Communication Breakdown

When we went to puppy class, if our trainer said it once, she said it 100 times, “Dogs do not understand English.” Yeah, right. Tell that to Chet. Chet, who immediately goes to the freezer if you even mention the word “popsicle”. Chet, who immediately starts digging around in his toy box until he finds his sewn-up three times, very much loved dragon when you say, “Chet, where’s your dragon?’ He’s definitely a dog who understands English.

Sadly, though, this is not always a two way street.

It took a little while but I’ve come to recognize the whine that means the ball or the bone is stuck under the bed. I’ve come to understand the bark that means it’s time to go outside to play. Once, I heard the unmistakeable bark that clearly meant something was amiss and he was protecting his mama from some unforeseen, grave danger. Granted, the danger turned out to be our across-the-street neighbor’s front porch light playing tricks through the beveled glass of our front door but that’s beside the point.

I thought we had an understanding. I thought we were on the same page. Apparently, I was wrong.

For the past three nights, our precious puppymonster has been more monster than puppy. He barks over nothing; he barks over everything. And let me just tell you, the concept of “inside voice” means NOTHING to this little guy. He barks like the house is being invaded by aliens. He barks like whatever critter is after him has caught him and is ripping his toenails out through his ears. Keep in mind, he has these fits without moving! He doesn't even get up to investigate; he's just laying there on the floor looking around. It seems he tunes it up about the moment we find the perfect depth of sleep. So, startled out of a great sleep, we jump up, check on him, check on the house, and come to the conclusion that the only thing amiss is our precious puppy. And we go back to bed (but not back to sleep, of course, because we'd just prepared to fight off the demons of the apocalypse). And an hour later, when we finally feel ourselves returning to a state of normal adrenaline, we start to drift back off to neverland and it begins again.

I’m hoping this is just a temporary phase or that we figure out the cause of the mystery barking soon. I’m pretty sure my sanity depends on it. Until then, we love the little monster so we’ll just stock up on the earplugs…

I hope that all of the noises in your home are happy; and that all of your days (and nights) are filled with something curious, something mysterious, something MORE.  

2013 day 1

Welcome to 2013! I'm so glad you're here! I hope you spent your day starting the year off right. I, for one, am already behind on those resolutions I set just a few days ago. Shocking, I know!

Save money? Nope. We went to Robert's home away from home, Lowes home improvement warehouse. I don't have to say any more, do I?

Work out? Nope. I spent most of my day being lazy on the couch, reading and watching random marathons on tv. I figured if Robert was in the garage working on a project, I'd make the most of my absolute control of the remote. And after being off work since the 21st, I decided to savor my last vacation day.

Eat better? Check that one off today! I made pork tenderloin, black eyed peas, broccoli, potatoes, and corn bread. I think some of those are supposed to bring us health or wealth or some other good blessings in the new year. We'll see how that turns out. :)

Random act of kindness? The jury is still out on that one. When I mentioned to Robert that we hadn't done a RAK for today, he quickly pointed out that we hadn't run over the very annoying guy strolling right down the middle of the traffic aisle in the Lowes parking lot. I suppose that counts but I'm hoping tomorrow will hold something a little more clearly defined as kindness.

Until next time, friends, I hope your 2013 is off to a wonderful start and that tomorrow will be more of the same. Happy New Year, everyone!

To resolve or not to resolve, that is the question

Ahh, resolutions. Those pesky promises we make to ourselves at the start of a new year- to lose weight, to spend less, to call home a little more often. You know the drill and you also know that by March, your new treadmill is serving more as a laundry rack and your attempts to budget are on hold until the Christmas bills are paid.

So why do we make resolutions in the first place?

The answer to that became very clear to me today. We resolve to do better, to be better, because even if we fail, we're still a little better than we were before. And a little better is still better, right?

If I resolve to save $1000 but I only manage to bank $500, I'm still 500 better off than I was before. If I resolve to lose 10 pound but I only lose 5, I'm still a little more healthy and a little more happy than I was before. I guess it all boils down to this: whether you move a step, a jump, or a leap, you're still moving toward something better.

I think a large part of keeping resolutions is accountability and tracking. That's where you come in! I'm hoping that if I publish my resolutions here and talk about them from time to time, I'll be more likely to keep them. So, here they are... my 2013 resolutions.

I resolve to do a random act of kindness each day. Yesterday, I left coupons on products at Wal-Mart. (There's nothing wrong with a little head start, right?) Today,  I rented the movie Robert wanted instead of the chick flick I wanted. I'm not sure if that really counts as a RAK but given that his movie picking privileges were revoked after the last movie he chose, I think it should.

I resolve to save more money. I'm sure I need a concrete value on this one but I haven't gotten that quite figured out yet.

I resolve to move more and eat less junk. Since Robert got home, I've put on a few pounds and it's time to get the jiggle out of my middle. I can't say I'll work out every day or that I'll get back on the P90X or Insanity bandwagons but I'm going to do something, even if it's just chasing Chet around in the yard. And eat less junk? Yeah, we'll see how well the posterchild for 'I love cold pizza and brownies for breakfast' does with that one! :)

Again this year, I resolve to try new things. I am such a creature of habit- I park on the same row every time I go to the store, I order the same thing when I eat out, I wear the same outfits every week. I am starting to think maybe I'm boring! I resolve to branch out, spend a little more time outside the box, and to see what I'm missing.

And finally, I resolve to think a little longer before I respond, to be a little more open-minded, and to be a little more patient. I am usually running around in a hurry, trying to multi-task and do too many things at once. I tend to want everyone to move at the same speed of blur that I do. I think it's high time that I stop to smell the roses and that I let everyone else enjoy them too. 

I hope you'll make some resolutions and that they will propel you toward a little better version of the wonderful you that you already are. I hope your 2013 will be something amazing, something memorable... something MORE. See you in the new year! :)

Looking Back on 2012

In just a few days, the clock will strike midnight, the ball will drop, people will kiss, and the fireworks (and shotgun rounds, if you live in the sticks like we do) will ring out as people all around the world ring in the new year.

In no time at all, 2012 will be just a memory but before I place it permanently in my rear view, I think I'll take a quick stroll down memory lane. Walk with me, won't you?

Since Robert was deployed last New Year's, I got to ring in 2012 in two different time zones. That might sound exotic and romantic but I can pretty much guarantee you that watching this year's ball fall from the same couch will be better by far. In March, he came home for a much-needed R&R. It's still up for debate who needed the R&R more!

July took us from a couple to a family with the addition of our fur baby, Chet, a sweet (and very rambunctious) chocolate lab. I was on my own for the first few weeks, potty training him and teaching him NOT to get on the furniture. His 67 pound body now regularly occupies a spot on Robert's favorite chair and at the foot of our bed.

September 9 was without a doubt the best day of 2012! After 353 very long days (and nights!), a huge plane landed on the flight line and a sea of camouflaged bodies streamed out. After a brief speech that no one heard, we navigated the maze of reuniting families to find each other. Next to the moment we said "I do" and "I do too", seeing hime home safe and sound was the happiest moment of my entire life.

October brought a two-week staycation which allowed us to reconnect and rekindle. The old adage proved true, time does fly when you're having fun!

Thanksgiving and Christmas 2012 were fantastic, full of family, fellowship, and food! (Lots of food; I'm pretty sure there will be diets in 2013!) and now, we're 48ish tiny hours from the start of a brand new year!

I hope your wishes came true in 2012; I hope that your dreams will be fulfilled in 2013. I know that wherever our 2013 takes us, we'll enjoy the journey because this year, we'll be able to take the journey TOGETHER. If there's one thing that 2012 taught me, it's that EVERYTHING is better when you're side by side with your best friend.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Staycation, Day 12: Special Forces, special indeed

Staycation is flying by! I can’t believe it’s almost over but if this is what retirement is like (a million years from now), sign me up!

Day 12 found us in Fayetteville so we decided to spend our afternoon at the Special Forces Museum. It was well worth the drive down and I highly recommend it (and it’s free, so that’s good too!)

I’ve spent the last few days trying to find the words to describe this museum that’s dedicated to those elite special groups who make it their life’s work to willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect the lives and liberties of people they’ve never met. It’s fascinating to read about the missions, but more so, it’s humbling to read actual quotes from the people who completed them. My appreciation for our military is never far from my thoughts but this museum renewed my gratitude and left me searching yet again for how to say Thank You for all they do.

My loss for words was never more profound than when I stepped into the POW exhibit at the museum. I can’t imagine what those soldiers endured, what some may still be enduring today, and what their families must be enduring as they trudge along day after day not knowing the fate of their loved one. As I stood there, in awe of the determination and fortitude displayed by generations of our men and women in uniform, it occurred to me that any soldier, anywhere in the world, may be one breath away from becoming a POW. Truth be told, that sobering thought scared me more than most of the terrifying thoughts I had while Robert was away.

I hope today you’ll take a moment to thank a soldier or pray for one who isn’t home yet. And, the next time you find yourself near Fayetteville, I encourage you to stop by the museum. You’ll be glad you did. Until next time, friends, I hope your day is something historic, something life-changing (in a good way), something MORE.

Staycation, Day 11: On a Stick...

I’ve looked forward to this day of staycation since, well, since last October when we were not far enough into the deployment to even think about a staycation.

Last October, I decided that since Robert couldn’t go the fair, I’d take the fair to him. I carefully packaged up the most portable fair foods I could think of, cotton candy and candy apples, and crossed my fingers that they’d make it across the world without too much damage.

A few weeks later, I received what was perhaps the saddest letter I’ve ever read. Robert’s bright, shiny, red candy apple had fallen off the stick and had landed in the dirt.  As I read his heartbreaking account of accepting that his dirt-covered treasure couldn’t be recovered, I could almost see him staring at it, wheels turning, trying to figure out a way to salvage even a morsel of the cherry-flavored goodness. It was devastating; there may have been tears (mine, not his!).

I knew that we’d have to find a way to remedy his candy apple upset… and we did.

Thursday, we headed toward the State Fair for a new candy apple. Along the way, we also had cheese steak, a ham biscuit, honey cotton candy, and some deep fried Oreos. I love to say that the Fair is all about “fried things on sticks” but truth be told, other than the candy apple (that we brought home to eat later), we actually didn’t eat anything on a stick.

Day 11 of the staycation was fantastic and there’s still one more adventure to be had… I know you can’t wait until tomorrow. Until then, I hope your day was as rich as a deep fried Oreo, as sweet as cotton candy, and as simple as a candy apple… one that stays on the stick J. 

Staycation Days 7-9: Westward Bound

Since day 5 of our staycation took us eastward, it was only fitting that days 7 through 9 should take us west.

After dropping Chet off to spend a few days with my parents, we hopped in the car and headed to Asheville to spend a little time at Biltmore Estate.

Despite temperatures lower than I find pleasurable (read- it was COLD!), we had a great time! We toured the “house” even though calling it a house does it a huge disservice. Did you know that there are 43 bathrooms inside the Biltmore Estate? I mean INSIDE the house, for the family’s use, not the ones that were added outside the house for the public!

I apologize that there are no indoor photos for you to enjoy; there are rules and enough security cameras that breaking the rules wasn’t an option J.

After touring the immaculate and massive mansion, we wandered the gardens, and took a tour of the winery. We had a quick lunch at Cedric’s (which, by the way, is named for one of the Vanderbilt family dogs and has fantastic cheeseburgers), we toured one more exhibit where we saw Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Harley and learned that the Vanderbilts were originally scheduled to be passengers on the Titanic but changed their tickets at the last minute to travel with some friends who were traveling on the Olympic. Given that we just visited that exhibit in Raleigh, we found that interesting.

From the Biltmore, we took a very curvy road (and I do mean VERY!) to Chimney Rock State Park where we hopped on the elevator and flew up 26 stories to the top. We spent some time enjoying the scenic overlook.

We had a great time in Asheville; if you haven’t been to Biltmore Estate, you owe it to yourself to make the easy drive west on Hwy 40. The tickets are a little pricey but the house, gardens, winery, and parking are included with your purchase.

Our staycation isn’t over yet! We have at least 2 more adventures planned so stay tuned for what’s next... until then, I hope your week has been something majestic, something magnanimous, something MORE.