Christmas Wish List

Below is an actual text conversation I had with my eldest son last night.

A: If you can't get any gift ideas out of me, you can always donate whatever you'd spend on me to charity.

Me: Who are you and why do you have my son's phone?

A: Haha, who should I be?

Me: I'm just teasing you. We'll get you some skivvies and donate the rest.

A: Haha, I'm still thinking. The kid I adopted [from the Salvation Army Giving Tree] asked for clothes, shoes, a tricycle, and he likes the movie "Cars." I'm going to fix him up good this weekend. One more happy kid in the world is worth a month's pay. *

Me: I love you so much! Do you know that?

A: I love you too, Mom!


*The Navy pays for the tuition, room and board, and medical and dental care of Naval Academy midshipmen. Midshipmen also enjoy regular active-duty benefits including access to military commissaries and exchanges, commercial transportation and lodging discounts and the ability to fly space-available in military aircraft around the world. Midshipmen pay is $864 monthly, from which laundry, barber, cobbler, activities fees, yearbook and other service charges are deducted. Actual cash pay is $100 per month the first year, increasing each year to $400 per month in the fourth year.

Photo courtesy US Naval Academy Alumni Association.

Fog & Mist

Call me kooky but I love damp, cold, wet, gray weather. The kind of weather that makes for a bad hair day. The kind of weather that’s raw and chills you to the bone. Tomato soup and grilled cheese kind of weather.

I love to walk in the misting rain. Somehow that damp rawness makes me feel alive. I have a desire to visit cold, damp places like the UK and the Pacific Northwest. I get pangs of jealously when Mr. A describes the foggy, autumn mornings in Annapolis.

Yesterday we had one of those days and I was stuck in the office all day. I wanted to get outside and walk through the mist. I wanted to feel the water droplets and the chill air on my face.

On my way to the car after work, I did get a little damp. I wasn’t prepared with a jacket, hat, or umbrella. I shivered and the windows fogged up as I drove home. I turned on the heat and defroster and thought about Christmas shopping with my Mom at Willowbrook Mall when I was little.

I smiled. I sang. I laughed.

I was exhilarated.

I love that kind of weather.

Post-Holiday Randomness

Well, I planned on sharing all the PLRH Family Thanksgiving happenings in a series of warm, thought-provoking, humorous, witty, and emotional blog posts throughout the week.

Then I arrived at the office this morning.

Let me tell you, my brain hurts.

Let’s go with random bits and pieces instead!

I cooked ALL DAY on Wednesday. Ok, except for the pedicure, two trips to Publix, and one to Chik-fil-A, I spent ALL DAY in the kitchen. I’ve got to say that all that preparation makes the actual Thanksgiving day a whole lot easier. All I needed to cook on Thursday was the turkey, gravy, and veggies.

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While cooking the carb-laden side dishes, I was a little appalled with how much butter I used. Normally, I don’t cook or bake (except cookies) with butter. But I figured it was only once a year and I’d go for the extra flavor. I think I used more butter on Wednesday than I have all year combined.

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Yes, I did cry at the arrivals gate when I saw Mr. A. I have missed him so much and he looked so handsome in his uniform.

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My husband said I fidgeted while waiting at the airport. He even posted that on Facebook. I was NOT fidgeting. After browsing the airport shops (a weird habit of mine), I sat calmly in a chair and waited. There were some USNA parents who kept going back-and-forth between the two shuttle stops coming from the terminal.

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G-Man did make a welcome sign for his brother and then forgot it in the car. Oh well.

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One reason my head hurts is because of the weather front sitting on top of Florida today. The natural barometer in my sinuses is screaming.

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Despite the sinus headache, I would have really liked to have taken a walk in the rain today.

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I’m still lamenting the lack of photos from this past weekend. Weeks ago, I found an awesome Christmas card on Tiny Prints that requires a photo.

I wanted to use a photo of the boys… preferably one with Mr. A in his uniform and G-Man almost as tall as his brother. But the few quick snaps I got really aren’t Christmas card quality. I could use this one from I-Day but I don’t think eldest son would appreciate it.

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My brain still hurts. That’s all I can process for the moment.

In the moment

This Thanksgiving break was the best ever in my memory… and I don’t have the photographic evidence to prove it. Sometime during the day on Wednesday, I decided not to take my camera to the airport. I wanted to experience the moment… live in the now… rather than viewing it through the camera lens.

I took that approach to the entire break and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Of course, now I wish I had a photojournalist following us the entire time. But instead of pixels I have memories of several wonderful days.

I have a lot to share. I could bore all nine of you now with one really long blog post or spread it out and bore you over several days. Yes, let’s go with the several-days-option. In the meantime, here are the few photos we did take.

Arrivals Gate

As I left work last night (rather late), Mr. A and I were texting back and forth. I was about to tease him that I planned on making a huge (and embarrassing) sign so he could find us at the airport. Before I could compose the text my brain segued to the opening scene of Love Acutally... The arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.

I started bawling.

Life has been so hectic lately that I haven't had time to pause. All at once last night, it hit me in that single moment just how much I miss my son and how excited I am to see him. I also wonder if I'm going to cry at the airport tonight or if I got it out of my system.

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I will see my eldest son. I will be on pins and needles while we wait for him at the airport. I know he will be easy to spot since he’s so tall and he’ll be wearing his service dress blues. But I’ll still crane my neck to try and catch the first glimpse. G-Man will probably be able to see him first. He’s the one in the family with the eagle-eyes.

I can’t wait to wrap my arms around him and hug him tight. I want to kiss him and look in those clear, blue eyes that I first stared into the night he was born.

I can’t wait to see my Sweetie embrace our eldest son while his face brims with pride and emotion.

I can’t wait to see our two sons interact as brothers after five months apart. It will be interesting to observe how they absorb the changes in each other and then fall into their sibling relationship again.

This Thanksgiving trip home will be a short and simple one. Mr. A’s wish list of activities is quite modest: eat good food, sleep, play MW3 with G-Man, see the grandparents, watch Harry Potter 7.2, and buy a Christmas tree. I think we’ll be able to accommodate him.

Life with Boys: Two Conversations

Two recent conversations I've had with each of my kids...

G: Mom, I need a pink shirt for school today.

Me: Why?

G: Class photo… my class is supposed to wear pink.

Me: You couldn’t have mentioned this last night. I went to Target, you know.

G: Sorry. Do you have a pink shirt?

Me: Let’s see… Breast Cancer Awareness with bling or Breast Cancer Awareness without bling.

G: Don’t you have a plain pink shirt?

Me: Yes, it’s in the laundry. If I had known about this last night…

G: Without bling is fine.

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A: I think I might be the only person in the history of USNA told to stop singing by the music director.

Me: (hysterical laughter)

A: I’m serious. He really told me to stop.

Me: I’m laughing because my music teacher in the 4th grade told me the same thing!

Over the Moon!

I am so ridiculously happy.

Happy!!!

I’m also proud and relieved but mostly I AM HAPPY. I’ve been smiling, laughing, dancing, and singing ever since lunch.

Today I met with my therapist for the last time. That’s right, the last time. After 17 months of some pretty intense therapy for PTSD, I have been released from care.

I felt that I was ready to move on from therapy but it certainly was nice to hear it from a trained professional.

On being spammed, taking a break, and getting back to basics

Last week I was excited to notice that my blog comments were up. The giddiness lasted for about a second until I realized that I had actually been spammed.

Bugger.

I shut down my blog for a day and cleaned up all of the thinly veiled comments that were in truth ads for specialty mail order items.

It would be accurate to say that I was pissed. This is my blog and well, I’m kind of a control freak. I don’t like other people (especially unsavory types) messing with it. Yes, I do ask readers for their comments. The only rule really is to keep it PG-13. I guess that is what really made me mad. I got spammed with slutty stuff.

As a result, I decided to unplug from the blogosphere for a week or so. I had already missed a day in NaBloPoMo so I felt like it was a good time to take a blogging break. I reflected and wondered if I spent too much of my day online reading and writing blogs. I was curious to find out if I would miss blogging.

An experiment, if you will.

Well, the first couple of days I found myself thinking, Hmm… that would make interesting blogging material.

Eventually, I managed a whole week without reading anyone else’s blog (sorry). There are something like 240 unread posts in my reader at the moment. However, I still found myself checking my analytics. I guess deep down I’m a geek.

But then I finally came to a conclusion. I was crabby. Over the past three years, my blog has become an outlet for me. It’s a place where I can blow off steam. I can say things here that I can’t say on Facebook, at the office, or in my personal life. It’s also a place for me to be creative. PLRH is just as creative for me as knitting or quilting.

So this blogging revelation has brought me back to the basics.

I blog for me.

I blog to connect with like-minded bloggers. I blog to connect with bloggers that will open my mind. I blog to express myself without fear of criticism.

I don’t blog for money or self-promotion.

I used to do paid book reviews for BlogHer. But I’ve opted not to participate in that program any longer because BlogHer now requires that I promote the book (or product) on my Facebook page and Twitter feed.

That’s not going to happen because my Facebook page is separate from PLRH. My Facebook page is for me to connect with friends and family. PLRH doesn’t even have a FB identity. As for Twitter, I don’t even have a Twitter account and don’t plan on getting one. I’ll let the celebrities and their stalkers have that branch of social media.

My point to all of this?

I’m back to blogging. But on my terms.

Goodbyee