Day 198: March 13, 2010

Quote of the Day: "Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I just realized, Ron will be back in Texas on day 200 exactly. Isn't that funny?  I can't wait to go down to Dallas to pick him up at the airport! I spent most of today picking things up around the house so that it will be nice and clean for him when he gets here.  You know, because he's been living in a third world country.... with a bunch of guys.... in a tiny little closet.  So I figured it'd be great for him to have his giant house all clean so that he can just stretch out and relax.  Of course, Cody may have destroyed it again by the time we get back here from Dallas, but you never know.  Maybe I'll get lucky this time and nothing will go wrong.  Yeah, right!  Just tonight Cody came in from playing outside to tell me that he had his (3rd) new phone in his pocket and fell, and it broke.  And guess what? He's gotten so many insurance replacements that they will no longer cover him. Go figure!  So I had to call and have the OLD old phone activated... Damien's old Razr.  You'd think the dang kid would learn something, but he doesn't.  That's okay, though, becuase MOM sure has learned. NO more new phones for Cody. He will be getting a used phone next time if I can swing it, or whatever phone they have on sale. No exceptions. I am not going to keep throwing away our money like that, no matter WHAT he thinks.  I am NOT that patient a person!

On the plus side, though, things are really starting to shape up around here, and the warm weather has me feeling pretty happy.  My flowers are looking great, as you can see, and I could not be happier about that.  The flowering quince is a surprise... I had no idea that all the flowers would be down at the base of the shrub and not on the tips of the branches like on most flowering bushes.  So I'm a little disappointed in that, but hoping that it's because they're such young shrubs.  And my magnolias are in really poor shape, so I'm just hoping that they will make it.  I really need to get moving on finding them a spot that will be better suited to them.  GRR!

 

Oh, well.  At least I get my wish, Ron may get to see the flowering quince at work.  The sage bushes, however, have no leaves left on them, and I'm really wondering if they are even alive.  I'm going to give it a little bit, because for all I know it could just be that the cold zapped the leaves but left the branches alive. Not really sure, but I looked at them really closely and don't see any signs of new leaves or buds or anything. 
 

And I'll be putting my rosemary in the ground as well, since if they made it through all that Christmas snow and all the really low temps we had this winter, as well as the fact that they made it through all of last summer.  I figure they're pretty good for around here.  The hibiscus are both dead, so I'll have to dig them out, but that's okay because Ron and I actually intend to turn that area into an extended patio sometime.  And in the meantime, we have to till it this spring thanks to Chloe and her stupid digging habit.  The grass will all need replanted anyway, because that crazy dark green grass that keeps creeping in everywhere seems to be spreading like crazy this spring. It'd be a really great grass, if it wasn't such a fast grower. You'd have to mow three times a week to keep it looking good.  Love the color, love the texture, HATE THE MOWING!!!! But once Ron comes home he will be taking back over yard and pool duties, and he doesn't seem to hate it as much as I do.  Must be a guy thing.  I'd rather be sitting on the patio WATCHING him mow.  Something about a dirty, sweaty guy covered in grass clippings! HAHAHA

Day 196: March 11, 2010

Quote of the Day: "We are all here for a spell. Get all the good laughs you can." - Will Rogers

Today was an AWESOME day at clinicals! It didn't stop me from getting exhausted by the end of the day, but I honestly believe it's mostly the stupid shoes I have to wear to clinicals. My feet and legs are killing me! But I was definitely right, I LOVE postpartum care! I spoke with Ellen this afternoon, the manager of the postpartum area, and she said that she is expecting to be able to call on Monday with news regarding whether I am hired or not. I can't WAIT for that! Now I'm not only excited that my baby is coming home on Monday, but also that maybe I'll have some great news to give him when he lands. And if for some reason they don't select me, then I'll at least have someone to console me about it. So either way it goes, Monday will be a good day!
 
I invited my classmate Lillian to spend the night here at the house tonight because she didn't want to drive home to Dallas and turn right back around in the morning and drive back up here again for class tomorrow.  She was planning on finding a hotel after clinicals, and I just told her that I have plenty of room and to come on over.  It was good having someone else around that I could talk to that was actually an adult, and we had a good time. She LOVES Tiger. I think she'd love to take him home with her, too.  But of course.... EVERYONE loves Tiger, he's just so darn cute! LOL  Tomorrow she'll have to go back down to Dallas after class, but at least she was able to save money on gas and on a hotel, which is awesome. Plus, we were actually able to sit down and watch a movie (somewhat.... I kept falling asleep).  Maybe tomorrow I'll be more rested and ready to get started on cleaning this place up for Ron.  I am nearly jumping for joy already, and I still have 4 whole days left! UGH!  Soon, this will all be a bad dream.... not soon enough, unfortunately, but soon. Can you say.... FINALLY?!
 

Day 195: March 10, 2010

Quote of the Day: "The best way out is always through." -Robert Frost

Today is one of the last few days that I will be writing my daily blogs for Ron, and while it's kind of sad that it marks the end of something that I have stuck with and didn't give up on, I'm really happy that it's coming to an end.  Ron will be landing at DFW airport on the 15th, which means you'll only have 4 more days' worth of what I have been calling "Ron's Blog".   I haven't planned to completely remove my blog from the net, though. I think (mostly because poor Tiffany won't EVER know what we're up to if I quit the blog altogether) that I'll keep writing blogs, just more random and varied than I've been doing.  Probably not every day, though, but we'll see. Come May 15th I'll have a lot more time on my hands, and a lot LESS stress. And I might even get a life again, which means that I'd have MORE to write about!

All day long I've been thinking about Ron coming home, and it's been Ron this and Ron that the whole day long.  I took my third test in my Mother/Baby class today, but I'm not sure how I did. I found that it was pretty hard to concentrate. For one thing, aside from the fact that I have Ron-itis going on, they keep the stupid classroom so hot that it's miserable in there.  I actually start getting lightheaded and dizzy after the first hour. It's really sad when you can actually feel a ten degree difference just walking out of the classroom into the hallway.  I wish they would prop the door open, or turn off the heater, or something! I don't have very high hopes for that, but still... it is actually so warm in there that it makes me feel physically ill, like I have a high fever. And poor Laurie agrees... her face turns bright red in there!

I started packing my bag for Dallas tonight, but am having a hard time figuring out what to take. What do you want to pack when you are seeing your husband for the first time in six months, and you are 25 pounds skinnier than when he left? Do you want jeans and t-shirts, or skirts and blouses, or dresses? Hmm. I can't seem to wrap my mind around a concept of what to pack. I stuck with jeans, but every time I turn around I'm second-guessing myself. LOL You'd think we were newlyweds or something! It's kinda funny.  But the one thing I HAD to pack for sure..... slippers. There's no smoking in the rooms on the base, so we'll have to walk out to the smoking area to smoke. Plus, I just really love slippers. I'm weird that way! LOL

I have clinicals tomorrow, so I'd better sign off here and try to get some sleep, even though I know I won't. Tomorrow is my postpartum clinical... you know, the one I'm trying to get hired for.... the one I absolutely loved!  I can't wait to get there and get started! Maybe I'll impress them so much that they'll make their decision right then and there and hire me on the spot!!!! I've already had all three interveiws, so why not? LOL Yeah, I know, other people to interview.  Still.... a girl can dream, right? I mean, really.... I really, really want it!

Day 194: March 9th, 2010

Quote of the Day: "Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." ~Kahlil Gibran

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RON!!!!!

If you were here, I'd have been making you a special dinner tonight, but as it is I'll just have to do that once you're home. I'm looking SOOOOO forward to being able to have my other half back! Just a few more days, and I'll have someone to call to jump for joy with when I get good news, or someone whose shoulder I can cry on when the bad things happen.  I've been so lost all by myself, I can't even remember when the last time I felt like that was. I have been forced to stay really busy during this deployment thanks to nursing school, but I still think that I've had too much time on my hands to be miserable. So as a result of that, I am SUPER GLAD that Ron's coming home finally.  My countdown has begun! YAY!!!!

Today has been a really boring day for the most part. I'm still not feeling well, but I guess I'll just have to get used to that. I had to go to WalMart and buy some track shorts for Cody.  He had a meet today after school, and loaned his pair out to his friend Nathan, whose clothes got soaked. So..... I got three pairs for him, which should be MORE than enough. Except that he likes to wear them all the time, so I'm sure that they will be all worn out soon.  While I was at Wally World I went ahead and pulled in and had them change my oil so that Ron wouldn't have to mess with it when he gets back. And I had them add air to my tires too, which were REALLY LOW.  So while I was waiting I found a couple pairs of shorts that would fit me, and now I think I should have just enough clothes to make it through the summer. Maybe not as much as I'm USED to having, but hey... it's all good. You don't wear a lot in summer, anyways. I have plenty of shirts and tops, so there will be plenty of different outfit choices. For whatEVER I decide to do. And boy, am I looking forward to it!!!

I didn't get out there and fertilize the plants today because of the WalMart trip, and then cleaning out my closet and putting away all the clothes that don't fit me. By the time I was done with that (which took about 6 hours because of me not feeling good) I was pretty much wiped out.  But I had to go to Cody's track meet, which took FOREVER. And poor Cody, he didn't do too well tonight. He was jumping too high and not spending enough time running, so he took like 3rd or 4th place.  He said that is the last time he runs that particular race, and will stick to the 110's from now on (or something like that.)  He also said that maybe he just would quit, but I hope he doesn't. It'd be good for him to finish what he started, even if he doesn't like it.  I just took him to Burger King for dinner, and he enjoyed devouring a triple Whopper, king size fries, and a king size soda.  Not sure if he'll be able to sleep tonight with all that caffeine in him, but hey, who knows. As for me, it's now time for bed. I have a test in the morning which I have to get some sleep for, followed by sitting in class all day long. Sigh.

Day 193: March 8th, 2010

Quote of the Day: "No objects of value are worth risking the priceless experience of waking up one more day. "  - Jack Smith

Spring has sprung in Texas. I have little bunches of flowers in the front now.  At first, the blue anemones came poking their heads out, and now I have both blue and pink ones. And they're soooo pretty after all this horrible, nasty weather we've been having.  My hydrangea is starting to leaf out, too!  And the roses have all started getting their new red leaves, so they'll be all bushy real soon.  I think I should probably go out and put fertilizer on my magnolias and my azalea here real soon, to give them a fighting chance this year.  I don't know what to do about the magnolias, though... they do not like the spot they're in for some reason.  They were really dark green and thick when I planted them, but within a month the leaves started yellowing, and then over this winter they have lost all their leaves but the outermost. I may have to move them, but where is a whole different ballgame.  Not sure if they need more sun, or more water, or less water, or what.  Since I've never grown them before, it's going to be like playing Russian Roulette with them.  I'll do some research over spring break and see if I can figure out what to do with them. 

Today we had a small little thunderstorm come through, just enough to make it interesting. I really have missed those, and it was warm enough to NOT have to wear thermals under my clothes, which was even better. I'm thinking that we're in for a wild spring, though, after our wild winter we just had. Isn't that usually the pattern?  The way I see it, for the past three years I have taken spring photos of funnel clouds that don't touch the ground and become tornadoes until they are past us, so I'm going to have the windows cleaned and the tripod ready so that I can do some more this year. I'd love to be able to take pictures ( and video ) of an actual tornado, but I really doubt that will happen here. We just don't ever seem to be that lucky.  Although most people would actually say that's a good thing. I'm sure they're right, too, but there's always that part of me that has been fascinated with them for like forever.  So as long as it doesn't go near anyone or anything, and stays out in a field somewhere, I say BRING IT ON!!!

Day 192: March 7, 2010

Quote of the Day: "If I know what love is, it’s because of you." – Herman Hesse

Wow, what a day it's been. I had to get something out from under my bed, and when I bent down to get it I got the most horriffic smell of cat urine right in the face!!!!!!! Evidently one of Ron's little angels has decided that it'd be a great place to go! And since the entire area under the bed is jam packed with Rubbermaid tubs, I'm not sure how the heck they even did it. But I did my best to steam clean the heck out of the carpet, and then took a drive to Lowe's for some boards and hinges, to try and block off the area while still making it to where I can get the bins out from under there whenever I want to. I wish they didn't make those things angled to where the bottom is smaller! If they made them square, then there wouldn't have been an area where the stupid cats could get in there. Oh, well, I'm just hoping that they can't sneak in under a board an inch and a half off the floor. We'll see, but if they  CAN get under there still, then I'm making yet another trip to Lowe's for some thinner wood to screw onto the back of what I just put on there. At least, I'm praying they can't. I can't move the darn bed by myself to properly clean up the carpets, and CAN'T stand even the thought of cat urine, much less the smell. I'm about to get rid of the cats altogether. Wouldn't bother me a bit for two out of three of them, and since I know which one is doing it (or at least, which one it would be right in line with personality), I know which one I would start out getting rid of first. Ya know, sometimes... It's better not to have more than one animal, so that you always know who to blame.

I watched the season finale of my show tonight, fat lot of good it did me. As usual, the season was too darn short and they crammed too much into the episode.  Just like the last two seasons.  Yeah, it's riveting, but really.... at least they could make it a LITTLE believable. I think that next season will be the last season. If I didn't know they had already signed a contract for another season, I would be concerned that this was the SERIES finale, with the way they ended it. I'd love for them to get back to the good stuff and not have so much drama going on all the time.  NO one has THAT much going on every single day of their life, I don't care WHO they are. Even the President doesn't have that much crap going on! Well, okay, maybe he does, but that's why all our Presidents are gray-haired by the end of their term. And I sure don't see any of the characters on the show getting gray hairs from all their "stress" they deal with every single day of their lives. I'm going to give it this next season, but if they don't start doing a better job of taking their time and slowing it down, I am outta there. I have more than enough going on in my own life to sit down every Sunday night for ten weeks straight trying to remember who did what in which episode. It was much easier when the storylines were more mellow.

Okay, enough of my soapbox. I can't wait for next season, though...It's bound to be pretty good with all the little cliffhangers they left on there tonight.

Oh, and by the way.... pizza? NOT YOUR FRIEND IF YOU ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT! 2LB WEIGHT GAIN OVERNIGHT! It would have probably helped if I could sleep last night, but Cody and his friends that stayed over made my night a living hell... and then I woke UP to a living hell this morning. You should have seen the mess they made! I have no idea what the heck they were doing, but there were Cheetos and candle wax strewn all over the living room, along with trash, water bottles, empty food wrappers, you name it.  I could not believe it!  The pictures just don't do it justice, because all those little tiny pieces of wax just don't show up real well.  I had to really light into Cody about using my candles, because number one he is not allowed to light them - at all. Ever. And especially not a $20 Bath and Body Works candle!!!!! I've been catching him doing it all the time lately, and I'm about to lock him in his room until high school graduation. That is, if he doesn't burn the house down first!!! Oh, and I really appreciated the almost-midnight wake-up to him coming into my room to go into my bathroom for a bottle of nail polish to prank his friend. Let me just say that we are NOT having any more sleepovers here, because I have had my fill of nights like I had last night. And he is going to be doing some serious work making it right, if you ask me.  That was WAY crazy!