Five Men and a Baby

We felt called and have the ability to help out a couple of young men who, through circumstances outside of their control, needed a place to crash. They have been with us for a couple of weeks now and will continue to be until they graduate high school and move on to their perspective AIT schools in mid June (both in the National Guard). They are good men, will graduate from Lincoln with honors, and have a wicked sense of humor so fit right in to our family. They are also great with the little man, who LOVES having all these guys around. There is never a dull moment in this house. However, having 5 men and a baby is a challenge, to say the least. We have friends who have larger families than this and I applaud them! 

Where do I put all these people? When I brought the oldest home from college he took over his usual space, the den with the pull out couch and all the amenities. So we now have my middle son sharing his room with our two guests. There are two beds in there with another twin mattress tucked under that is pulled out at night. The beds are just for crashing, though, because frankly that room has turned into gaming central. There are two large TVs in there with every imaginable system hooked up as well as the computer in the corner with it's dual screens. Apparently, we can't all play the same game at the same time on ONE TV. To top it off, another TV was brought in last night and hooked up in the basement with even more systems. Wow! The extra TVs actually belong to our guests who obviously came with LOTS of electronics...and baggage...

We have set up a system in the bathroom so that each one has a hook for a towel with their names above it and a laundry bag system, again, labeled for their convenience. Should anything actually end up in there remains to be seen as most of the time the floor is carpeted with clothing...clean, dirty? Who knows... I don't do it. I've showed them all how to use the machines, good luck with that. There are several large built in drawers in that bathroom so they have each been given drawers for their clothing and half of a closet to hang things. The good thing, I suppose, is they are all going military so they might as well get used to sharing tight quarters. 

Food! Oy! Can you keep enough food in the house for men? Short answer...NO! I try to cook a few meals a week and have pizza, sandwich, or hot dog nights to offset that. Thankfully, because they are all in school until May 24th they eat breakfast and lunch there during the week. My job is just to provide dinners. They are responsible for their own snacking. I will say, that I have loved having a full table for dinner. We laugh and listen to them tell stories and share our day. Nothing beats that in my book. 

Is it tight? Yes. Is it chaotic? Yes. Would I change anything? No. We have been blessed by these boys and hope that God will bless them while they are in our home and in their futures.

Until next time,

Julie

Vacation Season...Woo Hoo!

The kids are in the final stretch of school so we are trying to plan our vacation. I've mentioned that we will be camping our way to Mt. Rushmore, and we've also decided to hit up Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta this year, which has the added bonus of visiting my folks and my brother. Seriously, you know it's the other way around, it was time to go home and visit but we've decided to do it during the Balloon Fiesta. I'm excited for both trips.

I believe vacations have a cycle. Here's the pattern: (This applies to those of us who left home and went far far away.) When you are young, broke, the only 'vacation' you take is to get home to see your family and since you will be staying with them you can 'afford' it. When you finally get a career and are doing OK, generally married with younger children,  you still go home for 'vacation' and see the family because you want your children to have a relationship with them. The years tick by and you're doing better financially, but the kids are in school and so vacations only happen in the summer and holidays. Typically you save the trip home to see the family for the holidays and try to squeeze in an actual we've-never-been-there vacation in the summer. Finally, you are doing well in your career but now the kid goes to college so it's back to broke...time to plan the trip home again.  I've finally realized why the commercials for these fabulous luxury vacations generally show more mature couples...not old, but empty nester age. Brian and I took our first real couple vacation last year, and we were only able to do that because my mom rocks and came out to hang with the kids. We won't be able to do it again for a while, just as we have one son finishing up college we'll have another going in, and of course helping them is more important.

I bring all of this up to say, planning vacations becomes serious business, as a result. We don't do them often and so they have to count. Brian starts throwing out ideas very early in the spring, generally huge unrealistic plans that I immediately shoot down. (I am the chief financial planner in this house.) Then over the following weeks we will narrow it down to more reasonable yet still fun destinations. It's an exciting time and we are all ready for a break. There will not be many more opportunities to travel with all my kids at the same time, they will grow and will leave and start their own vacation cycles. I have to soak up this time and store these memories away, because one day I'll be on vacation with Brian wishing I had the little rugrats running around me.

Until next time,
Julie

I LOVE camping...kinda

Spring is finally here! I'm a big outdoors kind of person. I love to sit outside in the backyard while little man plays. I love grilling out and sitting around the fire pit (I live for s'mores). I love going to beautiful places and hiking, or kayaking, or fishing, or hanging out at the beach. I love everything about camping... except the camping part. The part where we go to our tiny tent, plop down on an air mattress, have to find a comfortable position AND maintain it all night so that our movement doesn't catapult the other person off the bed or cause them to sink to the cold hard ground... once we've assumed said position hope that not everyone in camp will keep us awake since we can hear everything. AND THEN, God forbid you have to use the restroom. Another part of camping I don't like...crawling out in the middle of the night and hiking to the loo. Um, no!

I want a pop up camper. I'm trying to talk Brian into one versus a big camper because, quite frankly, I don't want to haul a monster around. We've used a pop up before and loved it. It had all the amenities without the bulk. We want to go camping this summer and I want to head up to Mt. Rushmore. I'm psyched but I don't want to rent an RV, I want my own little mobile home to tag along. I realize that it's not the Hilton and there are nicer ways to travel but I'm just looking for a step up from the tent. I also know it is not sound proof but the walls are thicker than a tent. I want to be able to load it down...and not the whole back end of my car. I want to be able to have everything stored where it will be for the most part without dragging it in and out. I want to be comfortable if it rains or if there is an infestation of annoying flying things. I want to get up in the middle of the night and walk two feet to the toilet. (It's the little things that make me happy) I want to enjoy all the daytime camping activities without all the night time hassle. Power, water hookup, and wifi would be nice too. I'm just saying...

OK so I'm spoiled. I didn't grow up on the frontier and I did the Boy Scout thing...I'm over it.

Until next time,
Julie

PS If you have pop up recommendations, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

Food vs. "Food"

Once upon a time, not that long ago, when you went to the grocery store, if you shopped the perimeter of the store (produce, meat, dairy, grains, etc) you were considered to be leading a healthy lifestyle as far as nutrition is concerned. Gradually over the years that is no longer the case.

A few weeks ago Monsanto, a biotech company, was in the news again. They are always fighting some lawsuit regarding their genetically modified seeds, etc.  I started writing about it and then deleted it because it sounded very soap box like and, quite frankly, I'm not that fanatical about it. It's not that I don't care I just tend to fall more in the middle on this issue. I listen to these lawsuits and the extremist both directions and appreciate the concerns on both sides. However, it seems to have come to a point that ALL food is no longer good for you...hmmm. This presents a problem as it is necessary for life.

Standing in my grocery store, every where I look, I can recall an article about why I shouldn't consume that product. With the middle aisles we have always been warned that processed food is not as good for you, contains preservatives and all kinds of unpronounceable things. I stand on the perimeter and know that the produce is genetically modified or sprayed with pesticides. The meat has all been injected with steroids that also then affects the dairy and eggs. (Not to mention all the whistle blower articles about the poor treatment of the animals.) Also, somewhere along the line carbs became evil. Great! If I can't shop the middle aisles or the perimeter there is nothing left. So what the hell are we supposed to eat?

Where do I fall on this? I shop both. I try to pick the lesser of the evils and based on my family's reactions to different foods either eliminate or continue to purchase things that maybe aren't on the "healthy to consume" list. I believe there are real food allergies and by all means avoid those foods but I am blessed that my family does not seem to have any of them. If you are all organic, no carb, no gluten, no sugar, hard core all the way kind of person and that works for your family...more power to you, you're awesome. If you have never looked at a label in your life and just buy whatever...that's great too. Whatever works for you and your family is OK with me, I'm certainly not judging. It just saddens me to feel that we, somewhere along the line, became the proverbial frog in the pot and now that it's boiling what do we do?

Curious to know where you fall on this?
Until next time,
Julie

I work out...no..no, I don't.

I've decided that I must really enjoy the horrible way you feel every time you start working out and eating well.  I have come to this conclusion based on the fact that I do it for a period of time until I feel great, I'm in pretty decent shape, and healthy, then I stop just long enough so that when I start I can have the full craptastic starting all over experience again. I don't know why I do this, because I always feel better when I'm active but something happens, illness or injury, that takes me out for a couple of weeks and then the motivation is gone.

I do great if there something I am actually working for. Last year we went to Hawaii. I really made an effort for several months to get into shape so that I could not only look decent on the beach but also that I could participate in all the island activities without dying half way through. I haven't gained the weight back, thankfully, (I gained some at the holidays and lost it when I got braces) but due to not running it has sort of redistributed interestingly on my body. So while the scale still says the same thing, the clothes...not so much. Ugh! Currently I'm doing the don't do anything differently and hope your body changes just because you want it to diet. I'll let you know how that works out.

I'm hoping now that spring is here and I'm actually pulling out the summer clothes I will want to get out there and do something, but until the trees stop blooming...see I can justify anything...hold please...

Just found my motivation...I'll be back in action tomorrow.

Boston 26.2, I'm praying for you!

Until next time,
Julie

Mawwiage...

Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togethew today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam. And wove, twue wove, wiww fowwow you fowevah and evah… So tweasuwe youw wove. ~ The Impressive Clergyman from The Princess Bride. (One of my favorite movies!)

OK, I'm over all the nostalgic posts where I seem to be missing my past and not living in the present. I have just been reflecting lately, because we will be celebrating our 23rd Anniversary on the 14th and I got caught up in the "where we have been" moment. What a journey! 

Weddings are funny things. We stand there and commit to things we have no real concept of, and won't until the years start ticking by and you realize several things. Forever is a really long time. Yay! Forever is a REALLY long time. For better means there are not enough hours in the day to be together...for worse means rolling over some mornings and thinking, "Nope, don't feel like doing that today." In sickness means sitting by a hospital bed for endless hours worried...in health is climbing trails in amazing places. Til death do you part...can't even go there. I can't imagine my life without this man. These things we say so eagerly on the day when we are so blissfully in the moment are real and fabulous and scary and hard and awesome and take real work. All totally worth it if you are both committed...REALLY committed to making it.

I'm racking my brain for ideas for our big day this year and coming up blank. Possibly because we did Hawaii last year and that's a pretty tough act to follow. It doesn't help that I spent the weekend with a couple we have known for 20 some years and his wife had his 67 Mustang overhauled for their 25th anniversary. He wrecked it when they were dating, and it sat on her family's property forever, where he would frequently visit and talk about getting it up and running again. He went to Afghanistan to work for several months so she decided that while he was away she would make that happen for him. How cool is that?! Now Brian is walking around the house reminding me of all the cars he's never owned that would be a great Anniversary gift. Dream on!

My gift is that he still loves me, I still love him, and we choose to be together everyday whether its a good one or bad one. I'm very much looking forward to what else this "mawwiage" will bring in the next 23 years and beyond.

Until next time,
Julie

Missing the navy

Never thought I would say this, but I miss the Navy. It was the only life I knew for 21 years. Brian has been out 2 years this month. He has a great job, that he is enjoying, so it's not like we're suffering being out of the service. I often thought before he got out that there would be this great sense of relief and a need to nest, or settle in, permanently somewhere. Surprisingly, not so much.

One of the worst parts of the military is knowing you will be moving a lot. One of the best parts of the military is knowing you will be moving a lot. Makes no sense? Truly, both are accurate. We started our journey in Idaho Falls, tiny town, tiny run down place, but newly married so who cares. Ha! We took advantage of it being next to Yellowstone Park and visited a couple of times in the 3 months we lived there. (Brian was finishing up his Nuc Training.) From Idaho Falls we moved to Newport News, VA, part of a huge mass of cities that all run together. We were next to beaches and Busch Gardens, visited DC several times. I went to college there, had Kevin, and met some dear friends who we still keep in touch with to this day. It was hard to leave. Transferred down to Kingsland/St. Mary's Georgia. Another tiny town, but we stayed pretty busy with our little group of friends there, had Keegan, and enjoyed the area surrounding us....Amelia Island, Jacksonville, FL. Met another couple who are still very much a part of our lives today. From there transferred to Silverdale, WA, this was absolutely one of the most beautiful parts of the country to live. The mountains and beaches are spectacular...yes, it rains. I have never appreciated nature as much as I did there. On to the Charleston, SC area, probably the place we most considered home. Just a good fit for all of us, great area, great friends, great church. We did VA again and then back SC before getting out. See the pattern... learn new places, meet great people. It was a lot of moving, but we had such an appreciation for all the different parts of the country and what it had to offer, it was so hard to leave the friends we made along the way. I can't imagine that I won't have yearning for that change again.

I miss Brian in his uniform heading out to a ship somewhere. Not only do I think he's good looking in uniform (WOW!), but I have a tremendous sense of pride when I see him wear it. He served his country and he was good at what he did. He made it all the way for an enlisted man. It really speaks of his work ethic and his integrity. I'm just so proud of him.

Navy ships are pretty amazing.  They are floating bases and these guys are good at what they do. We went out a couple of times on a carrier for family days, watching them launch planes and the planes doing maneuvers out at sea is uber impressive, and watching those ships come home with all sailors lining the deck. WOW! I have great respect for the training and sacrifice these guys and gals go through. Also, as a family member, the sacrifice our families make to allow them to do what they do for their country...really just nothing like it. Honestly, as hard as it was (and sometimes I didn't think we'd make it), what an honor to be with a man who served!

Until next time,
Julie