Why can't they all just get along?!

The day started out good, but it didn't stay that way. It wasn't horrible by any means, but I seriously considered muzzles for my girls. They got along great this afternoon while we were at our friends dance and play performances. One of the girls is in dance. She was so pretty all dressed up and she did a wonderful job on stage. She and her sister are in theater also. They performed in the play "Annie". It was great. They both did fabulous as did all the other kids. I enjoyed watching them and I look forward to watching Syd up on stage in the future. She starts theater this week and is so excited. What makes it even more exciting for her is that she'll be with her friend.

After the play I took Syd to get some new sandals. Her good pair broke while we were out yesterday. I chose Payless because there's one here in town and they are having their bogo sale. Unfortunately we didn't have any luck there. For starters the sales lady insisted that she only needed a size 6. She couldn't get her foot in them if she scrunched them up and forced them. She's in at least a 7 if not 7 1/2 depending on the shoe. She also has very wide feet so the regular sizes rub the sides of her feet and hurt. This Payless didn't have any wides in any of the shoes she wanted. I got frustrated and we left. It didn't help that Shay wouldn't quit putting in her two cents and making Syd mad. Their bickering made me decide to come home and forget the shoes. They decided to behave after we got home and all was well for a while so we went out to try again. I had a few coupons that expired today so I wanted to go to the commissary and use them anyhow. We went to Wal Mart first and Syd found some sandals that she loved right away. They were on the cheap rack even. My lucky day! We got to the commissary and they were still getting along until we got inside. They argued about everything from who got to push the cart to who got to get what off the shelves for me. I took over the cart pushing and decided to grab things for myself. Then they argued about who's fault it was that they got in trouble in the first place. UGH! I was glad to have that trip over with.

We got home and they both ended up in their rooms because the fighting continued. I was nice enough to let them come down for dinner which was a hard decision as irritated as I was with them. They got along okay after that, until just now. So I think it's time for me to get off of the computer, put them to bed super early and go to bed myself. Tomorrow is a new day! Hopefully a more peaceful day than today was.

A Good Day!

Today was a much better day than yesterday! I woke up praying that my tire wouldn't be flat...it wasn't! My truck is now back in business! Though after filling it up with gas this morning I did have to remind myself why I love my truck so much.

My friend and I took a trip this morning to Hickam to look into space a flights for this summer. You would think they could make it a little easier. It's quite a process just to catch a flight. I must say it will be worth it to save a couple grand though. Next week I have to make a trip to Trint's company to get the paperwork process started. Say a prayer that it all goes well and we can get on a flight during the time frame we're hoping to.

Today was finally the day for the kids Easter Surprise! Okay it wasn't much of a surprise, but it was before I told them about it a week ago. As soon as Tristan walked in the door after school we headed to the movie theater. Our movie of choice was of course.... Hop! It was for Easter after all. It was a very cute movie. I wanted to reach in a grab E.B. out of the screen and cuddle him up. What a cute cuddley little bunny.

After the movie we went to dinner at Ihop. We had fun, but I was not impressed with the restaurant. As soon as we opened the door I pictured Alaska. It was that cold in there. I said something to our waitress who said the control on the thermostat was broken so they couldn't adjust the temperature. She then added that the control for the music was broken too so they couldn't turn it down any. The music wasn't that loud so I wasn't concerned with that. I did however seriously think we would all turn to ice sculptures. I get cold easily anyhow, but this was ridiculous. Our waitress was really good though. She was very friendly and I could tell she was freezing too. I felt bad for her. At least after we ate we could leave and get warm again. She, on the other hand, was stuck there for her whole shift. I don't think we'll be going back there any time soon. I wasn't very impressed with the food either. It was okay, but last time we went there it was so much better. They must have a new cook or something. I love stuffed french toast, but this time it was not soft and goey like it's supposed to be. The outside was kinda chewy and the freezing temp in the building cooled it off before I even finished my hashbrowns and eggs. I eat the french toast last because it's more like a desert, but I should have eaten it first this time. However, then the rest would have been cold and cold eggs and hashbrowns are no good at all. Oh well, no matter. We had a good time together and fun night out. That's what mattered the most! My kids are the best...most of the time anyways. HeHe

A "Tireing" Day

I sure could have used one of those phone calls today. You know...the call that makes the day seem brighter. Had I known it was going to turn out like it did, I may have just stayed in bed for the day. Unfortunately that isn't even an option on any day. It is what it is though and in an effort to keep my sanity I just have to roll with the punches. There's some reason, no matter how twisted that reason might seem to me, that my day didn't go as planned.

I had all the kids loaded up in my truck and ready to go to school. That wasn't without a struggle, but we were finally on our way. Half way to pick up my friends daughter I noticed that the low tire light was on. I just figured it was a glitch and had malfunctioned like the light in our Ford did back in TX. It was an easy fix but I would have to take it in to have it looked at. It's just a light so it's really no big deal. Not all vehicles even have that light function to begin with so I could deal with it until I had time to get it fixed. I really didn't think it would be on because I had a low tire, since I did spend 3 hours at Sears yesterday getting a tire fixed. I had them double check the pressure in all the tires just for my peace of mind. I decided to get out when I got to my friend's house just to check and make sure before I drove any further. Much to my surprise the exact same tire that was "fixed" yesterday was extremely low. UGH! Back to my house to switch vehicles.

I got all the kids dropped off, called my friend to cancel our plans for the morning and called Sears to let them know how unhappy I was. I wanted to make sure they knew I was on my way back in and that I would very much appreciate not having to stand in line and wait hours to have something fixed that should have been fixed the first time. The guy on the phone was actually the one that I dealt with yesterday and he was very nice and understanding. He's not the actual mechanic that worked on it so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. He assured me that he'd be looking for me and would get me in right away.

I headed to the gas station to air the tire up before heading back into town. I prayed the whole way that my tire wouldn't pop or go flat or anything else that would leave me on the side of the road. God heard me and got me there safely. Just as he said, the guy was watching for me. I was in a long line that would have taken 30 minutes at least, but after just 5 minutes he came and called me out of the line. Everyone that works in customer service should be as friendly and helpful as this guy. He told me he'd call when it was done, probably 30 minutes. I made the most of my time and went upstairs to do a little shopping for a friend's baby shower. Sure enough in 30 minutes I got a call. The problem however, it wasn't done. They found another thorn in the sidewall that couldn't be repaired. The fix would be a new tire. Not a problem since it's covered under warranty. I would feel better with a new one anyhow, seeing as they apparently don't know how to properly repair a tire anyhow. The downside was another 1 hour wait. I went down to sign the work order so they could start replacing it and headed out to the mall to walk around. I had no intention of shopping so I went up to the food court where I sat with my Subway sandwich and my iPhone games for an hour. Not a fun afternoon at all!

The kicker that really made me want to scream was the fact that they were certain I had run over this thorn yesterday after leaving their shop. There's no way it could have been there yesterday because they would have seen it then. I'm sure if they had taken the time to look past the nail hole and thorn hole they repaired they would have seen it. I made sure to let them know that I was aware of where the thorns came from and when it had to have happened which was not last night. I drove on main roads last night and straight to my house. The thorns came from White Plains last time we went there. There's a massive thorn bush on the side of the road that I have had to avoid the last few times we went there. Apparently there were some in the road that I wasn't aware I ran over until my tire went flat. I'm sure that's where they came from because the only other roads I drive on are in town, on the highway, and on post. The same roads I've regularly driven for the past year we've been here. I guess that being a woman here on my own without my husband means I have no idea what I'm talking about and they can pull the covers over my eyes. Think again! Us army wives step up when our husbands are gone and we can take care of anything! We seem to acquire this super power that enables us to take care of any and everything that we are use to our husbands doing. hehe Okay so I can't change a tire, but I know where to go when it needs done. Right next door!!! Thanks again friends!

Okay, that was a long story that I'm sure I made even longer than necessary, but I feel better after venting. By the way, I kept my cool the whole time I was there. I used nice words with a calm voice yet I still made sure to get my point across to them. Yes Trint, I really did keep my cool. I promise! I know that's not like me when I'm that irritated, but I'm working on it and I'm getting better. However, I can't be responsible for my actions if I wake up and the new tire ends up being low. What are the chances of that happening?!

Yay For My Armada and Ice Cream!

I finally had the time to take my truck in this afternoon to have the tire fixed! It's so nice to be sitting up high again. I felt like my butt was about to drag the ground driving around in that little Impala. It's a nice car and gets good gas mileage, but it just doesn't compare to my truck. I just prefer big vehicles. Somehow they seem safer. It's also nice to have so much space. The kids can spread out and stay away from each other. That's a must when spending time in a vehicle. I can't deal with fighting kids while I'm driving. I have been known to stop and let them out for a few minutes, or pull into a parking lot and make them sit on the curb and hug until they decide to get along. The problem with that here is that if we're on the highway there isn't anywhere to pull over that's safe enough to let them out. With 3 row seating I can put one in the front, one in the middle and one in the back. Opposite sides of course! hehe Actually the kids have been super good for me lately. They have their moments, like all siblings, but for the most part they have been getting along. I'm really proud of how helpful they've been around the house too. Now that I said that we'll have to see how they are tomorrow. I better find some wood to knock on. HeHe

Since the kids waited so patiently for our truck to be finished, I promised them ice cream. I kind of had alterior motives because tonight was 31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins and I had planned on taking them there anyhow. They don't need to know that though, right?! When we pulled into the parking lot the line was already pretty long so I let Tristan out to save a spot in line while I parked the truck. I was a little worried that the line was too long and we'd completely miss sgo, but I promised them ice cream so that's what they were getting. We were actually only there for 15 minutes. They had a pretty good system going that kept the store from getting too crowded and they were getting people through the line pretty fast. We did end up being late to sgo, but we still made it there, ice cream in hand!

It was a pretty successful day and why not? I got to talk to my husband this morning so what other choice is there but a good day?! It's always a good day after hearing his voice!... I love you baby!!!

Frustration

Today was quite the frustrating day. To start the day off I had a meeting with my son's band teacher. That was a complete waste of my time. I was there right on time and yet I had to sit there and wait, knowing that he had another meeting right after our meeting. It was bad enough that he would put a 15 minute time limit on it, then to get started late really made me wonder why I even bothered. I suppose I should have suspected it since my last meeting with the other teachers had me waiting 10 minutes past the time I was told to be there. At least they didn't put a time limit on the meeting. I won't go into details because I'll just get irritated again. I'll just leave it at the fact that it was, for the most part, a waste of time for everyone involved. I did get a hug from my son before he went back to class, so that made it all better for me.

Today has really been one of those days that I just wish my husband was home. I really could have used his support at the meeting. Later in the day I really could have used him when dealing with another child issue. It's days like these that I really have to just keep reminding myself that God is with us and everything will be okay. I have to choose to stay positive despite any circumstances. I must remember that everything happens for a reason. I also have to remember that God works all things together for good, for those that love Him. I can't remember the reference of the verse that says that right off hand, but I will look it up tomorrow.

For now I just want to lay my head down on my husbands pillow and fall asleep. Tomorrow is a new day full of blessings!

Mission Accomplished Despite Road Block

Today did not turn out as I had planned. I did end up accomplishing everything I wanted to, but there was a glitch that I wasn't expecting. God is so good and He decided that I deserved some time to just sit and relax for a little while this afternoon. This morning I got up a little earlier than usual, yes Trint, earlier than the normal wake up for school time. And again yes, it was voluntary. hehe A friend of mine had an appt. this morning and our other friend volunteered to go with her, so I volunteered to stay at her house and watch their little ones. It was a good morning. The girls and I played catch while counting and saying the alphabet and we pretended to be animals. R cracked me up with her snake and frog. A's favorite animal seemed to be a lion today. I just played along and pretended to be what they were. The baby was in his bouncer looking at us like we were crazy. I admit he was probably right, but we had fun so just call us crazy! Thanks for letting me spend the morning with your kiddos, my friends! It's not very often I get to crawl around on the floor and hear the giggles of little ones. Some days I miss my kids being that little, but then I remember that they are now self sufficient, potty trained, and they sleep through the night. I'll just stick with borrowing my friends little ones for a few hours. I love you guys!

I was just about home from watching the kids when I saw a sign in the middle of the street indicating that the street was closed. The sign was just a few houses down from my driveway. UGH! I turned around to go around the block and come in from the other direction hoping and praying that I would be able to get to my house from that way. Luckily I was still able to park in front of my house. I had to squeeze the car between the road closed sign and the curb, but I made it with no scratches or dents. Good thing because I'm still driving my friends car. I would have felt horrible if I scratched it. I'm glad I had his car though because my Armada would not have squeezed throught that space. I would have had to park down the street and walked home. Anyhow, I decided that if the construction crew didn't like me squeezing past their sign then they could move it to the other side of my driveway. (Just kidding it wasn't that big of a deal.) I didn't go all the way around it anyhow. I was parked right next to it so technically I was only partially in the section that was closed. HeHe

Apparently, the reason for the street being closed was a water line break. When I got to my front door there was a paper stuck to it explaining that our water would be shut off for a while. I was so glad that I stopped for soda on my way home because I was thirsty. The only thing in my fridge was a small amount of orange juice and milk. I would have gone with the milk so Tristan could have his orange juice for breakfast, but I wasn't in the mood for milk. Actually I wasn't even wanting the soda at the time. Water sure did sound good. Of course it would since I couldn't have it. hehe Here's where God's plan intervened. I was planning on doing laundry and cleaning house even though a nap sounded really nice after such an early morning. We all know what it takes to do those things...that's right, water. No water, no cleaning. I picked up a few things and decided that God was telling me to sit down and relax for a little while before I had to pick up my girls from school. So that's just what I did! After I picked up the girls the water was back on. I still accomplished the cleaning I wanted to get done and the laundry. My mission was accomplished despite the road block, literally! HeHe

Easter Day!

Every day on this earth with my family and friends is a blessing beyond measure. Today was no exception. Everything about today was fantabulous! This morning I had the blessing of helping out with the second service kid's church as well as teaching my usual class during third service. The second service teacher stayed for my class and helped me out as well. Both groups of kids did an amazing job at their performances. I'm so proud of all of them. It was such a blessing to stand right in front of them and watch the smiles on their faces as they sang and danced for their parents, and the hundreds of others in attendance this morning. It was also a blessing to co-teach with such a wonderful sweet girl. After their performances the kids interacted with us as we talked about the meaning of Easter. Then it was time for an egg hunt. Inside each egg was a silly band that told the story of Easter. The kids had such a great time! It was a blessing to have so many kids in each service. It was a record for me! I've never had that many kids at one time. I'm so thankful for all the helpers that were there to lend a hand too!

My husband got a chance to call me while I was helping out in second service. I slipped out to talk with him for a little while. During deployments I stop what I'm doing whenever he calls because I never know when the next time he can call will be. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Luckily everyone understands so it's no big deal for me to slip our for a few minutes. As I was talking on the phone, the kids came walking over to line up for their turn at hunting eggs. I told them who I was talking to, Trint helps out in my class when he's here so all the kids know him. The call him "Old Man". I held the phone up and they all yelled, "Hi Old Man"! It was so cute! They were all giggling and I could hear my husband laughing too.

After church the kids and I came home to gather up our things real quick and we headed over to a friends house for some yummy food and fun. We had a wonderful time. We added a new "member" to our group tonight as well. A friend had met a new friend at the park not long ago so she invited her and her daughter over to join us. It was just 4 women and a bunch of kids. We hid eggs for the little ones to find and later we hid them a little harder for the older kids. Everyone there had a great time. I really don't know what I'd do without my friends, especially during deployments. They make it so much easier to get through the holidays, well pretty much every day actually. I know if I ever need anything at all, even just some adult conversation, they're just a phone call away. And likewise they know where to find me too. It's just incredible to me that a group of girls with different backgrounds and different lifestyles can bond so quickly and strongly all because we have one simple thing in common, we're all army wives. We may have different opinions on things and go about things in different ways, but that doesn't matter. At the end of the day we are all army wives and we stick together through it all!

 I hope everyone had as great of an Easter as we did! God Bless You All!

Happy Easter!

I got a lot accomplished today, but I'm glad the day is over and it's almost time for bed. This morning's dress rehearsal for our kid's church Easter program was early. I did not want to get up after getting to bed so late last night. My alarm went off and I told God he was going to have to drag me out of bed this morning. I certainly wasn't getting up on my own free will. We made it out the door just in time. I'm really excited to see the kids on stage in the morning. They were all so cute at practice.

I spent a good bit of time this afternoon getting food ready for dinner tomorrow. The sad part is that the time I spent boiling and peeling 2 dozen eggs for deviled eggs was a waste of time. I still can't figure out what went wrong. I've made them so many times and they always turn out good. For some reason the filling was so salty that their was nothing I could do but throw it out. I tried mixing more of other things to offset the salt, but it didn't work at all. Everything else turned out good so we'll just have to go with that. I can't wait to sink my teeth into Shay's pineapple dish. It looks delicious!

Today I've really been missing my husband and wishing he were here to celebrate the resurection of our Lord Jesus with us. I keep picturing him sitting at the table coloring eggs with the kids. That was a weird thought at the time because we didn't even color eggs this year aside from what the kids did at Good Friday service. While I was cooking I missed him coming up behind me to wrap his arms around me for a quick hug. What I really miss this time of year is having him sitting next to me at church. I had to keep reminding myself that there's a very good reason for him being away. I'm confident that the reason has to do with God's plan for our lives as a family. Who am I to question the will of God?

On Christmas day God sent his son Jesus into the world to be our Lord and Savior. That was only the beginning. Years later Jesus surrendered himself completely to God's plan and he willingly was beaten and nailed to the cross in obedience to His Father God. He obediently gave His life that day so that every single one of us can be free from our sins. There is no greater love than that! Jesus showed total surrender to God even in the face of pain and torture. He did it all for us! Nothing that I will ever face in this life could ever compare to what Jesus went through that day. He did it so that I would never have to feel pain like that. He did it so that I could feel the most amazing love that ever existed. He did it so that I can spend my eternity in heaven with Him. Spending a year separated from my husband is nothing compared to what Jesus did for me. Of course I will miss him until he comes home, but I will not forget that God has a plan for us just as he did for Jesus. Jesus was rewarded for His obedience and on the third day after His death, He rose again to spend eternity in heaven. My family will also be rewarded if we simply surrender to God's plan which at this time happens to be a deployment. Easter is a reminder that we need to forget about ourselves. It's a reminder to give our total surrender to God, just as Jesus did on the cross. It's a reminder to put others first just as Jesus put us first. One day we too will be rewarded by being allowed to spend our eternity in heaven with Jesus! All we have to do is surrender to God! He has our best interest at heart and I can't imagine who wouldn't want the blessings and joy that He has in store for our lives. I know I do! This deployment is just one of my family's journeys on the road to our eternity. God will get us through this just as He has gotten us through everything else that has come our way. God is good all the time!

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!
HAPPY EASTER!

Fabulous Day!

If only every day could be this fabulous! I woke up this morning to a cup of coffee waiting for me on my nightstand. My daughter is wonderful! Not long after I woke up my other daughter came running upstairs with a plate of cinnamon toast she made just for mommy. She called it mommy's special breakfast. Under the two pieces of toast that she called eyes, was a hotdog bun with cheese inside which she called the mouth. hehe What a sweet silly girl! I'm not much of a breakfast person, but this morning I made an exception. I'm so blessed with such great kids. They may fight nonstop on most days and on some days I may feel like I'd be better off if I ran away, but in all honesty I wouldn't change any of it for the world. God made them to be who they are for a reason and one of these days they are each going to blossom into young adults that God has big plans for. Even through their difficult days, deep down they all have a heart of gold and can be the sweetest kids ever.

This afternoon I asked Tristan to mow the yard for me while I did the weed whacking. I anticipated a response of "why do I have to do it", but he said sure mom. I didn't get a single argument out of him. It must be my lucky day! We got the yard done and cleaned the mower up with not a single groan. He even came inside and voluntarily helped Shay get lunch for everyone. When lunch was over I asked him to help me clean out the Armada and our friends Impala. Again I got help without a single groan. He got all the trash out of the cars and wiped down the leather seats in my Armada. I got my Armada vacumed out and Shay came outside to offer to vacume out the Impala. At this point I'm wondering where my real kids are and who switched them. hehe

When dinnertime came, Tristan offered to grill us some hamburgers. Of course I was not about to say no. Shay and I went to get our groceries for Easter dinner while Tristan made his hamburger patties. He waited until we got home to start up the grill. He wanted to make sure mom was home in case something went wrong. Smart kid. Good thing too because I would not have been too happy if he had started it without me. For some unknown reason I have this fear that our house will burn down. A lot of times I'll forget to turn off the stove or leave my flat iron plugged in. Trint always remembers that kind of stuff and since he's gone I have to be extra cautious to remember. I'm sure that's where the fear comes from. I don't have it when he's home. Sorry to get off subject. As you can see from previous posts I do that often. oops! So, dinner turned out fabulous. Tristan is a regular bbq king. Don't tell Trint I said this, but Tristan might just beat him out at the grill someday! If you're reading this Trint, sorry but it's true. hehe I can see you smiling after reading that. I love you baby!

Our day ended at Good Friday church service! It was great! The girls had fun in kid's church making egg salad sandwiches, coloring easter eggs, playing games and watching vege tales. Tristan came to service with the rest of the youth. I met up with some of my sisters and sat with them. After service I got the priviledge of helping serve dinner with two of my sisters. I loved passing out the sushi and talking to everyone who came through the line. I love my church family! It still amazes me how big our church is and yet everyone knows everyone else. Since day one of my family attending church at GBC we have felt like part of their family. I've been to smaller churches in the past where even after attending for months we were still asked when we walked through the door on Sunday morning if we were new. We have not once been asked that after our first Sunday there. People remember our names, however I had a hard time with all of their names and still do. There are so many of them. No matter though, I can just say uncle or aunt or cousin or sister...you get the picture. Here in Hawaii that's what people call each other. It works out perfect for me, the name forgetter. hehe

We got home late and we have to get up early again in the morning for Easter Sunday kid's church program dress rehearsal. I'm pretty sure tomorrow is going to include a nap sometime in the early afternoon. All this late night early morning stuff is starting to catch up with me. Staying so busy however is a good thing. I can't believe Trint has already been gone for two weeks. That means two less weeks to go before he's back home falling asleep and waking up right next to me! I can hardly wait till that day!

School Meeting

Now that the school year is almost over, I finally got the meeting with all of Tristan's teachers that I've been hoping for. I'm not sure what difference it will make at this point since next year he will have all new teachers, but at least I got to voice my concerns. Before I left for the meeting I sat down and prayed that God would give me the strength to stay calm and that He would give me the right words to say. I get nervous when I have to meet with people for some reason. That just goes along with my fear of public speaking I guess. I can attest to the fact that prayer works. I got a little shaky at one point, but my words came out perfect. I kept my cool and didn't get irritated when they said something I completely disagreed with. I was rather disappointed that his band teacher wasn't in attendance as he is one of the teachers that Tristan has the most trouble with, but I anticipate a meeting with him on Tuesday morning. I'm just hoping that I actually get a phone call on Monday morning confirming a time. In the past I haven't had any luck getting my phone calls returned or even calls that a particular counselor has said to me in person that he would make. I got some positive feedback from some of the teachers however one teacher is stubborn and has no intention of budging even one bit. He's straight forward, to the point and it's his way or the highway. He doesn't care what a childs personality is, what areas a child needs a little extra help on, what a child is going through on a particular day due to deployments or anything else for that matter. I heard over and over again how brilliant my son is and that he just sometimes needs redirected. His main problem is simply turning in his work. I get that and that's why I showed up today to try to come up with a solution that we can use in coordination with school and home to help him remember to turn his stuff in. His teachers agreed with me that he doesn't seem to neglect schoolwork on purpose he just gets sidetracked super easily. When something is assigned and not due for a few days, Tristan will have quality work done before he even leaves the class, but by the turn in day he forgets about it. Many of his teachers have said that it will be okay if he turns it in as soon as he's done instead of waiting until turn in day. That will be very helpful. Another issue is that they are required to keep all their papers, including graded papers, in a binder that they have to carry around all day. He's gone through two of the two inch binders this year because they get so full the binding comes apart. Those folders are impossible to keep in order with that much stuff in them. The kids don't have lockers so they have to carry that along with their backpacks full of books around with them all day. They can't leave a folder with graded papers in their locker for safe keeping because, well, the lockers don't exist. It's such a messed up system and makes no sense. Their explanation for keeping all of this was so that the kids can learn how to keep files. They're 7th graders, why do they need to learn that and why if that's the case, can't they keep their "files" at home or in the classroom. If it weren't for all the unnecessary papers, they would be able to find the papers that they need a lot easier. Another issue I brought up are the "31 second" fights that have apparently been happening at the school. Kids will punch a friend for 31 seconds to see how much they can take. My problem is that they aren't letting the parents know when things like this are going on. A friend of mine had to tell me about it. Tristan didn't even know what it was which is a good thing because I know he wasn't around the kids that are doing it. However it would be nice to know when there's an ongoing problem so we can talk to our kids about it. The counselor thought that was a good point and said they will look further into a system for informing the parents for next year. Why wait till next year I have no idea and why they didn't think of that I'll never understand either. At least maybe something can be implemented in that area. I'm not sure anything will actually change, but I feel better about the fact that I at least got to voice my concerns and some of the teachers seem willing to work with us. Only time will tell. I'll just keep praying for God to work it all out for the best.

On another subject, I'm kinda getting use to zipping around in this little Impala I've been driving. I'm really missing my big truck though. I'm not a small car kind of girl. I like my big trucks. I want to be sitting up high and looking down on those little cars that would be crushed if they ran into my truck. I don't like being the one that would be crushed.  Hehe. I feel like I'm sitting on the street as low as this car sits. Like at any minute my butt will be dragging the ground. hehe I'm not complaining though. I'm just grateful that I have his impala to drive. If it weren't for that I don't know what I would have done to get around. God is good and he always provides! Luckily, God also blessed us with some amazing friends next door. He came over tonight and changed the tire on my Armada so I can take the low tire in next week to get it fixed. I'll feel so much better driving there on the spare as opposed to the tire that could possibly go completely flat before I get there. I got to visit with my friend while her husband was changing it and that was nice. Even though we live next door I don't get much opportunity to just sit and visit with her. That all has to do with the fact of who I am though I guess. I tend to keep to myself for the most part. Especially when Trint is gone. When I'm not on the go running errands or taking the kids out to do something, I tend to like to relax in front of the tv with the kids or play games with them. Back on subject...I'm so blessed and so grateful for all of my awesome friends here in Hawaii. I know that if I ever need anything there is always someone to help. I don't ask for help unless totally necessary, but in the instance I need it, I have nothing to worry about. In fact, the thought did cross my mind to go change it myself, but I really have no idea how to aside from watching Trint do it. I probably would have dropped the truck on my foot or something with my luck and coordination. hehe If you're reading this, my neighbors, thanks again so much for your help. I appreciate it more than you could imagine!

The rest of the evening is going to be mommy kids time. We just got done watching "Gullivers Travels" and we're getting ready to play some games, after I make us some orange julius of course. What's game night at the Guyett house without orange julius? Unless of course Trint is here to go on an ice cream run for us. Hey baby, could you come home for just the evening to run and get us some ice cream? We would really appreciate it. We would NOT let you leave again though. We'd have to soldier nap you and tie you up in the garage so they can't take you back. Hehe We miss you baby and we love you larger than life!

My Yesterday

Yesterday was a fairly productive day. It was a short day of school for the kids, Wed. always is. I got things done around the house while they were at school. After they got home I had an appt for the older two to get their military id's. I would say it went well and I suppose in the end it did, but the lady at the front desk really has no buisness doing anything remotely related to customer service. It started out when we went in the first time while Trint was still here. We had no idea we were suppose to make an appt online. We're use to just walking in and grabbing a number. Apparently that's all changed. The lady at the desk said rudely, "You have to make an appt for that." Then she proceded to stare at us like we were bothering her. Trint looked at her after a few seconds and told her we'd like to make an appt. She simply said, "You have to do it online." and continued to stare at us. Trint had to ask her where online we needed to go. She handed him a piece of paper with the website on it. I wanted to say, "Rude much?". I kept my mouth shut aside from a quiet "WOW" under my breath and we left. So today when we got there the same lady was there. She was no less rude today. She said, "What are you  here for?" I told her we had an appt to get my kids id's. She said, "We only do one per appt." I probably gave her a rude look as annoyed as I was with her for being rude to us and explained how we had already been in the office and she never mentioned that we needed to make two appts. She said "You can ask your clerk." Then she just stared at me. She didn't say please have a seat in the waiting room or anything. At this point she was past staring and just glared at me. I was so overly annoyed at this point I decided to kill her with kindness. I smiled real big and said, "Should we just have a seat in the waiting area then?" I got a yes out of her, but if looks could have killed...well you know the rest. After we got called back the clerk that helped us chuckled when I told her the receptionist was rather rude and didn't tell us we needed two appts. I could tell she agreed. So she took care of both of the kids. She was very friendly and helpful. Here's the kicker, appts are allotted in 15 minute increments. It only took her 10 minutes to do both of my kids.

Last night was sgo night! Instead of meeting at a restaurant we went to an Easter play at Word of Life. It was great! My kids went with me as did the other ladies kids and we all had a good time. What a powerful message the play sent. The actors were fabulous and played their parts so well. At the end some people willingly gave their cardboard testimonies. It's so amazing where people come from and the adversities they face in their lives only to be completely turned around by the blood of Jesus Christ. I couldn't imagine coming from the harsh circumstances they did. How incredibly amazing that Jesus forgives them and completely turns their lives around. They are now thriving citizens devoting their lives to His cause. I would recommend all of my Hawaii friends to go check it out.

I got to talk to Trint twice yesterday! YAY! Aside from the play, that had to be the highlight of my day! I always love to hear his voice. I'm looking forward the their command getting it together and deciding what to do with the internet situation so I can finally skype with him. The lines for the phones and computers are so long that he doesn't have time to sit there and wait. He has his own computer, but until they decide how to go about the internet in their building it's not an option. Too bad they can't just do things the way they were already set up and be done with it. Not sure why they're making it so difficult. Our soldiers would like to have their internet so they can talk to their families. Hopefully they'll figure it out soon. On a good note, Trint got a phone yesterday so now he won't have to wait in lines to call me! That's a plus! It's not free, but it's not all that expensive and it's way worth it!

I have a meeting with Tristan's teachers today, finally! It's taken long enough for them to come through. Now that the year is almost over I'm not sure how much good it's going to do, but better late than never I suppose. I have my list of concerns written down and I'm ready to go. Hopefull we'll get some results! Wish me luck! 

Sleepy Day

Tomorrow is looking to be a busy day so I'll keep this post short. A girl needs her sleep before a busy day. Today was one of those days you just somehow float through, not really knowing what's going on. Praise God I got a phone call early this morning, but I could feel the sleep I was lacking from it. I'm not complaining by any means. I will take that phone call anytime day or night and for as long of a duration as possible. As soon as I saw the number on my phone I was wide awake.

I didn't do much of anything this afternoon aside from laundry and a little house cleaning. Mostly I sat and cuddled with my Tibbles. After I got the kids from school we went to a friends house to plan our Easter dinner. I can't wait! It's going to be a fun day with great friends and yummy food!

The tire pressure light came on in my truck this morning. Go figure. Something was bound to happen. I aired the low tire up this evening when I went out and will have to take it in tomorrow to get it fixed. Good thing they're under warranty still. We haven't even had these tires for a year. I must have run over a nail or something. I didn't check too closely because no matter what it is there's nothing I can do about it myself. Luckily it's just a slow leak so I'll be able to make it to the shop with no problems.

Not a very eventful day, but as tired as I was I wouldn't have been able to handle too much excitement. Now I'm just waiting for our friend to bring his car over so I can drop him back off at the barracks. He'll soon be deploying and tonight was the best night we could coordinate for him to drop off his car which I'll be babysitting while he's gone. One last thing...Please remember to say a prayer for our troops before you lay down to sleep at night. They need all the prayers they can get.

Lots To Say Today

Even though this morning did not start out on a good note, it did get much better. After coming home 20 minutes later than usual from dropping the girls off to school late I decided I deserved a treat. I know if Trint were here he would have said, "go have Subway for lunch", so that's just what I did. Even better than that I got to have lunch and spend the afternoon with a friend. I got my Subway, good conversation, a little shopping and even found some coupons on the isle of the px that came in handy. Oh ya, and your Easter box is on it's way, my love! I say this a lot, but I really believe that I'm so blessed with the most amazing friends ever. If it weren't for my wonderful friends, who happen to be more like family, I don't know what I'd do. I love you guys!

One of these fabulous friends I was just talking about, posted on facebook today about how when she hears a car door shut and the gate click shut, she half expects her husband to walk in the door. I can totally relate to that, as I'm sure all my military friends can. For me it's a neighbor who's car sounds like ours when he locks it with his remote. Most evenings I hear this guys truck door shut, then the beep sound, around the same time Trint usually comes home from work. On ocassion my heart will jump and for a split second I half expect him to walk through the front door. It's pretty amazing that even after being married for almost 14 years, my heart still jumps for my husband. Even more amazing is that he's not even here right now and yet still my heart jumps for him. Actually maybe even more while he's gone. It's a surprise every time the phone rings and it happens to be him. Again my heart races with joy.

I suppose my afternoon was just too good and I needed to be bumped back into the reality that I'm easily irritated by the small stuff. When I went to pick up the girls, for some unknown reason, I couldn't make my usual u-turn and park at the back of the school. They had cones up to block the side of the street I needed to be on in order to turn into the little parking area. There wasn't any construction on the road and nothing unusual down the entire street. Plus these were the only cones in place. Just down the street you could turn onto that same street from a side road. Unfortunately there's a median the entire length of the street. I guess they just decided, more than halfway through the school year, that we are no longer allowed to park there. I had to journey down the most crowded street ever to get to the front of the school. Seriously they did an injustice by closing it off. This side street isn't big to begin with and people were parked on both sides, including a bus. Yep, the big yellow oversized bus. This street is over a block long and people were trying to maneuver down it going both directions. I hate to think how many of the parked cars ended up with scratches down the sides of them. Since there are no parking signs down one side I guess it would serve them right. That's not nice to say, but I was so irritated. The bus was even parked on the wrong side. By the time I got down the street and found a place to park at the front of the school, three blocks away, the bell had already rang. The girls had to wait about 10 minutes after the bell until I could get there. Irritating!

The rest of the afternoon and evening were okay. Not great, but okay. I helped Shay and Tristan with some homework, had Gumbo for dinner which must have been yummy because everyone ate it and Tristan went back for more, treated the kids to home made orange juice popcicles that I made this morning, watched a movie and now I'm sitting in bed writing this. Oh, and I wrote a long detailed letter to Tristan's counselor and teachers about why I'm a very unhappy mom.

About Tristan's school...I checked his edline account today and was very disappointed to say the least. One of his teachers had down that Tristan had not done several of his Teen Biz assignments. For those that don't know what I'm talking about, edline is a site with their grades listed by class and Teen Biz is a site they use for homework. His teacher sends articles to their account and after they read them they have to answer questions. The site records all the information and the teachers log in to check the kids progress and get their grades for a particular article. I showed it to Tristan when he got home and he insisted he had done all of them. I had him log in to his account to prove it to me. Sure enough he had done them all. I had to go through one by one to print them all out. Then I had to go to a different place to get the date he completed them. It wouldn't let me print that page so I wrote it down on each grade printout for Tristan to take to school tomorrow. I then sat down and wrote the letter. Unfortunately I don't have the principals email so I requested the teachers to forward it to her and the superintendant. I let them know that if they didn't have the time for that I would gladly print it out and deliver it myself. I will be calling the principal tomorrow after school to see if she received the email. I'm just so fed up with the teachers having expectations for these kids, which they should, but not living up to the same expectations. Getting any correspondance from them is like pulling teeth and Tristan has been turned down when he's asked for help with something he didn't understand so many times that he won't even ask anymore and just won't do the work. UGH! I could go on and on about all the things they go about doing the wrong way, but I'll just leave it at that. I can assure you that I'm not letting these issues rest until something is done. I can't change Tristan's outlook about school when the teachers aren't willing to meet me halfway. I've told all his teachers numerous times that it takes communication on everyone's part to help a child succeed. One email just because I spoke to them isn't enough. It has to be ongoing communication. And not to put our schools in a different catagory from other schools, but these military kids really go through a lot in their young lives. They need acceptance from their teachers, help when they ask, and a little understanding when the child is having an off day after a parent deploys. Instead they are making it worse for these kids. They just tend to give up to some extent. Why do the work if the teacher is going to lose it or not grade it or tell them it's not good enough with no explanation about what they need to do different. Why excede on a paper when if they do the teacher tells them the work was too easy for them and gives the child extra work that's harder. They decide it's better to keep their efforts to a minimum then get extra work. What ever happend to telling a child they did a good job and they should be proud of the effort they put in to it. Okay, I'm done venting now, really I am.

One more thing before I go to sleep. I took a picture today of the top of my scrapbook cabinet. I just wanted to share one of the things that I have as a constant reminder that Trint will be home soon. He left a pair of his sunglasses on top of the cabinet before he left, along with an extra allergy tag he had. Those glasses and that tag will be right there waiting for him when he gets home. Every deployment there's something he left in the house that I leave there the whole time he's gone. The first deployment was an oversized glass bottle change bank that I left on top of the fridge. I hated that thing and it would always work it's way to the edge after the fridge doors were open enough, but I left it there. The second deployment was a jacket he left hanging on the back of a dining room chair. This deployment it's the sunglasses. We love you baby and we can't wait to see you wearing your sunglasses next year! MUAH!

"Defeating Defeat"

Sunday is always a great day to start the week off right! Good thing since it's always the first day of every week. I didn't really feel like getting out of bed this morning. I felt so tired. My not so little wiggle bug ended up in my bed again last night. She wasn't quite as bad as last time, but still she woke me up more than once. When the alarm went off I sleepily touched the sleep button. Okay so that happened twice. When it yelled at me the third time I decided I better get up or I'd never have time to get all of us ready to leave for church. As hard as it is for me to get out of bed, I'm always happy to walk into church. It seems as if Pastor Norman is talking directly to me on many mornings. He always says we showed up to church for a reason. It's no accident that we're sitting in the seat that God reserved just for us. He couldn't be more accurate.

This mornings message was titled "Defeating Defeat". What better message for a woman who sometimes feels defeated when trying to raise three kids on her own while worrying about her husband who is thousands of miles away with limited communication. Pastor started out saying, "We beat defeat by connecting with Jesus and taking the focus off of ourselves to help others." He then went on to say, "We create a new history by seizing opportunities to get up, stand up and speak up." "...for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again..." (Proverbs 24:16)  His third point was this, "We break free from the gravity of past defeat by continually moving forward until we obtain breakthrough momentum." "...but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead., I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) The main point that he was getting across is that when we fall down we always have the opportunity to get back up, and we must get back up. We can't let our defeat own us. By taking the focus off of ourself and turning it to others we will replace the bad thoughts of whatever it is that caused our defeat with good thoughts. Eventually those thoughts will totally replace the thoughts of defeat and we will feel victorious once again. If we just let God use us for good, the defeat that we once felt will disappear. I know I didn't do his message justice by what I just wrote, but I felt God using this message to speak to me in a roundabout way.

My defeat isn't a long term thing that I dwell on daily. However, I have days, as I'd guess everyone does ocassionally, where I just feel defeated. Whether it be the kids having a day of nonstop fighting or a day when I just don't feel like I can go another day without my husband here, I just have to look up. God is right here. Instead of dwelling on the present feeling of defeat I have to put that energy into helping someone else and not concentrate on my own feelings of defeat. Looking back at past situations, it's so true that the defeat will be replaced by victory. So when you feel like you're defeated, just look up, ask Jesus for help, and get back up!

"Get Back Up" by Toby Mac
We lose our way,
We get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again,
One day you gonna shine again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever,
Lose our way,
We get back up again,
So get up, get up,
You gonna shine again,
Never too late to get back up again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever

After church we headed to the beach for a birthday party. It was relaxing to spend the day outside with ohana. Tristan spent the day in the water surfing with uncle and the girls played in the sand with cousins. I spent the afternoon just sitting in the shade with my sisters. I'm so thankful that God brought us into their family. They took us in from day one and have included us in their family always. We really feel like a part of them and we will forever have a family in Hawaii to call our own.

After our day at the beach ended, I had to take Tristan to Ross to get some basketball shorts for pe class. While he was trying on shorts, reluctantly I might add because he just knew they would fit, I walked around a little bit. I'm glad I did. I found a great bargain. Yes Trint, it really was a bargain. I know you hear me say that a lot, but usually it really is a bargain or I wouldn't buy it. hehe Anyhow, my house is decorated mostly in the American theme. I love the American flag with it's red, white and blue. It reminds me of why we do what we do. Why we spend years apart, why we uproot our lives and leave friends behind to relocate every few years. It's all for our God and country. So anyhow, I found a few more items to add to my collection. Eventually they will be hanging on the front of our house, along with our American flag.

  

Garage Sales, Cooking, Groceries, & BBQ

Today went by very quickly. I can hardly believe it's already time for bed. This morning we got up early, yes Trint even on a Sat I set the alarm, to look for some bargains at the post wide garage sale. I really wish now that I wouldn't have set the alarm and just slept in. To start off, it was very frustrating trying to drive around with people parked on both sides of already small streets. It also was a pain to have to drive down dead end streets to a garage sale and maneuver the truck to turn it around to get out. Backing up was not an option with the other cars trying to get down the already crowded street. Another frustration was people parking their cars halfway in the street on both sides so it was hard enough for one car to drive down, let alone someone coming the other way. The you have those people that think 3/4 of the road is for them leaving absolutely no room for anyone else. The sales we stopped at had mainly baby items so I decided I didn't want to deal with it anymore and we went to the thrift shop instead.

As soon as we pulled up in the parking lot my phone rang! You guessed it right, it was my hubby! We sat in the car for the duration of our call. The kids got to say hi to daddy and he got to hear all of our voices. By the time he had to hang up we only had a few minutes to look around in the shop before I had to drop Syd off at her cooking class. I didn't see anything we couldn't live without so we didn't spend even a dime. Total this morning I spend $1.50. Syd found some Junie B. Jones books and Shay scored a cute shirt with the tag still on it. They were happy to get something, they didn't care what it was, so the morning was somewhat of a success in their eyes.

After dropping Syd off for cooking class, the other two kids and I took a quick trip to the px for some packing tape. That's a necessity that always needs to be on hand during deployments. We love sending boxes and daddy likes getting them. It doesn't matter what's in them aside from the love that prepared them.

Syds class was a success. The had leftover cupcakes so she decorated one for me to eat. They were so cute and very yummy. After her class we stayed there playing fooseball until Shay's class began half an hour later. We laughed and had a good time playing together. Not a single fight happened during that 30 minutes. Major success! During her class time, the rest of us came home so I could go through coupons and get ready for a shopping trip.

I went to get Shay, who also had fun at her class, and headed to the grocery store. What a successful trip I had. I saved $37.90! My total was just 183.60. Aside from the things we go through quickly and won't save for long, I shouldn't need to go grocery shopping for a month. I'm excited about that.

Later in the evening we headed over to a friends house for bbq. It was a bittersweet evening. Her husband will soon be joining so many other friends in Afghanistan. My heart breaks for her. I could see the sadness in her face and I remember all to well how my heart felt broken to pieces just last week. It's their first experience with deployment so it's all that much worse for her. I remember the uncertainty I felt when Trint deployed for the first time. It was not a good feeling. Even knowing that God is going with them, we are still human and we still feel completely defeated as we say our farewell. Subsequent deployments are no less rough, but we do at least know that we've conquered it once so we can surely do it again. We know a little more of what to expect our role to be in the coming year. However, that's not much comfort as we again have to say farewell to the person we have devoted our life to. She's a strong woman and I know she'll get through this deployment with dignity. She'll keep busy with her kids and her friends and time will pass quickly. If you're reading this, I love you and you know your friends are here for you through thick and thin, always! To your husband, we'll all be praying for your safe return. Don't worry about your wife and kids as they'll be just fine, we'll make sure of that. Keep your mind on the mission and getting home safe. God Bless you and keep you in his hands!

One Of Those Nights

My "one of those days" is turning into "one of those nights". This song pretty much sums it up. The little stuff is trying to get to me tonight. I have the yappy puppy next door, the cigarette smell that likes to come through the windows from the neighbors porch and enter my smoke free house, a child that likes to take his socks off and toss them on the floor than throw an attitude when I ask him to pick them up, a daughter that is on a roll with her sassing tonight, a puppy that insists he belongs upstairs by himself and doesn't want to listen for anything tonight... It's the little stuff that can drive a person crazy sometimes. I just wanted tonight to be a quiet fun night cuddling with the kids in front of a movie. Now I don't even feel like cuddling. I just want to sit in this chair by myself and stare at the tv screen in a daze. If the movie isn't interesting at all, maybe I'll just fall asleep.

Every time this song comes on the radio it reminds me not to sweat the small stuff because God has a purpose for it all. I'm thinking that God is just testing me on my patience to teach me to have more of it. That's the main area in my life that needs some serious help. I'm easily irritated by small things and I'm not a fan of waiting. Being an Army wife requires both tolerance and patience, so you can imagine the roadblocks I have to overcome in those areas. I just have to remember that God is right here next to me and there's no reason to get upset about the small stuff. I'm actually only hurting myself my letting the irritations take over my mind. I just need to stop, take a deep breath and move forward. I will praise God through it all!

Tomorrow is a new day full of God's blessings!

One Of Those Days

Today has already been, "one of those days". It's been over a week since Trint left and up until now everything has been okay. Well, actually everything is still okay, I just have a wondering mind today and no motivation whatsoever. I guess it all started this morning when we left for school and I realized it was trash day. Not a big deal at all until I realized I forgot to put it out and we were running late due to kids who are in slow motion. I had to take my chances on the truck not coming until I got back from dropping everyone off. Usually it comes a little later, but on occasion it will come early. What's worse is that I forgot about it last week so the dumpster is overflowing. Still it's just a small thing and nothing really to worry about. No damage would be done by forgetting trash day. My mind started wondering at that point about Trint. He's the one that always made sure the trash was at the curb. That's one thing I didn't have to think about so now it doesn't cross my mind until I see all the dumpsters sitting at the curb up and down the street. It's a good thing everyone else around here remembers so I get a reminder. Would it really be too much to ask if they could send him home Fri mornings to remember trash day?! HeHe

Of course from that one thought about Trint my mind just decided to keep on wondering. I haven't heard from him since early Sunday morning. Normally I wouldn't even think twice about it. As a dear friend reminded me last night, he's the type of soldier that puts the mission first while he's away, knowing that his family is in God's hands. He knows that we'll be okay, he trusts that I can take care of everything back home and he just wants to do his job to the best of his ability so that he can come back safe to his family. He's the soldier that won't run to someone else when something needs done. He just jumps right in and gets it done. I love that about him. He makes me proud. In the same aspect I know that God is also watching over my husband so why does my mind insist on wondering why he hasn't called? I know there really is no reason to even wonder because my question won't be answered until he calls, so why stress over it. I just have to pray for God to pull those thoughts out of my mind and replace them with positive thoughts. I know God has our best interest at heart and that whatever is going on in our lives is according to His will. After all, "If He brings us to it, He'll see us through it".

I keep thinking back to the conversation I had with my friend last night. She reminds me how blessed my family is. We're blessed with amazing friends and family, health, financial stability, actually I can't think of anything that isn't a blessing in our lives. It's so true that God blesses those who are faithful to him. Talking to her and hearing how positive she is even in the storm her family is going through right now gives me strength. I can only strive to be as strong as she is. I like to think that in a similar situation I can stand up like she is doing right now and  give God all the glory. There's no need to be mad or sad or upset or have any negative feelings. God is in control and he knows best. Even in her hard time she's still here with kind words of encouragement for me, who isn't going through anything comparable to what her family is dealing with. She's definately someone I look up to with admiring eyes. What an amazing family of God! Love you my dear friend!

Tonight I think the kids and I will just pop some popcorn and sit down and watch a movie together. There's a new movie on Disney Channel tonight that they've been wanting to see. It's called "Lemonade Mouth". It may end up being corny, but it's the time spent with the kids that matters. Who knows, it may end up being a good movie.

iPhone & Easter

Today was a good day! This afternoon I had a lunch date with some amazing ladies and two adorable little ones. It was so nice to get out with friends for yummy food and great conversation. It was equally fun to spend the afternoon with two of the most adorable kids. It was so cute watching them hold hands at the table. They were definately the center of attention, and rightfully so!

This afternoon I decided I had had enough of broken, water ruined, malfunctioning, funny noise making phones so I took a trip to the AT&T store after getting the girls from school. I'm now the proud owner of an iPhone, with a purple and pink case of course. Just call me old fashioned for not upgrading sooner. I just couldn't ever justify the higher phone bill to have all that extra stuff. I needed to be able to make phone calls and text. I figured if I needed to get on the internet I had a computer at home and if I needed driving directions I could print them out before I left the house. I still don't really see that I need a smartphone, but we had the upgrade option, the phone was cheap, and if I don't do it now I'll really be left behind by the time we can upgrade again. Technology moves so fast these days. I've been playing with the silly phone all evening and it's already frustrating me. It's so different than the simple call and text phones. I'm sure I'll figure it all out eventually and then I'll wonder why I didn't upgrade sooner. I'm just happy to have a reliable phone that won't die on me in the middle of a conversation. What I'm not looking forward to is my next bill. We have 4 lines on our account as it is now so to add the smart phone fee, plus the upgrade fee it's not going to be pretty next month. I have a hard time justifying spending more than necessary on things like this that aren't necessities, but I guess it is what it is. When Trint gets back next year he'll be upgrading too so...wow! I guess I won't think about that right now. First I'll get over the shock of what it is at the moment. I'm sure it isn't that bad compared to what a lot of people pay, so I'll just leave it at that.

When the girls and I finally left AT&T we headed to Price Busters to find Easter goodies for daddy. We decided to forgo the whole basket thing, it wouldn't fit in the box anyhow, and we're going to make the box the basket. The girls had fun walking through the isles picking things out. I won't go into detail about their finds because then it wouldn't be a surprise when Trint gets his box of goodies. I did have to finally tell them we had plenty of stuff because they just kept finding more and more. They would have bought out the store if I had let them. Everthing they saw I'd hear them say, "daddy would love this". I just told them, "I'm sure he would, but we can only fit so much in a box and we do have a budget to stick to so pick your favorites and we'll buy more later." I anticipate many more fun outings with the kids to find that perfect gift for daddy's box.

Every day I try to do something for Trint to remind him that we love him and that we're patiently waiting for him to come home. Today was Easter shopping. Yesterday I made him a photo book online, totally free I might add thanks to the company (I can't remember the name of it) and to the USO for paying for the shipping, with our family pictures. Some days it's just a message through facebook or a comment on his profile, but always something. Every day I find a way to tell him "I love you". So, if you're reading this baby...
WE LOVE YOU! WE LOVE YOU! WE LOVE YOU! XOXOXO

SGO Night!

I always look forward to Wednesday nights with my Grace Bible small group. It was especially nice to go tonight since I haven't been in a few weeks. I had been spending my time concentrating on my husband and spending as much time as possible with him before he had to leave which caused me to miss sgo. It was nice to get back into the swing of things and visit with the girls again. Tonight we celebrated Jerri's birthday which meant dinner at Gyotaku's. Such a yummy restaurant! My mouth was watering all day, just waiting for some ahi poke, shrimp tempura, California rolls, and miso soup. Yummo! 

This afternoon I finally got motivated to work on coupons. It always feels great at the checkout when they start scanning the coupons and the total slowly keeps falling. If only I could save like those extreme couponers they show on TLC. I guess I probably could if I just took the time. Part of me just likes the convenience of driving a few blocks away to shop at the commissary. However I'm really starting to consider looking into other options. It would definately be worth it to drive to another store to save on groceries and necessities. From the looks of these extreme couponers a person should never have to pay full retail for anything. Maybe as time goes on I'll get better at this and come home with a credit on my receipt. Could happen! I probably have about $200 in coupons sitting on my floor right now waiting for me to sort them out. Now I just need to sort them, find the cheapest place to use them, and I'll be good to go!

 

My Drummer Boy

FYI...I wrote this post last night, but when I went back to reread it I couldn't concentrate because I was too tired. I saved it last night and posted it this morning. I didn't want it to be just a bunch of jumbled up mess of words that made no sense. hehe

Last night I didn't get much sleep due to an unexpected visitor in our bed. Shay occassionally will just break out in hives for no apparent reason. Last night was one of those nights. She came into our room still half asleep and told me her back was itchy. I barely even remember her coming in. I must have still been asleep because I didn't get up so she just crawled in bed.  I don't even recall her getting in our bed. I have no idea what time it was when she came in, but sometime in the middle of the night I felt her arm whack me in the head. That woke me up for sure. After that she just couldn't stop wiggling and stealing the blanket from me. She's always a wiggly sleeper. My alarm clock went off way to early this morning for my taste, especially after not getting very good sleep. I used lack of sleep to justify taking a nap this afternoon. Tibbles cuddled up with me on the couch and we were both out for the count. Needless to say today was not a productive day. I shouldn't have napped because I woke up even more tired than when I layed down. Oh well such is life. A lazy down now and then never hurt anyone. I did get some laundry done so that counts for something, right? hehe

Tristan had his second session of rock band today at skies. Last week was his first class and after getting there we were told that the class didn't even exist. They didn't have enough kids signed up to make the class worth the cost. Luckily the instructor had a class earlier and was still there. He told Tristan that since they already signed him up and it was coming out of his allotment from our blue star card benefits that he could stay and he would just be taught one on one for the night until he could talk to skies and see what was going on. Since the class was only 45 minutes long we decided to hang around until he was done. After class the instructor, I wish I could remember his name but I'm awful with names so we'll just call him instructor for now, came out with a smile. He kept saying how Tristan was a breath of fresh air for him and he really enjoyed listening to him. His previous class is at a beginner to intermediate level so he's still teaching some of them the basics of drumming. He was impressed that Tristan could read all the music and play everything he was asked to play. Tristan has never had lessons before aside from school where he hasn't really learned anything except how to play quieter and how to do paperwork. That's a whole other story for another time. So he told us he would try to find some more students for an advanced class and if he couldn't he requested we bring Tristan to his studio in Aiea. He hated to see Tristan miss out on something he's so passionate about and good at. I didn't hear from him all week so I took Tristan back to class tonight to see if the class was still on or not. Tristan was the only one there, but the instructor was all set up and ready for him. He told me that he thinks he has a couple kids who play guitar on a higher level that can join Tristan. He's trying to get this class going and get a band going for these kids again. It makes me feel good that my son is his inspiration for doing this. I really admire his dedication to these military kids. He has his own studio and yet he has agreed to come on post and work with our kids here. Not only is it more cost effective for us, but much more convenient than driving so far to the studio. I really appreciate what he's doing, not only for my son, but for all the kids. I'm still considering taking Tristan to the studio and checking it out too. As much as Tristan likes to play it would be worth it for him to have the extra practice. Who knows what the future holds for him. Maybe God is preparing him for greater things in music. Only time will tell.

It's yet another late night so I'm off to get some zzzzz's. I don't know why I stay up so late when I know the next morning is going to come early. I really need to start going to bed when the last kid gets tucked in. Maybe next time. hehe Nighty Night friends!

Romance

I was talking to a friend today who said something that has stuck with me all day. I don't even remember the words she used, but she said romance and deployment in the same sentence. It suddenly struck me that she had a point. All day I've been thinking about our past two deployments and how we got through them. Looking back, I see now that it did have it's romantic moments. Not the kind of romance you get when you walk home and there's rose petals on the floor with candles lit all around, or the kind of romance you get when you're all alone with your spouse walking the beach at sunset, but more like an emotional romance. The kind that melts your heart and makes it skip a beat just from hearing three little words, "I love you".

On an average day people get up, go to work, come home, have dinner and go to bed. Of course we work other things in when we can, but a lot of time it's pretty much a routine that we get into. When your spouse is deployed the routine that you consider normal for your family is completely broken to pieces. As the one left behind we now have to take care of our normal responsibilities along with all of our deployed spouses responsibilities. Add into that we are the sole caretakers of our children. Even more, we have to be ready at any minute to drop what we're doing because our spouse finally had a chance to call us. It sounds like a lot and really it is, but we do it because it has to be done. For me, it makes me feel good about myself to accomplish all these tasks because I'm doing it for my husband who wishes he could be here to help. I'm doing it because I want to take care of him and make sure he has absolutely nothing to worry about except what's right in front of him in the midst of all things army. All of this sounds like anything but romance until...

The phone rings. My heart starts pounding as I pray that it's him. I run to the phone as fast as I can and I see the crazy row of numbers lined up across the screen that look nothing like a normal phone number. I instantly know that it's him and my heart jumps out of my chest with excitement. I answer the phone with "I love you, I love you, I love you". Seriously, I really do answer the phone like that when I'm sure it's him. Is that not a romantic sentiment? Throughout the entire conversation we must say "I miss you" and "I love you" 20 times or more. We can be in the middle of a conversation and one of us will just blurt out "I love you". The conversation then continues as before. Who does that on a daily basis when you are going about your routine of a day. We often talk about memories from the past that bring a smile to our faces or about the future and things we would love to accomplish together. These are things we talk about all the time while he's deployed, only occasionally when he's home. When he's home we talk about how our day went, what we want for dinner, who's going to help with the homework (usually ends up being him on that one) etc. Nothing really deep like our feelings for each other. Occasionally we do but that all ends up getting taken for granted sometimes. If we're on web cams we sometimes just sit and look at each other without words. Words aren't needed because we're feeling the love that's coming from the other end of that camera. How many times have you sat in front of your spouse for a long period of time and just took in the amazement of his beautiful blue eyes, the smile that you can't help but smile back at, or the little smile wrinkles on the outer corners of his eyes that remind you of all the happy times you've had together. I can say that doesn't happen on a regular basis when we're going through our routine of a day. During deployments it happens on a regular basis. How often do you sit down and write a letter to your spouse, something they can hold on to and read over and over again? You don't have to because he's right there and if you have something to say you just say it. During deployments that luxury isn't there. We write each other letters that we can pull out on a rough day to remind us that no matter the distance they are here for us. They are praying for us and loving us like we are them. Just waiting for the day when we can experience that first kiss all over again. And about first kisses. How many people can say that they have experienced a first kiss with the same person dozens of times. Everyone that has gone through a deployment can surely say that. Every homecoming kiss is like a first kiss all over again.

So you see, deployments shouldn't be looked at as these horrible terrible experiences that have no purpose. Of course we would all decline to embarq on a year of seperation if we had the choice, but given the fact that we don't have a choice, we can make the best of it. We can look at all the good things that come out of it. If you look deep enough, there are so many things about a deployment that bond us closer to our husbands/wives than anyone in the civilian world could ever understand. God has a purpose for every single soldier that is over there fighting for our country. He has a purpose for all of the spouses and children that are left behind. If you let Him, He will use the opportunity to draw you closer as a couple and closer as a family. Maybe He wants to use you to help other spouses going through the same thing. There are a multitude of reasons that could be. You just have to look deep and find that reason. It makes it all worth while in the end.

So as you face a deployment, or even separation for military training, or possibly you're not even military and your spouse travels a lot for a job, take the time to look deep and find the romance that comes out of the situation. It makes the rough days apart a lot more bearable when you look at the bright side of things.

From Happy To Sad

Today started out to be a great day! A little earlier than I like, those of you that know me well know that I like my sleep and mornings are not my favorite time of day, but well worth the 4am wake up call. My husband has made it safely overseas. The computer he was on didn't have a webcam or microphone, but any correspondance is wonderful to me, and at any time day or night. At least we could message and see for ourselves that we're both doing good. He got to see me on my webcam, apparently I'm beautiful at 4am hehe, so I'm thankful for that. Not the beautiful part, but the part where he could see me. I know it brightens his day to be able to see me.

We talked a little about how hard it was to say goodbye this time. Yes my friends we still use the words goodbye. Many people say "It's not goodbye, it's see you later", but to me goodbye doesn't have anything to do with finality. It just means we're going to hang up, or walk away in this case, and see each other again soon. In the end, a final goodbye will never exist for us, because we're going to spend our eternity together no matter what happens here on this earth. Anyhow, it was nice to know that he loves us just as much as we love him. Not that I ever doubted that for a second. We both mentioned how hard it was to keep walking. I explained to him how I had to just walk away after kissing him one last time before he got on the bus. Previous deployments I would stay and watch the bus pull away, but if I hadn't forced my feet to move when I did, I may have just jumped right on that bus with him and gotten myself in a heap of trouble. Not to mention lost a little of my dignity. It took everything in me not to look back. I grabbed onto my girls, one on each side, and just kept walking. He too had to force his feet to step up onto that bus. When it's all said and done, I give God the glory for giving us the strength to just do what had to be done, despite our emotions.

After about 45 minutes we had to say goodbye and I lay in our bed, Shay and Tibbles next to me, and fell back asleep assured that God is watching over him.

Not enough sleep later, the alarm went off and it was time to get ready for church. This morning I was okay with getting less sleep. I woke up happy and ready to start our day. I got to talk to my husband and I had two kid's church classes to teach. I love my kids and I'm always excited to see them on Sunday mornings. I was doubly blessed this morning with teaching a second class to help out a friend who couldn't be there. Both classes went well. We had practice for our Easter program, I was worn out after practicing it with two classes. I'm not as limber as I use to be. Running I can do, but jumping up and down and dancing all around is another story entirely. It doesn't help that this girl does NOT dance. Just ask my husband who wishes I would at least slow dance with him. I will do that, but only in the privacy of our own home. I don't know why, but I just don't dance. If you saw my uncoordination (not sure if that's a word) you'd know why. It should be interesting the day of the program when I have to stand up in front of the kids and dance with the whole church watching. Did I mention I don't get up in front of people either. Unless of course you want to see me pass out. God be with me on Easter Sunday!

I was proud of myself this morning when people asked about Trint. I didn't shed a single tear. I just smiled and answered questions. I suppose I was just psyched that I got to chat with him this morning. If you've ever spent an extended time away from you're spouse you know how refreshing it is just to know they are thinking of you. If that extended stay is in a dangerous place, it's extra refreshing to know that they are okay. It's doubly refreshing to know that you just made their day a little brighter because they got to hear from you.

After church we came home to make pizza at Tristan's request. I decided to jump on facebook for a little while since the kids were playing. I got some horrible news that just turned my insides in knots. A friend from KS who is engaged to a soldier in Afghanistan had been shot. As I read her postings, I felt my heart hit the floor. I met my friend when Trint was in the reserves in Osage. Her then husband served with my husband. She headed up the frg, and she was a great leader I might add. We became friends instantly. I've never met her fiance, but that doesn't matter. I know she is hurting like never before. A pain that no one should have to feel. All she can do now is sit by the phone and wait for the next update on how he's doing. It just puts into perspective what our military families are really facing. Up until now I haven't personally known any family who has had to go through this. Although I've never met him, I know her and her girls and I just can't put into perspective why this would happen to such good people. She loves God and she's just an all around great woman. However, God has his plans for our lives even when we can't understand those plans. It's hard as humans to trust that there's a purpose for tragic times, but as we go through the storm God will reveal his plans to us if we just let him. We have to cry out to Him, as I know my dear friend is doing right now in the midst of her storm. I know that in the end she is going to come out of this with her head held high and an understanding of what she has been through. Please keep lifting them up in prayer. Pray for her fiance to fully recover, God can do miracles after all, and pray for them all to have a peace inside their hearts that transcends all understanding.

Please also keep my husband, our friends, his unit, and all our military families lifted up in prayer until they ALL come home! God Bless Them All! God Bless You for your prayers! The best gift you can give anyone is prayer!