Mark and I braved the shops yesterday - gheesh - the traffic was almost worse than the stores . . . we had fun though and stopped at Cheers in the Sandusky mall for a frosty beverage before returning to Port Clinton. Today we are vegging out at the house and boy does it feel good . . . . it's thundering outside and the wind sounds like it might blow the condo over, but it's warm inside and we just finished up some leftovers and are now contemplating watching some of the Browns game - then my Bears play. I hate to watch because I swear that each time I do, I jinx the team, so right now we're watching a Court TV program about a spoiled rotten teenage girl that had someone kill her stepmom - very Christmas-sy - haha.
Don't have to go back to work 'til Thursday - yee ha - gonna post again soon to tell about my surprise . . . .
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
UXO XO'd
Here's my umpteenth attempt to upload a video. Went to You Tube so we'll see if this works . . . .
Found this video from back in 2005. This occurred at what we called Motel 6 - some of our dorms in Iraq. The incoming mortar did not explode on impact - God was on our side thankfully. No one was hit or hurt when they lobbed it in. The EOD - Explosive Ordinance Demolition guys - did a great job of safely detonating this and used plenty of explosives to do it. It did break a window and blow open a few steel doors. You can see some of our guys in physical training gear with their steel pots and flak vests on and you can hear them commenting on the event ---- too funny!
Found this video from back in 2005. This occurred at what we called Motel 6 - some of our dorms in Iraq. The incoming mortar did not explode on impact - God was on our side thankfully. No one was hit or hurt when they lobbed it in. The EOD - Explosive Ordinance Demolition guys - did a great job of safely detonating this and used plenty of explosives to do it. It did break a window and blow open a few steel doors. You can see some of our guys in physical training gear with their steel pots and flak vests on and you can hear them commenting on the event ---- too funny!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
TGIF
Literally - been a helluva week! Come on snow - I want to be snowed in with a good book for a day or two! Walked the dog down by the river and about froze my booty off - it wore us both out. I've gotta do something though - I was in denial about any possible weight gain until I tried to put on my military dress blues for our Christmas drill last Saturday - those suckers must've shrunk a few sizes in my closet this year. Then, to add insult to injury, I put a pair of jeans on that I thought were my "usual" size. They were pretty tight but I thought it's all good - I'll just exercise a little and work off a few pounds. When I took them off I realized that they were my "fat pants" - ugh - my fat pants are tight (SIGH).
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Happy Day and the Flute
Yesterday we had the nicest time - it was Mom's birthday and we celebrated it in town at the Irish Pub. We had appetizers, drinks and excellent conversation. I won't say how old Mom is but she sure doesn't look her age - not that that age is old to begin with . . . . I'll quit while I'm ahead on that one :-)
Today as I was changing out of my well-loved but too well worn combat boots and uniform and into my large comfy sweater and too tight pants (sigh) I noticed my flute up on the shelf in my closet. I've not had that out in quite a long time so I put it together to see if I could still carry a tune (but really to see if it would mess with the dog - no wonder he's so ornery). I couldn't tell you where any sheet music is - what I once had would probably be too old and yellow to even read anymore - but I belted out a few Christmas tunes on it and the flute part from "Nights in White Satin" - probably the flutists answer to "Stairway to Heaven" for rockers. The dog's ears perked up and down, he barked once, but he never cried. He was more curious than anything. So after I'd had my fun I took my flute apart and cleaned it and the strangest thought occurred to me. I realized that never in a million years when I would clean my flute in 5th and 6th grade did I ever imagine that over 25 years later I'd clean my rifle in much the same way. It was really the most surreal feeling. Cleaning the flute involves running a metal "stick" - for lack of a better word - with a cloth attached through a loop in the end of the stick - down the length of the inside to soak up all the spit. In much the same way, we use "sticks" with barrel cleaning cloths to pick up the carbon in the barrel of our M16s - well now M4s. I was repeating the same routine I'd done all those years ago, although the "instruments" are used for widely different things. One is used to make beautiful music and the other to protect me and kill the enemy if the need ever arose. It probably sounds corny and stupid, but both of those instruments mean very much to me in a way I can't quite explain and cleaning them is a labor of love. I cannot believe it took me until today to make that connection after all these years.
Today as I was changing out of my well-loved but too well worn combat boots and uniform and into my large comfy sweater and too tight pants (sigh) I noticed my flute up on the shelf in my closet. I've not had that out in quite a long time so I put it together to see if I could still carry a tune (but really to see if it would mess with the dog - no wonder he's so ornery). I couldn't tell you where any sheet music is - what I once had would probably be too old and yellow to even read anymore - but I belted out a few Christmas tunes on it and the flute part from "Nights in White Satin" - probably the flutists answer to "Stairway to Heaven" for rockers. The dog's ears perked up and down, he barked once, but he never cried. He was more curious than anything. So after I'd had my fun I took my flute apart and cleaned it and the strangest thought occurred to me. I realized that never in a million years when I would clean my flute in 5th and 6th grade did I ever imagine that over 25 years later I'd clean my rifle in much the same way. It was really the most surreal feeling. Cleaning the flute involves running a metal "stick" - for lack of a better word - with a cloth attached through a loop in the end of the stick - down the length of the inside to soak up all the spit. In much the same way, we use "sticks" with barrel cleaning cloths to pick up the carbon in the barrel of our M16s - well now M4s. I was repeating the same routine I'd done all those years ago, although the "instruments" are used for widely different things. One is used to make beautiful music and the other to protect me and kill the enemy if the need ever arose. It probably sounds corny and stupid, but both of those instruments mean very much to me in a way I can't quite explain and cleaning them is a labor of love. I cannot believe it took me until today to make that connection after all these years.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Another Pain the Butt Cold
Seems like I just got over a cold and here came another one. I left work early Thursday and didn't even go in on Friday. And I think I bruised a kidney or something from coughing so hard. We had our military drill weekend party yesterday with 500 people packed into our gym. Actually it was a really nice time - hopefully I didn't spread around my sickness to everyone in the room. I noticed that I wasn't the only one with a bright red nose and nasty cough - tis the season!
And, I've got a major breakout of what the dermatologist insists is contact dermatitis - what the heck did I contact? I've been using the same stuff and doing the same routine as always, but now I've got a rash on my arms and on my legs - joy joy! But other than that, I feel Great!
Time to iron the uniforms and prepare for another week of work - I love the weekends but sure dread Mondays . . . .
And, I've got a major breakout of what the dermatologist insists is contact dermatitis - what the heck did I contact? I've been using the same stuff and doing the same routine as always, but now I've got a rash on my arms and on my legs - joy joy! But other than that, I feel Great!
Time to iron the uniforms and prepare for another week of work - I love the weekends but sure dread Mondays . . . .
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Can't believe it
I found a Laurie Doll picture that I'd taken last year but forgotten to post. This is where the name of this blog came from. Grant had named my blog when he got me hooked on blogging back when I was in Iraq. The name came from this creation - yes, a real, not exactly live, Laurie Doll - it truly is a face only a mother could love, but I love it wholeheartedly. Can you believe she was created over 20 years ago? Yep, and she's one of only a few in the entire world. I'm so lucky to have her!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
December Already?
and I'm definitely not ready for Christmas yet, although after a trip to Seagate to see Trans Siberian Orchestra I'm beginning to get in the spirit just a little bit. And I was tickled to see the snow last evening - before I almost fell on my butt taking the dog for a walk in the freezing rain. TSO was AWESOME - every bit as good as when we saw them in Cleveland. This time though, we were only about 11 rows back - far right, but still could see them really well. Everything was spectacular - as Mary Beth from the River said when she introduced them - it was Total Sensory Overload . . . . the drum solo ROCKED - had to put my head down a bit though for fear of a seizure from the bright white lights rolling around about a million miles an hour.
Mark's big birthday was a few Mondays ago, but he wasn't feeling well so we kept it pretty low key. I did decorate his office with a few streamers, a sign and some confetti - he was surprised - I totally didn't know what to get him for his birthday, so I got him a year's subscription to the Port Clinton News Herald --- I know, I know, I'm such a romantic devil :-)
Thanksgiving was delicious - Brandon and Heather came over and Mark cooked a big dinner, turkey, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, his awesome sweet potatoes, biscuits, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie - oh, and I made deviled eggs - yep - they turned out pretty good if I may say so myself. It's so cool to have a boyfriend who loves to cook and is so good at it - especially because if it were up to me, we'd have a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!
Mark's big birthday was a few Mondays ago, but he wasn't feeling well so we kept it pretty low key. I did decorate his office with a few streamers, a sign and some confetti - he was surprised - I totally didn't know what to get him for his birthday, so I got him a year's subscription to the Port Clinton News Herald --- I know, I know, I'm such a romantic devil :-)
Thanksgiving was delicious - Brandon and Heather came over and Mark cooked a big dinner, turkey, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, his awesome sweet potatoes, biscuits, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie - oh, and I made deviled eggs - yep - they turned out pretty good if I may say so myself. It's so cool to have a boyfriend who loves to cook and is so good at it - especially because if it were up to me, we'd have a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!
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