Happy birthday Ziggy

Today is my dearly beloved's 29th birthday!!!! Happy birthday Baby!!!

Tomorrow, 1 December, is the anniversary of how long we have been together, 4 years. Also, 1 December marks 5 months that I have left on my enlistment. I got my outprocessing checklist yesterday, you know, the timeframe when I was told I could go get it, and it says I am already behind on 3 things!!! How's that work?!?! Eh, oh well......just things I have to do to be done...no worries.

So, on to plan B. Getting things lined up for getting out, job hunting, all that.......151 days(I think).......

30 Reasons to reenlist in the military - oh this is good!

30 Reasons to Re-enlist

1. Yesterday sucked, today sucked, tomorrow is going to suck, and this seems to be a pretty solid forecast for the rest of my enlistment.

2. Spending 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year training for something that there is a 99.9% chance that we will never do. Hooah Herd!!

3. WWWDWOA? (what would we do without acronyms?)

4. Taking simple daily tasks and breaking them down into nuclear physics before doing them.

5. Having to attend a brief prior to carrying out any task more complicated than picking my nose.

6. Being a personal servant (that's basically all I am) to any one of the 300 thousand people in the military who out-rank me.

7. Being an adult and having somebody inspect me everyday to make sure I put my clothes on properly and put my shoes on the right feet.

8. Having to wear a "cover," or hat, every time I want to go outside.

9. I love cleaning the same places over and over and over until either the paint comes off or my hands are bleeding.

10. Without the military’s influence and good teaching, I would never have realized that you can sweep water with a broom for hours every time it rains. Or vacuum and sweep dirt ouside for hours. . .

11. There just aren’t that many jobs out there where you can rest assured that everyone you work for is just waiting to screw you over any way they possibly can.

12. If I got out, I would surely miss the idea of waking up every morning for a "meeting." Because GRVT changes everyday

13. Getting to eat meat that comes in boxes labeled " not fit for human consumption" and "for institutional use only."

14. Getting "random" drug tests every couple of weeks. I was "randomly" picked for every test for almost two years straight. Not many people can testify to taking about 50 drug tests in the past two years without having ever been caught doing drugs in my life.

15. Waking up every morning and going to the "staff meeting" where a piece of paper is read to me even though it is posted on the wall and on the offices internet, both of which I have access to. I guess I can't read.

16. Going to medical complaining of severe heart and chest pain and being told to come back during "sick-call" the next day or receiving a small bottle of Motrin.

17. I love the fact that my opinion has about as much influence as my sister's pet hamster.

18. Because no matter how much I hate my job, I have to respectfully request to get a different one. Even then it is only if my "chain of command" permits.

19. You do not have to respect the person, you have to respect what they wear on their collar or sleeve.

20. I love the fact that the military wonders why we have so many people around the world that hate our country. I am sure that us being bullies and telling the world what they can and cannot do, then ignoring those rules ourselves has nothing to do with it.

21. I hate good food. Chowhall Timmys make the best Booger Burgers and Chinsweat basted Turkey

22. I love the " you are U.S. ambassadors" speech.

23. I hate spending time with my family. The military Is all the family I need y should I ever go home?

24. Not only getting to do my own job, but getting stuck with as many additional duties as my chain of command wants to give me. We R CYB,CYBR,CYBD,CYBV

25. Having to change your computer password every two weeks to keep terrorists from hacking into our email or even playing a innocent game of solitaire. If it weren’t so easy to request a password I would have been locked out last year from everything

26. When you get out you will only be 38-40. You still have your entire life ahead of you. Yeah, okay, I want my life to start at 38.

27. What? You are going on leave? No never I love it here . . that’s why everyone in the Herd Wants to deploy or requests to go to places like Korea and Turkey .Other bases with normal jobs would never understand why we want to go so much.

28. Oh, look...There's the boss. We better all stand at attention until he tells us we can move. Do they do that in the civilian world too?

29. Is that local time or Zulu?

30.I want to work somewhere that has total control of my paycheck so that they can take half if I mess up.

Something I had to get off my chest

So I'm talking to Beefcake today, and Other comes up in the conversation. And Beefcake tells me just how Other felt about me back in the day. I mean Other let it show to Beefcake, but not to me. This floors me, even years later, right? So I ask Other about it, and a brief argument ensues. He never showed me how he felt about me then, and that was part of why I chose Ziggy over him. Does Other still love me, or does he still talk to me for the idea that maybe one day he'll get me in bed with him despite my marriage to Ziggy? It's a theory that was bounced around by Beefcake and I today. I think Other is over me completely. I never wanted the fundamental emotions to change. Looking at it now, I see that I wanted Other to always love me as Ziggy does......

Anyhow, I needed to get that off my chest.

Christmas Survey I stole from Brookie

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?the elves wrap them and santa puts them under the tree ;-)
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?color on the house, white on the tree.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?Nope

5. When do you put your decorations up?usually the day after thanksgiving. if not the day after, they WILL be up before the next work week rolls around!!!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?Honey-baked ham

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Watching MASH marathons with my brother all day, and eating cookies

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?you know, I don't really remember

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I don't remember

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Lots of lights, balls at the top(cats and toddlers break them), 11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT!!!!!

12. Can you ice skate? Yes

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?being with family

15. Your favorite Holiday Dessert?Chocolate Cream Roll!!!!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?decorating the tree & wrapping presents

17. What tops your tree? An angel

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?O holy night

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?Yum

21. Is there anything you really want this year? No, not really

I need to get to Greenville

I never thought I'd actually have to face this......

My best friend, Chris Daugherty, is on his way home from Iraq, a full 2 months early. His homecoming will not be happy, unfortunately. Chris's wife of 5 years, Lori, was killed yesterday in a car accident. She must have fallen asleep at the wheel, and ran across traffic, and hit a semi head on. She died instantly. Their children weren't in the truck with her, thank God. She was 31 years old. It doesn't seem possible that she's gone.

Dog and Pony show

So my squadron is up for some spiffy award, yet again. Time to roll out the dog and pony show. For those who don't know what I mean, this is the time when everyone runs around like crazy, cleaning things that wouldn't normally be cleaned, doing all kinds of cosmetic things for someone to walk in, glance around, and walk back out. What does this mean for us folks on the low end of the totem pole? Lots of grunt work......no fun, but I don't have to do any of it, as my boss doesn't do that to me......


175 days left til I seperate from the Air Force!

Oh what fun it is to ride.........my Yamaha!!

As promised, here is MiniMachine in her outfit on Halloween. I thought she looked adorable. Ziggy believes she looks like me, but I don't see it myself. I love the embroidery on her pants, embroidery just makes clothes a little fancier, I
think.

Here is myself with MiniMachine. Enjoy, as I don't often post pics of myself. I know, I know, I need to lose the baby weight. I'm working on it.


Now, Ziggy and I went riding yesterday with some friends. There were 5 of us total, and more than enough mud to go around. It was the first time I'd been riding in a year. I am sore, I was dead tired, but it was great.


We got my machine stuck for the first time ever.......I ride a 2003 Yamaha Wolverine, with full time 4 wheel drive, but it's not got the heavy weight of a full size 4 wheel drive machine. Anyways, it got stuck the first time, and I managed to get it out. No biggie, right? Then Ziggy says, "Hey let me ride your machine through that big mud puddle." I had refused to ride through it, as I didn't want to sink in the mud. So Ziggy gets on, and sure enough, my wheeler got stuck. I mean deep stuck. 3 wheels spinning in liquid mud kind of stuck. We snapped my tie strap trying to pull it out with Ziggy's machine. So then one of our friends decides to go back to his truck and get the big tie strap. In that time he was gone, someone rode up on a full size 4x4 machine, and used his winch to pull my machine out. Here's an idea of what my machine looked like in that mud........ever seen the movie 'Never Ending Story?' Remember the horse sinking in the mud?? There ya go.......

Ok, here's another pic.....





The black one is my machine, the yellow is Ziggy's. This was shortly after the big stuck in the mud bit. We had a great time.........made me feel much better.


Speaking of how I'm feeling, I am feeling better, much more like myself. Ziggy and I talked and decided that maybe I needed to get help for how I was feeling. So I went to the doc, and got some meds. And I made an appointment for some professional coping techniques help. I am learning that I don't have to take on the whole world(yes, Other, I am learning that), that I don't have to decide everything about school and career right now. I can take some time off and relax and see what we want to do. I have been running myself into the ground lately, and I need to stop. I am coming to the realization that I can't change the way things have gone for me in the Air Force, and that I need to take a step back and enjoy the family. Ziggy and I are spending more time together without the kids, and things, as of right now, are looking much rosier than they were a couple weeks ago.......

So for those who were concerned about me, I am doing better. I am getting through this period of my life, and hopefully will not be on meds forever. I don't want to be one of those people who can't function normally without the medication.

Gone ridin

Hell yes, baby!!!!!!!! Ziggy and I are going riding wheelers today!!!!!!!

About Daddy

Apparently nothing in the tests that they did, showed up as Daddy having had a stroke. He's home now, on a low-sodium diet, and to be followed-up with by his doctor....

So far so good.

Daddy

I get a concerning phone call from my oldest brother this morning. The mere fact that my brother called me at all is alarming. My brother(Lynn) is very resistant to use modern technology, even to using an answering machine. Anyways, I get this call from Lynn this morning, saying that Daddy is in the hospital, with a suspected stroke. I called the hospital(I used to work there, so I know some of the folks that are working there) and so far, as long as the labs stay negative, then they will send him home tonight..

More to come

Small recap and update

Ok, as for trick-or-treating with the kids, what a no-go. Apparently Scout thinks Mama should hold his hand through all things, because he pitched a total pout fit when he didn't do and tric-or-treating. Why didn't he go? Well, when the kid has no interest in the whole thing when his mom takes him costume shopping, then I'm not spending money on something he hasn't given any indication he wants to do. He had a whole month worth of hints being dropped, etc, and he didn't say a thing. His loss, the way I see it. MiniZiggy decided it was bedtime at 630 last night, so that killed him going trick-or-treating. And MiniMachine? She was soo cute in her little Halloween outfit. It wasn't a costume, but a little outfit with an orange shirt with a black cat on it, and a cobweb, that said BOO across the front, and some black velvety pants with candy corns embroidered on the leg. I'll have to post pictures.

Alright, my favorite reality show was on Monday night, and I recorded it. Now I am in a lurch as to what's going to happen( good hook for next season). My favorite reality show is Gene Simmons Family Jewels. You know, the lead singer from KISS, with the tongue hanging out. Yea, I am hooked on his family show. His daughter is rather pretty, I think(can't help that since her mom is a former Playboy Playmate) and Nick seems like a really decent kid, too. It's good to see normal kids that have come from such celebrity parents. Shannon, their mom, now THERE is someone I'd love to look as good as when I am that age!!! What cracks me up about Gene himself is the fact he is pretty much phobic on the subject of marriage, but comes from a VERY traditional background, as his mother is Jewish. Interesting. But now I want to know WHAT COMES NEXT?!?!?!?! The last couple scenes of the season finale just aggravated me, cause I wanna know! You have Gene waiting in a Pre-Op area for Shannon to arrive so they can have simultaneous face lifts. Shannon comes in, and explains to Gene that she can't have the surgery, as there is a possibility that she's pregnant(she's been on a baby kick for the entire episode).......which Gene remarks that's he's scared of, as he's being taken in for his surgery. The last bit on the couch shows Shannon and Gene, but Gene is in his full KISS makeup and outfit, SO I CAN'T SEE WHAT THE SURGERY DID!! AAGGGGGGGGGGGG..........I will brood over this until next season starts....