Here we are, friends! We've been a little out of touch with the internet world since we moved into our new house. It's a work in progress to make it a home. Well, a haven actually. It can't ever be home. :)
So, yes, we are pretty settled into our Italian haven. Just a few more boxes to open and then a few more scattered about still full of stuff that I have no idea what to do with. Which probably means, it should be thrown away. We're getting there though.
Chris is doing well at work. He's working a lot but he likes to keep busy. Cam and I are here at the house most of the time since we are a one car family now.
(How economical, I know)
I try to unpack or organize a little each day and then the day is spent chasing, entertaining, feeding, and laughing with Cam. When he naps, I capitalize on that time and clean the stuff that I can't get to when he's up and around.
(Like floors and bathrooms..and even dishes since he likes to help but taking everything out of the dishwasher whether it's clean or not!)
The dogs are adjusting. They'd rather not be tortured by Cam all day so they spend their days (weather permitting) outside. They play through the fence with the neighbor dogs.
(We have a German Shepard on one side and a little black and white dog on the other)
They also bark at EVERY.LIVING.THING. That gets old. Fast.
We haven't been out much because of Chris's schedule and the weather. It doesn't sound too appealing to go wander ancient streets if you can't see because of the fog or the wind is threatening to freeze your face off by sheer force. But we will get out. I will see this country since I doubt he'll ever bring me back with our own money. :)
Other than that, not much has changed. I'm still too American for this place and my attempts to sit and learn the language have yet to really sink in. So, I will continue to bumble and mumble my way around...but it'll be fun!
I'll post pictures of the house and the surrounding country soon. :)
Until then....
Don't miss us too much. We're here. :)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tales of a Tired Momma
Once upon a time...
That's how these stories usually go. Unfortunately, this one was "once upon-ed" nightly.
But I digress...
Once upon a time, there was a tired mother and her little boy. While this little boy of hers was magnificent in her eyes and brought smiles to all those he met, he had one fault.
He did not like to sleep.
Every night, the boy and his mother would cuddle, dance, watch movies, everything under the *moon* to make the little boy sleepy. And night after night, the boy would stay awake until his little eyes refused to stay open any longer.
There was some reasoning behind the little boys schedule and while that is another tale entirely, I shall share a little of it with you.
The little boy, his mother, father, and their two black steeds (dogs..hehe) had just made a long journey across the great ocean to a new land. While this land woke up to the same sun as their homeland and slept under the same moon as their homeland, this land had their sun and moon backwards. So, the little boy and his mother had to make their eyes tired with the moon of the new land and for the little boy this was deemed as quite a difficult task.
The mother tried everything. Some nights the moon shined upon her and smiled, for it was those nights that the little boy was asleep before the sun rose to greet them. Through it all, the mother (mostly) kept her wits about her. Sometimes, she let her eyes rest and let her ears keep her little boy safe. While that never lasted long, it helped for the minutes it did work.
The mother felt lucky, even on the long nights, because the little boy was rarely sad. He just wanted to play and what mother can fault a child for that? So, they played and cuddled until the little boy had finally had enough. Then, (and this is my favorite part) he would curl up into his mothers arms and drift off into the sweetest of dreams.
There is no real moral for this story because this story has not met its end. I guess the moral is, "Mothers of little ones who choose to play with the moon, keep your anger in, for they deserve your smile even in the dark of night. Keep love in your heart and in your arms and you hold them as they finally drift off in their dreams".
For it will happen, they will fall asleep. If they are anything like my little one, who is too much like me sometimes, they will sleep when THEY are ready. So, rest your spirit (and eyes when you can).
That's how these stories usually go. Unfortunately, this one was "once upon-ed" nightly.
But I digress...
Once upon a time, there was a tired mother and her little boy. While this little boy of hers was magnificent in her eyes and brought smiles to all those he met, he had one fault.
He did not like to sleep.
Every night, the boy and his mother would cuddle, dance, watch movies, everything under the *moon* to make the little boy sleepy. And night after night, the boy would stay awake until his little eyes refused to stay open any longer.
There was some reasoning behind the little boys schedule and while that is another tale entirely, I shall share a little of it with you.
The little boy, his mother, father, and their two black steeds (dogs..hehe) had just made a long journey across the great ocean to a new land. While this land woke up to the same sun as their homeland and slept under the same moon as their homeland, this land had their sun and moon backwards. So, the little boy and his mother had to make their eyes tired with the moon of the new land and for the little boy this was deemed as quite a difficult task.
The mother tried everything. Some nights the moon shined upon her and smiled, for it was those nights that the little boy was asleep before the sun rose to greet them. Through it all, the mother (mostly) kept her wits about her. Sometimes, she let her eyes rest and let her ears keep her little boy safe. While that never lasted long, it helped for the minutes it did work.
The mother felt lucky, even on the long nights, because the little boy was rarely sad. He just wanted to play and what mother can fault a child for that? So, they played and cuddled until the little boy had finally had enough. Then, (and this is my favorite part) he would curl up into his mothers arms and drift off into the sweetest of dreams.
There is no real moral for this story because this story has not met its end. I guess the moral is, "Mothers of little ones who choose to play with the moon, keep your anger in, for they deserve your smile even in the dark of night. Keep love in your heart and in your arms and you hold them as they finally drift off in their dreams".
For it will happen, they will fall asleep. If they are anything like my little one, who is too much like me sometimes, they will sleep when THEY are ready. So, rest your spirit (and eyes when you can).
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Over the Ocean and through the Mountains...
I wish I was on the way to my grandmother's house. I miss her bunches.
We've been in Italy for 20 days now. It's been a long 20 days, it seems. We are still living at the Inn on post. 2 more weeks before we to move into our house. One of our shipments of stuff has arrived. That's good news. Hopefully in the next 2 weeks our other shipment will come and we can move us and everything else into the house at once.
We have a car now so we can do more exploring. It is a beautiful country out here. I want to know the story behind every building. Ha, nerd.
Cam is getting back onto a normal schedule. Well he was until his molars starting coming in. Now he's back to staying up because his little mouth hurts and keeps him up. But he's still on a more normal schedule than a week or so ago when he was staying up until 5am. That was an adventure. I learned the art of baby massage, napping within his reach while he plays, and the power of a good cuddle. I love that little guy.
We had a small Thanksgiving in our room. We managed a pretty good meal out of our 2 burner stove and a microwave. :) We've also had the chance to eat out on the town a few times now. We've had some good pizza, a yummy salad, more delicious pizza, amazing sushi, and a good assortment of coffee drinks. Eating here may be the key to happiness. Until I can get out and get some shopping done. :)
Our hotel is really nice. They have movies at the front desk, free coffee drinks, and I will miss the housekeeping staff when we move into our house. I am grateful though that we have a separate bedroom or else no one would be getting any sleep and we would be very, VERY grumpy.
I've seen my friend from Norman. It was so nice to see a familiar face in this still strange land. I've made a new friend here close to post as well. I've got to put myself out there more, which is very hard for me. But here I go anyway. It hasn't turned out bad so far. :)
I miss home, terribly. I miss my Clarksville friends. I miss my Norman family. I am so grateful for Skype and FB chat. I believe I have handled this change in our lives well enough because I've been able to see and talk to my mom and some of my friends.
Well, that's an update from our new world. :)
More to come soon!
Until then....
We've been in Italy for 20 days now. It's been a long 20 days, it seems. We are still living at the Inn on post. 2 more weeks before we to move into our house. One of our shipments of stuff has arrived. That's good news. Hopefully in the next 2 weeks our other shipment will come and we can move us and everything else into the house at once.
We have a car now so we can do more exploring. It is a beautiful country out here. I want to know the story behind every building. Ha, nerd.
Cam is getting back onto a normal schedule. Well he was until his molars starting coming in. Now he's back to staying up because his little mouth hurts and keeps him up. But he's still on a more normal schedule than a week or so ago when he was staying up until 5am. That was an adventure. I learned the art of baby massage, napping within his reach while he plays, and the power of a good cuddle. I love that little guy.
We had a small Thanksgiving in our room. We managed a pretty good meal out of our 2 burner stove and a microwave. :) We've also had the chance to eat out on the town a few times now. We've had some good pizza, a yummy salad, more delicious pizza, amazing sushi, and a good assortment of coffee drinks. Eating here may be the key to happiness. Until I can get out and get some shopping done. :)
Our hotel is really nice. They have movies at the front desk, free coffee drinks, and I will miss the housekeeping staff when we move into our house. I am grateful though that we have a separate bedroom or else no one would be getting any sleep and we would be very, VERY grumpy.
I've seen my friend from Norman. It was so nice to see a familiar face in this still strange land. I've made a new friend here close to post as well. I've got to put myself out there more, which is very hard for me. But here I go anyway. It hasn't turned out bad so far. :)
I miss home, terribly. I miss my Clarksville friends. I miss my Norman family. I am so grateful for Skype and FB chat. I believe I have handled this change in our lives well enough because I've been able to see and talk to my mom and some of my friends.
Well, that's an update from our new world. :)
More to come soon!
Until then....
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Heartstrings and Other Things
It's been a while..this I know. Life got in my face and didn't give me a chance to look away.
We are still heading to Italy..sometime by the end of the year.
Cam is 10 months old now and on his way to walking. He looks a little like Frankenstein but it's a blast to watch him.
Chris has been gone for a month now..some Army school. He'll be home by the end of the month, and that day is still too far away. He is greatly missed around our home.
Cam and I have been keeping busy. We took a trip to Oklahoma to see family. Thank goodness for my mom, who flew up to help with the drive. It was a much nicer drive than the last time. Last time: we tested fate and drove through the worst storm I have ever been out of my house to witness. People actually died. Cars were blown from the road, there were tornadoes in 3 different directions. And then rain, wind, hail and darkness. I still wonder how we survived. Mom and I are still a little emotionally scarred from that one.
This trip, was sunny and daytime. Quite fabulous and some good quality time with my mom. It was very hard to say goodbye after 20 straight days of being with her. I do love her.
Being in Oklahoma was nice. It's always nice to be home. I got to take Cam to the zoo. He picked out a monkey. Yes, all by himself. I would've paid $100 dollars for that silly monkey just from his reaction when he saw it. He reached for it on the shelf, took it, and ate his face. It was made for him. :)
I got some fabulous time with my ya-ya's and all the special times that come with them.
Now we are back in our home. The house that is still for sale and the stress that comes with that may be the end of me. I don't know what else I can do. I'm still emptying it and packing when and where I can. But I am just one little soul and with such a mobile little monster, I have such a limited time to get what needs to be done, done. But I keep chugging along. It will all get done, in due time. In time, I will also not feel like a married-single mom. I miss my better half, for sure.
Alright, enough of my rambles. It's time for a nap for my monster.
Until then...
Be brave in all things. :)
We are still heading to Italy..sometime by the end of the year.
Cam is 10 months old now and on his way to walking. He looks a little like Frankenstein but it's a blast to watch him.
Chris has been gone for a month now..some Army school. He'll be home by the end of the month, and that day is still too far away. He is greatly missed around our home.
Cam and I have been keeping busy. We took a trip to Oklahoma to see family. Thank goodness for my mom, who flew up to help with the drive. It was a much nicer drive than the last time. Last time: we tested fate and drove through the worst storm I have ever been out of my house to witness. People actually died. Cars were blown from the road, there were tornadoes in 3 different directions. And then rain, wind, hail and darkness. I still wonder how we survived. Mom and I are still a little emotionally scarred from that one.
This trip, was sunny and daytime. Quite fabulous and some good quality time with my mom. It was very hard to say goodbye after 20 straight days of being with her. I do love her.
We rarely seem to have a normal moment...
Being in Oklahoma was nice. It's always nice to be home. I got to take Cam to the zoo. He picked out a monkey. Yes, all by himself. I would've paid $100 dollars for that silly monkey just from his reaction when he saw it. He reached for it on the shelf, took it, and ate his face. It was made for him. :)
His other present from the zoo. :)
He fell asleep in his floatie. :) Best nap Ever!
I got some fabulous time with my ya-ya's and all the special times that come with them.
Yum-o!
Beyond Special..and I miss them so.
The most influential and important women in my life.
Also, while we were home, Cam got his first haircut! It wasn't much but it had to be done. No one but *Great* Aunt Pam was allowed to have the first cut.
I don't think he even knew what was going on behind him. Ha!
Now we are back in our home. The house that is still for sale and the stress that comes with that may be the end of me. I don't know what else I can do. I'm still emptying it and packing when and where I can. But I am just one little soul and with such a mobile little monster, I have such a limited time to get what needs to be done, done. But I keep chugging along. It will all get done, in due time. In time, I will also not feel like a married-single mom. I miss my better half, for sure.
Alright, enough of my rambles. It's time for a nap for my monster.
Until then...
Be brave in all things. :)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
My Mind is So Far From Home
I've never experienced a big move. I moved into the dorms at SNU (Southern Nazarene University) when I was 18. Moved completely out of my parents house when I was 20 after changing schools. Moved back into my parents house about a year later for my 4th year of college...and my 3rd college. :) Then made the biggest move I know after I got married and moved to Tennessee. But the Army packed and moved us..so it was easy. And yes, they will be moving us to Italy but I was not a homeowner at the time. I just had stuff. It was me and my stuff moving from place to place. Renting apartments are easy to move out of. But 5 years of living in a house...you accumulate a lot more STUFF!
A lot of this stuff, I don't want to take to Italy. I have no idea of our living arrangement there but I doubt we will have all the nooks and crannies that we have now to hide and keep our stuff. So, the cleaning has commenced. Problem is, I don't know what to do with half of this stuff b/c it's not mine! I see no need for it, but my darling husband has a need to keep...everything. Which makes my cleaning even more difficult. I'm trying though. I've worked through most of the house. Just the office closet (from hell..HA!) and to straighten the pantry left. Oh, and the guest bathroom cabinet. I'll probably find more.
The den is our catch-all room. All our stuff ends up here since the only part of the room we really use is the computer desk. That, amazingly, stays pretty clean. Haha!
But you take the cleaning and add the giant list of other things that need to be done (painters come in a week for the interior so I have some cleaning to do before they come, then possibly staining the deck and fence, keeping the yard neat and the flowers alive) and then the stress of selling a house in this economy. My mind is not focused. I can't sleep and when I do I have wicked weird dreams that I can not explain. I feel grumpy and my patience level seems at an all-time low.
I just hope that once things start getting checked off my list and we can get the house on the market, I can stress about less and find my focus again. I know it will all work out in the end. If not, I guess I'm taking a bunch of stuff to Italy. Hahaha! I guess I can always recycle it all once I get there.
Until then, it's time for a walk (the best de-stresser for baby and me). :)
A lot of this stuff, I don't want to take to Italy. I have no idea of our living arrangement there but I doubt we will have all the nooks and crannies that we have now to hide and keep our stuff. So, the cleaning has commenced. Problem is, I don't know what to do with half of this stuff b/c it's not mine! I see no need for it, but my darling husband has a need to keep...everything. Which makes my cleaning even more difficult. I'm trying though. I've worked through most of the house. Just the office closet (from hell..HA!) and to straighten the pantry left. Oh, and the guest bathroom cabinet. I'll probably find more.
The den is our catch-all room. All our stuff ends up here since the only part of the room we really use is the computer desk. That, amazingly, stays pretty clean. Haha!
But you take the cleaning and add the giant list of other things that need to be done (painters come in a week for the interior so I have some cleaning to do before they come, then possibly staining the deck and fence, keeping the yard neat and the flowers alive) and then the stress of selling a house in this economy. My mind is not focused. I can't sleep and when I do I have wicked weird dreams that I can not explain. I feel grumpy and my patience level seems at an all-time low.
I just hope that once things start getting checked off my list and we can get the house on the market, I can stress about less and find my focus again. I know it will all work out in the end. If not, I guess I'm taking a bunch of stuff to Italy. Hahaha! I guess I can always recycle it all once I get there.
Until then, it's time for a walk (the best de-stresser for baby and me). :)
Monday, May 30, 2011
A Short Letter of Love
Today seems like a good day to talk about my husband.
He's a soldier in the U.S. Army. Although I celebrate him every day, today is the day when everyone should celebrate and thank not just my husband but all and any armed forces hero.
Hero. There is no greater word for what he does. Granted, being home, he goes to work and come home like any other civilian worker. But unlike workers, businessmen, non-military civilians, Chris has to pack up his world at least once a year and leave us for a mostly undetermined amount of time. Deployments break my heart every time. They don't get easier. I have some experience...we've done 5. They suck. Simply put.
But every time he comes home, I am more grateful that he's mine. I wouldn't change this path we've chosen. It's made us stronger. It has showed me what Love is. What Hope stands for. And what heartache truly feels like. While I fight to keep normalcy in our home life..he goes off to a foreign country and makes it into the best "home" he can. I don't think either of us feel very "homey" or safe when he's gone.
Chris, is a hard worker, a little OCD at work (and home), but he takes pride in his work, he has high standards for himself and makes sure he's ready for whatever he may be needed for. He is so much more than I have space to write. I have never been more proud of anyone.
I doubt I say it enough, but Thank You my Love. For all your hard work, your sacrifice, your love.
I love you more than words.
He's a soldier in the U.S. Army. Although I celebrate him every day, today is the day when everyone should celebrate and thank not just my husband but all and any armed forces hero.
Hero. There is no greater word for what he does. Granted, being home, he goes to work and come home like any other civilian worker. But unlike workers, businessmen, non-military civilians, Chris has to pack up his world at least once a year and leave us for a mostly undetermined amount of time. Deployments break my heart every time. They don't get easier. I have some experience...we've done 5. They suck. Simply put.
But every time he comes home, I am more grateful that he's mine. I wouldn't change this path we've chosen. It's made us stronger. It has showed me what Love is. What Hope stands for. And what heartache truly feels like. While I fight to keep normalcy in our home life..he goes off to a foreign country and makes it into the best "home" he can. I don't think either of us feel very "homey" or safe when he's gone.
Chris, is a hard worker, a little OCD at work (and home), but he takes pride in his work, he has high standards for himself and makes sure he's ready for whatever he may be needed for. He is so much more than I have space to write. I have never been more proud of anyone.
I doubt I say it enough, but Thank You my Love. For all your hard work, your sacrifice, your love.
I love you more than words.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
When Nature Knocks on Your Door....
....I suggest, you don't answer it.
Not unless you want robins in your house. :)
Here's my tale...
I like wreaths on the front door of my house. They make a house seem inviting, festive, friendly..etc. My Christmas/winter wreath is a beautiful one made of twigs, leaves and berries.
Now, if you look closely, you'll see Momma Robin in her nest...on top of my wreath.
She worked so hard on it. And with that went the use of humans using my front door.
Then came the eggs. One.
Two.
Three.
And a few weeks later..the babies were born. :)
They grew and grew.
One baby left in the nest...
Look closely. That's the last little baby bird, sitting on the bottom railing.
I was sad to see them go, but definitely glad to be able to use my front door again. :)
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