I am going to explode!!

For the last 9 months I have belonged to an online group of Air Force moms and dads. These are the coolest people on earth! The board is fun and there are lots of good news and prayers and hugs. Most of them are just wonderful people.

Tonight I unsubscribed from the group. You see, I took the initiative and commented about the USAF's way of handling recruitement and retention. I was ATTACKED by a TI (or former TI) who started throwing statistics at me and trivializing Breannas experience while in BMT. He accused her (in a roundabout way) of wanting to fail, of not being physically or emotionally prepared for BMT and of various other ridiculous things. He threw around statistics that I read on http://www.airforce.com/ 2 years ago, and those statistics made me feel fairly comfortable with Breanna joining. Those statistics lied. Various members of the board started applauding his response and saying "thank you, its time we actually heard from someone who is there..."

Anyway, I think I exploded. I am not sure. My fingers flew across the keyboard typing a reply and then a goodbye message and then I unsubscribed.

A big hole is in my heart right now because some of these people really became good friends of mine. SO....

Kim, Deb E, Michelle, Hallie, Debbie, Lolly, Corinne, Judy, Susan and Lea, Please stay in touch. I will miss you all, but theres always the blogging world right???

hugs.

PS. This is the last connection that we have with the Air Force. Breanna packed up her USAF clothes and decorations to put in storage. She did this all on her own. I think we have closure..

The "Monk" syndrome... a confession

All of a sudden I have a new toolbar at the top of my compose text page, I have no idea where it came from, I used to have it when I had my other format but with this one I have never had it! Now I have it... I hate it when things like this happen. Out of nowhere, it changed. I like it, I wanted it earlier, who knows why it changed now??? no clue.

Anyway, on to the "Monk" syndrome.. I am a minor obsessive compulsive, (Dana would probably categorize me as a MAJOR obsessive compulsive, but I think its minor LOL) I like certain things done a certain way, like the dishes. I dont like dirty dishes left in the sink. Maybe thats because my mom is an excellant housekeeper and when I was growing up she did dishes several times a day, but thats the way I like it. When supper is over I want a clean kitchen, this means NO DISHES IN THE SINK!

I realized how obsessive/compulsive I was when we moved last summer. I wanted certain things packed a certain way and put in certain parts of the house, and It really bugged me that I was so obsessive about it.

Another one of my "Monk" traits.. I HATE clutter! Clutter gives me hives, LOL (not really) but I hate it, I have to put stuff away when I get it out, and I expect everyone else to feel the same way. Walking into a cluttered house just sets me off, I actually think I get tachycardia and a little hyperventilatory. I am working on this.

UNFORTUNATELY, my husband Dana (whom I love to death) was raised in a cluttered house. My dear late mother in law was an incredible woman, a beautiful soul, and a great wife and mother, BUT she wasnt a great housekeeper. I understand why, instead of cleaning, she played with her kids, wrote poetry, and worked countless hours for the church, maybe she is the smart one here. She never had an ulcer, she had a wonderful life, she could see the beauty in a sunrise or a sunset, she loved the singing of birds, and she didnt really care if the dishes were done or not, it wasnt a priority.

I wish I were more like her. But I am not, so I have to go load the dishwasher. sigh....

Whats on your bucket list??

When I thought about this topic a couple of days ago, I began thinking about what I would put on my list. I have never thought about this before, but its an interesting topic. And one that is getting pretty popular nowadays, after the movie was released.

OK my bucket list of 5 things I would like to do before I "kick the bucket":

1. go to Hawaii- I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, it sounds like paradise to me. :-)

2. Retire- I am tired of working. Who is with me? I think I have worked long enough. LOL

3. Take a cruise- the destination doesnt matter, Carribbean, Virgin Islands, Mexico, I dont care! Just as long as I have a LARGE ship, deck chairs, sunshine, a pool and relaxation.

4. Read all of the books that I have laying around the house that are yet unread.

5. See a Broadway play.

Not a very impressive list, but some of these things I have wanted to do for years. Whats on your bucket list??

Ramblings.....

Sometimes I just have to ramble... thoughts fly through my head at the speed of light and since I was diagnosed with CRS disease, they dont stay long. (for those of you who arent medical, CRS disease is "cant remember shit" or early menopausal side effects! LOLOL you thought I was sick didnt you??? mwahahaha). Anyway, my memory isnt what it used to be, hell it isnt what it was last month, at least I dont think so, I cant really remember what it was last month. :-)

To continue my ramble, I changed my blog format a week or so ago, I took out the Air Force influence and I am adding the Navy influence ever so slowly, did you notice the difference? I must say those Blue Angels are pretty darned colorful!

I wish this was something that could be done in every day life but it isnt that easy. We are working at it, Breanna is doing much better and everything is looking up for her Navy career. We are just waiting for her medical records to be received from the VA in St Louis, so the Navy can process her waiver and she can go to MEPS for her physical and DLAB test.

One more rambling... I owe Tosh and JR an apology, their blog was dropped from my blog list (in error) when I changed formats. EEEK!! not good! JR is changing so fast that I cant believe it! He is going on 9 months old and changing every day. I would hate to miss a minute of it!

I am off to work, have a great night everyone.

My blogging obsession.

Before this blog I was a blogging virgin. I wasnt sure what a "blog" was and I certainly did not know about "blogging etiquette". But thanks to an online friend (if your name is Hallie then thats you!) I am now becoming a blogging fiend.

I love reading them and I love writing them. I cant eat lunch until I read Hallies blog (see my sidebar about my favorite blogs, hers is Wonderful World of Wieners) and now I am addicted to many others ("Thoughts and other smart alec remarks" is a favorite of mine too, thank you Lea).

Its becoming one of my favorite things to do. I learn all about the families, jobs and hobbies of other people and see whats happening in different parts of the world. How cool is that. Its like listening in to a "party line" telephone conversation, who remembers them??

I have just one request for those who are not as into their blog as I am... PLEASE UPDATE IT MORE OFTEN THAN ONCE A MONTH, or every 10 days!! And to my child, my hero, the light of my life... UPDATE YOUR BLOG!!!! Do you think she will get the hint? LOLOLOL....

Before I go, I would like to give a shout out to one of my favorite (and I have a long list of favorites) online Air Force mom, Lea. As she and her family head out to San Antonio Texas, Lackland Air Base to be exact, to see the BMT graduation of her daughter Avivah. "V" has a bright future ahead of her in the Air Force and I am so proud of her, I know how hard it is to get through BMT. She is headed for Tech school at Keesler Air Base soon. GOOD LUCK V!! Rock on Air Force women!

BREAKOUT!!!

We have had a jail break. Well not technically a jail break, more like a "yard break". Saturday both of our hounds took an "unsupervised walk" over two blocks to the park. I was sleeping and Dana was working on our back door and he noticed they were gone! Front gate shut and hooked. We were trying to figure out why someone would let them out of the gate and then put the lock back on but that was the only explanation. Dana walked the fence line, there were no loose poles or connections. It was a mystery.

A couple of days ago, Dana saw Frankie (our little black tornado) trying to make a getaway in the corner of the fence where it is a tiny bit loose. So Dana put some boards alongside the wall that the fence is against to prevent him from pushing it even more. This morning I happened to walk by the front door and there was Max, all 67.5lbs of him WEDGED between the fence and the wall and Frankie was no where to be found!!!

I screamed at Max, he made that extra push and away he went. So I run back into the house and grabbed my car keys and the liver treats and head out to find them. I called them and here comes Frankie running back to the front of the fence from down the street. I put him in the house and, in my pajamas, I hop in the jeep to go looking for Max. Thank goodness he had to pause to pee on a fire hydrant or I never would have found him!

He followed the liver treats back to the car and I piled him in and brought him home. Whew!! It was almost a catastrophe!!

Max says Frankie talked him into breaking out, Frankie says it was Max's idea..... Who are we to believe???

The bashing is over!

I just have to make a mini post to let everyone know that I am at the end of my ranting against the Air Force. I have too many friends with kids who are working their way through the maze and I decided today that I have ranted enough.

SO... no more ranting. About the Air Force at least. We all know how mad I am at them, and how they reemed Breanna. But that will all go left unsaid from here on out!

Ok..

Now just a little pic to brighten your day. This makes me smile..

I worked out a deal!! And a rant!

Today Bre was at the Navy recruiters office finalizing her paperwork and she called to get an address. I told her to tell the Chief that I wanted a DEP bag and planner. So she put him on the phone. I offered to buy it and he said he couldnt sell it but he would barter for it. All he wanted was a pan of brownies and some oatmeal raisin cookies!

Well, how could I resist?? I came home and made a pan of brownies, put them out to cool and then made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, boxed them up and took them in! I should have taken a picture of those 2 hungry men when we walked in with the goodies! Adam (the other recruiter) gladly took them off my hands and whipped out a knife to cut the brownies.

And the Chief came through.... these are my Navy goodies!!

And now the rant! Breanna was discharge with an RE code of 4C. When she signed her papers she was specifically told that she could re-enlist in the Air Force in one year. Even the AF recruiter thought that she could reinlist but she did say it would involve a lot of extensive paperwork.

Guess what? The AF lied.. again. Surprised? I am not. An individual with a RE code of 4C is NOT eligible for re-entry into the USAF EVER..... They screwed her again. I wish we would have known about their inconsistancies when Bre enlisted. She wouldnt have.

Oh well, its not like she is holding her breath to go back. OH! And her medical paperwork was sent from Lackland to the VA in St Louis MO!!! It is going to take an act of congress to get it sent to the Navy recruiter so he can schedule her physical at MEPS. He told me today he will wait to see if it comes and if it takes too long then he will take care of it. I am not sure what that means, but she is ready to process!!

Her plan is to ship to Great Lakes in mid August. Lets hope that wont get too delayed.

Hope you are all having a great day! I am sitting here in shorts and a tank top, it is 69 degrees outside! WOO HOO!

Later!

Happy Easter!

I have to confess, Easter has never been one of my favorite holidays. I dont know why, I have spent my share of time when I was little hunting easter eggs, and oogling over easter candy, I remember our dog Wags would go show me where every egg was hidden in the yard, so I didnt have to look for myself. (She was a smart dog, I am sure she got to eat some of those eggs too!)

And being raised in western Colorado, we usually had bright sunny spring days where it was obvious that the winter was waning and that summer was right around the corner.

When Breanna was small we would do the whole easter egg hunt thing, and easter bunny visit thing, but I was always glad when it would be over. I dont know why. This year is an exception. I am currently at work, when all of you are nestled snug in your beds with visions of sugar plums dancing in your heads. OOPS thats a different holiday!

Anyway, here I am working in the ER, on a full moon, holiday, Saturday night. The one thing that would surpass those conditions as far as an ER Saturday night is concerned, is to have the Democratic National Convention here or the President of the US here! LOLOL

Seriously, you never know what will come walking, rolling or staggering in that door on a Saturday night, so we have to be prepared for everything. And in a few short hours many will be getting up to that ringing alarm, and going to sunrise service to worship with their friends and family.

Even though I wont get to attend a service, I worship in my own way and this year I am thankful for this holiday. May you all have a blessed Easter Sunday with your family! Dana and Breanna are going to cook Easter dinner at our house. I am going to sleep. We do not know if we will get to have Breanna home next year for any holidays so we are making the best of them this year.

Happy Easter! And THANK YOU EASTER BUNNY!!

Honor, Courage and Commitment!!!

Last night before leaving for work, I decided to mention something to Bre that had been weighing on my mind for a few days now. I dont want to be misinterpreted as someone who pushes her to do something with her life that she doesnt want to do. I know my idea of a perfect life for her would be do follow her dream, be successful in the USAF and make it her career. But that just isnt to be..

So I asked her if going into the Navy is REALLY what she wants to do, assuring her that Dana and I only want what she feels is best and that we will support her no matter what she decides.
Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Are you sure joining the Navy is something you REALLY want to do? You know we will support you no matter what you decide, is it going to be right for you?

Breanna: Mom... This is the first time things have gone so easy for me, it MUST be right! I am really starting to get into this! I want to do it.

This is the only time Breanna has been made to feel like she is qualified to enter a branch of the military, with the Air Force there were always hoops. Some unattainable hoops some more difficult but attainable. NEVER once did they say, "you are a shoe in, you are a great candidate to be a member of our team, WE WANT YOU". Not once. Never did they say "you are going to be an asset to our team, we are happy you are here." Never.

In fact one of Breanna's new friends, who is career Air Force told me that when she was Bre's age, she had to make a decision between the Air Force and the Navy.. And that she made the wrong decision! SHE is the one who took Bre to the Navy recruiters office a couple of weeks ago and made the introduction. I would like to thank Shannon for her kindness and intuition that this just might be a good fit for Breanna.

At this point we move forward, hopefully Breanna will get to go to MEPS next week, pass her physical and take her DLAB. Hopefully the USAF will forward her medical records to the Navy recruiter so we can get her waiver taken care of, hopefully she will pass the DLAB and we will find out what job (aka "Rate") she will have. .... Lots of "hopefully's" but I am more hopeful now than I have ever been.

The Fitness Test!!!

Breanna took her fitness test today, she did really well! I am not surprised, but since she has been sitting stagnate in med hold for 8 months I am very happy at how well she did.

She did 21 pushups in 30 seconds (the Navy requirement is 16 in 2 minutes) she did 35 situps (their requirement is 46 in 2 minutes) and she ran the 1.5 in 13min and 5 seconds (their requirement is 15 minutes and 30 seconds)

SO with the exception of the situps she surpassed the graduation requirements from Navy boot camp already!! She will have to swim 400 meters (she swims 2-3 mi at a time when she is practicing) and she has to jump into the water from a 10ft high platform. ( She usually jumps from a 16ft high dive). She is ecstatic! The Chief was very happy with her results. So now we are just waiting on medical information from Lackland. Then she can go to MEPS and take her physical and join Navy DEP.

She will also take her DLAB test when she goes to MEPS so she will see if she qualifies for the linguistic specialist that she wants as a job. The Chief wants her to go for the job of a "Cryptologic Technician- Interpretive" here is the job description:

General Info: Cryptologic Technicians Interpretive are the Navy's linguists. They specialize in analysis of foreign naval developments, radiotelephone communications and preparation of statistical studies and technical reports requiring knowledge of a foreign language. Language training is open to men and women in Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Persian and Tagalog. A test ( Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) ) must be taken at MEPS or wherever it can be arranged, a minimum of 100 is required. Based on the DLAB scores, school quotas, and requirements, students will be assigned to any of the following languages: DLAB score of 100-109 qualifies personnel for Spanish, French, Hebrew, Persian-Farsi, Russian, Vietnamese and Tagalog. A DLAB score of 110 is required for the Arabic, Chinese and Korean languages.

Hmmmm Breanna speaking Arabic?? Thats a scary thought! LOL She has taught herself bits and pieces of Japanese, but didnt like Spanish, so we will see. She has had 2 yrs of Spanish in High School, but everyone speaks spanish nowadays so thats not a plus.

Anyway, there are 7 more cryptologic jobs that she can go for if she doesnt get this one, and also an "intelligence specialist" is an option.

We are learning to be a Navy family, complete with acronyms:

PIR- Pass in Review (graduation from Boot Camp)
RDC- Recruit Division Commander (like a TI in the Air Force)
RTC- Recruit Training Command (THE arrival point where boot camp starts)
SMURFS- Navy issue sweat suits. probably the first issue of clothing that is received upon arrival at boot camp.

I am trying to learn more. I dont think the Navy talks in code as much as the Air Force does. LOL

We are on our way!! WOO HOO!!!!!

The Transformation is Starting

The transformation from an Air Force family to a Navy family is beginning. Breanna and I went to see the Navy recruiter again today and I got to meet "The Chief". We talked a little bit about what she can expect at Naval boot camp and about how she was treated and what happened at AF BMT.

He loaded Bre up with a leather Navy backpack full of DEP stuff, even though she wont be technically in DEP until she returns from her physical at MEPS, he went ahead and gave her the goodies. Talk about goodies! In addition to the backpack (black leather with Navy emblem embroidered on it) she recieved a DEP study guide of everything she will need to study for to prepare for boot camp, a Navy window sticker, a Navy bumper sticker, lots of Navy writing pens and about 4 or 5 Navy lapel pins (I took the Air force pin off of my name badge for work and put the Navy one on) AND... a Navy day planner. Breanna has been using an Air Force day planner and she carries it instead of a purse/billfold. She calls it her "life". Well now she has a new one, see the pic below.


We even scraped the USAF window decal and bumpersticker off of my jeep and replaced it with the ones we got today. This picture is of my jeep before the transformation..

And this one is my jeep AFTER the transformation. Pay no attention to the dirt and mag chloride buildup, every time I wash the jeep it snows!


Tomorrow Bre will go back to the USN recruiting office for a "fitness test" (they will go to the college gym for this)and to turn in the rest of her paperwork. She has to hand write a statement explaining why she was discharge from the USAF and why she wants to join the Navy. Hopefully they can obtain her medical records from Lackland so she can be scheduled for her physical at MEPS.
SO! thats what we have been doing today! never a dull minute huh? LOL

One Step Closer

Breanna had another meeting with the USN today. She was there about an hour, took her security application packet with her and turned it in. The Chief said all looked good. While she was there she was "taped" and found out that her waist is 1.5 inches SMALLER than the AF recruiters! LOLOL (The AF recruiter is a little short girl who isnt as curvy as Bre, she also is taking a personal interest in Breannas joining the USN because she directed her there).

Next meeting, this coming Wednesday. Hopefully she will find out when she can go to MEPS and take the DLAB. It might be the end of this week or next week. The plan is for her to go to Salt Lake City for this..

I have a great feeling about all of this, I am finding out wonderful things about the Navy, lets keep our fingers crossed. I will keep you all posted.

I also want to thank one of our AF kids ("V") for giving a shout out to Breanna on her moms blog. V is in week 5 of BMT and steamrolling towards a great graduation NEXT WEEK!!! Congratulations to V and her family who will soon have a happy reunion at Lackland.

Its Been a rough day.

I know they come along now and then and we just have to deal with them, but my heart is breaking for my girl. She is so frustrated and sad and being pulled this way and that way trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.
I guess I should be thankful that she is worried about what the future will hold for her instead of being an air head like I was at her age. She isnt looking for a husband (thank goodness) so thats a good thing...
She is going through the grief process after being separated from the Air Force. She hates civilian life and she wants to serve. I just wish I knew why things are coming so hard for her? I wish I could beg for her to get a break, just once get what she wants in life.
At my age and as a mom, I know good things dont come easy and maybe the Air Force isnt right for her, but it makes me damn mad that she has worked so hard and she is still not getting to fulfill her dream.

I just pray that something will happen that is good for her, something that will boost her spirits and bring a smile to her face.

Is This a Good Fit?

I think it is! We will see what happens in the upcoming week! This is Breanna in her workout t-shirt that allows her to gain access to the college gym, pool and workout room.

Other than it being a little large, I think it looks great!

Breanna had another call from "The Chief" last night, he was just checking to make sure she was still on board to come in to the Navy office on Monday at 10:00am, with completed Dept of Defense Top Security application packet. This thing is about 10 pages long and very very detailed.

She has been busy working out and watching her diet, she is actually UNDER weight for the Navy but wants to lose 8 lbs so she wont have to worry about being close to the weight limit.

I want to see her with the gleam in her eye again, I want to see happiness on her face and hear excitement in her voice when she talks about her future. I have a VERY good feeling about this journey, unlike the feeling that I had about her USAF endeavor.

Maybe a moms intuition really does mean something?

OK, I dont want to get premature, but this pic is AWESOME!!! Disregard the #9 I dont know how to get rid of it! LOL

A Linguistic Cryptologist???

Breanna had a call from the Navy recruiter last night, he wanted her to come into the office today to speak with the Zone Supervisor of the area. She was surprised to get the call and is very amazed that they actually WANT to talk to her.

So the meeting went well, she was there over 2 hours. They want her to enlist. If she enlists she will be locked into an intelligence job of a linguistic cryptologist. She was stunned. She has NEVER been "courted" by a branch of the service. With the Air Force she always had to jump through THEIR hoops and it was never enough. She has always been in fear that she wouldnt be good enough for the AF's requirements. (and they didnt help to reinforce to her that she was....)

Once she gained composure she realized that the USN would pretty much give her what she wanted! She filled out her prescreening paperwork, was given her free access to the gym and pool at the local college, and brought home her security clearance information packet!

They want her to take the DLAB (defense language aptitude battery) test in Denver next week and I think she might do it! The USN will provide her transportation and lodging for the 3 days it will take for her to do the testing.

She is still reeling from all of this!! A branch of the service that WANTS her? A branch that will GIVE her things, and work with her schedule and actually place her in the area of training that she has wanted for the last 5 years??? Amazing...

Opportunities in the USN are abundant, they are VERY big on education, and she will benefit from that too.

This is all going to be her decision, she feels like she is abandoning the USAF if she does this, almost like leaving a loved one. I have advised her to do what is right for HER. To take the road that ends up where she wants to be and the opportunities that will benefit Breanna.

I also advised her to pray about this, and leave it to God to make the choice for her. (I believe he already has!)

SO! are we going to be hearing this song in our future? Time will tell!

3 more nights!!!

36 hours to go... I am counting down the working hours until I can get off of this schedule!! I know I have bored you all with my work schedule so I wont go crazy, but after thursday night I AM DONE!!! I will have 6 days off and then go to 3 on and 4 off yay me!
Breanna had some good news today, she picked up her letter of recommendation to the AF ROTC program from the local recruiter, and this will also server as a letter of recommendation for application to CSU. She may end up having to go one semester here at Mesa State because we are getting things going a little late. But thats ok, she can transfer to CSU in January of 2009. I am not sure how they do the AF ROTC classes if you enter midsemester, if I am not mistaken she will just have to take 4 ROTC classes in that semester instead of just 2. no biggie.

The time is ticking away quickly, its already half way through March! I cant believe it. Bre also found another possible lifeguard/swim instructor position at the local country club. Woooo miss hoity toity.

Dana and I are thinking about taking a couple days off and flying (yes I said flying) to Las Vegas next month. We can fly from here to LV for anywhere from $19 to $49 each. We will take Bre and just kick back and have fun. More to come on that.

Ok, I am off to get ready for YUCK work..... cya tomorrow hopefully!

A few pictures that I can now share with you all.

When Bre was still at Lackland we had several pictures that we were unable to post or to show to anyone. These pics usually contained shots of Breanna in her BDU's or with her cohorts in the dorm.

There were several reasons why we couldnt share the pictures, some had to do with OPSEC and we didnt want to violate that, so I havent posted them. Others just had to do with the fact that she was home on leave and in her BDU's and she snuck them off of base!!

So without further adieu...

Breanna and one of her wingmen in the dorm:

Home on leave in her BDU's and in her dress blues.

We could have posted the following dress blues pics, but I just found them!!

The above picture was taken of Bre during Operation Home Cook at Thanksgiving time, she spent the day with an all USAF family, we are so thankful for their generosity.

We continue to be very proud of all that Breanna has achieved. She has lost over 90# in order to meet the weight requirement of the USAF. She stuck it out through 7.5 months at Lackland with 2 different injuries, she spent the 4th of July, Labor day, her 20th birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Years at Lackland and she still wants to continue on and be in the USAF. I hope they realize how lucky they will be to have her back!

There's got to be a morning after....

Isnt there a song in there somewhere??? LOL Well this IS the morning after, or maybe, technically, the afternoon after the spring ahead.

Last night promptly at 2:00am we took all of the clocks in the ER down, lined them up close to the ambulance door and waited... see, we have these "state of the art" clocks that are hooked up with some freaking satellite orbiting up there in space somewhere and that satellite is supposed to magically reset our clocks according to daylight savings time standards. Like I said, NOTHING happened. hmmmm We were thinking that our link up to outerspace had broken or something and then we got busy and at about 3:30am I looked and the clocks had CHANGED! I guess satellite space time is an hour behind or something.....

Anyway day shift came stumbling in grumpy and batting their eyes like they got less sleep or something. We all rushed out into the dark and looked up to see the stars! what an awesome time to go home to bed. I think we should do that every weekend!

today is a lazy day in our house, I slept until 2:30, which I found out was really 3:30 because we had not turned back our bedroom clocks, and Dana is cooking dinner, YAY! The houndie boys are taking their afternoon siesta and the warm afternoon sun is shining into our west facing windows.

Tomorrow is my weigh in day for Weight Watchers, I have been 100% on program all week, nothing off program has passed through my lips!! I have to get my butt in gear because I have wasted too much time in the last few months when I was supposed to be on program. I am off to drink water!

Breanna is keeping busy in her bedroom, doing something, she is very quiet and that used to alarm me when she was little. I should go see what she is doing. LOL This week she is on a quest to put out more applications and see if she cant secure a job. Wish her luck!

More tomorrow!

Trying to catch up! And spring ahead!

This is my attempt - feeble as it may be, to catch my blog up even though I am working.

24 down, 48 to go! Come next Friday morning I will have my last 72 hour shift GONE.... I start a new schedule on the 23rd of March, YAY me!!

We are looking for spring, not sure if we will find it, but we are looking for it anyway. You know that part of the winter when its been a little warm and has just tempted you enough to want spring? When you have used the grill to cook dinner wearing only short sleeves, but the minute the sun went down you had to put your ski jacket back on? Thats what its like now in western Colorado. Just a hint of spring, lying on the horizon. Teasing us.

And now, tonight we SPRING AHEAD... ummm yeah, turn the clocks ahead. I HATE turning the clocks. I loathe daylight savings time, I really do. I just wish they would leave the times alone. ok enough of my rant. At 2:00am tomorrow morning we will be cheering at work because we will get to lose an hour. We will get off one hour early! I have never worked the night when we move the clocks ahead, I usually work the night where we move them back. And I did this year too. So I am looking forward to watching those clocks move, ever so slowly, FORWARD!!!

So, dont forget to change your clocks and your batteries in your smoke alarms. Spring is on the way! This is going to be me in 5 days... just thought I would share. LOL

Our Boys at Play

Frankie has decided that Max is THE best thing since sliced bread. He is always so happy to get up in the morning and see Max lying in his bed in the living room. Frankies favorite thing to do is get right in Max's face and bark! bark! bark! Which means "come on Max lets play! lets run and jump and wrestle!"

And sometimes Max plays. He is such a tolerant boy, he gets his full of a little black brother trying to hang on his ears and his lips once in a while and will let out a loud Barroooff!! But most of the time, he just sits there and lets Frankie hang.

Here is a pic of our boys at rest, I love watching them!

We have decided that Max is the best combination of Harleys and Reggies personalities, welcome to the family Max!

Has it been 2 days?

Since I posted last? I cant believe I forgot to post yesterday, I guess it was just a busy day, but for the life of me I cant remember what we did!

OH! I remember! We went out to dinner with my sister and brother in law and I learned what to eat at Red Lobster that will keep me on my WW program!!! (Thank you Sheila) I am trying really really hard this week to stay on program 100% and this is day 4 for that so far. It was very cool to walk out of Red Lobster knowing that I was still OP.

So, another day trudging down the weight loss road.... tonight I have to work and this is the start of my 72 hour freaking marathon work week so I can only hope that Weight Watchers sticks with me like glue...

Breanna is working on Plan B. We talked today about her attending our local 4 yr college for one semester or one year and then transferring to CSU as a transfer student if she doesnt get in this fall. The deadline for applying to CSU as a freshman was Feb 1 and so there is a possibility that she has missed placement. The other AF ROTC options were 2 community colleges, both in the Denver area (apparantly students on the Western slope of Colorado arent supposed to want to join ROTC???) and both of those are commuter colleges, so she would have to hassle with finding an apartment in the area and paying utilities, first, last and security deposit and THEN find a car to drive to the ROTC classes. They do NOT make it easy.

I am not sure what she will do, she isnt keen on going into the Navy but she knows she wants to go military, so everything depends on:

1. acceptance to CSU or UNC at Greeley
2. the USAF approving her discharge paperwork to join AF ROTC in the fall.

So, we wait. We must be good at that because we always have to do it!! Wish Breanna luck!

OK I have to confess!

I am a HUGE fan of the TV show "The Biggest Loser". I watched it religiously during the first season and then the 2nd season I got turned off because the men all lost huge amounts of weight and the women had to compete against them.

Now, a few years later, I am back with a vengeance. I LOVE this show! Maybe its because all of the folks on the show have something in common with me, we are all constantly working on losing weight and we all have weight issues. Except they do WAY more exercise than I do!!! Its getting down to the nitty gritty on the show, next month is the season finale, and tonight one of my favorites was voted off... I cant wait for next week!!!!

I wish I had Bob and Jillian at my disposal to show me how to exercise!

I dont watch much TV, its usually running in the background but I only have a few shows that I really make a point to watch. These are: The Biggest Loser, Jericho, Desperate Housewives and CSI Las Vegas. Thank goodness for TIVO!!! Without it I would be missing a lot!

No news from the homefront, we cleaned house today, Bre is going to spend the day with the AF recruiter tomorrow, kind of doing RAP except she isnt home on leave. She is going to the high school and talking to some kids about joining the AF. She has always wanted to be a recruiter. Still no word from the Detachment 90 Capt at CSU, she is going to send in her application anyway, in hopes that they will clear her to start ROTC if she gets accepted to CSU in the fall. Until we get that word, she waits... pretty much all she has ever done when the Air Force is involved is wait...

Its Baffday!!

And Frankie was the lucky boy to be on the list for a bath.. He was a very reluctant participant. When he gets all lathered up he looks like a little skinny dachshund and he doesnt want to look like a skinny boy he thinks he is huge and ferocious and that all dogs fear him......

The finished product had to be put in a warmed towel and held in a comforter for a while. He is so neglected. LOL

And on the home front, Breanna has applied for a job at our local big pool. She is a lifeguard/swim instructor and if hired will be doing the same for this pool all summer. She has to recertify in her CPR within the next 30 days but can work before she does that, so hopefully they will call her to work.

Tomorrow she goes to the AF recruiter and picks up her letter of recommendation for CSU, who is overloaded with applications for Freshman for fall of 2008. Keep your fingers crossed that she will get in and that AF ROTC will accept her discharge paperwork.

If not, I am not sure what she will do. Dana and I keep singing "anchors aweigh" and she is now reduced to leaving the room with her ears plugged! LOLOL

Updates will be forthcoming! I suppose it will be a little too much if I launch into a verse of Anchors Aweigh right here wont it? maybe tomorrow. :-)

Its done! Its done!

Our living room floor is finished, well almost. Dana still has 2 pieces of molding to put down but its 99.9% finished and all of the furniture has been put back! woo hoo! I now have my kitchen back, its a mess but I will get to it eventually.

This picture is of Dana working on the floor, it didnt go down as easily as we were told it would. hmmm go figure

This is the corner where we keep the TV

Same corner, now with floor all done!

Standing at the front door and looking across the room

And now I am off to de-clutter the rest of the house!!

Sunshine on my shoulders .....

What a freaking awesome sunny day in western Colorado! Our temps today reached 69 degrees!! This is like 80 degrees to us, we have been cold for so long.

Our hounds loved playing out in the sun, and spent a while just soaking in it.

Dana, Bre and I went to the mall then came home and Dana worked on the floor some more, its almost done. Hopefully I will have some pictures ready to post tomorrow. We have a kitchen full of living room furniture and I am ready for it to be put back!

This is a picture of Mt Garfield, I was raised with this mountain just to the north of our town, we were so close it was HUGE. It always gives me a feeling of peace.

Ahh the diversity of the scenery in the Grand Valley of Colorado!

Later dudes!