On Hiatus!

Well gang, we’re off to TDL. (Temporary Duty Lodging I think it means…) The movers took all of our stuff and now all that’s left in our little three bedroom house is this computer, two kitties, a puppy and mounds of dust bunnies. Animals aren’t allowed to stay in TDL, so we’re leaving them here, but don’t worry, we’re always over here doing cleaning so Jedi Kitty doesn’t go nuts.  (I found her on top of the refrigerator under the cabinets petrified when I came in earlier. Some protector……)

  So we won’t have internet at TDL, but we should be arriving in Indiana to visit the inlaws about this time next week.  Then, we should be able to drive the two hour trip and get a house the next day. (I’m very excited.) We only have Dew’s cell phone, so if you need to get in touch with us it’s 406-231-3763 and we’ll be considered roaming after we leave Montana on Tuesday.(In case of emergencies only)

 I’m hoping Dew will take me to see the new Will Ferrell movie (Stranger than Fiction) tomorrow. It’ll be a federal holiday and we won’t have *anything* else to do. Well, Dew won’t. I took some black and white drawings from Lisu’s website and I’m going to color! (me= four years old again)

Derek went to the hospital to do his check up the other day and they put him on high blood pressure medication. (SUCK!) We had just started a diet and exercise regimen together in the evenings and now we have to postpone it until  we find out if Dew will get vertigo from the new meds. (by the way, he’s going to talk to the Dr about a snore clinic once we get to Ohio to make sure he doesn’t have sleep apnea.)

I love you all and won’t talk to you for a week or so. Miss me!

(Try my music player! Press the triangle)

Rough Stuff

The movers are here packing all of our things. I’ve been sick to my stomache all friggin day. Not because I’m actually sick… I guess I’m just nervous. One by one, my candles go into a box. My angel statues, our wedding and family photos. They so easily transfer. So why is this becoming so hard for me? I feel so silly. I never would have survived as a military brat. I’m so scared of the unknown.  I *finally* made a few really good friends here. Now I’m starting all over. In San Angelo, I never had to worry. I’d known and grown up with my friends practically since birth. I’d loved all my friends for so long and never worried about losing them. Moving here was hard, but being around Brandi and Jeni made me feel so at home.

Now I don’t have my San Angelo buddies or my Great Falls buddies. Derek keeps reminding me of our family over there and I’m blessed that I’ll know some people that I care for. I just won’t have any pals that I can call up and say, “Hey, I’m gonna run by and see you in a few minutes.”  Fortunately we’ll have family hugs for all the holidays and someone to watch Caity when Dew and I want to go on a date.

 Okay, now I’m just stalling. I’m afraid of the unknown and I know it. I’ve got all of these ridiculous doubts and fears going through my head. My buddy Lisu lived in Illinois for two years and didn’t find anyone whom she was really close with.  They thought she was weird. Well so am I! Why can’t I just be packed up into a box? Put me in a box and when I wake up, I’ll be in the new place as though nothing  ever cahnged, the house will just look a little different. So this is what happens when a small town girl is transplanted from  flower box to flower box. My roots get cut off and  I’m placed in foreign soil. I never could keep a plant alive…  Perhaps that attributes to my bad analogy?

 I’m looking on the bright side, I’ve just got a few jitters. I’m hoping that with the volunteer work, I’ll meet some nice pals there. We’ll already have volunteering and Christianity in common. (it’s a Catholic faith-based orphanage.)

 As of the past few months, Dew has been pestering me for a new TV. A BIG one. One of the down sides of  owning an entertainment center with enough room for a large television is when you put a mid-sized tv in that area, it looks dwarfed. So every time Derek walks through the room, he claims the mid-sized TV is mocking him.  I really want to get it for him…. So if they have any paid positions at the orphanage, I just might take it.  I’m not going to throw myself into “just any” job. It was hard being away from Caity working at PD, and that’s my dream job. So it’s going to have to be pretty special to pull me away from being a stay at home mom. I think an orhpanage would do just the trick. 

  Anyhow, I’m going to go clean the suitcase I’ll be living out of for the next few weeks.

Love to all and don’t mind my whining. This is the only place I can vent without Derek calling me a big baby. =)

PS, have you guys seen that thing called a Zoombox? I WANT ONE! it’s three hundred bucks, but OH SO COOL! it’s like a movie projector and plays DVD, TV and video games on your wall and makes it life size. When I win the lottery, I’m buying ya’ll one.

Signs That Mean You’re a Grown Up

25. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them.  True- Okay, well I never smoked any of my plants to begin with. But even so, I’m feeling successful because I’ve managed to keep two ivy plants alive for a year!
24. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question. True
23. You keep more food than beer in the fridge. True- Haha, most of the time. We had a going away barbeque last night and it  was BYOB. Well everyone LTOB. (Left Their Own Beer) We didn’t buy any food because we’re moving soon so we have a door full of condiments and 3 cases of beer.
22. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed. True (sad but true)
21. You hear your favorite song in an elevator. True, but Mom will confess that I’ve always sang out loud to all elevator and grocery store music just to be obnoxious.
20. You watch the Weather Channel. True- It’s downloaded to my computer… ^_^; (So what? It’s really weathery here!)
19. Your friends marry and divorce instead of “hook up” and “break up.” Haha! TRUE! Congrats Nathan and Lori!
18. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14. FALSE! I’m a bum and have no job!
17. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.” True. Job interviews frown on that…
16. You’re the one calling the poli ce because those %&@# kids next door won’t turn down the stereo.  False. I’m not that old… yet.
15. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you. Sadly (grossly) true.
14. You don’t know what time Taco Bell closes anymore. False, 1 AM BABY! It’s time for fourth meal!
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up. True. *hangs head*
12. Y ou feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald’s leftovers. True, yeah, but only cause she barfs up Mc Donalds…
11. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt. False, I have a comfy couch
10. You take naps. True! On my comfy couch!
9. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one. True. =)
8. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach. True.
7. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests. True, but I wasn’t that kind of girl anyways.
6. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good shit.” False. Boones Farm is the bomb!
5. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time. True. yeah, so what?
4. “I just can’t drink the way I used to” replaces “I’m never going to drink that much again.” I’ll say true on that one just because my hubs said it the other night. =)
3. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work. False… Haha!
2. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them  instead of asking “What the hell happened?” Hee hee true =)

1. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn’t apply to you and don’t find enough to compensate your youthful feeling.  SO WHAT?!?

Orphanage and Ohio

Well, I’d said I really didn’t need to “work” when I got to Ohio, but I don’t want to be bored… So I did an internet search for volunteer work and knew exactly what I wanted to find. It was one of the first things I looked for before I moved to Great Falls. I have found…. *drum roll*….. The St. Joseph Orphanage!  http://www.stjosephorphanage.org/  I’ve sent a letter to the one located in Dayton and I included a copy of the letter at the bottom of this entry. I’ve always wanted to adopt a child, but I know Derek is focused on having several of our own before we consider adopting any… Whatever. This way I can be around the kids and spread all of my love to them without having to twist Derek’s arm into adoption. 

*secret confession* Before I got married, I’d planned on becoming a missionary and joining an orphanage  in Kenya or a Latin country. I always figured I’d adopt some kids there. It’s silly the things we don’t often talk about. I figured if I couldn’t marry Derek, (I know, I was a lovesick fool for him then too) I’d marry my work.

Well, now I have my cake and can eat it too!  Now I know what some of you are thinking, I’ll want to take them all home, and that’s probably true… But God gave me a huge heart and I want to spread as much love as I possibly can.  The only catch is, I think it’ll give me even more love in return! I guess it’s all my Daddy’s fault. When he adopted me years ago, it opened my eyes to a true love.  It showed me that you can love somone more than your own life, even when they aren’t your own flesh and blood.  Now I see so many of my family members aren’t my flesh and my blood, but love me so much anyway.

So here’s the sappy part: Thank you for everyone who loves me even though I’m not made of the same blood as you. My Lee Grandparents, My stepmom,  My Aunt Syndi, My Inlaws, My Bro Nathan,  My best friends, My old ’Group’, and all the rest of you. I blame you all for giving me so much love. Now I have to share it in return with children who have little to know worldly possessions and not nearly enough true love in their lives. They have hard daily battles, learning disabilities, emotional problems and more…. But I want to be involved in every last part. Both the good and the bad. Just like you have all done for me.   

 Thank you and I love you.

The letter:

“ Please pardon my interruption; I know you have a busy day. My name is Amanda Williams and I was hoping for a little information on your facility.
   In two short weeks, my family will be moving to Dayton, Ohio and I was looking for volunteer work or employment at a local facility involving children who require special attention, patience and love. I found your website through an internet search and was hoping to speak with someone on behalf of the staff members there. I am very interested in working with children and I have wonderful references and a healthy amount of experience.
 As I stated, I am available for charity/volunteer status as well.  Do you have any opinions or can you point me in the direction of someone who can lend a few words as to where I can find a loving experience while we spend a few years in Dayton?
 I do appreciate your time and if I’ve contacted the wrong person, please pardon my intrusion. Thank you for any and all help.
Sincerely,
Amanda Williams”

Happy Halloween!

Caity in her carrot costume:

Her hair is such a strange color, it almost looks red like her Uncle Phil’s hair is. Maybe she really will become a “carrot top”… baaaaaaaaad pun.. I know. =)

Homesick

I miss the thrill of grammar school romances
I miss the junior prom and graduation dances
The gossip in assembly hall
I’m homesick, that’s all

I miss the gang that hangs around at Miller’s
Devouring chocolate sodas, with those whipped cream fillers
The girl I promised I would call
I’m homesick, that’s all

I miss the midnight services on Christmas Eve
And the joy when Christmas morning came
I miss the scramble for the wishbone every Sunday
And the big Thanksgiving football game

I miss the times I had to set the table
I miss the rolls my mother made when she was able
The fragrant bonfires in the fall
I’m homesick, that’s all
Credit to Frank Sinatra

Holy (fat free) Cannolies, Batman!

 Okay, so I’m trying not to get too excited. It could just be an error on behalf of the scale (although it’s said this for two days in a row). I’ve lost a pound! Woot! Just since the last post! It’s been about a business week…. I’m officially 169! I’ve been so good with food portions and drinking my water. There’s some diet pills still in the cabinet from failed dieting tricks  before… It says they’re supposed to be used in comjunction with diet and exercise. (which I really wasn’t doing beforehand) However, I’m so proud of my progress and determination, I don’t want to jinx it with diet pills that might clog up my system and slow my efforts. Besides, most of them are 99% caffeine and I enjoy coffee waaaaaay more than stinky old pills.  A contributing factor to my 1lb success is the fact that I left my wallet in Dew’s truck while he was in the field and I don’t have a spare key. Therefore I couldn’t go get the milkshake and cheeseburger I’ve been craving for days.

Not for inlaws eyes: (I don’t want you to know how strange I am) Anyhow, whenever I lose weight, I treat myself by going pants-less. I like to run around the house this way. The animals get excited because they know it means we get to dance around to obnoxious music.  Derek thinks I’m crazy  doing the no-pants dance so I wait until he’s gone.  Don’t tell me you’ve never done that before. If not, you’ve *got* to try it. (assuming you don’t have company over…) Underpants and a t-shirt while blaring “Dancing Queen” techno remix is the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Distraction: Derek comes home today!!!!! This was his last tour. We have TMO scheduled to come pick up our furniture on Nov 7&8th and the 9th is a holiday. So by the following Monday we should have our final inspection and hit the road. And we shouldn’t have to deal with Flouff any more! (hooray! stupidest name/man ever)

I discovered a new band that apparently only has two songs out. Bitter Sweet, look up “The Mating Game”. They have a mysterious sound to them I dig it.

New pictures of Caity in Indianapolis Colts Jersey and running uniform! http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j48/Life_by_us/

That’s all for now and love to all!

PS, forgive my typos. Jedi Kitty is insisting she sit on my arms as I type…. protecting me from the keys I suppose.

Cardio Cardio!

Okay, so Billy Blanks and I have been dating for almost a month now. Three times a week we have a special workout just the two of us. No, I’m not talking about a real date, I mean Tae Bo! Now over the past two months, I’ve lost 15lbs, but I’m at a peak and can’t seem to lose any more. So I’m gonna try and work out 5 times a week, plus I’m really watching what I eat and the portions.  I stay away from sodas and candies as a general rule so that’s not a problem and I drink my daily water. That’s figured by taking the amount you weigh (170lbs) and divide it in half (85) and that’s how many ounces of water you should drink a day.  I’ve also read that keeping a journal will help you keep track of your progress.  So here’s my journal!

 I’m working on losing inches, not just pounds so I’ll humble myself by also putting my inches online.  *gulps*  I’m not so worried about it because I shine in the fact that I’ve already lost 15 pounds and  these numbers were much larger. DON’T JUDGE ME!!!! =)

Waist (around bellybutton) 34.5

Hips (two inches below bellybutton) 40.5

Lower hips/butt  41.5

Those probably aren’t the places that  are really considered the waist, hips, etc, but it’s a starting place. Besides, those two are my biggest challenges. My butt is already relatively muscular, so I don’t expect to lose much off that number. My hips number is my biggest feat…That’s where all the muscles went crazy from carrying the baby and they’re all lose and yucky. I know, I know.. T.M.I….. But I’m going  to do this! I’m very excited. Plus, I feel *so* good after i do that Tae Bo. I work off all that frustration from  dealing with our buddy Flouff from Outbound assignments.

  By the way, Derek wrote to his supervisor and I called back first thing this morning. Surpisingly, we have orders today. *mischevious grin*

 Also, I finally found out what a selvage is! (credit to Joy’s mom) so I can officially work on the rest of my slipcover!!

Everything’s Changed But it’s Still the Same

Derek spoke to the outbound assignments office and apparently, we officialloy have a hard copy of our orders.. Meaning we can call and snag a house in Ohio and can set up TMO to come move our stuff. They were supposed to have emailed the orders to Derek to print off shortly after 8am. Of  course, they weren’t there at that time. So by 2pm I called and spoke to the fat,obnoxious man in Outbound whom we’ve been dealing with for the past three months. He said he forgot to get another woman to sing it and as soon as she’s done, he’ll email it to Dew. (by 4pm, it still wasn’t there.) So I thought I’d get a head start and begin making some phone calls to people on our outprocessing list.  all five of them didn’t answer and three of the  five had answering machines saying they wouldn’t be back in until Monday, Oct 30th. This wouldn’t be a problem, except that the fat obnoxious guy asked when we were hoping to be out of here by waaaay back when we first got the word a month ago. We told him we were optimistic and wanted to be on the road by nov 1st. So he put that down as our definite leave-by date.  Derek says the guy can push the date back, but fat obnoxious man said it would be a big problem. How can we move by next Wednesday when we don’t even have out orders yet? Man that guy bothers me. On top of it all, his last name is Flouff.  What kind of name *is* that?  Sorry, that dude just irritated me.  I’ll be glad to be on a different base.

  Well, we had a *great* trip to Washington.  We visited Derek’s buddy Mike Bentley who lives there with his girlfriend Joy and family. They were totally hospitable and  loved the baby. (Caitlyn’s fussy now that we’re back because she’s not constantly being held.) Ha. =)  Anyhow, Joy and I have a lot in common and her mom was great too. Her mom made this great Sunday roast and she makes it the same way my mommy used to make it for me. I could close my eyes and feel my Mommy in the room. =) Lame, I know, but it really made me feel better.  The boys went off to play paint ball and Derek has the world’s biggest welt on his inner thigh. Later that night, we played games and made fun of each other. I had a pretty bad cold, but everyone tried hard to help me feel better. It really was like being in a family I’d known forever. (again, I know I’m lame. lay off already!)

Caitlyn got her first Halloween costume today. I’m not telling what it is, but I’ll post pictures soon enough.

love to all!

Flashdance!!!

So tonight was my last night at work. It went really well in my opinion. My supervisor Karen had the day off, but came by for a few hours and was funny. Judi’s been on vacation which is fine by me. I’ve been getting the feeling that she and Leslie don’t like me as much as I like them. (Which I’m also okay with) ^_^ I’ve learned alot in the past few years. It’s okay to like someone more than they like you. You have the upper hand in knowing you’ll always be a faithful friend and that makes you the bigger person. As Lady Lovelylocks once said, “Goodness is it’s own reward.” Ahhh, the 80′s. Speaking of which, you have *GOT* to see my new shoes. (but you can’t because I can’t find any pictures online and don’t feel like getting out of my chair to retrieve the camera.)

  They are black Chuck Taylor/Converse hi-tops  with a huge Batman logo emblazened on the back! Here’s a similar picture, except it doesn’t have a million tiny logos all over, just a big one on the back. http://www.nextag.com/Converse-Toddlers-All-Star-511598661/prices-html Like I told dispatch, I’m totally the coolest kid in school now. If this were the third grade, I’d be big kid on campus and you know it!

So for my last day at dispatch, I kinda went all out and bought two large pizzas… equaling 40 bucks.  My husband didn’t think to ask me how much it cost until right before I slid out the door, so he couldn’t be too mad at me for too long. Meanwhlie, I get paid in an hour, so all is well. We’re headed up to Washington this weekend to visit Dew’s friend Bentley while we’re still on his side of the continent.   Plus, we might get to go paintballing! Woo hoo!

Anyhow, I love you all. If you don’t hear from me for awhile, it’s because my friends and neighbors were overcome by jealousy at the site of my new shoes and have locked me in their basement… or because I’m in Washington. Whichever.