Because tomorrow might be too late.....

      I don't know what it is about this year but it seems that every minute I see someone jumping down someone else's throat about what the true meaning of Memorial Day is. I don't know why, but this pettiness really urks me. It's as if people have lost sight of what those we are remembering today died  for. Today is a day to remember those men and women who gave EVERYTHING they had in the service of their country. It is a day to remember that our FREEDOM does come at a price a price paid for in BLOOD, but I truly don't believe you can think about those who have died for our country without remembering those who served alongside them and who continue to serve today. I think that any day that puts our troops in the forefront of someone's mind is a WIN. Any day that reminds us to say "Thank YOU" to those who have fought and are still fighting for our freedom is a GREAT day in my book, because if today isn't a reality check into the fact that that person might not be here tomorrow to hear you say it to them I don't know what is. So well you dwell on what the true meaning of today is I am going to remember the real meaning of the day that many Men and Women have laid down their life for us and I am going say THANK YOU to each and every person who has served our country because tomorrow might be to late.

It can wait!

Today while pulling out of a busy shopping center Grace and I were almost side swiped by a younger female driver making an illegal left turn and texting on her phone. Despite myself and the other car she almost hit honking at her her phone never left her eyesight. I had to fight with every ounce of sanity that I could not to follow her and ask what text she was sending/reading that was so important that she was willing to risk not only her life, but those around her as well. I have to say that texting on your phone while driving is literarily the STUPIDEST thing you can do sober. It is also probably my biggest pet peeve with drivers. Maybe it's because I have had to bury a friend who thought texting her brother that she was running five minutes late was more important then looking both ways before pulling out on a highway where people go 75 mph, but to me there is absolutely NOTHING that is so important it cannot wait for you to stop driving. In fact there is no maybe about it, I know that losing a friend over a text message (let that sink in for a moment....my friend died because of a TEXT) is what changed my view on texting and driving.

I'll admit I was just like that girl today. I probably sent thousands of text messages while driving when I was in high school and early in college. I never thought twice about the fact that even the shortest text can take the average person 30 seconds to type. Which means that for 30 seconds your eyes and attention are completely off the road. If someone asked you to drive 30 seconds down a road with your eyes closed would you? If your answer was yes, you should probably just save us all and turn in your car keys now. It's just plain stupid!! When I think of all the things Ashlyn will never get to do especially now when I look at my daughter and think about how truly blessed I am to have this life....it's scary to think. It could have easily been me, but I got lucky. Seriously if you have ever sent a text while driving and nothing happened it wasn't because your a fantastic driver or speedy texter. It was because you got lucky!! You no different then the guy driving drunk saying he does it all the time and nothing has happened. It's not because he's a great drunk driver...it's because he's been lucky so far. We all know luck only goes so far and eventually it's not on your side. So put down the damn phone and drive!!!! It can wait I promise because there is no worse feeling in the world then losing someone over a text.

Hold that pose!!

So as parents we all have those moments when our child is genuinely scared or upset about something, but their just being too darn cute to pass up that photo opportunity. Tonight was a OK I will help you as soon as I take this picture moment.  Grace was in the shower (yes, I said shower....Oy Vey!) playing with her singing duck I was sitting next to the tub replying to a text message  when all of a sudden she jumps up from her crouch position runs to the other side of the bathtub pointing, crying, and SCREAMING.  My first thought is O crap did the water temperature change? I check it no it hasn't so then I am thinking what the hell is in the in the tub with her since she's still pointing. I looking all around and I pick up her toy drum and behind it  is a big huge stinky TURD!! She pooped in the shower and then ran away from it SCREAMING like it was a mouse. She was crying so hard it was all I could not to fall over laughing. So like the great mom that I am instead of scooping her out right away I throw the phone into camera mode snap a shot of my daughter completely terrified of her own poop and then pull her out of the tub. It isn't until she's out of the tub and wrapped up that I finally get her to stop screaming. Needless to say I found this all really funny, but that may just be cause I am a little off my rocker. Oh well, I got a tub to go sanitize GOOD NIGHT!!

Rolling with the punches.

    When my family was about to PCS back stateside in 1999 from Turkey my parents had put just about every base in the New England/ Upper East coast region that they could. My Poppops' health had taken a turn and my mother wanted to be close to their home state of New York. I'll never forget my parents pulling out the big atlas map laying it across our dining room table and announcing to my sister and I that we would be moving to Moody AFB in Valdosta GA. You would have thought that my parents had just told us we were moving to Mars.  The two of us preteens sure put up quite the hissy fit. When we got to GA that July I thought my life was really over. There was NOTHING around the base and I was sure we would end up living in some backwoods farm with the closest neighbor being 30 miles away. I think my sister and I cried for the whole first week we were there. As the years passed the peach state grew on my sister and I. We even began to call it home. Then the summer of 2002 hit. On the afternoon of May 28th my parents sat my sister and I down at the kitchen table and gave us some of the worse news I have ever heard. My father had been diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease and would be starting chemo treatments in the coming week. They did their best to explain what they could without scaring the hell out of us but when your 14 years and your parents tell you that your dad has cancer you get scared PERIOD. Then four days later on June 02 my Poppops passed away, and although not completely unexpected it was still devastating especially after an already rough week. My mother flew to New York for the funeral with my two brothers and since my father couldn't travel my sister and I stayed back to help him. Although this was the worse summer of my life it also became the summer I grew to love Georgia. When we were moving from Turkey we wanted nothing more then to be as close to New England as we could get. When we got Georgia we could not have been more disappointed. We were going to be 18-20 hours away from the family and in the icky south. My mother wanted to be close to her family if something happened and it did. My grandfather who was sick passed away, but in reality there was nothing my mother could have done if she was closer. It was his time and as sad of a loss as it was for us we know that he is in a better place watching NASCAR. However; GA turned out to be the biggest blessing to our family. They have an amazing Cancer center right there in Valdosta. Had we been stationed at another base my parents would probably had to have traveled quite a distance for my father to receive the treatment he needed. Probably a lot of travel and overnights with 4 kids ranging from 16-4 years of age it just would have been a huge mess. We also had met an amazing group of friends there in Valdosta and we could not have asked for a better support system during that time. In fact shortly after my grandfather's passing majority of our family who stilled lived in New York moved south with us some even in the same neighborhood. So what's my point?
    My point is that sometimes the Air Force throws you a curve ball and you don't like it, but you never know what good can come out of it. Yesterday we were told that although we thought Tampa was a high possibility for us it turns out that it may not be as high of a chance as we thought. I mean like slim chance. I guess since Steve and I had talked a lot about not getting our hopes up because it was the Air Force and well nothing is official until it is that we didn't really take it as hard as one might think. At first I was disappointed, but now after a long day of thinking I am content. I have been an Air Force brat my whole life and there has not been one assignment that I can think of that I can say I did not like. We made the best out of whatever they Air Force threw at us and I know that Steve and I will do the same for our kids whatever assignment we get next even if it does end up being Tampa in the end.  I mean hell if it wasn't for the uncertainty of the Air Force Steve would be flying C-17s in McGuire right now. Had the Air Force not changed it's mind on that assignment we would have never been here at Peterson as part of the 311th and met all the amazing people we have had the honor of meeting. This assignment has been a huge blessing for us and I am sure the next one will be just as amazing. We will just roll with the punches.

Unexpected Road....

    So far our life as a military family has been just that...an unexpected road. I remember Steve and I planning our wedding for April 2010 when he walked into my work and told me that his dates for UPT had changed and that an April wedding would be impossible. So we switched to March. When he got back from ASBC in late February of 2010 he called to tell me that there was a possibility that his March 11th report date to had been switched to March 1st which would have been quite the down on our already planned and paid for March 6th wedding. Thankfully the date change was a rumor and did not effect us, but as I am sure you can image many tears were shed on my part anyways. After a month of Steve being gone at IFS he returned in April and started UPT  a week later.  On assignment night we were thrown another curve ball...we got an assignment that we had not expected at all to Peterson AFB. It was a dream assignment and since we had not listed it in our top 5 we were sure it would have gone to someone who did. At first we had mixed feelings, but then we got here and fell in love on the spot with everything from the location to the people in our new squadron. This assignment as been God's biggest blessing in our career life thus far. Then about a month ago another unexpected text from Steve. Rumors had been circulating for months around the squadron about a possible closure, but I have been around the air force my entire life and rumors are just that rumors until their not. The text I got from Steve said that they had been told that the squadron is definitely closing it was just a matter of when at that point it could be as early as this October or as late as next July. Either way it would be doors closed  before our time here was up. So then we were in another waiting game, when would we be leaving and where would we be going?? Then today came...
    Steve picked Grace and I up for lunch since our power was out (they are putting solar panels on the house) and the house was freezing. I got in the car and before we could even get out of the drive way Steve says "We need to talk." I am thinking CRAP what did you do now?? He begins to tell me that he was just offered a KC-135 assignment to anywhere we want, BUT he would have to leave for Altus (4-5 month training) in TWO that's right I said TWO weeks!!! My heart dropped. We could not possibly pass up this chance, but TWO weeks are you kidding?  Head spinning we began talking about the options but we both knew it didn't really matter because we were not going to turn down our #1 assignment choice. This was going to happen. As we pull into the parking lot of the restaurant to meet up with the rest of his squadron Steve's boss calls to tell him that he has some news and it's good that he'll tell us when we get inside. Once inside he asked Steve what he thinks about KC-135s to MacDill (Tampa) leaving in August. Oh praise Jesus! Six months is way better then 2 weeks!! We could not turn this chance down. The Air Force doesn't just come to you every time you have to PSC and say ok here's the plane you want to fly you chose the base! It just doesn't happen. So as of right now we are about 95% sure that we are headed to Tampa this Fall/winter, but as anyone can tell you that military life is an unexpected road and it changes day to day. So fingers crossed!!

Are you serious??

  So today I was pulling out the stuff for dinner tonight when I realized crap I am out of half the spices I use on my pork chops. So as soon Steve walked though the day at 4 pm I tagged out and rushed over to the commissary in hopes of beating the after work crowd and pick up the 5 things I needed. Of course the problem with living on a rather large base is that the commissary is ALWAYS busy unless you get there butt crack early or really super late. I grab the things I need and head to the self check out where only 3 people waiting when a lady comes up in line behind me. I am just causally minding me own business staring at the coke cooler fighting the urge to grab a Dr. Pepper Bold when she says "So, when are you due?" I look sideways at her expecting to see some women with a cute baby bump or a cell phone in her hand, but instead I find myself staring right into her eyes. I am stunned! I know I am not 100 lbs, but I definitely don't think I look pregnant and I sure don't look far enough along for someone to be so bold as to ask when I am DUE!! I ask her if she's talking to me and I can tell just by her facial expression she's regretting her question. I say the only thing I can say at this point as I am holding back a growing lump in my throat "13 months ago, but thanks for the motivation I needed to workout today." Then I turn my back to her and just pray to GOD this line moves fast. The next time I get enough courage to look behind me she is gone. Probably sulking at another line. At least it's a lesson for her...KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!  I never ask anyone when their due unless I have been told they are pregnant even if they look like they could pop any second. It's just plain dangerous.  Needless to say my urge for soda went out the window!

Put Up or Shut UP

Well we are only 3 days into 2013 and I already feel like this is going to be a fantastic year! I have decided that 2013 is the year I put up or SHUT UP! I am tired of being the person complaining about how much weight I have gained as I chugged down another soda pop or stuff another cupcake in my mouth. If I am not willing to put in the effort to do something about it I need to just stop complaining. So starting Jan 1 Steve and I agreed to give up both fast food and soda (although Steve is allowed one soda a day, but I know he's already broken that as today he had a Coke ICEE and 2 pepsi's that I know of) for a whole month. After that month we can eat fast food only twice a month. Now when I say fast food I really mean Chick-Fil-A not gonna lie we love that place and we were eating it at least once (TWICE) a week. I know CRAZY GROSS!! On top of that I have started a portion control diet with the help of SENSA don't worry folks I'll keep you up to date on how it's going. I have also added 3 cardio work outs and 2 abdominal workouts to my weekly routine. Fingers cross I don't give up as easily as I have in the past. I am really excited about this diet and I am ready to look in the mirror again instead of rushing though my morning routine as fast as possible and avoiding as much eye contact with myself as I can. I know they say that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom, before your ready to make a change and last year I did it. When I stepped on the scale for the first time in almost 5 months two weeks ago the numbers that popped up devastated me. While I was pregnant with Grace I kept saying I want to get back down to my wedding weight before her first birthday, but instead I am still 20 lbs over. I am done talking about wanting to lose the weight..this is it I am putting up or shutting up this year!!