We're Not In Hawaii Anymore

I admit it. I'm not feeling it lately. I have a few ideas about blog postings but nothing that gets me moving enough to actually type it out. I don't even know why I'm struggling, but I am.
We've been in this house with our stuff now for almost 2 months and I still don't feel settled. I get crazy motivated once in a while to get some things organized then I realize we're only here until July and wonder what is the point?
So, I decided to take a few photos of things that truly prove I'm not in Hawaii anymore.

First, the Canadian geese that hang out just outside my front door.

You don't see these in Hawaii.

This fire hydrant. It has a stick on top with a little flag on it. My husband tells me that it's so the snow plows can determine where the hydrant is when they plow the streets. Seriously? Will there be that much snow? Will I survive this? Definitely none of those in Hawaii.

Lovely fall colors coming to trees. No fall season in Hawaii.

Hello...warnings for icy roads. Oy, I won't be able to leave the house.

I do love the change in seasons. So far. Ask me how I feel in January.

Another Proud Army Wife Moment

Since I married my Soldier a little over 6 years ago, I've had lots of opportunities to be proud. Some of them I've talked about here and some I haven't even touched on.
One came tonight at dinner when Nick told a story of something that happened on his way to school this morning.
Let me preface this by giving a little history. In late May 2009 Nick was deployed to Mosul, Iraq. He was due home at the end of May for his mid-tour R&R which would be at the same time as Callie's high school graduation.  I was counting down the days and was ready to welcome my Soldier home. Very early Monday morning (Memorial Day, and he was supposed to leave the following day) my phone rang. I was still sleeping so it was around 6:00 AM. I could tell it was Nick calling from Iraq because of what was on my caller ID. It was very early for him to call. As I answered the phone, he asked if I had heard from anyone from the Army yet. My first thought was oh heck no, they are not messing up his leave and making him miss Callie's graduation. I answered no, that I had not heard from anyone. He then told me that his vehicle had been blown up several hours earlier. Now this was one of those times when in seconds you have 30 minutes of thoughts. I was thinking... I'm talking to him, he must be ok. So I asked a very wise question. "Were you in it?"  He said, "Yes! I was in it!"  Then I lost it. I knew he was ok but I knew he had come close to not being ok and I couldn't get past that for a few minutes. I was crying and he was reassuring me. He did hurt his back. The vehicle rolled over after the blast and the body armor along with the way he was harnessed into the vehicle (all of which saved his life) put a wicked twist on his back and gave him quite an injury. The driver was hurt badly as was the gunner, who sits atop the vehicle in the turret.
Anyway, because of this injury, my husband received a Purple Heart. Because of that Purple Heart, he has free license plates here in the state of Rhode Island that say "Purple Heart Recipient"
Back to today.
This morning on his way to work, he noticed a vehicle following closely behind him. He's not patient with these kinds of things, maybe because of the incident in Iraq, he feels closed in. He was just wondering what was wrong with this guy, when the truck starts to pass him. As he gets closer, Nick notices a United States Marine sticker on the truck. As it pulls up beside him, the guy driving the Marine stickered truck honks his horn. When Nick looked over, he saw a man that looked to be in his 70s. The driver of that truck popped off a very formal salute to Nick.  At this point during the story, I teared up. Alex asked his dad, "What did you do when he saluted you?"  Nick didn't say anything, but raised his right hand up to his brow and saluted and said I told him thank you" 
My husband is an officer. A former battalion commander. I've seen him saluted many, many times. Never have I been so proud of a salute. It always touches me when someone recognizes the service my husband has given, but when a veteran of the Viet Nam war era gives him that kind of respect it really does something to me.
It's a brotherhood that I will probably never completely understand.
I appreciate everyone that has served. My salute doesn't mean anything, but I do give it to all who have and continue to serve.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm....

Have you ever seen a dog do that thing they do when they cock their head to one side and look at you like "What??"  I have seen a few things lately that make me go "What?"
For example, Friday night Nick and I worked the concession stand at the high school football game. I had a group of about 4 or 5 girls come up to me and ask "Is it true that with a student ID we can get a free burger?"  Seriously girls?  No, it's not true. You get into the game with an ID but you don't get free food. Instead of "what?" I really wanted to say "What the mess?"  (that's what we say instead of something uglier. Actually, because of my husband being a huge Packer fan, he says "Favre" now instead of an uglier F word. So, he would have said, "What the Favre?" )
Anyway, I'm way off track.
Yesterday we made a three car caravan with our neighbors and headed north to the Brown University football game. It was the first night time game ever. They have lights on the field now. Well, not really. They had three trucks with portable lights around the field. You know the kind, the really big ones that will light up a football field. What they didn't have was lights under the seating where the concessions are. It was dark under there. "What the?"
Did you know Brown students get into their football game with a student ID too? Do you know what that means?  A boat load of college students trying to find seats at the first night time football game that was sold out. Seriously? Nobody thought ahead? We had to clear our two rows of seats of kids when we got there. We paid $20.00 a ticket and wanted our seats. We were packed in like sardines, the kids had no seats so they stood everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE.  By halftime we couldn't see for the kids standing down front. They were on each other's shoulders. They were standing on bleachers. They were loud. They were obnoxious. They had no shirts on and were painted in brown and red. They chanted the F word at the opposing team. Yes, they did. I can't make this stuff up. Chanting "F you, Harvard!"  Twice I heard that lovely chant.
I'm old. I'm an old fuddy duddy. I felt like I had paid too much for tickets to sit and watch obnoxious college students chant the F word in front of me. We left after the third quarter.
This was our view most of the time.

I stood to get this next shot.

I stood for this one too:

This next one was another lovely view from my seats.

You know, I don't blame the kids. There were no school officials, no ushers, staff or security officers. No one there to help us run the darlings out of our seats and keep them from standing in front of us. The student section was full. It was poor planning.

I'm definitely old.

I do blame the kids for their lack of respect for us old people. Come on, we can't see over you and we don't want to hear your trashy mouths.
I guess it just goes to show that college kids are all the same (mostly) no matter how much money you spend on their education.