Well, we have more information about what’s going to be happening early next year, but I’m not sure that Rob really wants me to post it on the blog just yet.  As soon as we get more information and Rob gives the green light to let everyone know what the deal is, I’ll let you know.

Today is Halloween and Rob wants to dress up for the kiddies that come by for Trick or Treats, but we don’t have any costumes.  I’ve never dressed up to give out candy…lol  We’re also going to watch The Shining.  Rob got a gift certificate from my brother and sister in law for his birthday and one of the things he got was that movie.  It’s about 1 of 3 scary movies I’ll sit down and watch!!!!

In addition, we’re going to Bitburg to pick up the Mini tomorrow.  Woohoo!  Very excited about this!!!  Pictures to come!!! 🙂  This I can promise, even though I’ve been promising for months now to put up more pictures of Codiak and Casey and I haven’t done it.  I know, I’m a slacker!

A few weeks ago, I fell down the stairs (big surprise, Amber falls down the stairs!!!) and I was carrying my computer when I fell.  I hurt my tailbone pretty bad, but I also broke my nice computer.  It was working (kind of) but just barely and finally yesterday, it died, so now I’m using this really small, very old computer that I got right after we moved to Germany 4 years ago.  Nothing on it has been updated in 2 years, so it took a long time to get this computer on-line and everything working properly.  The last time I used this computer was right after Rob came back from Iraq and we took it with us on our trip to Spain and Portugal.  It wasn’t so that I could get on the Internet, but as a storage unit for all the photographs that I took while we were traveling.

It seems to be working, but I really miss my other one, so I really hope that we can get it fixed fairly soon.  The keys on this computer type differently than the other one and there’s no separate number pad (which I used frequently!)  At least the mouse-pad on this computer isn’t as sensitive as the other one!!

Anyway, better be going for now.  Gotta lotta stuff to get done today and I think I’m a bit hungry!  TTFN

This was written by my FiL (Dad) and I wanted to share (hey!  that rhymed!)

This is really  hard to say
That Rob will be 40 today

It was his days playing football that was really a blast
He did a good job at blocking but he never ran fast

In the band a trumpet he blew
When he made first chair Jennifer cried boo-hoo

His grades were great and off to college he’d go
It surely cost us a lot of dough

When graduation came we knew it was worth it all
When is standing there proud and tall

After a few years to Key West he would go
He wanted to get away from the cold and the snow

When he came back home pizza was his game
It didn’t last long we think Pizza Hut was to blame

We were surprised to hear that he was choosing  the Army as his career
His Mom and Dad both shed a tear

The he met Amber and everything is great
We believe that it was truly fate

We’re proud of our son and the accomplishments he’s had
We give you our love from both Mom and Dad

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I know that it’s been a while since I’ve written!  There’s not been a whole lot going on with me or Rob lately.

Codiak is growing like a weed.  He’s about 45 pounds and just turned 4 months old!  The scale at the vet’s office wasn’t working today when we got puppy shots, but the doctor agreed with our assessment of 45 pound (or 20 Kg)!  The vet tech who was working today said that she had a lab and that she knew ours was going to be a big boy!

Rob celebrated his “over the hill” birthday on the 15th.  We didn’t do too much, but I made him a cake and a special birthday dinner.

I started re-watched the Friend’s episodes and right now I’m on the last one.  It makes me sad.  I know that I will always have my “friends” anytime I want, but it is sad to see it end.  I promised my friend Diana that she could borrow my DVDs so she could enjoy it.  I say that I’m a bad sharer, but I’m really not, I play very well with others! 😉

Rob is working late tonight.  I had to chase the dogs from the neighbors yard.  Codiak has taught Casey the intricate art of jumping and crawling through fences.  Grrr!  Definitely going to need a privacy fence when we get back to the states.

Anyway, Rob finally got home, so now I gotta go!  Thanks for reading and have a great day!  🙂

Say hello to the newest member of our family! His name is Bumble Bee (like from Transformers) heehee! He’s been paid for today and we got to meet him today. He’s not finished yet, he’s getting hood bonnets put on it next week. Ain’t he just so cute?

It’s too much!  Stop!  Wait a minute!  Let me take it one piece at a time!

We got an email today.  Rob’s been accepted into a functional area.  It’s Information Operations.  Very exciting opportunity!  He’ll start off at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas for a few months and then go somewhere else…where that somewhere else is–is still very much up in the air!

I’m all jittery and stuff–and not from all the coffee that I’ve drank today, either–but because there was just so much information that I’m having a difficult time trying to sort it out in my mind.  Just like everything, it needs to be processed…and put into the correct compartments.

Isn’t that weird?  I compartmentalize my life.  I think a lot of military spouse’s do that.  I think we have to.  With all the information that I got today, I seriously don’t know how long it will be for me to finally be able to understand the whole thing.  Seriously, I don’t know if it’s good news or bad news.  It’s news.  We’ll leave it at that for now.  I can’t say more because I don’t know more…though I wish I did.  Do I really need more information?  I can’t process what I know NOW–would I do better with MORE?  Maybe, perhaps…probably.  At least there’d be more certainty.

This is not what I was expecting, that’s for sure…okay, it was similar to what I had expected, but it throws new, uncertain possibilities into the whole works.  I want to go back to school, but I can’t even really start thinking about that until I have some sort of idea where it is that we’re going to be stationed.  I spent hours upon hours researching schools, areas, apartments that allow dogs–animals in general (I have 3–tough to find a place that allows them is not easy), employment, second bachelor’s degree over a master’s degree.  All of this stuff that I’ve spent the last few months deciding has all just been thrown out the window because now there is this uncertainty that we’re facing and I just want to go back to where it was easy.  Where decisions had been made and it was clearer as to which path I was going to be on.

As I said in my previous post, staying flexible while being married to the military is the key to success.  I do believe it, just some sense of order in this chaos they call the military would be helpful.  So, now, I will take my outdated list of places of where we could possibly be stationed (and it’s a long list) and tell my husband 3 places that I’d like to live for the next 2-5 years.  At least it’s a start, I suppose.

That’s one thing I really commend my husband about.  He always takes into consideration my options.  And basically, he’ll go wherever!  For that I’m grateful.  I seriously doubt that I could have found someone so understanding about the military situation that he takes me into consideration when it comes to moving.  He’s so great that way.

Sorry, does this post seem disconnected?  I’m disconnected.  I’m all over the place right now.  Don’t worry…I’m alright.  Sometimes it’s good to just write out the thoughts.  It helps me sometimes–just to sort it out.  So if this post didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to you, don’t worry, it’ll become clearer as time goes on…and we’ll keep you updated.

Thanks for reading.

My brother was a Marine for a number of years.  He recently married his wife who is from Lebanon.  She was thrown into the Military life!  She knew that my brother was in the military.  She accepted this and went about trying to figure out life in America in addition to learning the ropes of being a military spouse.  It’s never an easy thing to do–even if you’re familiar with the military.

Being a military spouse is a tough life to lead, but the Marine’s had a day for the spouse’s to learn what it means to be a Marine.  They call it Jane Wayne day.  I just love the name–it’s so much better than “Soldier for a Day”.  What a boring title, if you ask me.

I want to host one, one of these days.  I’ve only been talking about it for a year now!  How utterly annoying that there is not a day on the calendar that I can’t put something like that together!  There’s no time!  I was hoping to do it this month–not possible…then the “guys” (I call them that, but there are several females) go back out to the field in November!  After that, we roll right into the Christmas holidays which is extremely busy.  No rest for the weary, as they say!

My plans for Jane Wayne day have been completely shot.  Even if I could do it in December, it’s too cold out there!  I guess I just have to wait it out.  Maybe by March, it’ll be nice enough to play on an obstacle course and take the kids on a HummVee ride.  Going to the range simulator–not a problem, but I want to play outside–teach the spouse’s how to do PT–Army-style…eat an MRE (yummm!) and have fun doing it.

Who knows what the Army has in store for us after the first of the year…stay flexible, that’s my mantra.  Each and everyday is something new!  I love being an Army wife!  🙂

Mom, we tried to call you to wish you a happy birthday, but we figured you were probably out celebrating retirement!

Casey sends his love and Codi sends birthday yaps!!  Hee!

Love ya!

But it’s good for a laugh!  Enjoy!