My Archives: March 2003
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Dh has been home on and off over the last few days...he is TERRIBLY ill and at the doctor's office right now. Please pray for a quick recovery for him! As for the rest of the family--took B & R to the doctor yesterday--and although neither of them HAD the infections yet my Dr. assured me that we would be back in on Monday with R having an ear infection and B having bronchitis. So...she gave me the meddies for them to ward it off, and today R is feeling WAY better, and B is still down and out at the moment, we have friends coming for a visit and he is tucked away in my bedroom (the most serene and tranquil room in the house) sleeping lol he is not feeling much better yet.
To top it off I was awoken by my youngest at 4:30 last night saying "I want to get up Mommy"...when I reached out to pick her up I was shocked at how her skin felt like it was on fire. I took her temp...102.7. Ugh. So I guess she's getting this "virus" that is going around. I have never seen anything like it before...I mean it's so weird! She was FINE when we went to bed...I mean playing, giggling, laughing, not a care in the world...and then 6 hours later she's running a high grade fever. Weird. She's fine so far today, alternating motrin & Tylenol with her and she's eating and such fine. Now I am worried since she got it maybe I will too. I am praying the Lord will spare me, as I can't imagine being that sick with the kids and all.
I will update later when I hear from dh and see how he's doing...he is as sick as I have ever seen him...whatever this bug is...it's a meanie.
I love you all!!
OXOXO
~A
Posted by Angelbaby @ 02:10 PM CST [Link]
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
As I live and breath I have actually finished the web project I was hired to do!!!  Whew...this one was a challenge, but it's beautiful and wonderful and I am excited that I am DONE with it...why?? Because I can admit I have a bit of an obsessive part of me that can't let something go once I start it...I am driven by it...so I am relieved that it is done. Well, I have to upload it to my client's servers and will have to work on one form on it after it's there, as I can't make that on my server but on hers only...but otherwise...it's done. 
In other jubilant news--just read on the news that Elizabeth Smart was found...after all of the tragedies our nation has suffered what a WONDERFUL moment that is. Good things happen all the time but I can't think of anything more wonderful than what that family might have felt when they got to embrace their daughter again. I could rant a great deal here about the safety of our children...given that I read today--"314 attempted non-family abductions occur in the United States every day"...but I won't get on that soapbox today...it would diminish the joy of the fact that for once we all got the good news!!! I am thankful to God tonight that this young girl has been returned to her family. What a blessing not just for them but to our nation as a whole who has needed some cheerful news these days!
In bad news, dh is very sick, running a fever of 102.5 right now...everyone please pray for him...as when he gets sick he usually gets REALLY sick. =o( Top that off with the fact he is supposed to get underway tomorrow and we have the makings of a great Shakespeare tragedy...lol
I talked to my Momma tonight. Some things never change. One of those is how much of a comfort your Mommy can be, even from far away =o) Love you Mom!!!
Be blessed!!
~A
Posted by Angelbaby @ 11:54 PM CST [Link]
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Well, dh called and they are going to be getting underway tomorrow...some kind of vibration test because something is "off" on the boat. Let's recap shall we?
Febuary 27 boat leaves to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras...discover the "mysterious vibration" on the way there
Febuary 28 crew is granted liberty until 10:00 am Sunday Morning
March 2 crew returns to boat, gets underway to go to mooring station at base of canal street
March 3 boat is a cruise ship for tons of people through out the day
March 4 crew is granted liberty
March 5 boat underway to do ATON while returning home
Boat arrives in port late March 6
Crew works a normal day on Friday the 7th
Liberty is granted until Monday morning
Monday (yesterday the 10th) normal routine--however dh's 3rd class is on leave so dh is in the cook rotation this week.
So..yesterday dh cooks (4:30am-6:30pm day)
Today dh also cooks (another ^ day)
Crew is informed today at appx 1:30 pm that they will be getting underway tomorrow for a vibration test...
dh is supposed to be OFF tomorrow and Thursday because he is working yesterday and today, and then cooks again on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday...
ALL of the crew is told they will be getting underway, no exceptions
okay...depending on what happens tomorrow they will most likely be getting underway Thursday to go to some undisclosed location to fix whatever it is that is wrong with the boat. They suspect they will return on Saturday.
Did I mention yet that they are leaving next Wednesday to go away for 30 days?
That is still planned for next week if they are able to return home early Saturday...if not they "may" change the date by one week...still will be gone the same length of time however, and personally I don't WANT them to push it back, then they will be gone for 1) C's b-day 2) Passover and 3) Easter. Hmmph
Semper Paratus...eh...I'll need at least one more day lol I am not ready for him to leave yet!!!! I have a list of things to do a mile long and now he's going NOW...eek. I know I should know by now to not make plans based on his schedule but I admit now I did. EEK! Okay well, nothing that can't be changed or that I can't do without him or anything quite that dramatic, but you know...I'm just not prepared. That's all. I know, I'll get over it...I will...
In other news, today has been a productive day...I have been working on laundry (the saga continues) and I have done most all of my other chores, although with each completion I seem to add more instead of less to my "to do" list lol I registered the children for some classes with the local department of recreation...both R & B will be taking a cartoon sketching class which they are both absolutely bouncing off the wall (well, okay, they are still sick so maybe it's the couch I dunno lol) about....and then B will be doing a gymnastics class. I had tried to convince R she should do the gymnastics too but she didn't want to...figure maybe if she watches B a few times she might change her mind...this would be excellent PE for the children. Now my big issue will be with C who is going to be wondering why SHE doesn't get to take any classes lol can't win 'em all can I? I think she'll be okay...when the kids are in their drawing class I'll take her to the park or something like that. I also registered my new domains and am in the process of getting my hosting set up with the new company. I have a huge amount of respect for this company so I am pleased to be returning to them. My big issue is getting things like this moved over there...I have several interactive elements I don't want to lose--so I am going to attempt to do it in a way that will be least disruptive for everyone. I am probably going to change the program I use for this journal and the others I am currently hosting as I found out some information about the author of this program which I do not want to support--so I have another program I will be installing and testing before I move this over there. Pray for my transfer lol it makes me nervous! Oh and I have a vase full of the most beautiful german iris you have ever seen. They are purple and yellow and white. Yetta the woman we visit with called yesterday and asked if dh could possibly come by and get them as she had clipped them for me. She is the nicest, sweetest, most thoughtful woman I have ever known and she always thinks of me...she knows I love the flowers and that I always dry them out after they are starting to fade...these are just BEAUTIFUL. I will take a pic and post it later.
The children are still coughing a bit here and there, but the fevers seem to be going down finally. I have a call in to the nurse at our ped's office to see if she thinks they need to be seen. I went ahead and made appts for them tomorrow at 10 am just in case so I would be able to get them in...but don't want to go if there's no reason to. I am thinking it's just a flu...they are up playing more today than the other two days so we'll see.
And finally...I'm tired lol ~yawn~ I know you all wonder why...so let me tell you...dh took me out last night to see "The Two Towers"...it is a 3 hour movie that started at 8 last night and it is....AWESOME!!!!!!!! Some friend's of our on dh's boat had been telling us we HAD to go while it was still in the theatre as watching it on our TV would not be the same...how true it was...It was wonderful and we had such a good time! There were several parts that really "came to life" for me that although Tolkien is an incredible author when it comes to conveying imagery--somehow really clicked and helped me grasp the story in a more fullfilling way by seeing it alive on the screen. Peter Jackson is a MASTERFUL cinematographer...I tell you what...there are some of the most breathtaking and just awe-inspiring scenes that are filmed perfectly...and the story is as true to Tolkien's as a movie production could be. I am disappointed in a few of the changes...The Arwen character was expanded a great deal--I'm not sure it was necessary but you know they "needed" a romantic connection (or some form of female heroine) they could visualize and that is the one they choose to ponder...I didn't like the way they changed Faramir at all--in fact, I kept thinking to myself why the attitude in the movie seemed so foreign and I didn't recognize alot of his sentiments and it turns out because 99% of his characterization was not based on anything within the books. At any rate...those were two notable changes, and ones I am not sure what purpose they served. Personally, I find it sad that a whole generation of people will never truly know Tolkien's "Middle Earth" and the true heart of the characters in his novels, versus the world that Jackson has created--even though the movie brings some portions of the book into reality and in a way that makes things more meaningful I am afraid that it is with a cost that is greater--the primary one being the changes in the characters...ehh...in the books Aragorn is WILLING to become the King again, not some sort of hesitant maybe sort of man...and in the books I don't recall Frodo ever being SO completely drawn into the ring as the movies seem to be showing...to me in the stories (and maybe I need to read them again) Frodo was stronger than they are showing him to be--and that does seem some sort of disservice to the character of Frodo.
Yes I know...other people don't think this much about this lolol but hey, I do like the movies, but I love the books. The one thing the movie did evoke that I had not found by reading the books was the parallel between Frodo and Gollum AND the strange sense of pity and sadness you felt for this character. There were some scenes I was actually scared by (and a family brought two young children to see it!)--some visions that were very disturbing--which is why I am afraid although I stomached the first movie for B to watch it will be a few years before he watchs this one in it's full form. I may let him watch and forward through the few scenes I had real issue with (from a Mommy perspective)...At any rate, I was not disappointed, and I am glad I got to see it on the big screen...our friends were right--it wouldn't have been the same otherwise.
Oh yeah...and for the record Legolas has ALL the moves lol Whew! I might have to turn over my fawning of Chris O'donnel as Robin in "Batman Forever" forget about the leather suit and mask...and find dh some pointy ears (and convince him to bleach his hair and grow it out about 15 inches lolol hey Orlando Bloom wore a wig...I could probably get it off of Ebay right now...)...there's alot to be said about elves who can walk on the surface of snow, never miss with an arrow, and can slide down rock steps on the surface of a sheild without breaking his neck. Add that to the brooding attitude of our brave elf...and well...all I can say is the real miracle of this movie was the casting agent's ability to see the talent and eventual beauty of this:
 
To become THIS:
And of course: This...
You know...dh does have one of those really expensive bear long recurve bows...I'm not kidding...he could be Laugholas...Legolas' elvin brother.
Ahh...well, back to reality, I have to go give the kids medicine and get them to bed...another full day tomorrow folks.
Be blessed!!
~A
Posted by Angelbaby @ 10:03 PM CST [Link]
Monday, March 10, 2003
Wahhhh....I spoke too soon!! Both B & R have been running a fever and feeling major ickiness for the last 2 days. Poor babies. Everytime I give B medicine he throws it back up...he can eat or drink anything at all but can't hold down medicine which makes things worse. We have been giving him the chewable tylenol--but having him chew one, wait about 20 minutes, then chew the other, then 20 minutes and chew the other. No doubt this diminishes the overall effect, but it's the only way he can keep them down...if he chews them all at one time he throws them back up. I remembered once that R did that and I can't remember if it was tylenol or not--but she couldn't keep down the medicine I was giving her...I think it was tylenol--and then I took her to the ER and they gave her motrin and she kept it down fine...wonder if my kids just have some sort of strange sensitivity to tylenol when they are sick--they've taken it other times, like when they had sore achy growing pains or whatever and they don't get sick from it.
Yesterday dh went and bought me a (drum roll please) new computer chair!! YEEHAW!!!!!!!! This however--is no ordinary computer chair! This is called "an executive chair"...yup...that's right...and executive. Wowsa. Okay so ya, I guess I need to get a deskplate now with my name on it and the word "president" under it. Hey, if dh can power trip over Cub Scouts, I guess I can over my executive chair right? hehe I thanked dh for the chair as it is so soft and comfy and cushy and awesome that I'm in love--dunno how I lived with the one I had before and as anyone who has had the pleasure of sitting in my old chair (or flipping over in it--eehhrrrmmm...Wendy) knows that I didn't have the greatest chair...dh said that since I was "working" so much now on the computer that I should have a good comfortable chair to work in--that and (a direct quote) "anything I can do to help your butt out you just let me know"...what a charmer huh?
So today finds me busy as per usual. I'm not in any urgent madness right now because the reality of a housefull of sick children makes you slow down naturally. I do have alot to do though. I am ONE yes my dear ones I said ONE page away from being done with my big project. Then comes the hardest part...one I know that everyone will yell at me for but I really do have a hard time with this--and that is I will have to bill my client. EEK! I suppose it would be much better to have terms and conditions down before you actually do the work. I admit that is my fault--but also this lady is a CG Spouse...she's so kind and I have SO enjoyed working with her--however, when I spoke to her on the phone she told me that I had to be sure to place value on my work--if I were a car repair person, I would fully expect to be paid for my services for the quality and quantity of work I did if someone who could not change the oil in their car asked me to...she said this was no different...people who are not able to build websites have me do this for them--and I should place value on the services I offer. I get it, I really do...but still...haha Okay okay...my big problem is how much to charge...I told dh he could be my billing department and he could send her the bill hahaha Of course I know for sure that he wouldn't have any issue with that at all ha
I also am working to get the Cub Scout newsletter done so it can go out tomorrow. There are several last minute changes that have to wait until tonight as they have their monthly meeting tonight and I know there will be some info passed there which will need to go into the newsletter. I want it to go out tomorrow though so people get it by Wednesday. We shall see =o)
And finally--I have some household chores to do which I am not too excited about. Spring cleaning type jobs which I have a hard time with but really want to get done before dh leaves on his big trip. Time is passing too quickly and in a little over a week he will be gone for over a month. (wahhh again) To compound my nervousness about his trip and the current "air" of the CG--the morning he leaves he will be recieving the small pox vaccination. (have I mentioned I'm not especially excited about that? I think I have)...I don't like it. At all. And yet, they own him in a lot of ways. I love the CG, I truly do...and in most ways they have taken good care of us in spite of screw ups here and there (usually pay ones lol)....and the security of this job is something I am TRULY thankful for--as the last 11 years has seen our economy go up and down, and people we know have lost their jobs, been forced out, or have been let go so many times I have lost count--but that was never a factor in our lives as the CG doesn't "let you go" unless you have done something REALLY bad...SO...I am thankful for that...and for the benefits we have that others only dream of, and I am thankful that the last 2-3 years has seen the military get the biggest pay raises in ever--including raising our bah--in an effort to close the gap between pay for the jobs our service men do in comparison to the civilian sector. It is a great effort, but there is still a wide margin there which they admit may take 10 years to close to an acceptable level. Let's be real here...last year saw my dh gone 8 months. Seriously. It's crazy. Thus far since January the boat has been underway for 34 days. For the record that is out of 69 days. From now until June their schedule has them down for another 53 days underway. That's out of the upcoming 111 days. Pretty sobering when you look at it like that huh? Not to mention the fact that when they are IN port, they still work a workweek like normal. M-F. By the end of this year if things go as they are expecting I will have seen my dh approximately 1/2 of the year. BTW, less anyone believe I am, I am NOT complaining. My dh and I have worked around his schedule in a million and one ways...we still find time to do the things that are important...he still stays involved in our children's lives through their activities, our homeschool, and just being "one cool dad"...he still takes care of me in ways that he can--and when things happen and he can't take care of me he mourns...we are still madly in love with each other in spite (or sometimes BECAUSE) of our seperations--and we are fairly well adjusted to our lifestyle. Every time he leaves makes me love him more, he makes a sacrifice every time he walks out that door that I can hardly bear to contemplate. How would I react if my 3 year old daughter was wailing with tears streaming down her cheeks, clinging to my leg as I try to walk out the door "please don't go Mommy, please stay here with me, please don't leave, take me with you, I want to go with you"...well, I think I would die...but my dh walks out that door and somehow works through the emotions that happen over scenes like that however rare they are these days--they do still happen sometimes--and I wonder how he does that. I know God must give him some kind of inner strength to turn that emotion off because I *know* my dh--some part of him dies everytime that happens....and I don't know how he can stand it...he loves our children with the same fevor and passion I do. I know he hurts but he does what he has to do for many reasons, but oddly enough probably not the ones that most people would suspect. Most might say "because he has to" but I would argue with that. My dh LOVES his job. He LOVES the CG. He is proud to be in the CG and to be of service to his country. I can't see him anywhere else, and as much as I like to imagine he will retire at 20 years there is that niggling suspicion in the back of my head that giving up the Guard might be something he won't do on my prefered time schedule lol Sheesh, when we were 14 years old, and I still have this note, I wrote him a note asking him what he thought he would want to do for his life--and he wrote back to me that he wanted to be in the Coast Guard. Nah, my dh doesn't belong anywhere else at all. Besides that, he is GOOD at what he does, heck, I'd say he is one of the best. People actually request for him to cook lol The fact that he is an awesome cook aside, he is exceptional at the professional part of his job as well, the paperwork, the organization, the planning, preparations, money management, and all of the behind the scenes things people would not believe that goes on in the inner workings of a galley...but he thrives and he works hard and he is so good at what he does--and so when he walks out the door to go to that boat to leave for whatever time demanded, he doesn't "just do it because he has to"...he does it because he WANTS to...he CHOSE this...WE chose this together over 11 years ago. And finally, there is the part of him that walks out that door knowing that every time he does he is doing what God meant for him to do. He is taking care of me and our children. He is allowing me the opportunity to stay home and raise our children. He is supplying us with our needs. He is a good man that I am ever thankful for as I learn and grow, and when I see other's lives and the issues that grow within the walls of their homes I am even more thankful that I have a dh who will do whatever it takes to be the man that God wants him to be. I'm blessed, I never question that.
And now, I am off to go make lunch, and get some of MY chores done. After all, I can't sit in this nice, big, comfy, wonderful new "executive" chair all day now can I? hehe well, I could but I won't. There is a choice there haha
Be blessed!!
~A
PS...a picture to share this afternoon...as the children have been sick they have been living in their pj's so yesterday here was a sight dh and I saw and snapped a picture of that is one of those moments we both said we didn't want to forget...it was so cute and adorable, and it's hard to explain why really but maybe seeing it will help you understand:
She was picking out some soup to eat...and yes, Grandma, I was standing right there lol oh and note the bowls on the counter tops--we are growing lizards again lolol I'll be glad when the squishy little things die forever, however, the people who made them were too smart for that now weren't they?? ugh.
Posted by Angelbaby @ 01:37 PM CST [Link]
[Archive Index] [Main Index]
|
