than waiting til Sunday. Long story short, we bought the Jeep that day. Now let me tell you about it. Actually, take a look at it, and then I"ll give details. Please forgive me for so blatantly bragging. I have never owned such a nice vehicle, and my husband floored me when he said "Let's get it. You deserve it, and it'll work into the budget." As if I thought I could love him anymore, he goes and says something like that. Well, here it is:

This is the new 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo upgraded with the Limited package. It's got soft leather bucket seats, dual zone climate control, voice-activated commands, keyless entry... and I can even start it without being in it! Cool, right? Just to make sure I don't hit anything, it's got a rear sensor and camera, so when I put it into reverse the 6.5 inch screen for the dash turns into a video of what's going on behind the vehicle. It has heated seats with a 12 point electronic thingy which basically allows me to move the seat everywhere but onto the street. It has a built-in Garmin, and it's bluetooth equipped too. So, if I need to make a call I just push a button on the steering wheel, the lady asks me who to call and I tell her and she puts the call through. If that's not spoiling me absolutely rotten then I don't know what would.  It has several other things but it's only the stuff that guys would think were cool.

The fact that this absolutely gorgeous, sweet, caring and generous man that I am married to would buy something like this for me and take the older Jeep just makes me feel loved. Very loved. I made sure I worked the sales guy down to the lowest possible price. We already had our financing taken care of, so I knew exactly what I was willing to pay. When we first started talking numbers, Nick (the salesguy) walked inside and came back out with a folded sheet of paper. When he showed it to me, I said "No. No to this and No to this.No, no, no." ((pointing at two separate numbers)) I told him that as much as I liked the Jeep, I was NOT into immediate gratification, and this was only the first day we were looking in person. I let him know that I was not even in da mood. I said "Now Nick, you know from our talking the last couple of hours what I am willing to pay. Going back and forth is not going to work. You either take $------, or we leave." He went in, came back out, and I then told him to knock another several thousand off it and to drop the idea of us doing financing through them. Once again, he went in, came back out, and I had to set him straight AGAIN. Poor thing... I know he doesn't make much of a profit once it drops below the MSRP, but a sale is a sale. Now I have me one fine ride. OH yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.... **bobbing head**

A rainbow a day...

I'm in paradise. Now, don't hate 'cause it's not all perfect, but the weather is absolutely fabulous. Everytime I walk outside, there's a small part of me that braces for the rush of cold air because it IS January everywhere else in the world. Here though, on this beautiful island, it's an average high of 75 right now with average lows around 68. So, I am always surprised when the cold doesn't hit my skin, but rather a relaxing, balmy breeze. I don't think I'll ever take it for granted, even though I've heard people say "after three years you'll be ready to get off the island." Let's give it three years and I'll let you know. For now, I'm happy to wake up, walk outside, and more mornings than not, see a rainbow off our back patio.

It's been crazy since we've been here. Some days are lazy and relaxing, some are rushing around trying to get so many things done. Because of Bruce working during the days, and us only having one car (it's a rental) we can't really spread things out. This past weekend we were driving around trying to check out a lot of houses, even though we didn't want to move into any of them. We're choosing to live on base, but we still had to "aggressively" search out housing until we actually signed the paperwork saying we would accept the house they offered us. We did that today. I was a little hesitant because we agreed to take the house sight-unseen, but I'm trusting that it's the right thing for us. We have seen a clip on youtube, though,  where someone gave a tour of a house with basically the same floor plan, in the same area. It's new. Not brand new, but only one family has lived there before us. We should be ready to move in at the end of February. I just hope our household goods arriving coincide with the home being ready.

Our miniature tiger is with my girlfriend in Atlanta... AKA, the Hotlanta Hottie. She's a bleeding heart for animals, which definitely worked to my advantage. Not only is she just the most wonderful, sweet person you could imagine, but she also convienently lives very near a major airport. Sometimes things just work out, y'know... and in this case it couldn't have worked out better. Ginger (the mini-tiger) is having a blast with her new friend, Melvin, too. He's a long-haired tabby with the same coloring as her, and even though they didn't exactly mesh for the first two weeks, they are now napping together side-by-side. I was told today that Ginger is even allowing Melvin to clean her coat. Yep, that's my cat... she knows how to get things done. Speaking of getting things done, she had her FAVN bloodwork done today. EXPENSIVE, let me tell you. Since I chose to have to bloodwork overnighted to KSU, that was an extra forty bucks on top of everything. I hope that cat, at some level, knows how lucky she is! I am honestly having some slight panic attacks as I watch our savings drop at a drastic speed. It should, and I pray it does, be all reimbursed within the next month. I'm not gonna relax until that happens, though.

Well, it's time to go wake up Alyssa. Quiet time is over, with a capital O. Just as soon as I wake her up, it'll be a mile a minute of toddler talk. Ahhhh....well, it's not that bad, though. As a matter of fact, I really can't wait to hear what she has to say. I never had a clue as to how funny a three year old could be. She says things that literally make me laugh out loud. It's refreshing. Her topics of choice lately are giants and dragons. Let's hope she's not feeling like a dragon when I wake her up. Ta Ta for now.

It's been a week

We've been here a full week now. Due to the Army's schedule of when they start in-processing and the fact there was a federal holiday yesterday, we were lucky enough to have Bruce all week. He's back to work today, but it sure was fun. We rented a car from last Wednesday through today and proceeded to drive around the entire island. I've already decided that my favorite beaches are in the south around Honolulu. Northshore was pretty too, but a little rocky. I've taken tons of pictures that I'm sure are going to start boring all my friends and family on Facebook. I'm thinking one set of waves is not going to look much different from another, at some point.

We had beautiful weather the entire week up until yesterday. It's been raining off and on. What's funny is that when we left here yesterday it was gloomy and sprinkling. By the time we reached the shore it was beautiful. I even got to see two rainbows! We stopped by a macadamia plantation and I picked up a few items by myself. Bruce wasn't as thrilled as I was to go in, so I just told him to wait with Alyssa in the car. Secretly, I was kind of relieved to go in by myself. My child has the tendency to be the bull in the china shop.... bless her heart. And it was nice to get 10 minutes to myself that didn't take place in a bathroom. So, anyway, I bought some black lava sea salt (it's black!), some cinnamon macadamia nuts, and a box of dark chocolate macadamia clusters.

I've been eating a lot of fish here. I'd never tried fish tacos before, but I've had them twice already. I've also tried poke, which is raw fish mixed with onions and greens. I loved it. I bought some real sushi yesterday and I plan on eating it for lunch today. When I say "real", I mean it's different than the stuff I used to buy at Publix with the imitation crab and shrimp. This stuff has real big chunks of raw fish. There's no denying it's SU-SHAY. Oh **sigh** I'm going to love eating over here.

Which makes me think of weight. Since Bruce has been home, I've been eating more than ever. It's been constant eating out, succumbing to desserts, and not always healthy options to pick from. I have no clue what the difference is from when he was not here to now, but what would've made me gain 10 pounds is having the opposite effect. I've actually lost three. Maybe it's all the happiness endorphins from having my husband under the same roof or being in such a beautiful environment. Either way, I was shocked when we bought a scale and I stepped on to see I'd lost. Normally, I wouldn't trust a new scale, but my jeans are loose and Bruce has gained two pounds. lol...

I am now the proud parent of a child who will not shut up. **rolling eyes** Speech delay? Well, let me tell you... delay over. She has, within a month, mastered the English language. OK, so maybe not "mastered" the entire thing, but with the attitude of her delivery, we understand 100%. Her words, about 80%. Also, I can't help but think "All right people, where the hell did this kid learn to roll her eyes at three years of age!" Oh, I bet it was from Cruella the drunk, off-duty, Delta flight attendant. Yeah, I forgot about that evil, eye-rolling chick. ;)~

If yesterday had only been caught on video, it may have even seemed humorous with a replay.

Let me start out by telling you that flying should be a reasonably pleasant experience. Barring the screaming child with ears that won’t pop, or having a person of larger size in the seat next to me and yet taking up my space, too…. I enjoy flying. Even after 30 or so flights, the novelty had not worn off. Take note of the past tense “had”.

I wrote the flight to South Korea off as a situational purgatory. I mean, really, who wants to fly non-stop fifteen hours with a two year old? Only a sadist, I say. But an eleven hour day of flying, which included two stops, and also a husband to help with the now three year old, I thought it would be fun. Um, not so much. Amazingly, my child was an angel throughout almost all of the day. We started our journey in the Augusta airport, which is tiny. All the people there were so nice. I guess it’s because they don’t seem deluged with crazy travelers, yet that’s where the first mistake occurred. They didn’t give my husband his boarding pass, just a small slip of paper that I guess they let passengers board with there. Not so in San Fransisco, as we were to find out later. So after I went through the security checkpoint with a family we had been chatting with on the flight, with Bruce following and holding Alyssa, he was re-ject-ed.  Oh! But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let me first tell you about Atlanta. In case you don’t know they board passengers with small children first, then the rest follow by section. We were the first to get on, along with the family I mentioned before. Even though all tickets were bought at the same time, they wouldn’t give Bruce a seat until we checked in. Go figure, but as I’m sure you can imagine where this is going, we had to do some charming, followed by threatening the passenger who was seated beside Alyssa and I. Now before you think I got all redneck with him, I didn’t. I just batted my eyelashes and asked if he was traveling by himself (yes) and if he would mind greatly switching seats with my husband so that we could all sit together. He was a big whiner. After listening to a two minute spiel about how he was flying ALL the way to Hawaii and didn’t feel like sitting anywhere else, I simply said “Oh, bless your heart… then I should forewarn you that my daughter is three and her ears have trouble popping, on top of being in that “three” stage, so if you’re looking for a calm flight, it might be to your advantage to switch… she’ll probably get a little ornery.” More whining from grown middle-aged man. Thankfully, there was a gentleman sitting in the row across from us who said “Sir, I had a window seat in row 35 that I am not using, please feel free to take it.” STILL more whining, but he moved. Seriously, he got to move to a window seat, NINE rows away from ALL the small children on the flight. I’d call that a generous offer. But you know…. Some people can really whine. Now stay with me here, I’m not done whining myself, lol. You see that wasn’t all that was going on during those first moments of boarding. All four families, including a total of six children had the opportunity to  hear this: “All children should be drowned at birth”. This came from the lovely, possibly drunk hag, that was an off-duty Delta flight attendant. I kid you not. Several of us just stood there in disbelief. The woman in the row behind me asked her for her name, to which she responded “WHY?” When asked if she was a flight attendant she said yes, but that she was off duty. Finally, she gave the name “Margaret”. Surprise, surprise... that wasn’t her real name. She gave her real name to a lovely young childless woman named Nadia, who took offense to what she said but buttered her up during conversation throughout the flight to get details about her…. Which when the plane landed in San Fransisco, she promptly approached us with and asked us to write Delta about her, too.

 At this point, we’ve had two connecting flights, had been told we’d were supposed to get a meal on the flight from Atlanta to Hawaii, but had yet to see anything other than seven mini pretzels, and been forced to listen to Cruella De Ville, the off-duty flight attendant rant about methods of killing the offspring of us "breeders."

This is where I need to refer to the San Francisco security checkpoint and the incident of being separated from my husband and child. Now, the TSA agents were only doing their job, which I think is necessary, and I applaud them for being thorough, it’s just hard to look at it like that when it’s happening to you or someone you’re with, and you have twenty minutes until take-off. Enter the charming TSA gentleman who saw me still standing in the check point area perplexed. The other military family we were sitting with stayed with me, which was really nice, and he approached us and asked if I had Bruce’s boarding pass by mistake, which I did not, but as soon as I mentioned he was military, the gentleman said he’d take care of it immediately and would return with my husband and child. About four minutes later, Bruce and Alyssa walked through the security checkpoint escorted by him. He was such a sweetheart.

OK, still not done getting out the poison here. On the final leg of our flight, thinking we were going to get a meal, we did not buy any food during the short layover, before boarding the same plane. The flight attendant had told me my daughter’s stuff would be fine left in the seat, so I left her bottle of water in the seat. Gone, when we got back. That is, of course, when Alyssa started begging for something to drink. That’s all I’d had! So, no big deal, I thought I’d just ask the flight attendant for some water, right? I pushed the button for the flight attendant. At that point we had 5 hours and 35 minutes remaining in the flight. When she came to ask us what we needed there was 3 hours and 5 minutes left in the flight. Yep, over a two hour wait. Thank goodness Alyssa had fallen asleep across our laps, because I can’t believe that Delta would consider that a reasonable amount of time before getting back to a passenger. Seriously people! I know the cost of gas is high, but when the tickets for three people cost around three thousand dollars, is it unreasonable to think you could get some damn water? Not to mention, this attendant was rude, deaf, and huge! She hit every single person going down the aisle. Every time I looked at her I couldn’t help but think of the stereotypical mean German nurse named Helga. She was so rude, I’m just going to leave it at that, but let me tell you, by the time we were asked if we wanted something to eat, they were all out of sandwiches and snack boxes. We got a fruit plate with two apple slices, three cheese slices, one strawberry, ten grapes, and two crackers. Alyssa ate most of that, and Bruce and I split an expensive “snack box” between the two of us. What I don’t understand is what the hell is the airline thinking? Are they trying to push people to the point of aggression by depriving them of water, while waiting for their blood sugar levels to plummet? I think it might be a ploy to garner public sympathy from those who do not fly, by creating these situations and then putting a PR spin on it as if “look how badly our attendants are treated.” I kept my mouth shut, kept a smile on my face, but inside I was cussing every attendant out with some of the dirtiest words of any known language. I know if my father knew what I was thinking he would still ground me even though I'm pushin’ forty.

Some positive points… I met two great Sara’s who are staying at the same military hotel as we are, with their families. We are now fifth on the housing list, which is a huge plus. A gallon of milk is only $4.81, which is actually good because I was scared it would be $6-7 a gallon. And finally, it's a beautiful day here in Hawaii, and I have a strong feeling I'm going to be saying that quite a lot over the next few years. I have more to write but this has been enough for one day, and the hotel's internet is about to literally drive me to the point of insanity. Maybe I need a nap.

You think you're busy? Read this....

It's wilder than a spider monkey jacked up on mountain dew here. There's a three year old running around who has discovered how to speak in full sentences. (And why was I rushing that? I forgot.) There's about seventeen half-finished lists in various spots throughout the house, and it's just getting started! Anyway, it's been a lot of fun and a lot of work. We drove to TN to visit some family the day after Christmas. That was the shortest trip we've ever made there. Drove down on Monday, left on Wednesday morning. My favorite part of the trip was Monday and Tuesday... lol. It was bittersweet though knowing that we aren't going to see our family and friends for a while... possible a very looong while.

To backtrack, Christmas was fantastic. Alyssa loved all her gifts from Santy Claus, and all her birthday gifts too. When I looked at everything under the tree, I thought "Wow... that's spoiling a kid." BUT, when I reminded myself that it was her birthday too, then it seemed reasonable. Also, this was a special Christmas since Bruce wasn't here last year. It was just a big celebration all the way 'round. He made her the most precious little "princess castle" birthday cake. It was a non-stop, but fun day.

New Year's was very relaxing and low-key. Oh, well... 34 minutes of the evening was at least until we crashed at 10pm. It was the anniversary of the night we met, too. I'm so pig-in-the-mud-happpy with this man that I don't even miss a big date night to celebrate. I'm just over the moon to have him home. Back to the business at hand...  We signed a contract with a rental manager to take care of renting out our home. The woman we decided to go with is a hoot. I think she's going to take good care of us. We also sold the Jeep Wrangler. All this in a six hour time span. And I mean from posting the car ad to it being loaded on a trailer, and signing all our paperwork and having a "For Lease" sign put in the front yard.

Yesterday we realized we needed some more luggage for our move to Hawaii. I checked online and decided we'd start with Kohl's and Target. Kohl's ended up having the best deals for the best luggage. It was BOGO free for all Samsonite luggage, plus I had a 20%  off coupon. It was an investment, but when it was all said and done, we paid about 40% of the original price for two large and two medium pieces of luggage. They're so nice. Four wheels, ultra-light, effortless movement. I don't know why, but it just thrills me that we now own some really, really good luggage. They've got a bluish sheen to them too. Just real purty, I tell ya.

The fun doesn't stop there! Today we're taking down all our Christmas decorations. Bruce is out now having the oil changed in our one remaining Jeep. **sniff, sniff**  Then tomorrow morning we're picking up a rental SUV and we're off to Atlanta! Ginger, the miniature tiger, is going to be roommates with my girlfriend Kimberly until she can be flown over to Hawaii, and we're dropping the Jeep off to be shipped overseas. Then turning around and driving back.

AND THEN... the packers will be here the next morning! Three days of watching them put everything in boxes, not to be seen for at least another month. I've got a hotel for us starting on the second day just in case they finish up early. Lord have mercy, this is a whirlwind. Somehow I have to work in three haircuts, highlighting my hair, picking up medical records, getting an extra insurance policy on the home, and not least of all... keeping little tater tot entertained through it all. Our final thing here will be to hop on a plane and hurry up and wait til we get there. I can already smell the breezes and taste the Mai Tai's.

So, 2011 is over.... thank you little baby Jesus... and we're on the brink of our next adventure.

Yes, Santa, I've been a very, very good girl.

Bruce has been home for two weeks but it's hard to believe. In a way I feel like he just got home yesterday, but then there are moments when it feels as if he was never gone. It's odd in a way to feel like this, but either way I am so truly happy to enjoy his company again. This wonderful man has let me sleep in almost every morning. He's gotten up with Alyssa, made her breakfast, entertained her... all while I sleep away upstairs. Two mornings I even slept til 9am! I almost feel rested. HAHAHAHA.... then I remember that all hell is about to break loose with our schedule. Oh, the joy of it. Actually, I am very excited. Or at least I will be when we're in a house and unpacking.

I saw a Rheumatologist today. He asked me many questions, was concerned with my symptoms, and actually told me three things that my symptoms may be pointing to. He reviewed the xrays that were in the system and was able to see a couple of things that the initial Dr. who had ordered the xray missed. After he did an examination I went and had blood work, has a very specific x-ray of my pelvis done, then picked up a vitamin D supplement from the pharmacy for the deficiency I seem to have. I can't tell you how much better I feel, just from the fact alone that I was able to see a Dr. that seem to care, took the time to listen, followed up with his own questions, and finally gave me an idea of what my immune system may be doing. A part of me has relaxed just knowing that this man is obviously a good Dr. Too bad we're moving in two weeks, but he did say he will connect me with a Dr where we are going.

We took Alyssa to see Santa this morning. Poor Santa. He looked as if he was about to have congestive heart failure. He was sweating and wearing the weakest smile. The poor man needed a fan with that thick suit on. I may just call the mall tomorrow and tell them do something about that. Well, anyway, Alyssa sat on his lap, told him to look at her pretty dress, then told him she wanted a book, a ball, and a piano. Santa's got it covered. **wink**

This Christmas is going to big for us. Bruce is home, Alyssa turns three, and of course Santa's coming. What a day! Bruce already gave me my Christmas present 'cause I was just so damn good. It's a Kindle Fire. It is so cool and like any kid with a new toy, I take it everywhere with me. Now the big question is: What do I get him???? He wanted a camera, which we tried to buy, but they were out, and now he says he doesn't want one right now. What's a girl to do?!?! Brainstorming begins...

Merry Christmas!