Haha Plug

So I spent about 3 hours today in the hot hot sun with Katie & Keith at our neighborhood pool and I'm BURNED!! Just put on my Mary Kay after sun gel and OH MY GOSH its amazing. I swear it just took my body temperature down 10+ degrees!!! Ooo lala.

So...7.2 down this week!

Catching up.

Ahhhhhhhh. Yes, that was a sigh of relief. I've survived my first visit by tons of family! We even had some fun. Imagine.

This is Grandma Raine waiting for us to finish our rides at the amusement park by the space needle...This is Jimmy, Tara & Keith on the water ride:

Cute huh?

Keith, Kim, Tara & Jimmy after the pirate boat ride...too bad Katie & Adam weren't there...:(

Kim & Keith at Pudget Sound. Our cousin lives right there on the water and we went to her house for dinner that night.

Right after Katie & Jimmy got here we got to watch Keith do an airborne jump. He landed on his head but is perfectly fine. It was really nerve racking to see that little dot way up there and think oh my god thats my husband plummeting to the ground. Kind of a rush but way scary!Katie showing us where Keith is

Keith is 2nd from the left

He survived!

Getting ready to go again

We went into Seattle one day and did the Space Needle (again...I think I'm going to get really sick of the Space Needle...) then had a nice lunch and rode some carnival rides. The rest of the time we spent here at the house or on post doing touristy stuff. The post museum was neat. They have pieces of a Saddam statue that Keith witnessed the blowing up of. That was neat for us.I picked Saddam's nose!! And lived to tell about it. I should have a t-shirt made.

Art...I guess.

I still have Katie, for a few months and we're loving having her here. Jimmy will be leaving us on Saturday and while I"ll miss him I wont' miss the grocery bill that comes with feeding a growing 16 year old boy!!
Katie and I went for a walk yesterday and did some exploring of the area. We found out my pool out here has water aerobics so we're going to try to start that tomorrow. It's 3 times a week so that would be great!!

I pulled a stupid with my college classes this semester and signed up for one I'd already taken so now we're working on getting it switched to another class...d'oh!

Oh and we didn't end up going to the ball we had planned on going to. Our friends didnt end up with tickets and we wouldn't have known anyone there so we decided to do something else that night. Of course we got completely ready and even left for the ball before deciding this. We got about 15 minutes down the road before I realized I didn't have my ID and for those who speak military spouse you know that that means. For those that don't it means I couldn't have gotten on post for the ball anyways. So we turned the car around and it was then that I decided since we were already an hour late and would be close to 2 hours late getting there and wouldn't even know anyone I didn't want to go. SO we called our friends that didn't get tickets and the kids and Keith & I met them for dinner. Then they came out here, they all got plastered and we played guitar hero all night. Much more fun!

Here's us ready to go.....Katie did my hair and it was awesome so I kept it up all nice for dinner...millions of bobby pins and all!

Ryan showing Jimmy some love at dinner.

Breckan rocking our socks off.

Keith finally fixed his car so I have mine back!!! And he paid to fix it with his personal savings which was way cool since we paid my tuition out of this months pay. :P


I seriously think thats all that's going on here. Not a bad life. :)

Oh my geez.

So picture this. 3 bedroom house. Husband, Wife, 3 dogs, 3 cats, cousin, sister, cousin, grandmother, aunt....5 days. That would sound fine right? Until it's my house...
I havent cleaned. Have to go to the grocery store because this 16 year old cousin is eating me out of house and home...growth spurts be damned. Have to survive this.
We've never lived close enough for people to come to our house. And if they ever did it was 1 or 2 people for 1 or 2 days. Not 5 PEOPLE FOR 5 DAYS!!! Dont' get me wrong. This is why we moved here, to have family close and I'm sure we'll have a great time. Its just weird that its gonna be at "our house". Anyone catch what I'm throwin???

New Kitten

Yes, we have a new baby in the house. Shes very unique and sooo playful! Here are some pictures. Her name is Keeley, which means lively & aggressive in Irish. As I type shes trying to figure out how to land on my fingers and not fall off the desk. I can tell this one's gonna be a turd. :)

Sex & Lattice

Yesterday was a good day. Started out later than we wanted. I made pancakes and then we had our friends Breckan & Ryan over. My little cousin Claire had stayed over the night before so it was nice to visit with her. Breckan and I dropped Claire off at the bus stop in Yelm to head home because she had to work early today and then Breckan & I went to see Sex & The City. It was soo good! It was actually a lot more graphic than I expected but I guess if they were going to do a movie of that show it had to be over the top. I was very pleased with how they did the movie, the ending and such was great.
While Breckan and I did the movie, the guys went to the hardware store to pick up lattice to put around my porch. Of course when you send 2 guys to the hardware store for just lattice they come home with $188 less dollars and a new sprayer, nail gun, and lattice. Nerds. They even got these matching "free" hats that they wore the rest of the day.
The lattice isn't up yet, we have to stain it today but it will be done by the end of the week and I'm SOOO excited. I think its really going to add character to the house, not to mention keeping the neighborhood cats from using it as their litter box...
Here are a couple pictures of the process:


Keiths silly face:

Being manly with the saw...

Keith had to climb under the porch to mark where to attach each piece of lattice...he decided to play peek a boo...

I decided to take this one so some day I can say, here's where I burried him Officer...

And of course, this is where we "supervised" from:

One of those days

Today was pretty much a good day. It started way too early but I'll survive. Obviously it wasn't too early since here it is 4 a.m. the next morning and I'm awake to write this blog...
I went dress shopping with a good friend of mine here for the ball we're going to on Thursday. She found her perfect dress...its stunning, of course. This girl, Breckan, is adorable. In the last 2 years she's lost 100+ lbs using lap band and was able to buy a size 6 dress from Macy's for this ball. So basically 2 years ago she was my size or just below it and yesterday fit into her dream dress. She was talking about how she was just going to wear one of her old prom dresses to the ball until she realized they would be way too big. How cool would that be??? Maybe next year! We have a ball in December and if I stick to this new diet and it actually does what it says it will, I could potentially be down like 50+ lbs and have to buy a much smaller size dress for the ball in December. My ultimate goal is to get into my high school homecoming dress from my Jr. year again at some point. We shall see.
I started my nutrisystem yesterday and have already learned a valuable lesson today. I had my nutrisystem dinner and then made spaghetti for Keith and my cousin Claire who is out here this weekend with us. I thought I'd just have a tiny amount of spaghetti and tiny piece of garlic bread and proceeded to spend the rest of the night in the bathroom, very sick. So, lesson learned: go ahead and cook for everyone else but find a way to keep my mits off the real food, hehe.
I'm hoping to go see Sex & The City today if I'm feeling better when I get up again. B & I have been dying to go see it but she only comes down from Portland, where she lives, on weekends to see her boyfriend Ryan, who works with Keith. We haven't found the time as of yet to go see it but the boys *Keith & Ryan* are supposed to be doing some house chores for me tomorrow so while they're putting the lattice up around my porch to keep the critters out we'll sneak off to our movie. I really miss my girlfriends from Augusta lately but I think its just because I've made very few friends in the time I've been here. I've met a few of my neighbors, who are top notch people, but they're mostly visit over the fence people, not hang out and do anything people. I have 1 friend on post who I can only take in small doses and then Breckan, who's only here on weekends. I guess if I give it time I'll settle in. It just always frustrates me how long it takes me to make friends. I generally have good luck with the ones I do make, it just takes a while.
Alright, I'm gonna try to go back to bed for a while. We're having company for breakfast in 6 hours and I'm so not ready to be up yet! xoxo
Oh, this is Breckan and her dress:

On death & dying

Do you think you can miss someone who you never knew? My sister-in-law lost a baby late last year and Ive really been missing her lately. It seems weird to me that she was never here but my heart still misses her so much. Thoughts?

5 Important Lessons, passed onto me by my mom

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady. During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: 'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?' Surely this was some kind of joke.. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. 'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello.' I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. 2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: 'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.' Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole. 3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve. In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. 'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked. 'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. 'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. 'Thirty-five cents,' she replied. The little boy again counted his coins. 'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies... You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip. 4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path. In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a road way. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition. 5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts... Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare &serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'. Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Trees

So here's the thing. I've always had a crush on trees. That sounds really weird, I know. I can get lost in the beauty of trees though. Driving down the road, you see that one tree out in the middle of nowhere, beautiful and magical as if it is the only thing that knows the secret to survival in that special area of our world. I see it all the time...nothingness and 1 tree. I love the different shapes and colors of trees. Now I don't hug them, don't get crazy on me. I take their picture and I watch them.
This morning I was laying in bed looking out my window at the trees. The trees here are amazing. They're hundreds of feet high and stand on barely any trunk. Today they were swaying with the wind and you would think with the amount of sway on such a small trunk they'd snap right in two and come crashing down on some poor fool. But they don't! How? The magic of the tree! That's how. Don't you wish you were a tree? The weight of the world on your branches, the "wind" pushing you this way and that until you think you're going to snap, but all the while able to stand straight and proud and take all the world can give? I sure do.

For Michelle, here's whats going on...

I woke up a couple weeks ago with bad back and abdominal pain. Add to that 4 days of vomiting, including a little blood. We went to the ER and they did a few things. 1. They pumped my stomach looking for more blood since I had thrown up some. This is a horrible experience. You've got a rather large tube down your throat, being held there by a nurse who assures you you're doing so so good...while you throw up around it and have to remind yourself you actually can breathe out your nose. Then your throat feels like a potato peeler was taken to it. Yes, kids, don't ever tell them you threw up a little blood. if it's a little, it's not an issue.
2. Chest x-rays...didn't show anything
3. Urinalysis: this is where they found elevated everything. Follow up with a CT scan.
4. CT scan...before which you have to drink these 3 huge cups of this horrible horrible stuff they call "contrast" so they can see your parts inside. It's rather ironic that you're in there for stomach pain, they just pumped your stomach and they are forcing down 3 very large cups of very nasty fluid, which will be the only thing in your stomach and will slosh around in there like a snow globe.
5. 2 bags of IV fluids, morphine and anti-nausea pills. Yay.
So we came home, to wait to see my doctor after the long weekend. We were sent home with anti-nausea pills and ibuprofen. Yeah, thanks doc. Needless to say the Ibuprofen didn't do a damn thing so we were back at the hospital the next afternoon. They pumped me full of more fluids, did more urinalysis (which showed exactly what the prior nights showed) and gave my oxycodone for the pain at home. So now i wait until I can see a GI specialist to figure out what to do. They're saying I have hepatic steatosis, non-alchoholic...which means I have a damaged liver but not because of alcohol abuse. You can read about it here: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/nonalcoholic-steatohepatitis-nash-overview
The update:
We've determined that my hyperinsulinemia, which means I produce WAY too much insulin, is pushing too much through my liver and my liver is overworked and tired. It thinks it needs a vacation...not gonna happen. So, we wait on more test results. In a perfect and easy world we'd take a pill to regulate the insulin and eventually that would solve everything. In this world, that pill has things in it that will further iritate my liver in its current condition so that ain't gonna cut it.

Rodeo Pigs and Huffy Boneheads

So Keith left some of his uniform patches on the bed like 2 weeks ago and I don't remember touching them (why would i touch them? i don't wear patches lol) and he's positive now that i moved them or "mixed them up in my laundry" or something. So he's huffing and puffing around in the bedroom mumbling how I always mess stuff up and then he looks down at the uniform he just threw in his laundry pile on the floor (which is a whole other blog lol) and goes "oh its on the uniform". BONEHEAD.
We went to the rodeo with some friends today. These people are amazing and we spend time with them every weekend. Keith calls the guy his "BFF" jokingly but I think he's really serious but feels dumb admitting it. Anyways, this very beautiful woman saunters by and Keiths neck almost snaps he looks at her so hard and then he says 2 very dumb words "nice jumungas". Jumungas is his word for boobies. Like "Ay-Jumungas!" That's a whole sentence to my husband. PIG. Anywho, these friend of ours are dating and the lady, Breckan, just doesn't understand why I allow such "piggish" behavior. I told her that in our marriage, the reason it is still a marriage, is I have the ability to overlook his stupidity and still love him.
For example,I'm sitting at my desk, in the corner of our bedroom, in the dark typing this now and he's in bed. Out of the darkness I hear "Foofy???" (That's my nickname, again, another blog) then "I love you. Are you upset at me??" I ignore his stupidity at times when I'm not hurt and when he's obviously showing off for his friend because if I fought with him over them I'd never have moments like I just had. I hope some day she understands. I'm going to go to bed now, because no, I'm not upset at him, and yes, I do love him. Goodnight all. :)