Buzzing

At some point yesterday, my nose - way, way up in my nose - started sorted of 'humming' when I talked...like there was congestion and it was just a 'hum'...hard to describe and felt so weird.  And then a pounding headache for a few hours...

Some time in the night, the congestion that was obvious ('cuz I could not breath through my nose at all) moved south and landed - you guessed it - in my chest.  Crap!  So I've spent an uber busy day feeling like crud AGAIN.  Holy Crap....grateful for a long weekend though I have a board meeting at 8AM so that makes tomorrow sort of a work day.  If you have to set an alarm to ensure your timely arrival somewhere, it's work!

J. headed to San Fran for a retirement workshop - it was free and gave him a chance to get out of the house.  Said he picked up some tips on finding organizations to volunteer for, etc..  Chloe was kenneled all day which is rare these days - so I headed home around 2PM to give her a potty break...and then went to get the mail.  Scanned the mail quickly and thought 'no letter from B.'....and then, there it was! What a great letter!  They are in 'white' phase now which mainly means they lighten up a bit on the yelling and screaming while still making it clear they think the recruits are scum.  B. seems amused by it all and 'gets' that it's just their job.  His military friends really helped with that, I think - letting him know to expect to made to feel like a POS - that's what Basic Training is supposed to be.

I was thrilled to read that on Sundays, they are just 'cleaning' that day - and he's been going to church with a group of guys 'to give my mind a rest'.  So glad he is doing that 'cuz we knew they do allow them time to attend services and were going to suggest that he do that just for a 'break' but then decided not to inquire.  And he's going on his own.  Glad for him - down time is important.  (And I secretly think 'and if a little faith seeps in while he's there, all the better').

On the verge of a three day weekend - even with the board meeting tomorrow, it will still be nice.

That's it for now - so glad to hear from B. - it really makes my day.  I've written a letter back that I will put in the mail tomorrow.  He wrote us on the evening of 2/5 and it arrived today - so it's only taking about 2 days for us to receive which is GREAT!  Hoping he's getting ours as fast.

Circles

Putting on makeup at zero-dark-five-thirty and the circles around my eyes are so dark, I think 'I must have not taken off my eye makeup last night so I have raccoon eyes this morning'.  I get a Q-tip to remove the offending mascara.

And then I remember that I haven't worn eye makeup since New Years 'cuz I've been coughing, sneezing, wheezing and blowing my nose so much, it's pointless.  My eyes water like crazy, making makeup a waste of time - so I've been skipping it.

Which means the dark circles are from lack of sleep....probably.

I'm going to bed plenty early - I'm just getting up even earlier.  It's like that this week.

And I reminded myself that I can't sleep in on Saturday 'cuz we have a special board meeting that requires my attendance....so only two days of sleeping in, not three.

Never more grateful for the holiday on Monday!

One of the strange things about H. not living here is trying to 'schedule' time to see him.  He says 'I'll stop by later'....and then I'm left with trying to stay awake long enough to see him.  Thankfully, we are planning for him to come tonight - and then we've planned a trip to The Cheesecake Factory on Sunday for lunch!  We'll do some shopping in the big mall, have a nice meal and enjoy some parent/son time together!

It's odd having to 'make dates' with him - but then it's kind of nice, too.  He misses us - which is even sweeter since he's two miles away.

OK - it's just past six and I am ready to go!  Long day ahead...even longer 'cuz my boss and I have a meeting wherein I relay information that is probably not going to make him happy.  Our budget next year is a tricky conundrum...and my 'answers' are not all that 'good' for us as a district.  Still, they are what they are and we will figure it out.  We always do.

Letters

I'm really loving restoring the art of letter writing - to/from our soldier.  We received another one yesterday and I was so anxious to read it that I asked J. to scan it to me at work!  It was short but sweet.  He has a really bad sore throat (on 2/1) so I'm a little worried about him - and he said that he realizes two tickets to Georgia is expensive so if we can't make it to graduation/family day, that's OK - he will hang out with his buddies and 'do things infantrymen get to do'.  I don't have any idea what those things are...but the pictures tell the story so I'm learning.  He is really enjoying the marksmanship part of the training, clearly.  Guns...he loves guns.

I took a minute at work (the first break I'd taken all day other than running to the restroom between meetings) to take out a note card from my drawer and write him a hand written note - saying that I hope his throat is better and to please get it checked out if he doesn't feel better soon...and then added that wild horses couldn't keep us away from his graduation ceremony.  We would be there and wouldn't miss it for anything. 

Last night, we made our reservations for the flights, hotels and rental car.  J. is going to get us a room near the Atlanta Airport the first night and the last night - and once he does that, we will be all set!  True, this isn't an inexpensive trip though our hotels are only $99 a night and we got a decent deal on airfare.  But it's only money, we can't take it with us and I don't care if I end up working into my 90's.  Anytime we are able to visit him and celebrate with him, we will go - anywhere, anytime.

I just sneezed 10 times in a row....darn 'cold' or whatever this lingering mess is. 

Up early today and heading to the shower shortly.  Long days this week....but it's OK.  A three day weekend looms and I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bit all three days! 

As I addressed the note to B. last night, I said 'the US Postal system can never go under 'cuz there are soldiers everywhere that can only communicate with their families via letters.'  It's so true - a rare, 4.25 minute phone call is once in a blue moon - but letters can be an everyday thing.  It's comforting.  And he's writing us back which is lovely....

I made banana bread last night to use up bananas that I bought totally forgetting that B. isn't here anymore and H. doesn't eat bananas.  I didn't put nuts in it 'cuz H. doesn't like nuts.  So J. sent H. a text saying 'Mom made gelded banana bread'.  LOL.....

H. is coming for dinner tonight, we think.  That's something to look forward to.  While we are definitely enjoying being alone, it's nice to have H. nearby.  I think if he were also across country or otherwise far away, it would be too hard to transition....but he's still around and we see him and text with him or talk to him everyday which is lovely.  He's a sweet kid.....

Off to the trenches. 

Super Not

The game is slow torture...hoping the power surge that knocked out power to the Super Dome in New Orleans is God's way of telling the 49ers to get their shit together.  Seriously.

The crab dip is yummy.  The chicken wings are, too.  We ordered at 1:30 and they were 'ready' at 4.  Yikes!  Next year we will call earlier.  Wing Stop had every single employee they have there and they were still behind!  My order was called in at 1:30 and I was told 3:45 pickup - they were ready at 4 after the person at the register gave them my ticket from a stack and said 'please cook these - she's here'.  Hmmm....maybe next year, I'll go in and order, then go grocery shopping and run other errands.

I sent H. a text at noon asking 'are you up'?  He replied a few minutes later that he was.  I found out when I got home (I went to my office for a couple hours) that he and his roommate were out at a 'bonfire' party (in the Delta) until 5AM.  The joy of being on your own - you can stay out all night.  He came by to pick up some stuff and J. stopped by there briefly to help with their Internet connection.  When he texted me, it was to say 'hey, I need deodorant'.  I resisted saying 'so go buy some'...and instead said 'check your bathroom cupboard here at the house when you are here.  I think there's some there'.

As a joke, J. sent H. a text saying 'where were you all night?  Oh....you don't live here anymore.  JK (just kidding).

It is weird not having him home....very strange....

We're expecting him any minute to scavenge dinner.  We have wings and crab dip - I'm sure he'll eat the wings.  Probably not the dip.

I'm also roasting butternut squash and some farm-fresh small fingerling potatoes for later/tomorrow.

Empty Nesters

We celebrated the updating of our status to 'Empty Nesters' with a nice bottle of bubbly.  Post a day of heavy walking, some carrying and a little lifting, it was a welcome relaxation jump start!  And certainly a milestone of no dependent kids living under our roof (at least for the next six months - the length of the lease the boys signed on the apartment) is reason to celebrate.

The apartment is very nice - nicer than any apartment I lived in as a young adult.  Freshly painted, brand new refrigerator and very new stove.  Dishwasher and garbage disposal.  Carpets clean and not too worn.  H.'s Cal King bed takes up most of his bedroom but it's fine.  While J. helped with putting shelf paper in the kitchen (thank you, honey!), I headed to WalMart to purchase things they needed ASAP - like trash cans, shower curtains, etc. . 

H. called here around 7ish asking if he could come home for dinner.  Ha ha ha....we said 'of course you can come home anytime you want - but we didn't cook dinner so you will have to scrounge here, too'.  We reminded him there were hot pockets and burritos in their freezer; cheese and eggs and milk in the fridge and I had given him money to 'celebrate' with a dinner out.  As I handed him the money, I said 'your Mom has just given you money unexpectedly.  This is your first econ lesson of living on your own.  You could blow all that money tonight on 'celebrating' or you could buy a reasonable dinner and save 80% of it for groceries.  Think carefully.'  So he calls home for dinner....progress?  I mean, he didn't buy dinner....

He also needed a lamp for his bedroom and luckily, there's been a lamp in our guestroom for years unused - a 'tower' lamp - he loved it so he took that back.  Today, J. will return there to get the computers set up and to take over a few more things they may need.  We did a great job of finding stuff on hand here - and only spent about $100 to get things they didn't have and needed.  They still have a lot of unpacking to do - and getting settled.  We will let them settle in and told them both to make lists of things they may need and then we will do another shopping trip.

I'm also going to offer to come over one evening a week and help H. cook something - he needs to learn to survive on his own.  The kid has never even made a sandwich.  I know - we've spoiled him - but those days are over.  Time to learn to fry eggs, make sandwiches, learn to make a quesadilla, etc.  Easy, quick things I can show him - and then we'll have dinner.  Or he can come here....whichever.

Thankfully, his roommate J. is pretty self sufficient and has done chores a lot, cooked a lot, etc..  So there's hope....

The parking isn't great - they only have one space for their unit - with two cars.  The other 'uncovered' spaces are always available - but they are few and far between.  They'll have to figure it out.  My only complaint about the place was the smell of car oil - every single space had a thick layer of leaked oil.  Gross!  I don't know why that bugs me so much - except that kids inevitably walk through it and track it everywhere.  H. is going to have to take off his shoes when he visits...  I've never lived in a complex bigger than 20 units -this complex has 100's of units so it's quite a bit different. 

Friday was brutally long (5:30AM until after 4PM) and steadily swamped - but my big project was completed on time.  J. confirmed that there was a 3 page letter from our soldier so I couldn't wait to get home and read it!  He wrote it just after he'd received our first two letters.  He talked about his DI's (Drill Instructors) and how he has come to appreciate they are great people doing a hard job.  I think that's pretty insightful and also think that shows B. has a little more maturity than many - he's not just out of high school.  He said he quietly celebrated his birthday with a brownie and has made a couple good buddies he felt comfortable telling it was his birthday.  I'm glad he's got a couple friends.

He is a little homesick (to be expected) and is finally feeling better (said they say 'it's getting used to the Georgia air' which is probably true 'cuz he's gone from warm and dry to wet, warm and very humid).  He can't wait for family day and neither can we....11 weeks and counting.

J. and I are enjoying our first morning sans children in the house....I am heading to my office for a bit while J. runs a couple errands.  Then we will be back here preparing for the Super Bowl - ordering wings from Wing Stop and I'm making crab dip!  Snacking for dinner again tonight - probably should order more wings for H. in case he calls again for dinner.

The house is quiet.  J. has a lot of new projects to work on - cleaning up the two almost empty rooms upstairs.  And I identified more things to do in the garage that will help organize further there as well.  Little by little, we are continuing to cull.

The upcoming week is another jammed with more in a day than I can even elaborate on - every day filled.  And it's board prep week which adds massive stuff to the list.  Next week is a three day weekend which will be lovely!  Maybe J. and I can wedge in a fun day for ourselves...could happen.

I want to write to our soldier today; get started on the 3 tax returns we need to prepare; do stuff around the house a bit...though when I stand up, my feet and legs hurt so much, I am walking stooped over for the first few steps....

Parenthood never ends....but it is really nice to be in this next phase of not having them here daily.  I know I will miss H. like crazy (just like I do B.) and I am truly glad H. is a couple of miles down the street (we could even walk there if we wanted to cross a vacant field and climb a fence.  Their back patio has Raley's as a neighbor - so they are pretty darn close!). 

I'm glad he's here in town.  From four to two in this house in a month is hard to do. 

But I'm sure we'll adjust.  Right, honey?  :-)

WWF

To all my Words with Friends players:  I just can't do it today.  I have too many vowels, Zs and Vs.  I can't think that hard at the moment.  I will get caught up tomorrow.

The Week

It's Friday!  It's 4:23AM and I've been awake since 2:30!  Shh....let's not tell anyone.  The dog is burrowed into a cave of blankets.  She, so excited for company at 3AM (dancing around so much she made me feel dizzy) has since returned to her 'holy crap, this is early' approach and returned to her 'bed'.  I am inclined to do the same - but can't.  I am heading to the shower shortly and then to my office where I have much to do in a meeting packed day.  I miss the Fridays where no one scheduled meetings - now it's like a 'found' eight plus hours to fill.

Yesterday, our beautiful new, space age sliding door was installed and it is WONDERFUL.  It glides so easily, it sounds like a jet engine 'spinning up'...it's fantastic!  After 12+ years of a door that required all your brute strength to open - going through a can of silicon spray monthly in an attempt to keep it more movable then not (and yet still incurring shoulder and elbow pain after repetitive heave-ho's), it is a miracle of engineering!  Well worth every blooming penny we spent to get it replaced and it is 'finished' much more professionally than the old one was.  J. and I are ecstatic!  Truly!

This morning, I confirmed our soldier was paid for the first time - a nice size deposit in an account that has had no activity for a month.  Glad to see the auto deposit worked and will send B. a note tomorrow confirming he is officially being paid!

Alright, I will publish this before something bad happens and I do something stupid that makes it delete!  I am hoping for an uber-productive Friday (even with all the darn meetings) and looking forward to Super Bowl Sunday.  Go 49ers!