Dead Cow

So after I pick my minions up from school today, they inform me that they need to wear blue & orange to support the Bronco's on Friday. Ok, whatever. We have the colors, they just happen to say FLORIDA GATORS on it... so not wanting them to stand out like sore thumbs, we run to Target. Find them orange t-shirts. Short sleeves, it works, they have blue long sleeves they can wear underneath & since we're supposed to get another 4 inches of snow... perfect!

Now, we've spent this time t-shirt hunting, I haven't even started dinner. Crap! Well, tomorrow Daddy-o has his promotion board, so he's stressing, I'm not about to be like "yo, cook something!" so I have to run to the store because HAHA everything we have is sitting in the deep freezer. Nice. Off to the grocery store...

On the way the minions & I decide Daddy-o needs steak! Nothing like a big fat juicy slab of dead cow to calm the nerves right? They're pretty excited because they know its his favorite meal (and they of course want cereal & each got to pick their own box - why not, it shut them up!). We get to the store, grab the cereal, the veggies for the salad, milk, a loaf of french bread & head to the meat section.

"Alright guys, what kind of dead cow does Daddy-o want?" I asked them. My daughter says "BIG DEAD COW!" and my son says "Dead cow with a bone, Daddy-o loves chewing on dead cow bones!"

This lady looks at us and says "My god! Do you HAVE to call it DEAD COW?! How disgusting!" I just looked at her and started laughing. I mean, its dead cow, shrink wrapped! I was laughing! My son, oh my son, is definitely my son... he says "But it IS dead cow, you wouldn't be at a grocery store buying an alive cow to eat for dinner would you, that'd be disgusting!" So my daughter chimes in with "Yeah, that's just weird!" .... all I could say was "Moo".

We ended up getting T-bones. I think Daddy-o will be ok with that.

Talking to dogs

I got in the shower at 6am so no one would bother me. 

Ha. For some reason my boxer decided it would be a fantastic idea to act like a toddler and keep joining me halfway in & out of the curtain. When I finally got out, she wanted to play tug of war with my towel. I woke the minions & she circled like a shark.

I took her outside & she threw a snowball at me. Dog, you've known me for almost 4yrs, I'm not a morning person. Stop the happy before the coffee.

I get ice out of the freezer & Bella does the happy dance & I'm all "not for you Bella"... I put it in my cup, pour my drink & go to walk away & she knocks it out of my hand & looks at me like "not for you either" I swear she even started laughing. 
In the mean time, Hazel, my american bulldog, is just staring at me like "I told you she was an crazy" ... I know Haze, but she fits in so well.

It's gonna be one of those days huh? I'm talking to dogs. 

Steel my Heart

So our 11th wedding anniversary is next Thursday. Wow. Married 11 years already... feels like FOREVER. HAHA. Well, I guess that's normal since we started dating when I was only 14! I've spent over half my life with this big dork & I gotta say, I wouldn't change it. He's kinda grown on me.

So, the STEEL anniversary. I always get him something Superman or Star Wars, cause he's a dork and I'm goofy like that. We don't do the mushy sappy goo goo eyed anniversary gifts. So I started thinking, what can I get this guy steel... DUH. SUPERMAN! Man of Steel... and I ended up with...

It's awesome. He's always taking my coffee cups to work. I have a severe addiction to travel mugs lol. So now he will have his VERY OWN. My man of steel LOL and it's dishwasher safe haha perfect for his uber laziness.

So, it's nothing fancy, but it's damn near perfect for Wayne. Then I get to thinking it just needs something a little more to make it better... and it hits me! He had this 2 in 1 pen/pencil combo he LOVED but he lost it at work (pretty sure one of his soldiers 5 finger discounted it) and supply can't order anymore of them. He was super upset he lost it. He's been looking for them every time we go to a store and can never find them.

Well, I found them! Cause, yeah, I'm amazing! 12pack on amazon. I got them for... a STEEL. Yeah, I know, wrong spelling, but hey, work with me! It's my theme. So there ya have it. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Think outside the box & be a little goofy. That's how I do it & it works for me. I'm pretty sure he's going to be happy with it. Plus, I get my coffee cup back and he will have 12 of his own combo pen/pencils for work! Win for both of us! I can't wait to give it to him!!

On my mind....

I hate winter. I really really HATE winter. Yesterday it started snowing again. Which, was to be expected. It had snowed 5 days before then freakishly gotten up too 60° then down to then teens. Colorado has very bipolar weather. Well, as luck would have it, I slipped on ice. Of course! Twice. Within 5mins. Wrenched my back, hurt my hip, hit my head and flared my sciatica. I'm doing swell!

So I come home, curse winter, take my flexeril & tylenol and within 2 hours I'm so violently sick I think I'm dying.

I caught the stomach virus that's going around. Yay me! Not sure if you've ever tried to violently throw up when every bone and muscle in your body already hurts but I do NOT recommend it. Especially when you've had nothing in your stomach that day but coffee and diet Pepsi... throwing up after a gastric bypass is that much more painful.

So, I couldn't sleep, couldn't even hold down water and I'm running a steady fever of 102 while it's snowing. I locked myself in quarantine & Wayne was on kid duty.

By 3am I was finally able to hold down enough water to take some nausea meds. Still wanted to die though. Wayne brought me some ginger ale back after taking the kids to school and 3hrs later, I have finally finished my first can. Its staying down so far. Ugh.

Wayne's at a PT test right now. He goes to the promotion board in 2 days. I think I'm more nervous than he is about it.

We've got 23 days until we move. Kids are excited. I'm excited. There's no snow in Tampa.

We should get the keys to the apartment in 17days. Now, I just have to get unsick, not die on ice & finish packing.

Taxi Service

So I'm in the Mommy line to throw the minions out of the car at school, Ky stands up and gives me a kiss, tells me she loves me (her usual routine) & Trey leans forward & kisses Bella & tells her that he loves her & is gonna miss her goofy butt (I'm feeling pretty special). Then he looks at me and says "Please don't die today Momma"... 

"Uh ok dude, I wasn't planning on it? I love you too?" -- then he says "No, I'm serious, I really wanna go to FL, and we can't get there ifyou're dead." So of course I'm feeling SUPER special now.... "Trey, hate to tell you this buddy, but if Mommy dies, you guys go to FL anyways, Tain (thats my mom) will fly here & get you guys and you'll go back to FL with her until Daddy can come there."

The turd looks at me and SMILES and says "Ok, well, I'll miss you, but do whatever you want then" and jumps out of the car. Kyleigh goes "Don't die, we won't get candy at gas stations on the road trip or see Ms. Trish & Ms. Allie if we have to take a plane. So you have to live just so you can drive us. Plus, Daddy will miss you." Then she jumps out of the car.

Special. I feel so special. I'm just a taxi service!

Bella

So I have a pretty awesome Boxer. I know, everyone thinks their dog is better than everyone else's dog.

I'm serious though. Does your dog wake you up in the morning and walk you to your coffee? I didn't think so. Bella, she just knows. Doesn't matter what, she knows things. She's definitely MY dog.

She's like a shadow, constantly following me. I can't even go to the bathroom with out her. I take a shower and she's right there waiting for me to come out. If I leave the house, she looks at me like "why did you leave me?" then goes insane with puppy kisses and love when I come back. Sure, most boxers are like that. Bella, she's something else.

She always knows just what I need. If I'm sad, she lays on me. When I'm cold, she will lay on what ever part of me is freezing, especially my feet. If I'm not feeling well, she knows and will just lay with me. If I'm in a bad mood she will no doubt be a goof ball to distract me and make me laugh.

No joke, this dog can blow raspberries. She high fives. She dances and gives hugs. She's definitely one cool pooch. She will let you dress her up in clothes, a hat and glasses. You can paint her nails. You can play fetch with her for hours... I can tell you no matter how tired she seems she cannot resist a tennis ball being thrown and nothing is funnier than watching a dog chase a ball on hardwood floors!

She's my therapy dog. She's good for me. In times of stress, happiness, anger & sadness she's what I need. Dogs are supposed to be man's best friend. I'm pretty sure that accurate. Bella's definitely one of my best friends. She's 60lbs of goofy, brindle, under bite & slobber. She acts like a cat. Moos like a cow, clucks like a chicken & will only bark if you tell her she can -- I'm serious, you have to ask her too and then tell her she has to use an outside voice because she doesn't like barking because it scares her! She's a weirdo.

I love my pup. Even if she does like to act like a wedgie by riding up my butt all the time. She might hog half a king size bed & snore just as loud as my husband. She might get a little jealous when I pay more attention to the book I'm reading but all she asks for is love & the occasional slice of cheese. I can do that.

Bella's pretty much amazing. Now, if she only had thumbs....

Hopefully not homeless?

So on Monday, we went to an apartment that was 3br almost 1200sq ft. PERFECT! Its huge and has an in unit laundry room. Only 15mins away from our current house. Not bad travel time for Wayne to get to work.

Only problem? Someone had JUST put in an application the day before! Damn! So we kept on looking. Finally, we narrowed it down. We settled on a 2br that would make do. We'd only do a 6mo lease and I'd keep an eye out for something better from FL in case he reenlisted and I came back to CO. We filled out the application and I put it up.

Tuesday, Wayne started Night Ops, didn't have a chance to take the ap in, so off to work he went. Then we got a call from the 3br complex. The application from the other people fell through, we needed to come in and put ours in! YES!!! This morning, we were at the apartment office right at 9 when it opened! Super excited!!

Jennifer, the complex manager was so happy we came in! She told us she actually had a wait list for that apartment but hadn't called anyone else to come in to fill out the application and had gone through her caller ID to get our phone number. She'd told us on Monday to call back today & check to see if it'd be available, but since they'd started a wait list, didn't want to wait for us to call since she knew we liked the apartment so much. Plus, she said she really liked us and our kids! She wanted us in the complex! As soon as she saw us waiting at her office she said "I am so so happy you guys are here! 108 is going to be perfect for you! I can't wait!!" Seriously, this apartment is way bigger than the box we lived in the 2yrs we were in Germany!! And, Bella will be allowed & so will Hazel until we get a rescue to take her! HUGE!!!

Even better than having our own laundry room and not paying for laundry? It has a pool and fitness room. Even better than that? The rent is super low, its a secured complex AND since its a 3br we don't need a uhaul storage room while I'm in FL! The rent difference is the same as the uhaul room + a 2br apt rent. So we'll still be saving a ton of money from moving off post even after utilities! They're putting in new carpet in the apartment tomorrow morning and Jennifer told me to come by around noon so I could see it. I'm super stoked.

She's even letting us have the keys on Feb 15th.... and waiving the Feb rent!! We don't have to pay anything till March except the deposit! FREAKING AWESOME! Now, this is all assuming Wayne passes the background check. Haha. We hear back on Friday from that. Now, I'm not worried of course. He has a secret security clearance from the Army, so that's not an issue and we've never been evicted from anywhere. We just have to wait till Friday for all the paperwork to go through. I'm just glad to know he won't be homeless!

In the mean time, we turned in our notice for this house. Our lease is up and I'm glad to say I'm leaving this place. I hate this post. I got the power of attorney papers I will need in FL and found a hotel that will let me stay w/Bella in MO. Pretty cheap military rates so I'm gonna book 2 double rooms & have Trish come stay with her kiddos too for a mini vacay since it has an indoor pool. No sense in 6 kiddos destroying her house when we can tear up a hotel right?

February 15th get apt keys. February 18th Wayne goes on leave. February 21st leave Colorado. February 23rd arrive in Florida. February 28th Wayne clears post housing. We can do this. It's just a bit crazy!

My Minions

My kids are crazy. No, really. I promise.

Trey, he's definitely his own person. He loves science, reading (he cannot leave the house with out a book), math & history. He's pretty much both of his parents when it comes to learning. The math part though, I'm putting all of that on my CPA mother in law. Yeah, Wayne & I are both good at math, but honestly, I hate it. Wayne uses it daily at work, he's a mechanic, so he has too. Trey though, he does it for fun. Yeah, that's coming for his account grandmother. The kid practically sees sounds though. He just goes at a constant 105mph. Never stops. He's such an introvert it kills me. He keeps to himself. His best friend is 4. He'd rather play with smaller kids because older kids just annoy him. He really is my little nerd ball. As much as he loves science, he's terrified of bugs. Which of course, cracks me up. He sees a spider? You can bet he's going to call his little sister over to squish it and throw it away. No way is he going to touch it. Or, you can trap it under a cup for him, THEN he will study it. He will spend hours on google researching to find out all he can about that certain spider or type or bug.... but don't you dare ask him to touch it! Oh Trey. You're an odd duck.

Kyleigh, she's the loud one. Always looking like she just fell out of a clown's closet. Dressed in bright colors, never matching and talking as loud as her volume goes. Definitely gets that from her mom. I'm proud. She loves school but she's so lazy! That comes from both parents. She loves to climb on everything. We tell her all the time shes a monkey, even went as far as convincing her she was really born a monkey and we adopted her from the zoo. Seriously. BEST.CONVERSATION.EVER. She knows now we were joking, but she still goes along with it. She loves everything girly. Make up, ear rings, dresses. However, she won't hesitate to jump out of a tree, into a mud puddle & then wrestle you to the ground and give you a wedgie. She's the exact same size as her brother and fears only one thing... the "daddy is mad" voice.

They are each so different from each other. It amazes me how much 2 kids raised with the same parents and the same rules can be such opposites. It makes me so happy they each found ways to express themselves. Of course, me being the "question everything & raise hell" person I am, want my kids to do the same and boy do they!! They are both so curious about everything and not afraid to ask why things are the way they are. Why rules are this way or that way. Why certain things are considered "normal". I'm so proud of them.

Sure, they drive us crazy. Of course they do. They're kids. They are both so smart, so full of curiosity and energy. They have the spunk, sarcasm and sense of humor that both of their parents do. They also have their own unique qualities that make them different and special. They're my minions and I wouldn't change a thing about them.

Oh Army

Fresh start.

Moved from Germany to Colorado. It's ok here, but really, I hate snow. And its dry. I live inside a bottle of lotion. Seriously, I go through an entire bottle in 2wks.

Wayne's army career is up in the air for now. I'll post more on that later. Right now, he's going to the promotion board on Jan 30th. Cross your toes for him.

Feb 21st I'm moving back to FL. Land of humidity. YAY. I cannot stress how glad I will be to get back. Closer to the beach, closer to my nieces, nephews & god-daughters. I've missed so many mile stones in their lives, so many birthdays. It's just sad. My kids miss my family too. The army has just pulled us away for so long.

How long will we be there? Who knows. It's all up to the Army I suppose. Maybe permanently, maybe until August. Like I said, it's all up in the air. I really don't have an answer right now. That's just how the army works. You never know until something happens. If he does stay in, I want to try to get stationed somewhere else. This altitude isn't going so well for Trey's asthma. He was started on a daily inhaler. Plus, it's doing a number on my migraines. I've been ordered back to a neurologist. Something I haven't done since I left Kentucky... and that scares the skin off me.

So, in the mean time, I have 5 weeks. FIVE WEEKS to pack my house, get stuff into storage, find Wayne an apartment, move him, clear this army house, get the kids signed out of school here, pack for FL, rehome Hazel because she's not going to make the move to FL because of her health, make sure meds and med records are prepped for moving and try not to go crazy.... because I have to do most of this on my own.

Because... Army. Wayne can't take any leave until the 18th because he's got to work. We're going to start driving on the 21st, stop at Trish's house, then Allie's, before heading to my moms. He'll only be in FL about 2 days before flying back to CO.

Oh, and did I mention his DL is expiring in 5 days? Yeah, fun times. I just hope his renewal gets here BEFORE I leave, otherwise, I go solo. YAY. More things to stress about. I might go bald from pulling my hair out before then. I think the ONLY thing keeping me sane right now is knowing that there is Trish, Allie, nieces, nephews, god-daughters and BEACH in my very near future.

I just have to make it 5 more weeks and a 39hr car drive first.