What’s Going on in the ‘Hood

I am trying to think of reasons (not excuses) for my lack of blogging. It really comes down to laziness. I’m busy doing other things and when I think about the blog, I put it off. So, this morning as I try to catch up on my routine, I am going to sit down and show, in photos, what’s been going on around here.
Callie is here and I’m afraid I’ve let her visit distract me from every day chores. My house needs a good cleaning, I’m behind on laundry, and I haven’t cleaned out a single closet to prepare for our move.
I’ve been stressed on the whole move because, until yesterday, I didn’t have confirmation on when the movers would show up to pack my house. We are three weeks out, people! I’m stressed!!  I got the call yesterday. Our move is scheduled and confirmed. We pack out on the 13th and 14th of June, load the truck on 15 and 16 June. Finally!  One MAJOR thing off my list.
This morning Callie is sleeping in, my boys are off to their schools, and I’m catching up on laundry and cleaning. (and blogging)
The last few weeks have found me calling our housing office to complain about the lack of lawn care. Seriously…look at this:

Twice now, the grass has grown this tall and we’ve waited over two weeks to get it mowed. Of course, having this kind of grass mowed results in this:

Oy!  It’s a good thing Nick has his fancy schmancy blower that he likes to play with on the weekends. He made short work of that hay field.

This beautiful tree sits in my back yard. I have enjoyed watching it bud, bloom and be beautiful. However, I now compare it to snow. It’s beautiful for a minute, then it’s gross and I wish it would go away.
This phase is beautiful.

This phase, not so much:

Those pink petals all over the ground get tracked into the house and stick on all our shoes. This picture was taken several days ago. Today the petals are brown and rotting and are a hot mess. It’s like the beautiful white snow after it’s been compacted and muddied. Yuck.

Saturday was Nick’s birthday. Callie and I made him a Red Velvet Cake and I found these cool candles at the Christmas Tree Shop. I have some for Alex too. His birthday is next week, a mere ten days after his dad. Looks like we’ll be baking again.
We are looking forward to the long weekend. I have tickets for tomorrow night’s minor league baseball game that’s just up the road. It’s the one thing Nick wanted to do for his birthday but they weren’t playing at home last weekend. Sunday, we’re hosting a lobster boil at our house. We have the two other Army families in the neighborhood joining us and bringing side dishes. I’m going to make homemade ice cream to finish it off…. maybe crank up the fire pit and make s’mores after dark. I think it’s the perfect “welcome to summer” weekend.  If only Mother Nature cooperates!!

Soooo Much Going On

I mentioned in my last post that I’m behind and that I have a list of things to accomplish in a short time. It’s amazing how life works. In the midst of all that’s going on, this weekend brought two phone calls that made me stop and pay attention.
First, my sister called me on Sunday to tell me my dad had suffered a heart attack on Friday. Helloooo?!  Nobody called me.  My parents have this weird idea that they shouldn’t worry me with these things. Seriously?  For crying out loud, maybe I’d like to know so I can be in touch and talk to the man.  Anyway, he’s okay. My dad has a long history of heart disease, which is ironic, because he’s the healthiest and most active member of our family. It’s just bad genetics and bad cholesterol.  It’s been a battle for him for years. He had a quadruple by-pass in his fifties and will continue to fight this battle. I spoke to my dad yesterday and he’s home and taking it easy (I hope)  He’s very active, as I mentioned, and it’s hard to keep him down when there is a tractor to ride, trees to cut, and a garden to tend.  It’s hard watching the strongest man in my life start to get weak. I am struggling with this.
After the drama with my dad, my oldest daughter, who lives in Hawaii with her Soldier husband, called to tell me I’m going to be a grandmother. Oh My Gosh… I wasn’t quite prepared for that!  They haven’t been married very long and are starting a family already.  I’m very happy for her and Jimmy, but I wonder how I’ll deal with being so far away from my first grandchild.  I have a feeling Nick will be sending me to Hawaii a lot!

Anybody else think these two will have beautiful children?
Callie flew in last night and I’m thrilled to have her home. It’s tough being the only female in a testosterone filled house. I’m looking forward to cooking, baking, shopping, pedicures and even going to a tea house with her. We’ll have fun!  She will also be a lot of help as we get ready to move. Ugh.. I can’t believe it’s that time again.

Now if I can just get her out of bed.. we can get started!!

Army Ball

I am so far behind. I’m behind on blogging, housework, errands and phone calls.  All of a sudden everything needs to be done at the same time. I realized we have about a month left here and there is SO much to do!
I’m working on housing at our new duty station, getting Callie moved out of the dorm, flown out to us, and then moved into her apartment, JD and Meghan’s rehearsal dinner slideshow and wedding, hotels, dogs, kids.. and the list goes on and on.
In the middle of all the chaos, we stopped for an evening out. The Army hosted its ball here Saturday night and it was a great time.  It was nothing special as far as the venue and food, but the entertainment and the people attending were awesome!
We had the Rhode Island National Guard band there for the program and the dancing and they were fabulous! They were really rocking it. Unfortunately, my cheap camera was no good at capturing them in the semi darkness so I don’t have photos to share of them.
I do have a few photos of Nick and me all dressed up.  I had intended to wear an old ball gown that I had worn in the past (several times) but, to be honest, it just is a little too tight and was uncomfortable. So, at the last minute I rushed out to TJ Max and found a dress for $60.00. At that price I treated myself to earrings, a bracelet and new shoes.  I was so comfortable and got lots of compliments on the dress. I also invested in a spray tan.. LOVED it! I looked great, my skin wasn’t cooked under bulbs and I wasn’t worried about sunburn at all.
After getting so many compliments on the dress and realizing how comfortable it was, I’m thinking this is the dress I should wear to JD’s wedding as the mother of the groom. I’d love to hear what you all think of it.
Here are the photos.

The Truth About Tulips

**Disclaimer**  I didn’t really do any research on tulips to write this post. The “truth” included is really just my own realizations the last couple of weeks.
Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. I have always admired their sturdy blooms and unique style, not to mention the multitude of colors that I’ve seen. Amazing!
I have a little bunch of tulips in my back yard. I have been looking forward to them blooming ever since I recognized what they were. Little did I know, tulips blooms for quite a while! I have only ever had cut tulips and never had real live growing ones around so I had no idea!
These beautiful buds start out with the little tops all closed up in the morning.

   
Then as the sun hits them, they slowly start to open up.

    

   
Until they open up all the way and look like something completely different.

   
I have to tell you, I never dreamed tulips could be so beautiful.

  

 

   
Then at night, they close their little heads up and rest up until in the morning. I’ve enjoyed these for about two weeks now and can’t imagine ever having a yard without tulips again. I can’t wait until I can have a place to plant all the tulips I want.

A Blanket of Safety

I know I’m late getting in on the death of Osama Bin Laden, but I felt I must share my thoughts. 
Because I’m 46 and easily tired, I was in bed asleep a good amount of time when our President took to the airwaves to make his announcement. However, I have grown kids living out in the world who don’t seem to need as much sleep as I do (and live in different time zones) so I was awakened by three text messages and a phone call. I immediately turned the bedroom TV on so we could watch. I must admit, in my sleep induced fog, I doubted the information coming over the cell phone.
But there it was, President Obama telling the great news that this crazy man of terror had finally been stopped.
I realize that Bin Laden’s role in the terrorist world was probably mostly symbolic the last few years given the fact he was fleeing justice and had limited mobility. Even so, that symbol needed to be removed. If nothing else, it’s symbolic to the American people who will never forget the atrocious attacks on September 11, 2001. We needed to see that evil character fall.  I’m not the kind of person who wishes death on someone freely, but I will admit, it felt good to know that he is dead and won’t be served three squares a day in a comfortable cell for the next several years while he awaits trial. Let the sharks feed on him.
After letting the news settle in the following day, I backtracked to my weekend. I realized that while Nick and I were enjoying an absolutely beautiful, sunny New England weekend, our military heroes overseas were gearing up for an incredible mission. While we walked along the beach and enjoyed salty air and the sounds of sea gulls, they turned on the adrenaline and set out to accomplish this daunting mission.  I have to admit, I never once questioned my safety while walking in the sunshine. I never wondered if I would make it home alive. I didn’t doubt for a second that my security was in tact. All because brave military members have volunteered to do the dirty work and keep a blanket of safety over me and mine.
A big Hooah and thank you to rock star military members who carried out this mission. I will continue to sleep soundly here in the United States without fear.