A Girl in the Sandbox

An Ode to Back Sleeping

2012-01-26T14:52:00.000+03:00

So I'm 29 weeks + now - for those of you who aren't used to counting time in weeks, that's about 7.1 months. Around 3 months to go. Ya, that whole 9 month thing is B.S. - It's ten months. Since around the second trimester, the rule is: no back sleeping. The weight of the baby presses against your Vena Cava (some major vein in our backs), which cuts off necessary nutrients and oxygen to the baby. Sounds important, right? So it would be simple, right? Just stay off your back. Not so simple. So, while I couldn't sleep this morning (not because of my back sleeping, just my brain going a zillion miles an hour), I came up with this little poem I just had to share:

An Ode to Back Sleeping

Oh, back sleeping, how I miss you so
Oh, back sleeping, why'd you have to go?
Sometimes while I'm snoozing, I find you in the night
And roll back to my left side, with a little bit of spite
From side to side I flip and flop
My growing belly nearly ready to pop
Oh, back sleeping, how I miss you so
I'll see you soon my dear back sleeping - just 3 months to go!

A Nest Fit for a Ranger

2012-01-17T01:40:00.000+03:00

I worked through the holidays (other than the official holidays themselves, of course), because I was thinking that every day I take off now is a day I don't have to take off when the baby comes (as a federal employee, we don't get our time off the same as normal folks - that's another story). I was also feeling a little overwhelmed by my workload at work, and was looking forward to the quiet time to get stuff done.

On the Thursday before New Years, I had crossed so many things off my 'to-do' list, I was feeling good, caught up and prepared for 2012. But, all in one day, someone made reference to the fact that there were only about 15 weeks left to go, and someone else asked me if I'd registered yet, and suddenly, I was feeling overwhelmed by all I hadn't done at home! Go figure.

So I took that Friday off, and you've never seen efficiency like Cordell efficiency. We are quite a team. On Friday, we hit Sears (for a rocker) Pottery Barn Kids and Babies R Us (for registration and other furniture). New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were full of other things. But on Monday, we hit RC Willey to finish the rest of the nest preparations we'd been planning - and finally complete our loft by turning it into a family room.

By the end of that week, we had the loft done, as well as some minor changes to the downstairs living room, the nursery done - except for the crib (which Ray is painting as I type), and of course the cool little things we registered for that will finish it off.

I'm having three baby showers - one at work, one for friends and one for family... and I have received so many AMAZING and GENEROUS donations of things from friends that are literally saving us thousands of dollars. And we're talking top of the line stuff.

So between the gifts from generous friends, and our own crazy shopping sprees, Ranger is going to have himself one nice nest to call home. We are having so much fun with this stuff!

I'm officially in the 3rd trimester - which if all I've read is true, should give me plenty of banter for the blog from here on out. It's flying by!

Our last Christmas as DINKS and the Abominable Snowman

2011-12-26T18:36:00.000+03:00

It's super quiet, Monday (day after Christmas) and our little Ranger is moving around like his hair's on fire this morning. Ray's still snoozing so I thought I'd get up and check in while I had the time.

It's been a whirlwind of a holiday season - somehow I went from discovering I was pregnant to only having 15 weeks left til my due date - and all that happened in about 5 minutes.

The Cordell Family - Christmas, 2011 - Ray, DeDe, Tequila & Harley

Of course, this was taken a month ago in order to be ready for our Christmas cards - and I am MUCH bigger now. If I find some good ones from Christmas, I'll post for your amusement.

We've spent the last week hopping from one dinner party to another, making the social rounds, trying to get quality time with all our favorite people (who were able to be available). So when Saturday came and we were able to sleep in before the chaos began, it was a welcome relief. I believe as I get ready for the third trimester, I'm starting to get tired again (not as bad as the first trimester, yet, thank God). Or, maybe I'm just overdoing it and trying to cram a months worth of stuff into a week. I've been known to do that.

Anyway, we had such a relaxing couple of mornings, Christmas Eve and Christmas day, just lounging together, snuggling with our dogs and enjoying some quiet. It dawned on us both how different every Christmas from here on out will be, as we will no longer be DINKS (Duel Income, No Kids - an acronym I picked up from one of our photogs at KOVR-13 a million years ago, and it stuck). And although the holidays will never again be as "controlled chaos" as they have been for us these past few years, we couldn't be more excited about what the future holds.

Ranger (if I haven't mentioned it before, that's our little guys name - middle name still in the works) is getting so big. He's measuring about a week ahead of schedule - in the 75th percentile size-wise.

Profile shot of our little guy at 23 weeks - he's HUGE!

We're busy preparing for our first childbirth class (we're going to try the Bradley Method), which I'm sure you'll hear much more about as the weeks go on. While there are many mothers out there who will think I'm nuts - (and maybe you're right, we'll see soon enough - how would I know?) - we are passionate about trying to do this naturally. I haven't even taken a Tylenol the entire pregnancy, it just seems wrong to me to walk in at the end and load up on drugs. But I am a realist, and know that - quite frankly - shit happens. So, my goal is to learn as much as I can, so I have something to rely on besides drugs - and if I wuss out, at least I tried.

Two little anecdotes to send you off with a smile: As I was reading to Ray about these classes and their focus on "husband-coached childbirth," he told me the other day he has complete faith that he'll be able to coach me through this, because he saw a commercial on TV with a guy who trained hamsters to row, so he figures he can train me to push - "Push, it's such a simple word." And, as we were discussing the pain factor, he expressed his concern that I don't handle pain well (with which I completely disagree - I just think he's a freak of nature who believes that being cold is a sign of weakness and compares everyone else in the world according to that standard), I said to him one day, "You know - I'm tougher than you give me credit for. Need I remind you I ran a marathon?" To which he replied, "You know, I've seen the pictures of that - but I've seen pictures of the Abominable Snowman - that doesn't make it real!"

What he fails to realize is how weak my bladder is right now... and that every time he makes me laugh that hard, I pee my pants a little.

Merry Christmas and cheers to an AMAZING 2012!

There's an itty bitty penis in there!

2011-12-03T23:05:00.000+03:00

That's right - ultrasound identified and amnio confirmed - t's a boy! He's going to have the worlds best, most amazing dad, but a dad with some seriously defined ideas about what it means to be a man. So, all I can say ladies is that your daughters should thank me now - because in about 20 years, there's going to be another really good man out there who knows how to treat a woman... I'll start the bidding (read bribes) at... well, perhaps we should wait to make sure he's all that! :)

And, well - in all truth, I think it actually took Ray until he was in his 30's to really become that guy that makes all my girlfriends jealous... and my female relatives, and complete strangers who see how he treats me in public... well - women in general. But Ray's daddy planted all the necessary seeds - and then life's little adventures helped fill in the blanks. So, between how his dad raised him, and how he learned to transform young soldiers into real men - this kid is going to be... well... screwed. :)

On the other hand, I'm fairly sure that if it was a girl, I'd be the one getting screwed - because he'd end up being a big softie like he is with the dogs! (Dogs that are now in the midst of some serious professional dog training to get them in line before they have an infant to chew on.)

According to the amnio - it's also a "normal" boy, to which Ray replied that they got that wrong - he's above normal - unquestionably.

Now the planning, shopping, and major renovations can begin!

Forget me not - too late!

2011-11-24T19:45:00.000+03:00

So I just submitted my final assignment for a six unit class I've been taking this semester. WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING? I knew I was pregnant when I signed up, but what I didn't know was anything about the phenomenon known as "Pregnant Brain."

Almost from the moment I knew I was pregnant, my brain started slipping away into oblivion. Had I been around anyone suffering from this condition, I would have thought they were just preoccupied or naturally spacey. But this is not me - especially when it comes to work or school. I am the definition of OCD when it comes to these things. But apparently in the battle of OCD and Pregnant Brain - PB wins every time.

So, imagine my shock and awe when I logged into the school's computer system on Thursday night, the day before Veteran's Day, knowing that I was blessed with a 3-day weekend so I could spend Friday working on my final individual assignment, get all my work done, and still have a great weekend, only to see that the final individual assignment was due the Monday before.

My stomach completely flipped over. I could literally feel the stress hormones pumping right into the baby - and I felt completely, overwhelmingly lost. As I checked on the class rules - tardy papers were to be docked 10% for every day they were late - which would leave me at an F, no matter how hard I worked on it. Then I checked the grading breakdown: it was 20% of my grade. For those of you who haven't been lunatic enough to tackle your masters (especially while working full time), a C is considered failing. So no matter what I did, as I saw it Thursday night... I was up doo-doo creek.

One stupid mistake, after all that work... gulp. I wrote my professor an email, explaining my precarious situation - that my body and mind are not my own right now, and I've never been more mortified. Would I have a chance at getting any points for it if I turned it in Friday? And then I tried to sleep. What a joke.

I woke up at 2am and as soon as I did - my mind went bonkers with guilt, embarrassment, panic. I started to do the reading that was required to answer the questions in the assignment, which eventually put me back to sleep. I woke up again at 5am - all of about 5-6 hours sleep total, and far from quality - and immediately ran downstairs and got to it... finishing the reading, about which time an email popped in from the professor that said, "I will be lenient without giving you an A."

Whew! If only he'd sent that the night before, I could have slept. I worked my tush off on that paper... submitting it at 2pm Friday. Saturday morning, I logged in to check if he'd graded it yet - and God bless him, he gave me a 90%. Deducted 10% for tardiness and otherwise gave me a perfect score.

I slept like the dead that night and you can be sure there is no way in hell I'm taking a class next semester! A lesson to all of you who never have been or never will be pregnant. Pregnant Brain is a real condition. Please take pity on us.

My nickname has always been DeDe, but it's never had anything to do with my bra size..

2011-11-05T19:22:00.000+03:00

Let's just get this right out front. This is TMI. I know - but how can I not tell this story?

Ray always gives me a hard time about being too honest about things like this, but you know what? These things happen to all of us... and they're just downright funny.

So, I'm developing quite the cute little bump now, and of course, I'm picking out the cutest little (okay, not so little) maternity clothes to see me through this massive transformation (alien take-over) of my body. But I didn't quite expect to need to go bra shopping for a while still. Mother Nature clearly had other plans, and I was literally busting out of my bras at about the 3 1/2 month mark.

So I called my girlfriend, Terri, and explained that I needed her help - I needed a tour guide (someone who'd 'been there - done that') to help me with this so I didn't waste money on junk/gimmicks and all that other stuff. It took us about 3 weeks to finally find time, and by then, I was hurtin'. My girls needed some space!

We walked into Destination Maternity at the Roseville Galleria (nice little store with some cute stuff) and explained to the woman who walked up to us the second we entered the store that I was desperately in need of some new bras. She walked us around the corner of the store where they had a ginormous wall of bras. I was instantly overwhelmed, and I think Terri was a little too. She said she didn't have options like that when she was expecting.

The sales clerk grabbed her tape measure and asked what size I was before the pregnancy. I said, "36 C". She gave me the signal for lifting my arms, wrapped that tape around me and before I could even breathe she announced, "Well, you're already a Double D."

A WHAT?????

"Double D" Terri just busted out laughing and I couldn't stop questioning the clerk, like she must have measured wrong, or I must have misunderstood.

"Nope - you're a Double D, and you're about to bust right into an E - you might want to try on a few of each so you can hopefully find an E that fits now, but still has growing room, otherwise you'll be back in a couple of weeks for another new bra."

Please shoot me. I still have 5 months to go at this point - what will I be by the time I deliver, a Double Z? How big does it go?

The clerk tells me they offer up to size F. F!!!!

Terri continued to laugh, and all I could think was, "Boy is Ray gonna love this..."

He does. Such a guy.

Surprise - it's not a dog!

2011-10-29T19:06:00.000+03:00

Ray and I decided to keep our decision to try and have a baby mostly secret - there was a very small handful of people who knew, and that handful did not include our parents. Then, when it all worked out, we knew the odds were good that we could miscarry, so we decided to keep it hush hush until we got through the first trimester, as so many people before us have recommended.

Well, it just so happened that the end of the first trimester coincided rather nicely with my dad's birthday, and since my dad is actually Facebook friends with my mom (does that weird anybody else out?) we knew we had to time it perfectly for my mom to get the news at the same time - but we couldn't very well just pick up the phone and call her, could we? No, this was going to be huge news, so we had to announce it with a splash. So we tossed around a few ideas. The first was probably the most fun, which was to take Ray's "family portrait tattoo" - a stick figure drawing of the two of us and two little dogs (yes, it's tattooed on his foot) and draw in a stork with a bundle and an estimated delivery date of April 10, 2012. But we couldn't find the digits (the computer file) on which he had drawn this work of art. We also were thinking about having a picture taken of us standing in front of the oven, with him pointing to a bun inside, and me holding a sign that said, "me, too!" But then Ray remembered these baby shoes we found when we first decided we would try - and thought that if anything said "our baby" it would be a picture of these shoes (those of you who know us should get why fairly easily (or so I used to assume):

So we bought cute little ceramic frames that said "I Love Grandpa" and "I Love Grandma," popped this picture into them, and a couple of days before we gave it to my dad in person, we overnighted it to the address where my mom said she would be (in Ohio - she was in New Hampshire at the time. They live the RV life and travel around... I can't keep up.)

We met my dad and Betty for dinner, and told him first that we had two presents for him - one that we didn't have - which was tickets to a 49ers game of his choice (well received), and the other was even bigger than that, as we handed him the gift bag. He pulled the frame out and said, "nice." He continued to stare and stare, trying to find the meaning, said something about not having his glasses with him (which he didn't need to see the picture), so Ray handed him his reading glasses, but they still didn't help. My dad said he thought he saw Harley's (our dog) image in the camouflage. A good 5 minutes passed of us trying to make it obvious, meanwhile Betty had gotten it almost right away, but sat patiently waiting for my dad to figure it out. He kept making references to the dogs... and finally Ray just said, "Al, clearly we're just going to have to spell it out for you. Your daughter got me pregnant!"

My dad was shocked. His face went from one of sheer confusion to one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. He said, "I thought that wasn't possible or wasn't an option?" He reminded me that a couple of years ago I sent him a little plaque that read, "My grandchild is a dog." So in his mind, us having a baby was not even on the list of options for consideration. Needless to say he was pretty stoked about it, once we spelled it out.

So, I made him promise that he wouldn't say anything to anybody until we knew my mom knew. I certainly couldn't have her finding out on Facebook. I thought she was arriving at the address in Ohio (John's sister's house - Tula) that weekend. So we waited. I think it was Tuesday when my brother called (he knew by the way) to let me know that our mom wouldn't be in Ohio til the end of the week. So we waited some more.

At this point, Ray had left town for work and was now in Fort Drum, NY. That weekend, I had a conference in Orlando I was going to for work. So during my layover Saturday afternoon (eight days after we told my dad), I texted my mom and said, "Are you ever going to get to Tula's?" She replied, "yes, at the end of next week. Why? Do we need to get the package right away?" I told her that it wasn't like it was going to go bad or spoil, but that a few of us were anxiously awaiting her receipt of this package. So she said they were in the area and could go by there that night and pick it up. So this was it - it would be hours until I got a call squealing with joy... most likely while I was in the air on my 2nd leg of the flight to Orlando.

I landed in Orlando and sure enough - there was a voice mail from Mom. "Hi honey, we got the picture frame. It's really cute. Thanks. As grandparents we love stuff like that. We're going to the movies so my phone will be off for a couple of hours. Talk to you later!" (or something to that effect).

I couldn't believe it. Here we go again.

I texted Ray and explained the message and he decided to send her a text that would lock it away for sure: "If I had a child, what kind of shoes would it wear? You need to look closer at that picture." Dead give-away. So I texted her and just said, "You crack me up - call me when you get out of the movies."

I get the call sitting in my hotel room in Orlando, and she basically says, "We got it now! Haha... I thought the picture might have had something to do with it, but John was convinced it was just the frame, and I didn't want to assume..." We had some good laughs and I told her that at least it didn't take as long as it did for my dad - and I explained basically how that conversation went. More laughs, hardy-har-har... and then, "Okay, honey, well we're almost back now. I'm going to walk the dog then go in and find a nice place on the mantel for my picture of my grandbaby's shoes."

At this point, all I could think was, "this isn't possible... she does know, right?" So I said, "well, that's great for now - but you know you're going to have to change that picture after a few months, right?" "Why?" she says. OMG! "Because you have to replace it with a picture of your ACTUAL GRANDCHILD!"

"OH MY GOSH ARE YOU PREGNANT?"

Ding Ding Ding - we have a winner... I thought it would never happen. Again, "but you said you guys weren't going to go there!" And, "I was convinced it had something to do with the dogs!"

Then she started to sound a little bit more like a woman who just discovered her daughter is pregnant - with all the questions about due dates and all that fun stuff. Exhausting - but hella funny.

I called my dad to let him know and tell him the story... and of course, 5 minutes later the family phone tree was complete - with my phone pinging like crazy with messages of congratulations on Facebook.

Ray's response to all this: "I am officially concerned about the mental capacity of our child."

Remember me? Well, boy oh boy do I have a surprise for you...

2011-10-25T13:42:00.000+03:00

Yes, this was part of our diabolical plan since we first moved here - but it helps to actually be in the same time zone as the person you're trying to have a baby with (details, details).

So since I haven't posted since July, here's the back story. Shortly after my last post, we got pregnant. I've spent the last 4 months both keeping this secret from practically EVERYONE. I've had the energy of a snail. No, a snail on muscle relaxers and wine. It was all I could do to survive he workday and bring my ass home, then find the energy to eat. So, since the only thing I was thinking about, experiencing and DYING TO TALK ABOUT was this baby, but we weren't ready to go Prime Time with it, I just avoided the blog altogether. Sorry 'bout that. Did I mention I'm also taking a 6-unit class this semester (why do I do this to myself?)

So after the first three months of exhaustion and a little bit of nausea (can't complain too much about that - mostly just a super sensitive gag reflex. I know some women who've been completely debilitated by their first trimester and even part of their second - so I will not bitch and moan about that), I am happy to say that about 4 weeks ago, we got this amazing gift - proof of life. My exact reaction when I saw this was, "HOLY SHIT, THERE'S A F**KING BABY IN THERE!" (Yes, I know, we're going to have to work on that swearing thing.) I then began the (what turned out to be painful) process of telling my parents. And that leads me to the next posting.

I'm a girl at the casino and I need your help!

2011-07-02T20:01:00.000+03:00

Hello friends! I'm hoping you can do me a huge favor. I'm in a heated contest that closes at midnight on the 4th of July, and Ray and I could win some SWEET prizes, including being on billboards all over Sacramento for Thunder Valley Casino! How cool would that be?!

Please go to Thunder Valley Casino's Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/#!/thundervalley - you probably have to "like" it, in order to take the next step which is liking our photo - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=224943517536361&set=a.224943324203047.66168.109910072373040&type=1&theater -

You can also just probably click on our photo from the top of the Thunder Valley page... you can't miss it!

It's by far the most "thunderous" haha. We didn't even plan this - we just walked up to a photo booth and they told us to "show our thunder," so we did! Turns out it's a contest and we're finalists... and we could win season tickets for next year's concert series and more! Fun times! Please help us win!

Thank you soooo much!!

We've come along way, Baby

2011-05-24T02:17:00.000+03:00

Warning - you may need to read this in parts as it's a long'n!

And thank God for that. I try not to bore you with work stuff, but this is anything but boring. A couple of months ago, it came to my attention that back in 1954, when we built Folsom Dam (we being the US Army Corps of Engineers), we had to move several cemeteries that would be inundated by the creation of Folsom Lake. Many of these were small mining town cemeteries, named after the characteristics of the people who settled there. One was called "Negro Hill." When we moved that cemetery, there were 36 unmarked graves of unknown settlers, and we put markers on their new graves saying they were unknown settlers moved by the U.S. government from ***ger Hill, not Negro Hill. Ugh. Gulp.

When this came to my attention, a few months ago, my immediate reaction was shock and embarrassment. As I shared the info with others, trying to find out what could be done, if anything, the reaction was the same from everyone, and several people said if we couldn't do anything legally, they would gladly volunteer their time to be part of a solution. Why wouldn't we be able to legally do anything, you may ask? See, the Corps is a project funded organization. We can't do anything without a specific authorization and appropriation (funding) from Congress. Our authorization and funding for this ran out in 1961 when we handed over the cemeteries to El Dorado County.

The county voted to replace the markers back in 2007, and a local Boy Scout by the name of Joshua Michael (now an Eagle Scout) spent a good deal of effort and time coming up with a plan to fix it and raising donations to cover the cost of the replacements. His plan was to put nice granite markers in place of the cement ones that correct the word choice, and to create an informational monument that documents that this did happen (so it's not like they're erasing history and pretending it didn't happen), and how it was changed to remove the slur.

Then, as I understand it (mind you, I wasn't involved until recently, so this part is second hand information), a group of activists threatened a lawsuit that brought the whole thing to a stop. When I asked why, no one could tell me why they didn't want it changed. Fast forward to a couple of months ago, when the Folsom Telegraph called us to ask about this, and shortly after that, all of the local news started picking it up. As we asked around, no one seemed to think we would have any paperwork going back that far, but when the Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act Request, our researchers in the Office of Counsel were able to dig up a lot in our Real Estate Office files, which we then made public.

Here's the link to our letter introducing the files, and the files themselves.

So, we dig through the paperwork and EVERY SINGLE REFERENCE is to the slur. Not once is there any hint that anyone involved in this ever called it Negro Hill. I can make a lot of assumptions about that - like we must have been operating off of some map or official document that called it by the slur - but it's just that, an assumption. I understand there are a couple of maps from the 1800's and early 1900's that do call it by the slur, but without that document in our files, there's no way to know. The other thing that really stands out to me is how these documents are signed from all sorts of people from all sorts of agencies - local, state and federal, and no one seemed bothered by the use of the term. It's a very clear reminder of an ugly time in American History - no doubt about it.

We got a lot of press that first few days - here's the KXTV-10 (local ABC) version, and KCRA-3 (local NBC) - as a broadcaster/journalist myself, and now as a public affairs officer, I find it fascinating how different reporters can take such dramatically different aproaches to the same story. But that blog is for another day.

As a result of all the news attention, the California Prison Industry Authority stepped up and said they would do it at no cost to the taxpayers. So I thought it was done - a solution found and it only had to be voted on by the county to be settled.

The people/person that threatened the lawsuit to stop it from happening are interviewed in all the stories as "activists" who are trying to get the graves changed. No explanation as to why they didn't want them changed a couple of years ago when the Boy Scout got the whole thing lined up. So about two weeks ago, I had my first converstaion with Michael Harris, and we talked about having a meeting that week with all the key players so we could come up with a solution. I said that Folsom Prison was offering a solution, and he casually said he didn't like that plan. He and his colleagues (on the speaker phone) proceeded to ask me a lot of questions about how this happened (we had shared all of the documents with him as well), to which I repeatedly explained that we don't know. Period. I explained how a solution is out of our hands now, but that I would be happy to be part of a meeting, if only to ensure that everyone is clear on the fact that we have no legal authority to do or pay for anything in this situation. He made statements to me like, "well surely you have discretionary funding and not everything has to go through Congress." To which I explained that my supplies budget is even based on projects and that everything we do is audited by the GAO (Government Accountability Office). They even made some comment about fixing it themselves and then sending the bill to Obama. At the end of that call, he said he would coordinate with the other key players and get back to me. I didn't hear from him again. But as I called the other key players myself, none of them had been invited to a meeting. So I assumed it was off.

On Wednesday, I got a call from a reporter who said she just heard from him that we were meeting. When I called him to clarify that there is no meeting, since I never heard back from him and since no other key players were invited, he said he was planning to meet with me, and I explained again, how that would be no good to anyone, becaue there is NOTHING I can do for him (or anyone else at the Corps). He asked about funding again, getting the same answer as Monday, and so on and so on. Needless to say, the conversation ended with him hanging up on me as I began to question his intentions and try to get him to explain in simple terms exactly what he was looking for out of this. His answers were very enlightening.

To keep this short (too late, I know), the next day he called a press conference where he continued to make accusations that I had cancelled a "settlement meeting" with his organization. Laughable. But a couple of the reporters had been doing their homework and started to ask the same questions I had the day before.

Here's one of the stories that resulted.

So (cause I know you were chomping at the bit about this) here's where the PB&J comes in. Every day my husband packs my lunch (yes, I'm spoiled - get over it) and he always makes a joke that he's going to pack me a PB&J instead of whatever yummy treat he cooked up the night before. When I got back from the press conference I walked in and grabbed my lunch out the fridge, and was literally on my way to the microwave to heat up last night's turkey and veggies (which were to die for). As I'm opening the lid, luckily I looked - because inside was a PB&J and some cherries! I laughed so hard - it was the perfect ending to an otherwise very stressful but rewarding day.

Hopefully it was worth the wait. Cheryl, that should make up for some of the lack of blogs, right?

I have an excuse, I swear

2011-05-16T01:35:00.003+03:00

A. Finishing up class with an 18 page paper (I got an A by the way, on the paper and in the class - my professor even commented on my last post to confirm that we are not sleeping together, haha-

B. Ray and I ran away to ski for a long weekend in Tahoe. Hit Heavenly and Squaw. Squaw's gonna be our place I think...

This is us at Heavenly on our first day in Tahoe, Ray's first time ever to Tahoe. We're so goofy.

This is us, practically enjoying the mountain all to ourselves at Squaw Valley. I promised Ray we'd ski this year! Two years we've missed it because of me - 2009 in Iraq and 2010 in a cast. So yes, it was April and a little shloshy by the end of the day, but we had a blast!

C. Dear friends are getting married, and we are officiating. We've had wedding showers and bachelorette parties to attend. Here's a couple from the bachelorette party in Vegas... that was a really fun weekend!

This is Jenn and I enjoying the amazing view from the balcony of our rooms at the Cosmopolitan - it's a fantastic location!

Check out the view - perfect shot of the Bellagio water show!

...Wedding is next weekend. One more thing to check off the list.

D. We are serving as masters of ceremonies for a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network fundraiser next month - have scripts to write and walk thrus to attend.

E. All you-know-what is blowing up at work. From major budget drama to hot news, it's been a wild ride lately. That juice on that I'll save for the next post. I can't give it all up at once, right? Just to torment you, there's a very yummy PB&J sandwich involved. :)

p.s. Love you Cheryl - will post again soon, promise.

Am I a nerd or what?

2011-03-25T05:37:00.004+03:00

So I started trying to chip away at my Master's degree during the Spring of last year, and with the move and all, couldn't even think about tackling a class during the summer or fall, so this Spring, I had to brush the dust off again and take a stab at it. I'm taking a course in public relations tactics, so you would think I would at least have a decent handle on it, seing how I'm in the biz and all. But on my first paper, I got a personal phone call from my professor, to tell me that mine was the first paper he'd graded that was a perfect 20/20. That threw me for a loop.

Of course, then the pressure was on. I couldn't let him down and get less than perfect on the next one! And low and behold, I did get another 20/20.

I'm bragging, yes. But shoot - I've been out of school for a while, and getting a perfect score is a big deal. And no, I'm not sleeping with him.

In unrelated, but sort of related, but no not really related news (are you following me?), I was at work today and we were talking about my blog, and one of my first posts, where I got all the shots before leaving for Iraq. I went to send it to my coworker, and as I scrolled through, I couldn't help but think how much more interactive, multi-media and fun my blog was back then. I'm just too dadgum busy now (I'm going to stick with busy, but it could be lazy, tired, social media overload, you name it).

So I'm sorry if, while becoming a straight A nerd, I also became a boring blogger. All the doing at work keeps me from wanting to do at home. That must be what a chef feels like. Only with food, of course.

And before I wander off into sleepy land at 8pm (I'll be right there, sleepyland!), I just want to say thanks for those of you who continue to tolerate my random blogs. Night night!

Nothing quite like the taste of dog food...

2011-02-21T17:48:00.004+03:00

My neighbor is experiencing her first separation as a military wife. Her husband is an Air Force pilot, heading to Korea for three months. Somehow, they've been blessed to not have to do any kind of long term separation in their 10 years of marriage. She was having a rough time as they prepared for this trip, which began last week. My advice to her was that the anticipation of the separation is always worse than the real thing; that she'll get into her groove and find a new, temporary "normal."

This last separation of mine and Ray's, which I didn't talk much about because I'm not big on advertising, "Hey bad guys, I'm alone in this big house, come and get me!"... was a lot harder on both of us I think than we expected it to be.

As I was struggling to deal with wrapping my arms around a new job, I also had to handle all the joys of a new house alone, running all the errands alone, dealing with dogs, landscapers, builders, you name it. It's a little overwhelming, especially when you're used to having breakfast ready for you when you come downstairs each day (ya, ya, I'm spoiled - I know).

For Ray, it was much more challenging, because he wasn't living in our house in Maryland. We rented that out, shipped everything here to the new house, and he moved into a room he rented from a guy on Craig's List. So he was basically living out of a bag for 8 months. All the while, he's going through the stress of pre-retirement meetings and doctor's appointments, and just the stress of facing such a major life change - alone.

We'd talk a couple of times each day, but it's not the same as flesh and bone. Strangely, we both strongly feel that the separation while I was in Iraq (with all that worry) was somehow easier than this one.

What I will need to warn my neighbor about is that other strange thing about separations - the reuniting. As we develop our own new habits, likes, and dislikes that come with kind of "bach'ing" it for a while, our new "normal" isn't their new "normal."

For example, the dishwasher. We have a high speed, super efficient and super quiet dishwasher in the new house. We also have more dishes than any two people should ever have (Ray's favorite weekend hobby while I was in Iraq - Homegoods!). So rather than spend 20 minutes after dinner doing a half-ass job handwashing, I like to spend 3 minutes rinsing and loading the dishwasher, then about once a week when I have a full load, I'll run it. This is blasphemy to Ray, who would just assume handwash after a Thanksgiving feast for 20.

But where it's really gotten interesting, and yes, where the unusual title of this blog finally comes into play (I know you were wondering...) is my growing desire to eat as naturally, organically as possible. I've read a few books (The Omnivore's Dilema and Jillian Michaels' Mastering Your Metabolism) and I watched a documentary (Food, Inc. - OMG watch it!) that have shocked me into shape. I was already heading that way before we left Maryland, but as I had more time to read, and was surrounded by the bounty that is California, I started paying more attention to labels, and to what I was putting in my body.

I'll save the lecture on why this is so important for another time (or not at all, but if you're interested, it's one of my favorite subjects to blather on about). But as I try to convince my husband (a man who lives on protein bars and Monster Energy drinks while we're separated) of the importance of reducing/eliminating processed foods from our diet, eating organic as much as possible, he's struggling to understand and accept my new passion. The fun part is - he's the grocery shopper now, while I'm at work.

He likes to buy fat free half and half for my coffee. I'm now drinking organic half and half. I'd rather have the fat than the fake. Did you know the 2nd ingredient in fat free half and half is High Fructose Corn Syrup? He likes to buy those boxes of pre-cooked chicken strips because they're so easy and fast. I don't ever want to eat chicken that isn't free range again - and neither would he if he knew how most factories treat their chickens. The list goes on.

He's trying - and I give him big brownie points for that. We did without chicken (which we normally eat a few times a week) for a couple of weeks because he couldn't find it at the commissary, then got confused because he thought it had to say "organic" on the package and couldn't find that, so he walked away from "free range." Poor kid - he's trying to figure it out.
But the topper was my frozen waffles. Instead of buying the Eggo brand, with a list of ingredients (read FAKE) as long as the box, I found a natural foods brand, Van's, that even has "light" waffles. I had them in the freezer when he came home during the holidays and he liked them. Yes, they're more expensive than the other kind, but the things that fuel your body aren't where you want to "shortcut" for savings. So Ray found Van's at the commissary - very excited to tell me that he bought my special waffles for me.

The other day we were having breakfast, and he made some eggs and waffles. He took the first bite, and calmly said, "honey, I don't know if these organic waffles are worth it - they don't taste very good." I took a bite, and had a flashback to that day in 2nd grade when my friend, Echo, dared me to eat dog food. It was NASTY! I thought there must be some mistake. You bought Van's Light? "They're Van's - just like the ones you had here before," he said.

As we were about to engage in a debate about the value of my new passion for whole foods, I opened the freezer to see what could possibly be to blame for this (must just be a bad batch, right?). He bought Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Egg free (basically cardboard!) waffles.

The adventure continues... :) But one thing's for sure. It's good to have him home.

The last few weeks, on speed

2011-02-14T06:52:00.006+03:00

This is the short version to catch you up on our insane lives.

We went to Cancun for our anniversary in December - what a blast. 10 days all-inclusive was not my friend, especially since it was followed by Christmas, News Years, friends' birthdays and a daily deluge of junk food in the office. Still working it off. Nonetheless - it was SWEET! And a much needed time with my squeeze. Plus we made some cool friends. The two freakishly tall people on the left (Jen and Chris) were already our friends. The other two on the right are our new friends, Simon and Nicole. Some of my fav pics for you:

Fast forward to January, when Ray was in a hum-dinger of a car accident while he was back in DC outprocessing, the week before we were supposed to ship the car. Scared the bejeezus out of me. He was practically run over by a semi. The Jeep was thrashed, but he walked away without a scratch. What a grave reminder of how lucky we are, and precious life is. The shop just called Friday to say the Jeep was ready to be shipped to Cali!

At the end of January, Ray's retirement luncheon and ceremony were amazing. The perfect combination of serious accolades and sweet memories mixed with a whole lot of roasting (much of which at my own doing, muwahahaha!). He was given the Legion of Merit - that is HUGE! Our good friend Rich was the master of ceremonies for the luncheon, and did the most amazing job - really made it extra extra special. He worked so hard to hook Ray up with a lot of great memorabilia, like a Harley Davidson flag, signed by the VP - a Davidson family member, and a letter from the Sacramento Kings, welcoming him to Sacramento and offering us free tickets to a game, stuff like that. It was really above and beyond. Here are some pics from that:

The Sunday after his retirement, we flew home. We're still trying to figure out what normal is going to look like for us... especially since his car isn't here yet. But already, we're remembering how much better our lives are together.

So, happy Valentine's Day, friends. Hug your squeeze - squeeze 'em tight.

I can't believe February of '11 is half over already... hopefully the universe will slow down a little now. And when it does, I'll do better at posting, promise!

The long awaited upload of a really goofy video

2010-12-04T19:15:00.011+03:00

So, I wrote this like a month and a half ago, and had trouble with the video upload, then just got carried away with all the holiday insanity and it's taken me until now to get around to getting this right. So I do have much more to say, but you don't want to read a novella. So, for now, how about you forgive the really outdated blog, the references to Thanksgiving, and well... the goofy video! Here's the blog I tried to post ages ago:

First, I just have to say, it's good to be home. This was the first Thanksgiving in eons that I spent with extended family, almost always just me and Ray. But also, this was the first time in 10 years that my dad and all four of his kids were in the same room at the same time. It was awesome. Enough mush...

I am paid (by you, the taxpayer - thanks that by the way) to communicate complicated things in simple ways - more or less. Some of that communication is to you, about the otherwise unsexy and hard to understand world of engineering, and some of that is to the workforce, about the often dull and administrative type things we need them to get their heads around.

A couple of months ago, we shot a video to communicate the latter, our Operations Plan. Yes, it just took me this long to get around to uploading it. Here's the short version of what this video is about. Our headquarters came up with a Campaign Plan, basically the blueprint for laying out what we would focus on and make a priority. Our division headquarters regionalized that plan, and then at my office, the district level, we have to come up with a plan as to how we are going to do all those things.

Communicating this to the workforce is not easy... in fact, it's usually downright dull. But I have a fantastic, brilliant team of communicators who have really been creative with this... and I got to play a role in the last one. Thought I'd share, although you probably won't understand the content, you'll see that we took very drab info, and communicated it by channeling Rod Burgundy (Wil Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) of "Anchorman."

One caviat: when we refer to SPK - that's our district's organizational code if you will - it's how many people internally refer to us. Enough said. Enjoy the show.

The birds and the bees - life is messy

2010-11-12T07:35:00.004+03:00

Let me warn you now, this is an adult show.

So on Sunday night, my bestie Kristina called to check on how things were going with the pooches, and I mentioned that the vet said Tequila was very heathy, but that she may even be in heat as we speak, because she was so swollen in her girlie parts. Kristina asked me if she'd started bleeding yet, to which I replied, "Bleeding? Why would she bleed?"
So Kristina explained to me a little about the birds and the bees, or in this case, the dogs, and how a dog's heat is the equivalent of our ovulation, which ends in a "period" so to speak.

Thank God she said that when she did, because the next morning, Tequila came trotting over to me to get a treat, and when she trotted off, she left a little spot of blood - which if Krissy hadn't warned me - surely would have sent me straight to the emergency vet. So I spent much of that day doing homework - learning about what to expect, and how to try and keep the blood off my carpet, couch and bedding, with doggy diapers.

Needless to say, Tequila is not a fan of the doggy diaper, but she tolerates it. Of course, I have to take the diaper off to let her out to do her other business, which led to the next issue - I was forced to witness my sweet Harley dog losing his virginity. He'd been blindly humping her in every which way except the right way, so I didn't really think it was gonna happen, but alas, he figured it out. I couldn't decide if I should cheer him on, "You go tap that, buddy!" or if I should cry, "my baby's all grown up!" or if I should just be completely grossed out.

My dear friend April once described a dog's penis to me as a "little pink pencil," in trying to help me understand how the little thing that stuck out of her dog was in fact, not a swollen blister of some sort, but very normal. It was much worse than I imagined based on April's lesson. It was... so long. And yes, I know, this is ALL T.M.I. But I need to just get this off my chest. Lucky you. Yes, it's too late to turn back now. Harley truly looked like he was in 7th heaven.

The good news is, even when they're not doing their own little "bow-chicka-bow-wow," they seem to be growing on each other. There's a lot more loving, a lot more cleaning each other and Chihuahua kisses, and a lot less nastiness. Although Harley still does get kind of ugly the first time he sees her after a while, but it's all transitioning to a much more happy, well-balanced doggie home.

Needless to say, I can't give her up now - I've fallen for her, and apparently Harley has too, even if he wouldn't publicly admit it yet.

A Muddy, Political, Divisive Couple of Weeks

2010-11-08T02:46:00.005+03:00

It has been nuts. Let me cut to the chase. Halloween morning, I dragged my butt out of bed at O-Dark-30, as my husband likes to say, to participate in sheer insanity. I did the Merrell's Down 'n Dirty Mud Run. It was SWEET. Muddy. Insane. Every half mile there was an obstacle of some sort, nothing too difficult, but challenging and fun, and different from my average run on the treadmill for sure. But at the half way point and again right before the finish line, we had to get down on our hands and knees and crawl through mud. It was nasty.

So here's the before and after (I think which is which kind of speaks for itself):

So I raced home after the race to get ready for Halloween... still having no idea what I would be. Ray had this crazy Darth Vader helmet mask thing... so I thought I would just put on a dress with it and call myself Darth's younger, and much better looking sister. But Ray had the brilliant idea of kicking it up a notch - so I ran with it. No I wasn't making a political statement. I was being a smart-ass, and trying to be funny. A couple of neighbors thought it was... and a couple of others probably walked away going, "Great... now how do I explain to my 10 year old what that means?"

So from politics on Halloween, I went right into my first time to vote in California in quite a while, and although I always appreciate the opportunity to exercise my civic duty, I can't tell you enough how it just feels like we're choosing the lesser of two evils, these days. I didn't LIKE any of them. The only thing about election season I liked this year, was that it ended, and we were finally able to stop with all the negative ads.

Then, just when I think things are quieting down... and I'm going to have a peaceful weekend to myself, my dad calls to tell me he's found a stray Chihuahua, apparently abandoned in his neighborhood, who was hiding under his truck for 4 days. Needless to say, I couldn't let that poor girl go to the shelter... so I took Harley to meet her to see if it would be a match. They got along beautifully - at my dad's. It hasn't been all peaches and cream since I got her home. While we all slept in the same bed without any incidents... and they don't seem to fight - although there's a lot of growling and territorial silliness. But they just aren't playing. I was hopeful that they would just run and play and have fun in the backyard. But Harley, as a spoiled only child, does not play well with others. And for the life of me, I can't figure out how much to step in, and how much to let them work it out for themselves in doggy-land.

She's a real cutie pie - was clearly in a home at some point, because she's potty trained, and very sweet natured. I'm trying to be patient. But my neighbor has been wanting a second dog, so we may just see if she doesn't fit better with that family... although, I'll miss her. She's a doll. But I can't create a bad environment for Harley while trying to do a good thing for her.

She does have a temporary name - I say temporary, because Ray wants to name her Tequila - and call her Tiki for short... but I'm afraid if I call her by her name too much and then it doesn't work out with her and Harley, I'll be all devastated if I have to give her away. I feel so bad for her, but want to make sure she has a good home... even if it isn't mine.

I'm on a winning streak!

2010-10-24T17:39:00.006+03:00

So the Giants won last night, the weather since I arrived has been unusually mild, and last week, I won an iPad! It's not here yet, going to ship it to me next week, so this picture off their website will have to suffice for now. I can't wait to play with it!

So the "how" I won this iPad is a twisted story of my OCD, Uber-competitiveness, mixed with some awesome teamwork. I spent the 15-20th in DC for the Public Relations Society of America's International Conference. They really put on a great event, great speakers and some really good information/fun in the exhibitor's hall - like these presidents dressed as Nationals players. I must say - I actually learned a lot - and came back full of ideas that I am already implementing into our communication strategies. But the big take-aways from this that I want to talk about today were:

a. I got to spend some quality time with my squeeze -

This is us right before the opening general session on Sunday.

This is us on the last night at Ruth's Chris steakhouse in Dupont Circle - and aside from it being (expensive, but...) one of the best meal's ever - I have to say, if you're in DC, go to the Dupont Circle branch and ask to sit in Barbara's section. She was - I'm not exaggerating here - THE BEST waitress I've ever had. She was so friendly, funny, and helpful - and gave us recipes for the things we loved the most... made great recommendations - was just amazing.

Now b: you may not have even heard of this yet, but I am now obsessed with QR Codes.

It all started when I attended the Social Media Bootcamp, with Eric Schwartzman
(which I can't recommend enough, btw). Eric's business card had these strange graphics on them, and he explained how they work. You have to download a barcode reader onto your smart phone, then when you scan these codes, they take you right to a website on your mobile. It is the future, I think. It's apparently all the rage already in Asia - but imagine no need to write anything down - you just scan this code, from a magazine ad or a roadside billboard, or a t-shirt - whatever... and voila - you are on the website.

So, PR Newswire came up with the brilliant idea to put these codes all over the conference, on nametags, in presentations they offered on their products, at booths for schools exhibiting at the conference, and even in some of the PowerPoint presentations in the workshops. Each code was worth a certain number of points, some also took you to a quiz worth more points. Finally, you could tweet using the hashtag #prngame - and each tweet was worth one point. Needless to say there was an insane amount of tweeting going on, but a lot of us at the conference were simply consumed with winning one of the many great prizes. I have to apologize to anyone I was speaking to at the event, because if someone with a QR code name tag walked by, I was so A.D.D. - just bolting to go scan that code. Ray was my wingman - and together, we worked so hard at this, I came in 3rd place and won one of three iPads! How cool is that?

Around the world and back again

2010-10-09T18:21:00.002+03:00

I just wanted to share a fantastic video that my dear friend Mary Cochran worked her tushy off on... both pre-and post-production. It's a 30 minute special airing on The Pentagon Channel, American Forces Network, and for your ease - Army.mil! The video features some of the many, various different kinds of work and cool people that make up the US Army Corps of Engineers. Unless you work for us, I'll be you'll be surprised by the different kinds of things we do. I still learn something new every day, and I've worked for em for nearly 4 years now.

You may recognize a couple of folks near the end. Yes, Ray and I make an appearance, as well. :)

http://www.army.mil/media/amp/?bctid=617108984001

Let me know what you think... and what surprises you the most about the Corps.

Whew - a marathon week!

2010-09-19T21:52:00.004+03:00

That ended in a 10K. :)

This is one of my dearest friends, Terri, who has never run a 10K before. She's hitting a milestone this year (won't say which one), and really wanted to challenge herself, so I signed up to join her on this 10K - http://www.minersravine.com/ - with a great route, great cause and great weather. We had a great run, and I was so glad to see my ankle just held up like gangbusters.

I really needed the run, myself. I've been so tightly wound all week - it was a huge one for us. We (work) announced the results of levee inspections that we did, and there were a lot of unacceptable findings in this area, so we had a big media event, and the interviews just kept coming all throughout the week. If you live in the Central Valley (CA) and are curious, check out this website - www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/levee_safety. We're also having a big groundbreaking event in Marysville tomorrow for the start of construction on a major project there. In addition, we're getting ready go to make our case for a really important project at headquarters, so that it can get signed off on at the highest levels and become eligible for federal funding, so we're all spun up about that right now. It's just been insane. 'Nuff said. So between Zumba yesterday (that is so much fun, if you haven't tried it, highly recommend it) and the 10K today, I think I've now gotten all the pent up stress out.

Last but not least, the best news of all - our backyard is nearly complete. They laid the sod Friday, but have to come back and powerwash everything and touch up paint on the arbor, and shopvac/clean the hot tub and fill it up - power it up, and then we're done. But now, you can truly see the little escape that it is going to be.

I know I've sucked at blogging lately. I'm really sorry. I feel guilty about it - especially for you, Cheryl (You need to come visit and we can relax in the backyard and catch up). I knew this job was going to be a lot of hard work, but I am really operating at 150% most days right now. I do think it'll get easier/better as time goes on and I get my arms around things a little more, and get my staff fully trained - lots of new, young blood - but with the most amazing attitudes and energy. So be patient with me - don't give up on me! I'll do better. :)

Stay Classy Sacramento!

2010-08-15T00:52:00.015+03:00

Had a most insane and enjoyable day at work last week. In the midst of major newsworthy stuff and lots of project site visits with our new commander (who rocks, by the way), we took time to record a video for internal communication purposes that is a spin-off of the movie Anchorman, with Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate. I got to be the take-off on Christina Applegate's character. My name was Veronica Cornerstone (get it? engineers, building, cornerstone?) It was Corningstone in the movie, for those of you with no sense of humor (or memory). :)

This was shot in front of a green screen (yes, we have our own green screen, and it's sweet!). The final product will actually have a backdrop similar to the backdrop of the news set from the movie. My video guy is brilliant.

We laughed ourselves into an oblivion, because one of the guys in my office, Todd, who was Rod Burgundy (was Ron in the movie) had truly been possessed by the spirit of Ron Burgundy - he got the character down to a T. But to get there... he drank like 2 Monster energy drinks and a Red Bull - so when he started to crash, 'Rod' started developing an Irish accent and all sorts of silliness - but it was good fun, and will hopefully make for an entertaining way to get info about something that is otherwise quite dry.

In other news (insert teletype noise here): My backyard is taking a lot longer than I would have liked, but I can't really blame the guy that's doing it. a. He's a perfectionist, and b. the economy is in the toilet so he has to take whatever job he can, whenever he can, and try to juggle them all. I can be cool with that.

So here's the latest on the back yard: arbor is done (yay!) and it's gorgeous; the rock wall is almost done - they didn't quite get the measurements for the spa right, so now they have to go back and fill in the area around the spa with additional travertine, but otherwise, it's done. The plants have been delivered (yesterday) and will go in next week. Then it's the sod, staining the concrete, finishing up the rock spa wall, adding the weatherproof fabric to the arbor and putting in the fan - THEN we will be done. I think it's all actually going to be wrapped up next week, but I've been saying that for a month. :)

So here are some of the picts of the last couple of weeks (I know, I've sucked at keeping up the blog... it's been so busy. Sorry!).

Home is where your Harley is...

2010-07-19T03:57:00.003+03:00

Some Army friends of ours have a sign in their kitchen that says "Home is where the Army says it is." I thought that was pretty cute, but as we left Maryland, our next door neighbor and good buddy, Jen gave us a sign that says, "Home is where your Harley is." And that is too true.

We're settling in very nicely, and SO GLAD not to be on the East Coast with their insane heat and humidity. It's like the worst summer ever, and here, where I used to complain about 100 degree days, now they seem like a walk in the park, which Harley and I do a lot of. :)

I'm loving the new job - starting to get my arms around it, and finally feel like it's safe to let my right hand, Chris, who was the acting-chief until I arrived, take a vacation. So next week will be the first without an umbilical chord connection. Wish me luck!

The home office is still a little chaotic, but mainly because I can't really find a home for everything, as this room will eventually become Ray's office - and those of you who've seen Ray's office know that will be quite a conversations starter.

The landscaping is still coming along - slowly but surely - and slow is probably a good thing, since it's so expensive! But our guy is really good - so I know he's going to create a nice little oasis for us back there. Here's kind of a picture-story - charting the progress so far:

The giant cement square is going to be a hot tub with a rock wall - we found a really nice Travertine stone that's gorgeous to frame the hot tub, and the rest of the dirt/rocks will miraculously be transformed into grass and bark with trees, bushes and plants. Then we'll put up a covered arbor with a ceiling fan for additional shading and air flow, and last but not least, we're staining the cement to blend with the colors of the house and the hot tub rock.

It's going to be SWEET! You'll have to come visit and share a glass of vino with us on the patio!

California Girl

2010-07-04T17:23:00.004+03:00

I thought I'd post my first official blog from California with a whole new look. The last template I was using for the blog had a kind of Maryland feel, with a lighthouse and all. But now this one... this is California, friends.

I'm settling in, both at home and at work - although there's still a lot to do before I can say I'm "settled." But the best part, so far, is the access to friends and family. I've had lunch or dinner or coffee with several of my dearest friends, my dad and Betty, and my mom and John. I also seem to have shortened my commute by about an hour each day - which has me getting home at a time (most days) that I can actually enjoy my evenings, walk Harley, and chill out.

Our landscaping in the backyard is already underway. It's going to be so nice - we're putting in an in-ground hot tub, an overhead cover for some shade and privacy, and beautiful Mediterranean themed stamped concrete, as well as a nice little bit of grass for the Harley-dog, and lots of bark, plants and trees (they'd better be DeDe-proof). I'll post some before and after pics once there's something besides dirt and boards to show you. :)

For the 4th, I get to attend my dad's 4th of July BBQ for the first time in a LONG, LONG time. But I'm going to start the day off at the gym, and then getting some much needed R&R at the Ranch House - that's the Whitney Ranch Club House that comes with our homeowner's association - it's like a little resort... sweet!

I hope to be better about posting, now that I'm not in constant transit mode, living in hotels, or sleeping on cots and floors, and all the fun that was my life for the last few months. I've been back and forth between DC and Sacramento about a million times in the last 3 months, but I'm here now - and really happy to be here!

Happy Independence Day to you... and make sure you thank a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine or Coast Guardsman if you see them today for all the independence we have!

The top 10 things about Maryland

2010-06-04T01:01:00.004+03:00

Things I won't miss about living in Maryland:
1. The weather. It's 85 degrees out and pouring down rain, thunder and lightening included. There should be a law that when it's hot, it's dry; when it's wet, it's cold. Most of the summer, you could actually chew the air.
2. The MARC train. Need I say more?
3. Metro drivers who slam on the brakes, only to have to scoot some more and slam again.
4. The commute in general.
5. The cost of living. Ray always invites people into our townhouse and says, "prepare to be terribly unimpressed with what a half million dollars can buy you in this area. Needless to say, the price has dipped a little, but nothing compared to other areas.
6. Never having the time to see all the amazing sites in the area, because we work too darned much and commute too darned far.
7. The one MARC train conductor on the 6:05pm train who has a sharp object shoved so far up his butt that all the kindness in the world means nothing to him. he'll throw you off the train for not having the receipt stub with your ticket. And I don't think he'd wait til the train wasn't moving, either.
8. The bureacracy. Nearly everything is government... and therefore, everything is slow and inefficient.
9. Bad, bad hair days. See numbers 1-3.
10. There isn't a number 10. Why does everything have to be a top 10 list? What's wrong with a top 9 list?

Things I will miss about living in Maryland:
1. The energy of working in DC. There's something palpable about it.
2. Walking Harley in the park near our house, watching Ray take him off the leash (right by the sign clearly saying that all dogs must be on a leash, which always cracks me up) and run like crazy with him, getting Harley to chase him and try to outsmart him and cut him off. It's histerical.
3. The Train Gang. Some great friends I've made as a result of that commute that we all hate so much. Funny how just standing in the same place on the platform can make you such great friends.
4. Ann Marie's yoga class. But mostly Ann Marie. :)
5. Watching our next door neighbor, Jen, play Catch Phrase and use the game piece as a weapon.
6. Working for LTG Van. He's been such a great guy, and such a great mentor. I'll miss his sweet little notes that always let me know he appreciated the work I did for him.
7. The public transportation. I know. It seems like I'm contradicting myself, but I think most of us here have a love/hate relationship with public transportation. The idea that I'm going to have to drive to work in Sacramento just seems weird now, but the area just doesn't have good enough public transportation options to do it any other way. In DC, kind of like New York, you could probably go without driving for years... or not even own a car.
8. Fujis and Four Seasons Grille. Two fantastic restaurants near our house that became our DC version of Cheers. We knew the managers/owners/staff, and they always knew exactly what we wanted. We had that same thing in Germany, and still miss those guys.
9. Our dinner parties with our DC area friends.
10. Friends. Too many to mention, but you know who you are. And the others who read this who know me from some of the many other lives I've lived can tell you that you never lose me. We'll always keep in touch. Perhaps not as much as we should, cause I get busy and get bad from time to time... but I'm afraid you're stuck with me.
11. Can't just leave it at 10 now, can I? Only thing is, I can't think of an 11 at the moment... but I know there's lots more... trust me. Although I'm anxious to get back to the land of good hair days, I will miss this place.

We leave Saturday. Household goods arrive on Monday, and we begin the process of making our new house a home. So much else to say, but I'll leave it at that for now.

I know what you're thinking

2010-05-09T14:55:00.004+03:00

DeDe who? A girl in the what? I'm so sorry. You must understand that as I described in my last posting, I'm a little swamped right now.

Ray is home from a business trip. Haven't seen him in 3 weeks, and we have to spend every moment of the 3 days we have together preparing for the movers. The only fun part about that, is that we have to run the motorcycle until it stalls, which means, today we get to get away and go for a nice long, leisurely ride on the Harley. Whew. We need it.

Yesterday we rented a UHaul truck and got our stuff out of storage, took down our storage racks in the garage, changed out our light fixtures that we brought back from Italy (ya, those go with us), and had a painting estimate done for once all the junk is out of the house. (BTW, the guy is really affordable, and a couple of friends have used him and said he does fantastic work - so if you need a referral... holla).

Monday they're having a thing for me at work, hosted by my favorite boss, Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp - "General Van" - as we call him. At this little ceremonial thing, I am sure to cry like a little girl (I can say that, cause I am a girl). I'm really gonna miss working for LTG Van. He's a rockstar.

But, this is all leading up to our arrival at our new home... and I promised to post some pictures a few weeks ago when we found it, and have been asked by a few friends lately, "Hello, are you ever going to post those pictures of the house?" I know. I'm bad. I'll get back to normal once I get settled in Sac.

So, voila - a couple of pics of our new home. I promise to be better about posting pics once we get there have all our stuff set up!

The outside... and a handsome fella walkin around to the front door...

Said handsome fella on the stairs... he fell in love with the cast iron detail in the stairs.

But this is definitely his favorite room in the house - double oven and 3x's the cabinet and counter space we have now... I'm such a lucky girl.

Now this is my favorite room in the house... the master bath is sweet - and has such beautiful detail in the tile...

That's it for now y'all. Gotta start our major duty of the day... the Harley ride around Central Maryland! Last call! :)

My head is spinning

2010-04-20T00:37:00.002+03:00

We've been going 150mph, non-stop, for about 3 weeks. It's like the moment they said, "the job is yours," everything went into fast-forward. My last Facebook posting simply said, "Dear Father Time, can I have some more?" Perhaps I should have added, "PLEEEEEEEEEZE!?!"

We have, in the last few weeks, raced through a 5 day house-hunting trip in CA, bought a new home in Rocklin, CA (picts to follow soon, as soon as I have time - ha!), listed our house in MD for rent (know of anyone interested? Check out the listing), shopped for and purchased the washer, dryer and refrigerator (Sears is having a great sale until Saturday the 24th with 30% off all Energy Star appliances!), been back and forth with the logistics office to get my orders (finally successful there, today), had repair guys here to fix the blinds (too short since the floors were done), the dryer (no heat), and a leaky faucet out back, as well as the Dish Network repair guy to fix the upstairs TV, continued to bake for the restaurant, gotten my car fixed (new tires and some body work because I closed the garage door on the car - oops!) and um... what else... let's see... oh, sorry, my brain has just exploded.

Please check back later for an update, once someone has kindly picked up all the pieces and put me back together again. :)

No, seriously, somehow, we're holding up just fine. We've got a very fluid calendar with lots of constantly changing priorities, but I think we'll get through all this with a little red wine and a lot of love. Ray keeps saying, "by this time next year, it'll all be behind us."

Father Time, can it be next year yet?

An ominous sign?

2010-04-01T02:51:00.002+03:00

So, big adventures ahead for Team Cordell. And if what happened Friday is any kind of a glimpse at the future, I suspect it won't be an easy transition, but I think Ray and I will handle it beautifully.

We were so brain-fried by the "oh my God this is really happening" (see "California Here I Come") - that we weren't thinking straight, and as we got off the train in Odenton, Ray stops in his tracks and says, "Oh my God." I looked at his stunned "Holy mac, I screwed that one up" look on his face, and instantly knew - he didn't have the car keys. But wait! That's not all!

He left his jacket in the office in Crystal City (about an hour away), and it had the car keys in his pocket. That wouldn't have been that big of a deal - we could cab it to the house, except that the house keys were in the car! So, we're stranded at the train station and trying to figure out the best course of action - go back to DC and get the keys? Ray had a Dr's appointment - that wouldn't work. But if we didn't get into the car, we were going to miss the appointment anyway. Gulp.

I suggested a locksmith who was going to charge us through the nose to get us into the car and then drive us to the house. Ray said to call a cab, and suggested that he might know a way we could break into our own house - but if that didn't work, then we'd be stranded at the house, and still need a locksmith. But Ray had a feeling. I went with it.

Mind you, that I know many a couple that would be killing each other right now - snapping at each other and blaming each other. That is not our way. I was apologizing to him for bringing all the stress, by uprooting our lives. He kept saying no that it wasn't my fault - that he's the one that forgot, and I said that I thought it was good to know he was human... 'cause that sort of blonde moment thing happens to me all the time. :)

So, we pull up to the house in the cab; he hops out and begins his sneaky efforts to break in to our house; I hand the cab driver my credit card for a $12 bill, since I only have $8 in cash, and he tells me that it's a minimum charge of $25 to use a credit card. I hollered to Ray who tossed me his wallet - he had $2. Ugh. About that time our alarm goes off (it's quite loud), and all I can think is that we're going to have a tough time explaining this to the cops. I told the cabby to just charge us the $25, and he asked how much I had - he'd take it. I handed him our collective $10 and emptied my change purse into his hands, apologizing profusely for not being able to tip him.

As I hopped out, Ray hollers at me that he got it - of course, I'm not going to tell you how he did it, and needless to say, it's been fixed since (sorry bad guys), but once he was in, we were able to turn off the alarm in less than the required time and spare the false alarm. We hopped in my car and made it to his Dr's appointment just in a nick of time.

As we headed over there, though, I was thinking that if this was a sign of things to come... it was going to be a rough year. But he said it's a good sign - that while it won't be easy, we'll handle it together beautifully, as we did this unusual and challenging adventure.

I don't deserve him.

California here I come...

2010-03-28T01:24:00.003+03:00

...right back where I started from. Open up your Golden Gate, California here I come!

Wow. Lots to tell. So it only took a long while for it to become a reality, but that tease from a while back, was about some big do'ins in Casa Cordell. I have accepted an offer to become the chief of public affairs for our district office in Sacramento. gulp.

It was only a possibility at the time I teased it - because I had found out that the position was open, and after talking through the possibilities, Ray and I decided that if I got the job, he would retire, because it seemed like the stars were aligning to make it happen now - interest rates are low, and housing prices there are down quite a bit. It's also home. I'm a graduate of CSU Sacramento; my dad lives just 40 minutes up the road and all of my best girlfriends in the world are in California, all within a 4-5 hour drive at the most.

This is such a huge change. For my husband to retire from a career that he loves (and was born to do) in order for me to go after a job... I can't even find the words. I've been watching that district for years, always hoping that when the time was right for Ray to retire, we could land that job and settle down. It came open a little earlier than we had planned for him to retire, but if we wait, the job may not be open then, and while he may make more in retirement if he stays in a little longer, our home will likely cost more by then. So we decided this is it.

The call came Friday afternoon, after a week of waiting (the interview was last week), and I spent the week going through all sorts of emotions - first confident that I was my best me in the interview, and as each day went by without a call, I got less and less confident - by Friday, I was an insecure mess. :) But Friday afternoon, Col. Chapman called to offer me the job - he said there was some serious competition, and it boiled down to reference checks and stuff like that to make the final call, and (whew) I came out on top.

Can I just say that I am the luckiest woman ever? Ray is the best husband... my best friend in the whole world... and I don't know how I landed him, or this job, but I am uber-grateful. I worry sometimes that I'm too lucky - that the bubble is going to burst - that God will realize that he has somehow showered too many blessings on the wrong person. Is that nuts?

Stay tuned... because in the next episode of "The days of my life..." I've got a funny little story about how we got locked out of both the car, and the house, the other day. The first of what I suspect will be many brain-fried moments in the next few months.

Use Your Words, People!

2010-03-23T15:51:00.001+03:00

Howard County, Maryland has a bumper sticker I see on cars all over town: “Choose Civility” (http://www.choosecivility.org/).

That seems to be all I can think about lately. What happened to our ability to be civil to each other?

I’m not one to go political in my blog… or really much in a public way at all. It’s not because I don’t have opinions, believe me – I do. But I tend to believe that no good can come from shoving your beliefs down other people’s throats – religion, politics, or any other contentious issue. I’d venture to guess that my husband is probably the only person on earth who truly knows the extent of my personal political and religious beliefs. I tend to be a “what’s good for me isn’t necessarily good for you,” kind of gal. But I’m afraid I am going to have to make an exception, because I am deeply disturbed by something I am seeing more and more of every day: intolerance for other people’s points of view.

This weekend, with the health care debate coming to another climax, I saw a disturbing story on the news about politicians being spat upon and others being referred to with racial or homosexual slurs. One politician shouted “Baby killer!” at another who had the floor. Even in my own family, there is language being thrown around that’s really disturbing – hate speak, honestly.

Former President George W. Bush once said, “If you’re not with us, you’re against us.” Rush Limbaugh said that all of the Democrats should be “wiped out.” Where does this HATE come from? What happened to the country formed on differing opinions and ideals where we could all agree to disagree? I think it’s called a republic. I read that somewhere.

My husband has more than 27 years of selfless service to this great nation, putting himself on the line many times, in order to preserve your rights… like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms. But I don’t believe the ‘freedom to spit on people,’ or the ‘freedom to hurt people’ are among those inalienable rights. In fact, I’m fairly sure that I have an inalienable right not to be spat upon. Appreciate your support on that.

What disturbs me most – even more than our elected officials right now – is the way everyone is becoming so divisive. Some people aren’t really FOR anything, anymore – they’re only AGAINST things. The politicians start it by lying to us or misleading us about the issues in order to try and defeat the other side, and extremists with a podium grab it and run with it. Now, thanks to social media, everyone has a podium, and yet, I wonder how many of those “everyones” even bothers to look into the issues on their own, or if they just buy what their party is selling; if they just “drink the Kool-Aid.”

So while I was visiting my dear friend, Terri last week during my quick trip to California, something she said to her 2-year-old just spoke to me. As Jayden (who’s as cute as a button, by the way) was getting really frustrated with her older brother Connor and starting to throw a fit, Terri calmly said, “Jayden, use your words.” To which, Jayden calmly replied, “It bothers me when Connor does that.” And with that, Connor backed off and the problem was solved.

People, please – use your words. There’s no need to spit, hate, yell, be cruel, or hurt. Be nice to each other, and respect the fact that just because we don’t all agree with you, doesn’t mean we’re morons or evil; it just means we’re different. That is America.

Pee In Your Eye, Part II

2010-03-06T22:36:00.002+03:00

So, as you can imagine, the last posting, "Here's to Pee in Your Eye," created some great harassment for my darling husband, which brings me great joy. :)

The best roasting he got was so good, I just had to share. One of the guys in his office, Art, couldn't get the story out of his head after he read about it, and one day at lunch, a little tune just popped into his head. Yes, he wrote a song about 'the incident.' I begged for a copy of the lyrics so I could share with you. Here goes:

Ray came home from work one day and told his wife, "I'm back!"
She replied, "Don't excite the dog too much, he'll have a heart attack."

But Harley, hearing all of this,
Already seemed quite nervous,
When greeted by his master (the one who's in the service).

Thrilled to see him standing there, in circles Harley ran
"Is that my Harley Dog?" Ray said, as he offered out his hand.

Harley then rolled on his back,
Excited - my oh my,
Then Ray reached down to pet the dog,
Who peed right in his eye.

We're sure Ray wasn't mad at him
As he went on up the stairs,
You see it's just the way that good old Harley shows he cares.

Harley what a day that was,
The memory that is...
Forever etched into our minds,
The day you took that wizz.

And everyone knows about it now,
Because it's on a blog,
We're laughing at this story,
About a soldier and his dog.

Here's to pee in your eye?

2010-03-02T12:23:00.002+03:00

This will likely be my shortest blog post ever... and although hoards of strangers would enjoy this story, it's really for my friend Cheryl, who's not on Facebook, so she didn't hear the shorter version when it first happened... but she faithfully reads this blog, and could probably use a good laugh (plus she'll tell everybody at DINFOS who can then tease Ray relentlessly).

I love Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. He's brilliant - but my huband refuses to adopt Cesar's philosophy of having a calm, submissive dog. When Ray comes home from work, he gets Harley so excited, that the poor dog starts squealing like he's going to come out of his skin when he hears the garage door go up.

On Friday, I was teleworking, and when Ray came home, I was upstairs in the bedroom, but I heard him go through the routine, "Where's my Harley? Where is he?" And all that comes with it. Suddenly, I heard him say, "Harley - you blinded me! you blinded me!"

Before I even came downstairs, I knew what I was in for. Yes, Ray got Harley so excited that when he flipped over on his back to give up his belly, just as Ray leaned in to put his face up close to Harley's, our precious, non-calm or submissive dog lost control of his bladder and pee'd right in Ray's eye.

Poetic. Simply Poetic.

Sick 'n Twisted Love of my Life

2010-02-26T13:43:00.002+03:00

My husband is, um, a twisted soul (whom I love dearly).

Since we've been commuting together, he's had many opportunities to share his twisted sense of humor with the innocent people who are crammed into the Metro or MARC train cars with us, who probably haven't had enough coffee yet to realize what a jokester he is.

Case in point: yesterday, we were on the metro, packed in like sardines. I get off one stop before he does, and as I was about to get off, he kissed me, and said, "tell your husband I said hi."

The looks of horror that hit people's faces as I giggle and turn beat red are purely priceless.

He does that sort of thing all the time. When we were in Germany, he used to love to do it at stores, in the check-out line, by saying things like, "if only you weren't my sister..." as he's kissing on me.

Twisted... but man I love it. I guess that makes me a little twisted, too.

Signs of life

2010-02-22T12:56:00.003+03:00

The snow is finally starting to melt. We've had a few days at about 40 degrees, and now I'm starting to see some green patches underneath what was 7-8 foot tall mountains of dirty snow. We had about 3 1/2 feet accumulated between the two big storms, but there's only so many places to put it as you shovel out and snow plow the streets. So the piles become down right hazardous as you try to drive around, unable to see anything on the other side. We have another big storm coming in today, but I'm hearing it's mostly rain, so hopefully it'll help get rid of the rest of this.

Just as the snow is dying off and we're seing signs of life beneath, the 'get well' balloon Ray bought me on the day of my surgery is still flying, but after nearly 3 months, it's finally losing some of it's umph. I'm convinced that it's in sync with me - somehow coordinated to die when I no longer have any 'get well' to get. Last week, I was released from Chiropractic care from the car accident, so we can finally settle all that and get it behind us. I suspect I'll still need an occasional "tune-up" from a chiropractor, but doing so much better. The next step is to wrap up physical therapy for my ankle. I'm still wearing a splint, but able to work out, so I'm happy.

Otherwise, all is well here - Ray's spending a lot of time baking for the restaurant on the side, and I'm spending that time doing homework for my class, which I'm really enjoying. As I work my way through the class, I find I'm mapping out a marketing plan for Ray's cook book, when he finally finishes it, which I know won't be til after he retires, 'cause right now there just isn't time. He was so sweet, the other day. He said that he misses me... since he started this new gig in Crystal City, besides the additional commute time, he's just got so much on his plate that we don't even get to talk much during the day, and when we get home it's eat, news, bed. So he misses me. Isn't that sweet? I know. We're gooey and it makes you want to gag. Sorry. Not really. :)

Snowmaggedon... the storm that never ends

2010-02-11T04:02:00.003+03:00

It's unbelieveable how much snow we've gotten, how completely jacked up the roads are, and many days off we've been able to enjoy because of it!

We're on day 3 of a government shut-down in DC, and they just announced that it'll be closed tomorrow as well. After getting 30+ inches on Saturday, we got another 20+ today. And brace yourself... we're looking at another round come Saturday... and a little more on Monday.

The week at home has been terrific... getting ahead of the game on homework, relaxing, sleeping in, playing Wii (God, I love my Wii - we just got a karaoke game... bliss!), and just generally lounging around. Ray's been cooking up a storm. Which means I'm gonna have to do more Wii to work it off... since there's no going to the gym right now.

We did get out in between storms for a bit, and hit Four Seasons Grille for lunch, where we discovered Ray's rumcake and pie on the menu! So exciting! We took pictures, of course.

He's like the real deal, now! I'm so proud... and so lucky to be his taster!

Breaking new ground... for us anyway

2010-02-01T12:52:00.004+03:00

So my pal, Col. Tom Magness of the Leader Business blog (great blog about leadership, check it out!), nudged me on Facebook the other day about updating my blog. I know, I know. I wish I could say that I've had nothing worth blogging about and didn't want to bore you to death, but no - I've been up to my eyeballs.

Some of the news is not ready for prime-time, but I suspect I'll have an announcement here in the next few weeks . How's that for a tease? See, I've been out of broadcasting for what... 5 years now? But I can still tease an audience... :)

Until then, you'll have to settle for some of the other cool news. I'm back to work, although today I'm going to telecommute (it's not even 5am yet... so for most of you, today hasn't really begun). We had about 6-7 inches of snow Saturday night, and it's only 13 degrees out. The Doc said that in weather like this, I have to wear my boot, and well, um... that ain't gonna happen. I put that thing in the closet and have no intention of wearing it again. Ever. Never-ever. Please God!

I have finally begun my 13-year delayed Masters Degree. I think I blogged about that a while back, that I had actually registered, but now I'm actually doing the course work. It's a lot to do on top of physical therapy and chiropractic appointments and a full-time job. But the class I'm taking is 6 units (equivalent of 2 classes combined into one) in Marketing and Ethics. It's really very interesting.... and has immediate application in my work, so it's cool.

The big news though is all Ray's. A few weeks ago, we were eating at Four Seasons Grille, one of our abfabfavs. I got a wild hair and asked the manager if he'd ever consider trying Ray's rumcake as a menu addition, and he basically said, "Bring it in. if we like it, we'll take it!" We took one in the Friday before Ray left for Europe on a two-week trip. We were expecting the manager to call us and let us know what he thought, and when we didn't hear from him, we were both thinking that he was the first person in history to not LOVE his rumcake. This weekend we went to lunch there, and he walked right up to us and said that the rumcake sold out in 2 days and that the staff LOVED it. They wanted more - as many as he could make. And when Ray said that he also has a few other desserts up his sleeve, the manager said, "if you make it, I'm sure we'll love it. Bring it in."

So, our Sunday afternoon was full of baking. Well, Ray's was full of baking, mine was full of homework, and helping to clean up (aka, licking the beaters - tough job, ya know?) Now I'm going to have to buy him a bigger house with a double oven. Hmm... was that a tease? Naaa.

Anyway... there's so much going on with us right now that I hope you'll forgive my flaky posting. To be honest, I'm still shocked anyone reads this. :)

On the road again...

2010-01-25T10:33:00.002+03:00

Well, from my last post, you'd think I'd be months without walking, but low and behold - tada! About two weeks ago, when I had my last Dr's appointment, he said that I could remove the boot at the end of that week. That marked only 4 1/2 weeks in the boot - 6 weeks from the surgery. Oh the taste of freedom.

So I decided to telecommute for that week, rather than torture my ankle more than I already had, and wait to go back to work once I was boot-free. What a difference...

I headed back in on Monday of last week, and it's just been a million miles an hour ever since. Each day was so jam-packed full - it's just a busy time with a lot of senior leader stuff going on all at once - the days flew by. And that's good, cause Ray was in Europe the whole time and I wanted the time to fly by so he would be home.

No problems at all getting in... there were a couple of days where it started feeling tired, and I noticed a slight limp, but otherwise, if you didn't look at the ugly black splint I have to wear (oh yeah, my ankle's not THAT free... still have to wear the splint that fits in my shoes, which they gave me when they thought it was just tendonitis, as extra protection, until further notice), you'd never know I was broken. :) That should be interesting at our annual Corps of Engineers ball, when I'm wearing a gown and the splint... but it's all good. I'm walking... and not in the boot.

I also got to start working out again - at first just the bike, but the Doc said I could do the Eliptical as well, and that feels like a workout, thank God! So I'm back to my normal routine, working out at the crack of dawn, working in the office and dragging my butt home on the train. Normal, for me anyway. :)

And Ray got home on Friday night, bringing some fantastic Italian wine with him (yay me!) and some beautiful Murano glass jewelry. I love Murano glass, no matter what they said about it on the Sopranos. We had a really nice weekend. I missed him more than usual. Man, I love the way he smells. I think he's thrilled to not have a gimpy wife anymore. I know I'm thrilled not to be a gimpy wife anymore. :) Gonna be an insane couple of weeks ahead - I'd better fasten my seatbelt!

The Long Walk

2010-01-10T17:45:00.003+03:00

I read a book of short stories that Steven King published under a sirname once, and my favorite was called The Long Walk, about a contest where you just keep walking, like forever, and the last one standing wins.

I feel like I lived that last week. I haven't posted in a while, cause I didn't feel like there was much to say. I get up, work from home, go to physical therapy and the chiropractor, come home. Ray comes home pretty late lately (well, pretty late for us is like when you catch the 6:40 train, which arrives at 7:10pm, which gets him in the door about 7:30pm - since we go to bed at like 8:30-9pm... 7:30 is LATE!) So we eat, watch the news and go to bed. That's been about it during the week.

But the physical therapy is going really well, and I'm even able to walk around the house in small bits (like a bathroom run or something) without the boot at all - so it's really healing well. Which gets me all over-confident, and quite sure I can handle the commute into the office again. WRONG.

So Monday, we woke up at the crack of dawn (3:20am is when Ray's getting up to do his abs now, God help me) and we head for the 5:06am train. It's like 15 degrees out, so even with two pair of wool socks on my left foot, my poor toes and heel are frozen from being exposed in the boot. I manage the walk from the train to the Metro fine, although slower than the rest of the hoards would have liked, and then I arrive at my stop, and Ray and I go our separate ways.

I'm dragging my wheely bag in my left hand, using the cane in my right, trying to manipulate the escalators and the turn-styles (is that right?) that get you in and out of the Metro. Then I have the 2-3 block walk to my office, in 15 degree weather in the dark, then the stairs leading up to the turn-styles that scan us into the building. Then the long walk down the hallway to my desk. Then throughout the day, the long walk down the hall for a meeting, for paperwork, for the bathroom, the kitchen. And no way to really elevate my leg at my desk, because of the position of my computer. By noon, I was wiped out and my ankle was killing me.

Curry, my boss, came by and I guess he could see it in my face (my mom always says I read like a book), and told me not to bother coming in the rest of the week. He said that if coming in makes it take longer to heal, or even does damage - it's not worth it, and that he knows I do more teleworking from home in a day than most people do all month (very sweet, and since I work for the government, probably not entirely untrue).

But would I listen? No, no, no - "I need to be here," "I feel like a bad employee or something..." and he just brushed all that off and told me that was silly. I got the same advice from a couple of other people, but when I left for the day I still wasn't convinced. I figured I'd take my laptop home just in case, and see how I felt that night (that's when it usually clobbers me if I overdo it), then make my decision.

At 2:30pm, I started for the door (had a physical therapy appointment at 4:30p) to catch the 3:30 train. Union Station normally would take me about 15 minutes to get there, but in that boot... didn't want to chance it. I got out the building, but through the National Building Museum across the street and when I arrived at the escalator down into Judiciary Square, the escalator was broken. That's a lot of metal stairs. A LOT. I don't think there's an elevator at that stop... so take a deep breath and start the long journey down, as slowly and carefully as I can. The cane is getting in the way of holding the railing, so I put it in the same hand as my wheely bag, and start pulling step by step. About 10 steps in (and what seemed like an eternity) a man and woman pass me on the left and the man asks me if I need help. I told him that I was fine, thanks, was just going to take a while and to go on around me. I took another step, and he says, "No. You need help. Give me that." And he takes my bag right out of my hand and starts walking down the escalator. My bag, with my computer, and my purse, and my RX strength Ibuprofin :). I kept moving, thinking, "Dear God, please let him be a good guy." And if he wasn't, and he wanted to take my bag, there wasn't a damned thing I could do about, stuck there about 2/3rds of the way up the escalator.

Luckily, he was a good guy. He waited at the bottom until I got close enough that no one else was going to be able to steal my bag, and I thanked him profusely. Then I had to wait 7 minutes for the next Metro, and when it arrived and I climbed on, found my way to the first seat and sat down, exasperated. I looked up, and, as if by some devine intervention, I see my "train-gang" buddy, Bill - one of the guys who's become my pal via our commute, standing on the platform in the same place every day for 4 1/2 years (we all email each other and get together for lunch from time to time... terrific people). Bill said he didn't even recognize me at first, because of the look on my face - and that he could tell I was in pain. When we arrived at Union Station, he carried my bag the rest of the way, and helped me onto the train, which was parked, of course, at the farthest gate, on a low platform, so that you have to walk up big steps just to get on board.

It was a day from hell... with little angels here and there to help see me through it. :)

Needless to say, by that time - there was no question. I telecommuted for the rest of the week.

I might try again one day next week. But tomorrow is my follow up appointment with Dr. Wilckins, the surgeon - so we'll see what he says. The good news is, that appointment marks 4 weeks since I got the boot, which means I'm down to 2-4 weeks left (can I get an Amen?).

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T19:31:00.003+03:00

This morning when I woke up, full of anticipation about all the day holds in store, I asked Ray, "We don't have a fireplace. How would Santa have gotten in without a chimney?" Without missing a beat he said, "He stopped by Molly Maids and borrowed the key."

We've had a lovely morning of gifts, good food, and lots of love. I got spoiled with fantastic jewelry and a Wii & Wii Fit -which I've been wanting for a while. Although I can't do most of the activities for a while - it's just one more thing for me to look forward to when I'm boot-less.

We had a lovely dinner last night with some friends in Alexandria, and today it's just the three of us: Ray, Harley and me. We might go to the movies later - I'm dying to see, "It's Complicated."

I am so very blessed with a fantastic husband, a beautiful home, a sassy little dog who loves me - and great friends, who - despite not seeing me in years, still send fantastic, thoughtful gifts. I miss my girls a lot. Mostly this year, I'm missing family. When I first started having quiet Christmases, just the two of us, I revelled in the peace of it. But after a few years, I'm starting to miss the chaos of kids running around and screaming and trying to follow 12 conversations at once, board games galore, and hugs every 2 minutes.

I think next year, we'll have to plan something with family and friends. But this year, with the boot, it just wasn't realistic.

I'm really looking forward to 2010. Considering how many unwelcome surprises came with 2009, it can only be better!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2009-12-19T23:25:00.006+03:00

Not like I'm going anywhere... :)

We've got a good foot and a half so far, and it's supposed to snow until tomorrow morning!

The men in my life... aren't they adorable?

There is great news to report! I am doing much much much better! I'm healing so fast, I'm amazing myself! I'm down to just one crutch with the boot... and from time to time, I'll brave no crutch for a few minutes just to work it out. I'm getting stronger every day. No more boo-boos... no more waking up screaming in the middle of the night (thank God!)

I think it's just a matter of time until I'm up and at 'em! Ray was so funny this morning; he said that since I couldn't go to physical therapy today, he knew just what I could do - shovel the driveway! :) Yeah - he was only kidding for those of you who don't 'get' him. Actually, he shovelled the driveway himself, and the sidewalks out front - but you can't see any of that now... it's all covered back over with a good foot of snow since. :) Oh well. Less work for him later, I guess.

I'm going to start back to work Monday - but telecommuting - especially considering the weather. I can't very well go out in this stuff - as much as I love it... the boot isn't exactly weather proof. My sock (and foot) would be soaked through in no time! Not to mention the slip & slide I'd be living through.

Well, Ray's going to try to shovel the balcony... this ought to be good...

A little gore to start your day right...

2009-12-15T14:35:00.006+03:00

Well, freedom isn't free - not even foot freedom.

At my doctor's appointment yesterday morning, they removed the cast and laughed at my shouts of delight and glee, and my smart-ass statments like, "please forgive me, I haven't been able to shave that leg for a week and a half," as if that was the strangest thing going on with that leg. I thought I'd share some of the picts with ya... if you have a weak tummy, look away - but they're not that bad... it's just stitches and bruising.

I did think it was kind of funny that Dr. Wilckins said to me, "do you have a walking boot at home?" Do people usually have walking boots at home, just in case they tear their tendon and have surgery? Uh... NO. So he called a guy who could meet me back at the Dr's office yesterday afternoon. But since I wasn't sure what the heck they were going to do, I didn't have even a sock to put on my foot - although there was a whole lot of cotton that was stuck to my stubble and all around my foot - but I had to weather the return trip (and a brief stop at Blockbuster to rent all of the Harry Potter movies and finally figure out what all the fuss is about) with a completely naked foot.

Although I was SO SO SO glad to have the ability to wiggle all my toes, WASH MY WHOLE LEG, and massage my poor abused foot, my range of motion is unbelievably limited now, after just a week and a half in a cast. But I pampered myself for a couple of hours before returning to the office to get my high speed "Cadillac of walking boots," as the guy (salesman) delivered and helped fit me for my boot. It's pretty cool - it even has an airp pump to increase or decrease the air in the heel area for additional cushioning.

My instructions are to put weight on that foot "as tolerable," which could take a while to get to a point where I'm actually putting real weight on it. So I can't ditch the crutches, yet. I have to do physical therapy again for a few weeks to rebuild strength and range of motion. He also gave me another prescription for pain to see me through the physical therapy, because as I pushed it - I would feel it. Yeah, yeah, whatever - let's get walking!

I almost fell in the garage while trying to be an advanced boot walker, and get Ray's Christmas presents in the house (they were delivered while I was out). I ended up slamming my bad foot down, but on ball of my toes, which smarted pretty good - but didn't really impact the tendon in question much, or the incision area, so I survived, but gave myself a good tongue lashing and lecture about being "dumb in a no-dumb zone." Then I was trying to go upstairs, and snagged the front of the boot on the step, lost my balance and slammed the back of the boot back down to catch myself - and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD - that really did send shock-waves through me. Needless to say, I was grateful for the prescription.

Despite all t hat, I was in high spirits when Ray got home... as I was finally feeling a little more mobile, and seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, earlier than I expected.

Then it was time to sleep. ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME? This was worse than the first night when the nerve block wore off. You don't sleep with the walking boot - you know, being a 'walking' boot and all - but in your sleep, your body does things that are related to your dreams, or just cause - who knows why? Several times I was jolted awake screaming in pain as I either twisted or pushed past my range of motion in my sleep. It hurt like someone just stabbed me in the ankle with a fire-poker. I seriously was afraid to go back to sleep - because I have no way of stopping it from happening again.

So, I was up - and miserable - when Ray got up at 3:30am. But after a bath... a pain pill... and a cup of coffee... I'm coming around. I'm taking it easy today... very easy... and praying for a better night's sleep tonight.

A one-legged anniversary

2009-12-14T15:15:00.005+03:00

It's official. I'm getting stir-crazy. But it's not why you would think. Being home all day... hanging with my Harley dog - that's actually been a really nice break. I've had a lot of naps, caught up on all sorts of movies, taken care of all my Christmas wrapping and other things that have been on my to-do list for a while.

No, what's driving me stir-crazy is mostly the fact that I've worn the same two outfits every day for a week and a half, because nothing else fits over the cast. That, and I would give ANYTHING to be able to flex and point my foot right now - the lack of use is making me nuts, even though I know that's kind of the point.

Today I have my first follow up appointment - I don't know if he's going to just change my bandages and send me on my way, or if he'll give me the walking boot today, or what - but at this point, I'd give anything for the walking boot and the ability to put a little bit of weight on my leg. It's starting to hurt my hamstring - the lack of use, and holding my leg up all the time.

Yesterday was our anniversary - 5 years - and it's always so strange to us that in one way it feels like there's no way it could be 5 years already, and in another way, it feels like we've always been together. Having a one-legged wife did through some kinks into Ray's anniversary plans. Originally we were talking about going back to Vegas and going back through the same drive-through chapel and renewing our vows (yes, that IS how we actually got married - in Vegas, on the back of a Harley, at a drive-through chapel - it was SO MUCH FUN... and so cheap and effortless - highly recommend it!); plan b was to go out to our favorite sushi place, but the weather was so icy-cold and rainy that he was worried about me crutching around and breaking my neck (which would be my luck, considering); so instead, we ordered our favorite pizza and opened a really expensive bottle of wine from Alpha Omega (our favorite).

We also decorated for Christmas yesterday, which I thought was going to be a one-sided job, but we found lots of ways I could help... so now as I sit around all day, I'll get a little more into the Christmas spirit with each glance around the house.

Clearly we love to torture our poor dog during this time of year more than any other, but isn't he just the cutest?

In case I start walking and never stop before I have a chance to post again, have a terrific holiday season. I can only hope that you and your family are as blessed as I am (only with both your legs).

What's this purple stuff on the toilet seat?

2009-12-05T17:15:00.009+03:00

Surgery went very well. I was feeling good... alert... downright perky on the way home from the hospital. You see, they gave me a nerve block from the knee down - so although my leg felt like it weighed a million pounds, I didn't feel anything. Carrying it around did tire me out quickly - that and just getting used to the crutches. I was really glad I got that pedicure the day before, because it turns out my toes will be exposed to the world for the next two weeks. It was funny how many people at the hospital commented on my nice pedicure - and what a great color I chose for my toes. Even an old man in the elevator on our way out jokingly asked, "how'd you get them to paint your toes while they were in there?"

So we came home, and I got set up on the couch, my new home during the day for the next two weeks. It's apparently also going to be Harley's home for the next two weeks. He seems fascinated by my cast (which is really a soft cast, or a splint and a lot of bandage.

I get up every now and then... but really only when I have to use the bathroom, or go to bed. I'm starting to get the hang of the crutches - but it is challenging; I am feeling incredibly grateful for having more upper body strength than the average woman. I remember wanting to kill Ray when he would push me to do real push-ups (on the toes, not the knees), or to lift weights... and needless to say - it's paying off now!

Nerve block wore off in the middle of the night Thursday night... so needless to say, I didn't sleep much - that was a rough night. Also getting up to tinkle (yes, I said tinkle) in the middle of the night was quite challenging - finding my way in the dark on crutches and in an INSANE amount of pain - not fun. I decided to take the advice of my friend Jen who recently had knee surgery, as well as that of my surgeon and "not be shy with the drugs."

The funniest moment of all so far (I suspect Ray will have lots of great stories to tell at my expense by the time this is over) was yesterday morning. If you've read this blog for any length of time... you know I thoroughly enjoy a good laugh at my expense. Well, Ray comes out of the bathroom and says, "are you doing something weird in here?" What kind of a question is that? He said there was something purple on the toilet seat that he'd noticed the night before. I theorized that it was probably some kind of cleanser left over from the cleaning lady's visit, to which he said, "and we're just NOW noticing it? Don't you think we would have seen it before now?" I said, "well it's not like I came in here with a purple pen and doodled on the seat..."

So he's convinced it's me, and I'm convinced he's nuts. I said the only way it could be me is if there was something purple on my ass - and I didn't know why that would be the case, when my surgery was on my ankle. To prove my innocence, I pulled down my pants and basically mooned him (not as easy on one leg, for the record). He didn't see a thing, and we agreed that I was innocent.

I decided that since I was up, I should actually pee (there, is that better?) rather than get settled in and have to get up again letter. I walked out of the bathroom afterwards, and Ray went in about 5 minutes later and said, "Ah ha! Now there's another purple mark - it has to be you!"

I got back up to check it out, and sure enough - there was ANOTHER mark! So, using the Army's 7 step problem solving process - okay, no - not really. Just making sure youre' still awake. So, we decide to recreate the setting, because it's not like I'm peeing purple and it's getting on the front of the toilet seat. This isn't making any sense to us. So, I "drop-trow" and sit on the toilet seat, and we realize that the spot hitting that part of the seat is actually right above my knee, so I stand up (remember, I'm doing all of this on one leg and a lot of painkillers), pull my pants that much farther down - and Ray goes "HOLY MAC! THERE'S PURPLE INK ALL OVER THE PLACE!" I snuck a peek, and sure enough - bright purple ink all over my leg. I guess that's where they were marking me up to find the right nerve for the block that so beautifully numbed my leg into oblivion.

If there's a moral to this story, I suspect it's that if you're going to moon your husband with one leg, give it all you've got the first time? Ah, well. :)

I want to say a huge thank you to Cheryl, MSG Williamson and the whole DINFOS Command Group for these beautiful plants and carnations. They just made my day yesterday. That was so incredibly thoughtful.

Alright... I'm ready - let's get this over with!

2009-12-03T02:20:00.002+03:00

Tomorrow is the big day... 9:30am! I can't eat or drink anything after midnight, so it's a good thing they moved up the arrival from the original, 11:30am. Anyone who's been around me when I don't get food... or coffee... knows that I'd be a hot cranky mess by 11:30am, and they'd be chomping at the bit to get me under!

I spent my last day of walking for a while getting a good long work-out, getting some work done (don't even get me started about how I'm on leave right now, but work found its way to me anyway), and then a wrapped-up the day with a fantastic pedicure from my ab-fab favorite place, Robert Andrew Salon and Spa. And not just any pedicure. I got the Cranberry Spice - the December special... and can I just say: my feet smell so friggin good! I went right to the chiropractor for my adjustment, and aside from being moderately embarassed that I was going in pedicure flip-flops, she was like, "my goodness your feet smell so good!" No one ever says that! :)

Now Ray's pulling in with the Chinese food, so I'm gonna run (figuratively, of course) - and within about 3 months... I'll be running again - literally!

If my next few posts are a little loopy... it's the painkillers! :)

Ciao!

Man, you guys are good!

2009-11-24T16:09:00.002+03:00

I woke up this morning to an e-mail from my girlfriend who got word last night that her test results were cancer-free!

Thank you to each of you who took time to pray for her... or whatever your version of that may be. She's a nut... but she brightens up every room she walks into, and is a loyal friend to the end. :) I don't know what I'd do without her.

Thanks!

Much to be Thankful For

2009-11-23T23:00:00.005+03:00

So I've wrapped up my class - the Civilian Education System Intermediate Course - was actually really enjoyable... learned a lot - and it reaffirmed for me a lot of things I want to work on... like being more patient with others who don't necessarily perform to my standard, and trying to offer feedback in a less, um, snotty way. :)

The class was at Fort Belvoir, which is about an hour and a half from my house - unless it's rush hour, and then it's like 2-3 hours each way. It's insane. So, rather than face that kind of a commute and never get to work out for three weeks, I was blessed that my boss let me stay on post for the first two weeks, and my dear friend, Mary, let me stay with her for the final week.

Actually, I got a lot of girl time during my class. I had dinner with a friend I worked with in Iraq twice. One Saturday, the gals from work all planned a wine tasting, which was a lot of fun, but the wine was - well - lacking. And then, I got to spend a whole week with Mary, which was such a delight. I've always described her as someone who emits love from her pores, and she does. She made me feel so at home and comfortable, but I really really just enjoyed hanging out with her. We talked all night, and somehow I still managed to drag my butt out of bed to work out at her gym (almost) every day. I found myself thinking how thankful I am for friends like her.

So class wrapped up, and as I was on my way home, I learned that one of my best friends in the world was having surgery that day, and that they're testing for Lymphoma - and she won't know the results until Wednesday - the day before Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I'm counting on a clean bill of health to give me something else to be thankful for. If you're the praying type - I'd ask that you please just say a prayer for my friend, for health - and peace.

I also ran into my dear friend, Cheryl, today - while I was at the doctor's office getting all my pre-op work done. Cheryl's husband is facing surgery this week for bladder cancer. Everything for them will be changing dramatically - and I know she's scared to death, but I also know she's strong - and very grounded - and very grateful for the many blessings she has in life. She's such a gem, so please pray - or put some good juju out there - whatever your inclination is - to help her have peace through all of this... and for health for her husband.

In other, related, news - on our way to the gym yesterday, Ray and I were talking about what to do for Thanksgiving. He was going to make his oh-so-amazing almond-crusted pork tenderloin, and although I would love the meal, it seemed like a lot of work for just the two of us, and I found myself kind of melancholy, missing having family around during the holidays. As much as family can drive you batty, the holidays just seem kind of empty without them. I could tell that Ray was bothered by my reaction, and when I asked him about it, he said the most amazing thing: "Sometimes I think you just focus more on what you don't have, and not enough on what you do."

Boy is he right. You'd think that with all the medical drama going on my life and my friend's lives, I'd be a little more inclined to be thankful for the AMAZING blessings I do have - like a perfect husband, an adorable dog, a beautiful home, financial security, and friends and family galore.... and the technology that lets me close to them, even when they're far away.

Surgery is next week... so right now... I'm also thankful that I can walk around and work out and run errands... and I'm thankful that in a few months, I'll be able to do all of that without pain, as well... (inshallah). How quickly I got right back to being spoiled, and taking things for granted! Perhaps I need another deployment to remind me that I have it pretty damned good - or perhaps I should just watch the evening news, or drive into the city. I have so much to be thankful for...

I know, I suck, I'm sorry.

2009-11-10T01:26:00.003+03:00

Yeah, I've been bad about posting - a lot going on right now... just swamped. Taking the intermediate course (remember the basic course I went to when I first came back from Iraq? This is the next step) at Fort Belvoir right now - and there's always lots of homework and reading, and then I still find myself working these work assignments on the side... trying to go home when I can.
The big thing I could tell you right now is that, like the basic course, this one is challenging my patience - but it's something I need to work on... so I'm all for it. Bring it on!
The other thing is, when the chiropractor tells you she needs to see you 3 times a week... there's probably a reason for that. I've been in such bad shape, was able to sneak off last week once - and will be about the same this week. After about 4-5 days with no adjustment, I seem to revert back to shortly after the accident, where my neck is pinching and creating pain in my shoulder, and my hips are all out of whack. But it's a temporary sacrifice... to knock this class out and get it behind me. Just 2 more weeks... UGH. :)

Renovations everywhere

2009-10-25T15:54:00.032+03:00

It's been an insane couple of weeks. We've been busy with renovations on the house; finally got the tile in and it took all week, then we had the huge job of putting it all back together (and cleaning - dust EVERYWHERE!) But we are so so so thrilled with the outcome. The house seems bigger now, despite the HUGE couch we bought. I think part of that is the optical illusion of the tile, and part of it is the hoards of knick knacks and crap we took to either GoodWill or the storage room. :)

I want to post a few of the b4 and after photos so you can see the transformation... and I have to say that I HIGHLY recommend the guys that did this work. Ultimate Flooring Design Center in Odenton - if you're in the market - they are worth every penny. Complete perfectionists.

Forgive the goofy formatting... I haven't had any coffee yet:

Master bath before and after

Kitchen Table before and after:

Kitchen floor before and after:

Guest Bathroom before and after:

Dining Room before and after:

Downstairs Bathroom before and after:

Living Room (view a) before and after:

Living Room (view b) before and after:

So there you have it... but we're not done yet! No no... we're going to have California Closets done in our master closet and the pantry. We're also talking about having the downstairs guest room door expanded for French doors - to open that space up a bit when you first come in.

No rest for the weary! :)

Cutting on me - yikes!

2009-10-10T16:33:00.005+03:00

It's official - they're going in. My ankle has a tear in the perrenial (sp?) tendon - and it's a case of go in and fix it, or leave it and watch it get worse and worse. I'm not a fan of that. So, I'm gonna get it over with. Dec. 10th is the big day.

I'd do it sooner, but I've got this class I'm taking in November (3 weeks) that I already postponed once, because I wanted to stick with my physical therapy (for my ankle) - so that I could get back to normal... and, well, we know how that worked out. So, I'm going to finish the class, and then first available slot after that was the 10th of Dec.

Now, that means that my anniversary, Christmas, New Years... and well - ski season - are gonna suck for me... but by late Spring - I should be ready to take on the world! Ray's really bummed about the ski season thing - cause of course, we missed last year while I was in Baghdad. I keep telling him I am more than happy to go and Apres Ski (for you non-skiers, that's where you lounge at the bar and wear cute snow outfits). I don't think he's going for it.

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that my dental tech who tore the same tendon had to be off of it - no weight at all - for 4 weeks, and then was in a boot for 6 MONTHS!! That scared the bejeezus out of me - so much so, that when he said I'd spend 2 weeks with no weight on it and 8 weeks in a boot, I was SO RELIEVED! Just "shows to go ya" (as my dad likes to say) that it could always be worse.

Ray and I immediately started trying to focus on the postive - I have a great job that allows me to do this with no worries of being unemployed on the other side, great insurance that will pay for every drop of it (except the $3.00 copay on prescriptions), and a most wonderful, doting husband who will pick me up and carry me up the stairs to bed each night, then carry me back downstairs to the couch the next day and pamper me while I'm unable to fend for myself.

Could be much worse. :) Glass half full. The grass will be greener on the other side of this damned surgery. Oops... some dark side (glass half empty) might have slipped in there... just a teensy bit. Every now and then. It's gonna be a LONG winter! :)

WAKE UP!

2009-10-04T16:37:00.002+03:00

Sorry - that's just me getting antsy. And hungry. And tired of tip-toe-ing around. My girlfriend from California, and her boyfriend are visiting, and it's 9:30am and they're still sound asleep. Yes, I know their bodies think it's 6:30am, and yes, I know we were up until 1:30am drinking and laughing and eating way too much. but today we're supposed to head to DC and do some sight-seeing, and it's SUCH a beautiful day - like perfect weather out there, and Ray's got breakfast standing by, just waiting for their hungry tushes to get up here.

Perhaps this is our fault, for making the guest room too cozy. I wouldn't want to get up either. :)

This is always a thing with me. I remember when a bunch of my sorority sisters all decided to have a reunion in Vegas, and I was sharing a room with Terri and Julie - and those girls can sleep! I'm an early riser most days, and so for me - on the weekends, or vacations, sleeping til like 6-7am is "WOW! Look at me! I'm a sleeper!" So by 7:30am, I'm usually showered, starving and desperately in need of coffee. But I'm also antsy - like "come on! Daylight's burning! Let's go see some stuff!"

So... I'm super happy to have friends visiting, but rise and shine, people! :) (She knows I love her...)

Going back to school

2009-09-28T11:25:00.003+03:00

I think I forgot to mention the biggest wow factor of the week. I registered for University of Maryland University College's Master of Science in Management for Public Affairs program.

I've been talking about it forever, and have investigated several schools, but recently a handful of different things came colliding together to give me just the push I needed to get off my arse, quit talking, and start doing.

The Department of Defense offers spouses of military members $6,000 toward their education through the Military Spouse Career Adancement Accounts program - and there are no catches... I thought for sure it was rank or income qualified, but alas, no. Just because I'm lucky enough to be married to Ray, they'll give me money for school. The only catch is that it has to be a "mobile" field, so the skills won't require me to stay put (read, require my husband to get out). Public Relations is definitely one of those mobile careers.

Then, along comes the new, Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, which is - get this - transferrable to spouses or children. This will pay for up to 36 months of your education - and you can transfer part or all of it. So if I work this right - I can get my Masters for free, and still have enough left over for Ray to finish his Bachelors (he only has a few classes left).

How cool is that?

A little R&R goes a long way

2009-09-27T23:44:00.002+03:00

This weekend we had nothing to do. Truly - I mean, we needed to run to the store and buy some toothpaste, but it could have waited. Other than that... nothing to do. I can't remember the last time that happened. And it almost didn't happen this weekend.

My friend Jen was supposed to come visit last week, and she'd be leaving today, but there was some drama related to her boyfriend's job that forced them to postpone until next weekend, so suddenly, for a change, we had nothing to do. It was so nice.

The best news of all is that I'm feeling so much better - my back is getting better every day. I haven't got the results from my MRI yet - I would think someone would call, but apparently I have to make another appointment to go see my doctor and take him the films, then he'll review and we'll go from there - that's a week from tomorrow. Until then.. we wait.

But I'm feeling a lot less poopy/pouty about it all - as I'm officially off all the RX's... even the ibuprofin, although, technically I could still use those to help with the ankle, but lordy lordy, between my hair falling out in gobs and the insanely easy bruising - I just want to detox for a while.

I want to give a shout-out to my new friend, Kim - who ironically works for USACE at the Nashville district, and wants to deploy - was Googling in search of info about what it's like for civilians... and women to deploy -and found my blog. It took all of a couple of e-mails to know was gonna love her - she's a hoot. And based on the comentary in her e-mails, I think she actually took the time to read like every blog I ever posted. That's either OCD or absolute boredom! :) Welcome to the Sandbox, Kim.

Gonna go enjoy what's left of my quiet, peaceful, nothingness weekend. Ciao!

Is this Karma?

2009-09-19T13:44:00.004+03:00

I usually think I'm the most blessed person I know... and until recently, I would say I was the healthiest person I know. Lately - it just seems like I'm falling apart. I asked Ray yesterday, as we were driving back from getting an MRI on my ankle (I'll get to that in a second), if it was Karma - and if so - what did I do? He said it was the universe creating balance, because other women don't have a husband that loves them as much as I do... so it's only fair. :) Sweet - he's pretty cute, isn't he?

So let's recap - first, there was my ankle, diagnosed as tendonitis; then TMJ from grinding, or in my case - more like clinching - my teeth at night. Clearly I was already stressed, or I wouldn't have been diagnosed with TMJ, but I genuinely believe that not being able to work out as rigorously, because of my ankle, exacerbated that problem - I wasn't de-stressing as well as I usually would. Then comes Mr. Choi and his Toyota Tacoma. Just dealing with the insurance companies is greatly increasing my stress level, much less the zillions of doctor's appointments - and um... the constant back pain.

My mouth guard finally came in... and it's kind of cool - a tiny little thing that clips onto my two front lower teeth, and keeps me from being able to connect any of my teeth at night. Was a little weird at first, but I'm getting used to it. At least I'll protect my teeth. And I finally made it to the follow up appointment with the Orthopaedic Surgeon that I was supposed to see the day I got in the car accident. I thought he was going to say that it seemed like all I needed to do was stay off of it a little bit longer, as the accident (and not being able to work out for two weeks at all) had surely been the best thing to happen to my tendonitis. Instead, he said there was still swelling there - which is even more strange, when you consider that I've been on a constant cocktail of muscle relaxers and 800 MG of Ibuprofin (avoiding the Hydrocodone as much as possible - it's great, but it is a serious narcotic, and I have enough issues right now). So, he sent me for an MRI, as he thinks there may be a tear in there... causing all of this discomfort in my ankle.

I bet Ray a dollar that I have a tear... because my luck has sucked so much lately - but I really do hope I lose that bet. I'll have to wait until next week, I'm sure, to hear the results. If there's a tear, the doc said, "we'll have to go in there and fix that." Translation... I'll be in a boot for weeks on end, and not working out... for a long, long time.

All that said - there is some good news to report... we got new kitchen countertops, and a gorgeous new sink/faucet. We also had our new couch delivered - we ordered it in July, but it was worth the wait - it's gorgeous... and there's finally plenty of room for everyone to sit around the living room here. AND, today, our new refrigerator is being delivered. I know, I know - we just moved into a brand new house. Why would we need a refrigerator? Well, depends on who you ask. Ray likes to tell people that I became obsessed with a new refrigerator; but the inside scoop is that he so badly wanted this fancy new faucet to go with our fancy new sink (I'll I'll post pictures of all this once we get all the stuff put away), and you can't attach a Pur Filter to a fancy faucet... and the filter water jugs are a PITA, so we had to buy a $1200 refrigerator so that Ray could have his $200 faucet. :) Logic is funny, isn't it?

Next month, we're going to have to move all of this stuff around some more, because our floors are being done, the big switcheroo to tile on the main floor (kitchen/living/dining room). Should be fan-tabulous!

Please forgive my venting... I hate hearing myself complain. I'm beginning to lie about my back pain, because I'm sick of saying it hurts all the time and just saying "great! better every day!"

I'm still quite blessed, no doubt about it... and not just because we can afford a new couch - but because of the guy (and the little dog) that I get to snuggle with on that couch. I just wish I could have MY body back.

Thanks for listening. I promise to be more perky next time!

On the mend... eventually

2009-09-03T15:53:00.003+03:00

Well - I'm trying to be positive... but I'm hurting. I expected that Saturday/Sunday/Monday would be more pain than the first day... but I thought after that I'd be much better.

Instead, every time I've tried to lay off the meds, I'm incredibly uncomfortable - a lot of pain in my back, neck, hip... and my shoulder blade and left arm are killing me.

I suspect that something in my back - or perhaps a couple of somethings - are pinching in places they shouldn't be. So I'm going to look into seeing a chiropractor. I think that will help.

Went back to the doctor yesterday, and he gave me a lot more medication to see me through the pain - and explained that side impact crashes are much worse than rear-enders, because there's nothing really to protect your body the way there is with a rear end collision (like the headrest on your seat). So I can expect to hurt for a while, I think.

I'm going to lay low for the rest of the week and hope the muscle relaxers do their thing... going to get another massage tomorrow... and will look into chiropractic - cause I am bound and determined to get back to my life!

I got glass in my underpants!

2009-08-30T15:17:00.005+03:00

I remember when I was a reporter in Eureka, Ca, and the nearby town of Arcata was putting in its first round-a-bout. This was quite the controversy, and I found myself (while covering both sides) asking, "what's the big deal? It's a round-a-bout..." Well, I officially am in the category of people who believe round-a-bouts are from the devil. Well, maybe not that bad... but at least one in particular is.

On Friday morning, about 7:45am, I was cruising through the round-a-bout outside Fort Meade at the HWY 32 gate. I had just dropped Ray off at work, because his Jeep is in the shop for a leaky sunroof. My plan for the day was quite full - I would return to the house, work from home for a couple of hours, then attend a retirement ceremony at DINFOS for one of Ray's senior civilians, then return home and work for a couple of hours while waiting for a furniture delivery (our new bedroom set for the guest bedroom), and then run to a doctor's appointment - a follow up for my ankle (tendonitis), and then home to work a little more. Then I would cap the day off with a dinner/drinks with a friend, Sandra Hudson, who's in town right now taking a class at DINFOS.

Well, apparently that round-a-bout had a different plan for my day. It's a completely unmarked round-a-bout... which I'd never really noticed as I drove through it a million times before. Since there were no signs that say you must exit round-a-bout from the right lane, and no lines in the street saying as much, I assumed I could be in the right lane, and instead of exiting onto 198, keep going to the next exit - Hwy 32. Apparently, the guy in the Toyota Tacoma on the inside lane, assumed that he could turn right onto 198 from the inside lane. That's a bad combination of assumptions.

He hit me on my driver's side door - the glass shattered all over the place. It was all a big blur and suddenly I was still and just taking check of myself... I was fine as far as I could tell - but there was a piece of glass in my eye. I stayed put in the car for a minute while trying to get the glass out of my eye. The other driver came over and asked if I was okay - I told him I was but that I had glass in my eye. He didn't know what to do - he didn't speak much English, but understood okay. I asked if he had a cell phone, because as I left the house, I thought, "I'm just running up the road and back - I don't need anything but my wallet so I can get on post." Another bad assumption. :) So he handed me his cell and I was a little stunned... couldn't quite think straight. I didn't want to call 911, because we weren't bleeding or anything... so I figured I'd call Ray and have him call the police. He called 911 and had Jimmy, one of his civilians drive him over to the site.

I went back to work on my eye... and as I leaned forward to get up close to the mirror, glass that was on my back, slipped down my pants (was wearing a sweatsuit). Eventually I guess I got the major piece out, but something still wasn't right. But my new concern was glass in my pants. I tried to open the door, and it was a little sticky, but opened, glass falling all over the place and when I looked at the outside of the car, I remember thinking, "oh, that's not too bad at all," as I looked at the rear quarterpanel. Then I closed the door... and said, "oh scheize."

I got to work on the fact that I had glass in my pants... and yes... it had found its way into my underpants... my sports bra... it was everywhere!

The other driver got back out of his truck and came over. I thought it would provide some levity if I told him about my predicament... I'm pretty sure he understood, cause he laughed, but never said another word.

Within a moment, there were several police cars, Ray arrived - and of course, he looked more freaked out than I did - and then there was a medic in my face, asking me a million questions. At one point, he said, "Do you know what today is?" I thought it was like the beginning of a joke... or some historical lesson about something significant that happened on this day in history... so I said, "what?" To which he replied, "no - do YOU know what today is?" I was not concussed... just a little befuddled and embarassed by all the fuss. I knew it was Friday... whew. That's a good sign.

I was consumed with worry about my eye. He asked another medic if they had anything to wash my eye with, and they didn't, but that an ambulance would be arriving any second, which made me even more uncomfortable. He asked me to squeeze his fingers, to which I wanted to make all kinds of jokes... but controlled myself. He asked me what else hurt, and I explained that I was fine - my neck and my shoulder were very sore - but I was a little freaked out about the glass in my eye.

Suddenly the ambulance arrived, and he explained my situation to them. That medic said she was going to put my neck in a brace while they examined me, to protect my neck and keep it secure. I was still thinking this was so they could examine my eye. Next thing I knew, I was laying down in the grass on the side of the road, while they secured me in this uncomfortable contraption for my head, and transferred me to a board - and suddenly, I was in the back of the ambulance! The medic said they were taking me to Baltimore Washington Medical Center - and I was like "Whu? Where's my husband?" - knowing this would really freak Ray out.

He managed to drive the Mini - to follow the ambulance and stay with me through the whole experience. I was in great pain - in the back of my head... and that was really starting to freak me out. They couldn't take me out of the contraption until they did ex-rays, and they managed to get that done rather quickly, but in the meantime - I was in such pain and so uncomfortable, it was upsetting Ray to no end. I kept thinking that either something was really wrong on the inside of my head - or this contraption is not done right - or should be illegal - because something was stabbing me in the back of my head. Ray took a good look and explained that my head was on foam. After a few more minutes of panic - I had a moment of clarity and realized that it was my ponytail.... another moment of levity. Ray reached in and pulled my ponytail holder out, and I was once again at relative peace.

They removed the contraption - and although I hurt like hell, I was fine - and as I sat up, painfully, I noticed there was grass everywhere from getting me into that contraption off the grass. Ray said they'd probably charge us extra for the clean-up, but that it was good they brought me to the hospital, because he'd never let me into the house like that. :)

After asking about my eye a 3rd or 4th time, the doc finally came in and took a look, and sure enough, there was a big scratch on my cornea, and another little piece still lodged in there, which they removed - but nothing on the part of the eye that I actually see out of, so other than discomfort for a few days, I should be fine. She said my eye would heal a lot faster than the rest of me. She prescribed some medication, hot baths, and recommended a massage after a couple of days, to which Ray replied, "Are you sure about that, because she just got into a car accident, and I feel bad having her give me massages so soon after... "

I'm now home, on some pretty good drugs to help see me through the first few days of misery... and will take a couple more days off from work, but I should be good as new in no time. My car, on the other hand... will probably be hurting for a while. But I have to say - that little car is tougher than woodpecker lips. BMW raves about it's commitment to safety, and that tiny little car took all the abuse and kept that big-ass truck from running right over me. I love that little car.

I was still picking glass out of my underwear, sports bra, pockets, and more when I got home - ugh...
But it's so good to be able to say I'm home.

Home Sweet Home

2009-08-23T14:38:00.003+03:00

So after much discussion, loss of sleep, and two rejected offers (gulp), Ray and I have decided that perhaps, rather than looking to take on a larger house, another mortgage, renters (double gulp), and the huge hassle of moving - that instead, we'll just use some of that money to turn this house into something a little more like what we would have designed, had we gotten here before it was finished. There's some remodeling involved, some rearranging of furniture, and serious shopping.

We spent much of the day yesterday shopping for floors, kitchen countertops and cabinetry places - and I think within a couple of weeks, this will look like a completely different home. We're going to tile the entire main floor - kitchen dining and living room, install SWEET countertops (not granite, I've read too many bad things about granite - including that the countertops emit enough radon to have the impact of smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day! Check it out! http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/25/earlyshow/health/main4292754.shtml). Instead, we're going with something called Cambria - it's quartz... it's beautiful... it's environmentally friendly - it's a winner. Unless you've heard otherwise!? Also, in the kitchen, we're going to take in a couple of our cabinet doors and see if they can replace them with the ones that have glass inserts.

We're also talking about opening up the entry way, and perhaps extending the hardwood floors of the entryway into the downstairs room (currently being used as an office). So we'll get some double doors, or perhaps have an archway with no doors - not sure yet - to really open it up when you first walk in.

So I guess we've decided to stay put for a while... invest a little more to make our home the best townhome on the block, and more of what we would have considered ideal had we been here to call the shots on the upgrades.

We're heading for the gym now - and then off to Home Depot!

How much is too much?

2009-08-02T20:14:00.003+03:00

We love our home - it's just so small. If we could take all three floors and spread them out onto one floor, it would be perfect, but because it's three floors - there is one that never gets used (I think the cleaning lady is the only one to ever flush the toilet in that bathroom, when she comes every other week).

But, on the other hand, it is just us. It's not like we have rugrats (other than Harley) running around leaving their toys all over the place (although that's always possible in the future - especially if we have a bigger house).

Last weekend, on Sunday night, as we laid there, awake, like all night, thinking about the possibility of having our offer accepted on this great house in Severn, we were both struggling with this strange sense of - "seriously, are we being greedy?"

But on the other hand, to pass up an opportunity to have 3x's the house and a yard with a built-in pool - FOR THE SAME PRICE WE PAID FOR THIS TOWNHOME (which seemed insane at the time, for the record, but now it seems normal, which is scary) - it just seems stupid to pass it up.

We now wait in limbo - as it's up to the bank that owns the property now. We're told there were three other offers that were worthy of consideration, as well - and so 4 total offers have been handed over. It's like a blind auction - there's no way to know if we're even remotely competitive.

So, yesterday, we looked at a back-up option - an older home in Odenton - in a well-established, no-sidewalk kind of neighborhood (reminds me of Fair Oaks in the Sacramento area). It's near where we live now; it's HUGE; on a terrific lot; on a culdesac; backs to lots of trees (practically a forest); BUT (there's always a but) it's in serious need of updating - we'd have to offer them a lot lot lot less than they're asking, in order to pay for all the renovations.

And yet, we know that it's not like we NEED another place... we just WANT another place. And we want to take advantage of the market right now... so we wait - for whatever's meant to be to work itself out... and wonder if we aren't just being greedy with our wanting more.

It might be a couple of weeks before my next post... as next weekend I'll be hanging with Mickey, Minnie and the gang, taking advantage of a GREAT deal for servicemembers - FREE 5 day pass - and only $99 each for up to 5 family members! http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/specialOfferDetails?name=Promo&promotionCode=fy09military&market=fy09military&CMP=VAN-WDWFY09MilitaryOfferVanity

Never as there been a better deal. Oh wait. When I was in broadcasting an got free tickets every year - that was a pretty sweet deal. Ciao!

Smell that? Yeah, that's me

2009-07-29T00:45:00.011+03:00

There is no question – I am as spoiled as they come. It wasn’t always that way – although, being the only girl, with three older brothers did have its advantages. But we didn’t have enough money for me to really be spoiled. Enter Ray Cordell, my knight in shining armor.

Last week, I crossed the threshold into the land of “closer to 40 than 30.” And each and every day, Sunday to Sunday – there was some spoiling going on.

Sunday, I awoke to breakfast in bed.
Monday, the prettiest, most entertaining flower arrangement – a “strawberry margarita” – arrived at my office.

Tuesday, I was given a frothy beer – white carnations in a beer mug.

At that point, I was beginning to think that I have a drinking problem and my husband’s trying to find a sweet way to break the news to me.

On Wednesday, I worked from home, and somehow, the delivery guy found me there! I got the most beautiful (non-alcoholic themed) flowers with lilies and roses.

Thursday afternoon, I started to wonder if he’d forgotten about me, because I didn’t get (what had become) standard call from the delivery guy around lunch-time. But about 3pm, the mail guys came around the corner with a delivery of a beautiful bouquet of mixed colored roses. They are so gorgeous.

Friday – just to keep me guessing… it was a giant fortune cookie, with the sweetest fortune inside.

Then Friday night, over some yummy Chinese food, he gave me a beautiful ring. I call it my ‘zen’ ring – because it just seems so yoga-esque. I won’t show pictures of the jewelry, cause man, I already feel like I’m rubbing it in too much.
Are you nauseous yet?

Saturday, in addition to another beautiful ring – a cocktail ring, I was treated to a hot date at Blues Alley – the perfect spot for showing off my new cocktail ring.

Sunday – my actual birthday arrives – and after a lovely breakfast, he gave me earrings to match my ‘zen’ ring. We then went to look at a beautiful house in Severn, that is foreclosed and in need of loving owners – and we decided to at least put in an offer.

That has consumed my world ever since… so that’s why this has taken me so long to write about. We now have to wait – which I’ve never been good at. The realtor will submit all offers at once – I think tomorrow or Thursday – and then we’ll probably hear back early next week. So, we’ll see. If it’s meant to be, it’ll all work itself out.

See – that ‘zen’ ring is working already!

Sweet dreams are(n't) made of these...

2009-07-18T13:20:00.003+03:00

5:30am on a Saturday and I'm already up. Well, technically it's almost 6:30am now, but I've been home shopping online for a while.

I woke up after having a strange dream that I was in the house I grew up in on Larson St. in Marysville, and I was sitting around the table with my dad, my husband, and both the deputy commander and the commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - both of whom I work closely with in my job... prepping them for interviews, speeches and things like that. For some reason, I was giving them all birthday presents at once. Maj. Gen. (2 star) Riley's (our deputy) present was a used CD - used because I bought it a couple of weeks ago and uploaded it to my iTunes, so I guess I thought he'd like it now. It's relaxation/spa music. Great for background music when you're trying to read on the train. Then I went to give my dad his gift, and realized I hadn't brought it in the house yet - it was outside... all night, getting rained on - gift wrap and all. I went to bring it in, and apparently it had been chewed on by a dog as well, and some of the wrapping had torn off. Despite that, I was so excited to give him his gift. When I got back to the table and handed him the gift, the look on his face was multiplied when MG Riley, trying to be polite, said, "let's listen to it" (his cd), but when he opened the case, the cd wasn't in there - it was still in my cd player from when I had last listened to it. I was so mortified, I woke up.

What the?

Don't get me wrong, it's no nightmare, but what the heck is that all about? What is my subconscious trying to tell me? And why can't it just come right out and say it instead of all this beating around the bush?

Coffee... I need coffee.

Freedom Isn't Free

2009-07-04T22:39:00.004+03:00

My boss has a couple of acronyms he likes to use to encourage us to not try and reinvent the wheel, but to "borrow" from the brilliance of others, and share our brilliance with others. SIS - Steal Ideas Shamelessly, and SIW - Share Ideas Willingly.

Today, rather than froth on about the significance of this day, I'm going to SIS. My friend, Sandra D. wrote something that I genuinely believe is more powerful than anything I could think about saying today. So, without further ado - thanks, Sandra, for letting me SIS from you.

From Where I Sit
By Sandra Hudson

I heard the news while sitting at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. It seems the saga of Michael Jackson’s death will be with us for a long time. And while I have been both a fan early-on and a skeptic in recent years, amid the unfolding drama I feel indifferent to the news.

That sentiment was predicated by events three days earlier at another airport.

Arriving at Atlanta’s Hartsfield International, with more than two hours between flights, I am in no hurry to grab my bags and dash through the cabin.

Movement outside my window seat catches my eye.

Stoic and in full dress uniform, an Army Staff Sergeant marches toward the baggage handler. My heart drops. This is a Hero Flight.

Seated directly above the conveyor belt, I watch the long, cardboard-covered box drift slowly from the aircraft belly. The NCO, bearing his own purple heart, vigilantly renders honors.

It’s the only motion I can see on the silenced tarmac of one of the busiest airports in the world.

Embedded in my mind’s eye forever, a flag detail hovers while a crew slides the box into a special carrier.

As the Soldier signs papers and receives final instructions, the cart pulls away. The flight line returns to its harried pace.

That day, an Air Force Staff Sergeant made his final journey back home, to North Dakota. I know this because I could see his rank and destination written on the box.

This Fourth of July, in the nation’s heartland, a family mourns the loss of a son.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a nation continues taking steps closer to the Independence he helped enforce.

And here in Savannah, between the hot dogs and fireworks, I’ll take a few moments to remember the unknown Airman, now a celebrity in my heart.

What right doesn't look like

2009-06-27T19:50:00.006+03:00

I hear the phrase "what right looks like" all the time, and this week I gave a presentation that was well - not that. The presentation was probably fine, actually - it was what I was talking about that was actually kind of embarassing.

You see, while I was still in Baghdad, my boss, LTG Van Antwerp, was asked to give a presentation on his blog, Corps e-spondence, which I facilitate - and kind of pushed us into doing at a time when there weren't many government agencies doing that at all. In February of 2008, in fact, no one in DoD was blogging - and now, everyone is. But, since we were being trailblazers, we had to start from scratch, instead of stealing ideas shamelessly - there wasn't really a wheel to reinvent. But he's such a rock star, and likes to be on the cutting-edge, so we decided to jump and see what happened.

We were told we can't just use Blogger or anything like that that's already created, because of government policies preventing that - so we used our intranet software, Sharepoint, and in no time, had a smooth sailing system running. Then I left for Baghdad, and we launched our new website - and somehow in the process, the blog lost the ability to receive comments.

Umm... it aint a blog if you can't comment.

So, while I was in Baghdad, and completely unaware of the catastrophe that had become of something I had been quite proud of - LTG Van asks me to represent him at this conference for Social Media in DoD and Government, put on by IDGA. Of course, I was flattered and said, "you bet!"

Then I got home and discovered that the blog hadn't been a blog for 4 months - and it took until the day before the conference, with two months of my persistent nagging to get a "workaround" solution. Because of the software and the firewall concerns, we also can't use "share this" buttons to really improve our marketing and make the blog more visible. It just wasn't something I was really proud of anymore.

So I gave my presentation - and while the official title was "This is your Lieutentant General Blogging," I told them I was renaming it "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly," and that they should in no way think I'm there to say we are what right looks like. It was a cautionary tale of how challenging it is to be cutting edge in the federal government.

Luckily, a couple of weeks ago, DoD launched DOD-Live, and we're talking about migrating our blog over to that site - which will give us a lot more flexibility and visibility - and the ability to add "share this" buttons and blogrolls and more!

We were so cutting edge a year and a half ago - and that fast, we are so far behind the times. It's so hard to keep up with the emerging media - but it's so much fun!

I'm decaying

2009-06-24T00:52:00.003+03:00

So I called yesterday to schedule a dentist appointment - it's only taken me 3 months since I returned from Iraq to get off my duff and schedule it. Since my ankle is bothering me (has been for about 2 months - and doesn't seem to be getting better), I first scheduled an appointment on Thursday to tackle that, and figured that the dentist appointment would be an easy squeeze into the same day of medical errands.

Boy did I figure wrong! For some reason, since I left for Baghdad, my dentist's office has become like a spa to the stars or something - the next available appointment was November 2nd! So I took it, begrudgingly, thinking that my teeth are always healthy and my dentist always says, "great job, DeDe - keep doin' what you're doin'," so I'd be fine until November - but I did get on the waiting list, just in case. 5 minutes later, she calls and says they just had a cancellation for that afternoon at 4:10pm. So I bolted for the train early yesterday, Ray picked me up and waited patiently in the dentist's lobby while I got a quick and painless check-up - except that's not at all what happened.

Somehow, in the 10 or 11 months since my last cleaning (did I mention I was in Baghdad for 6 months - I have an excuse, sort of), all hell broke loose in my mouth! I've got 2 cavities, and 2 "hot spots" that they need to watch closely. One of the cavities is so bad that it's created a little hole under a filling that's become a "food catch" and is impossible to get food out with a toothbrush, which is making my gum enflamed as well. She asked if I had a water pick; I've never even actually seen a water pick. So she was digging up a storm on my teeth, trying to get all the nasty hidden food out of my teeth - and ever since, I feel like a UFC fighter who just took a good beating to my jaw.

Ugh - is this what it's like to get old?

It's good to be needed

2009-06-18T03:58:00.005+03:00

This is always one of the busiest weeks of my year. Every year, the new district commanders for the Corps of Engineers come to DC for a week of firehose training, "everything you need to know to be a commander." Part of that training, for the last three years anyway, has included my media training - how to engage the media, which this year, was adapted to include "what you should expect from your PAO."

I always have some of the most fun with these guys - some at their expense, but mostly just getting to know them, and helping them feel more comfortable about this big scary thing that intimidates the hell out of them... the media... and public affairs in general. Some of these commanders have stayed in touch through the years, and a couple of them I would count as friends.

This week, I was offered two great opportunities. Clearly these aren't official job offers, I have to apply and make the list - but, I was told that they'd love to have me. It always good to be needed. So of course, now Ray and I are losing sleep. Do we have him retire and move to a nice little charming town where we could buy a mansion for what we bought this house for; or do we buy an RV and have me live just a few hours away for the week and come home on the weekends; or do we do nothing - and wait to see what the new chief brings to HQ.

You know - no matter what we decide... it's just so good to be wanted. These aren't problems - there are people with problems (Iran for example - my heart goes out to the people there). It's good to have options, it's just a matter of which road do you take, when you are at a fork with so many options?

In the end, I think we'll go with the one that can keep Ray in the Army for the longest - but we're considering everything... and just feeling good for knowing that my work ethic and passion for what I do is noticed.

The future looks bright...

2009-06-13T15:55:00.004+03:00

It's a beautiful Saturday morning! It seems like it's rained every day since I got back from Iraq... and here it is - sunshine and blue skies - birds chirping, the works! I feel like Mary Poppins, today! Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious! Sing it with me now!

Okay, first I should say - I didn't get the job. But it's still a very good thing. Like I said - I really didn't think I would, but the most important thing to me was that they pick a good one. And they did. I can't say who, yet - I have to let the process work. But I am quite optimistic for our future.
We had the strangest week - between the job interview and then there was the one night we were at DINFOS until 7:30 or 8pm because of the taping of this reality make-over show on TLC, "Make Over America" - they're making over one of his Soldiers. Then last night we had to go to the unveiling party in Annapolis - and she looked lovely. Tonight we've got some dinner for DINFOS. It's NUTS!

But I am so grateful for a weekend. And I'm so optimistic about the future at my office. I know it's going to be great!

What's the future hold?

2009-06-07T14:59:00.002+03:00

We are in what can only be described as extreme limbo - we know there are big changes in store for us, but just no concrete evidence as to what those changes are!

Ray's been at DINFOS for 4 years now... hard to believe cause the time has FLOWN by (not Baghdad 'flown' mind you, but pretty darned fast). I think we just really realized that when we were thinking about the White House News Photographers Assn gala - we've been to four of them... and that seemed impossible.

We've been given reason to believe that we are moving on... but staying in the DC Area - and there are a couple of different options in that area. But the bottom line is, until we have orders, who knows what will happen. We could end up at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

As for me, I actually just walked away from a promotion, with a position at DEA - the Drug Enforcement Administration. I had a really interesting interview with them... really liked the guys I interviewed with - kind of felt like I was sitting around having a beer with them - bizarre, but cool. But I decided that (as long as we stay in the DC area), I really want to be with the Corps of Engineers HQ - because we are on the cusp of some great change.

My boss, Suzanne, just retired - we are getting a new chief... interviews are next week. There are some really really impressive people interviewing - nearly all of Ray's former commanders applied... and at least one, if not two of them are getting interviewed. There are civilians who have 20+ years experience and have been to the Army War College. There are people who have led huge organizations and major initiatives. And then there's me.

Yes, somehow, I made the list with this unbelievable caliber of people. And when I applied, I wasn't sure if I even wanted the job. I just didn't want to get stuck with a dud, and figured that if that was all that applied - that's what we would get, and I'd have no one to blame but myself. But the more time I spend there, the more obvious it seems to me what some of the solutions are... and the bottom line is, I'll give it my best shot - and let them know that:
a. this is what I'm made of
b. I'm hungry for more - and I need for there to be more food on this table... (in the metaphoric sense, of course - although, I am pretty hungry right now... hmm... Einsteins Bagels, perhaps? Focus, DeDe. Focus!)

The most important thing to me is that we get someone good - the right person in the right seat on the bus, as LTG Van would say. If they happen to think that's me (which I seriously doubt), then I will rise to the occasion and give it 150%. If not - then I just hope to be part of the solution... to pushing that office in the right direction.

It's a beautiful day here in Maryland - after WEEKS of rain. I swear it's rained almost every day since I got home from Iraq. It's supposed to rain all week, too. Ugh. So perhaps we'll get out on the Harley today and live a little...

Wish me well in the interview - not so much that I'll get it, but that I will represent my best self, and let the cards fall where they may.

What? No Obama?!

2009-05-31T18:11:00.005+03:00

So I know it's been ages since I posted, but I was inspired by a great blog I read this morning - http://www.leaderbusiness.blogspot.com/ - and it made me want to get back to my blog. So I decided to make an effort to keep this going, and officially updated my profile to show that I am no longer in Baghdad... and that the world is my sandbox!

Last night, for example, my sandbox was at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.). We went to the White House News Photographer's Association gala. This is the third time we've been able to get tickets through Ray's role at DINFOS, because they also honor the military's photojournalist and video journalist of the year, a competition that is run at DINFOS.

We were really excited about this year's event, because we were hoping President Obama would come, but alas, he just recorded a video message to the winners, instead. So, no Obama, but it was still a great night. The one thing about this event that kills me every year, is how RUDE the audience is. Bob Scheiffer was our MC, last year it was Charlie Gibson - always a big name - but NO ONE is listening! The problem is that there's an open bar from 6:30pm to 8pm - so by the time everybody gets into the dinner and sits down for the show, they're WASTED! So the MC is always trying to speak over the crowd, get people's attention to pay honor to special folks, like the military winners. It's crazy - but it's a great dinner, great night of socializing, and you can't beat the Ritz!

Letting go...

2009-04-16T12:41:00.002+03:00

So who knew that a course designed to develop Army leaders would end up being therapy!

Since I arrived, there have been moments of zen, and moments of "dear God, please don't let me kill them." But as I prepare today for the last full day of class (we graduate tomorrow and then I fly home), I can honestly say I haven't been forced to do this much self reflection in a long time.

At the beginning of class, I shared with the instructor in a private counseling session what I was hoping to get out of the class, which in all honesty, was a bit more control over my reactions to people that are not living up to my expectations. I'm not sure that it's all that obvious I want to choke them - but my mom always says I "read like a book," so I suspect it is obvious from time to time.

And as the class winds down, I may not have eliminated my need to be right all the time/control every situation, but as the instructor explained - perhaps in the two weeks I'm here I can just better understand why I'm such a control freak. In the end, it boils down to "it reflects on me," I think. I could go much deeper as to why I'm that way, but I suspect you have better things to do than read my therapy.

So yesterday, I thought it was interesting that as I got into a disagreement with a couple of the members of my small group about how to finalize a project, I was able to see the whole process through different eyes. My initial reaction was (to keep it simple) we should go with plan A, but a couple of others were adamant that we should go with plan B, which made no sense to me at all. I found myself thinking, "should I let go? Is this worth it?" I decided that I didn't want to go to the opposite extreme, which is most often "to hell with it, whatever you want!" So I decided to attempt communicating in a different way and using an example of how I see the process working in my office, so they can better understand my perspective. About one minute into that, a member of my team interrupted to ask a completely unrelated question (which annoyed the hell out of me). At that point, the other team member went to the other extreme and just gave in to my point of view - which isn't what I was trying to accomplish, but in the end, a: I won, although not the way I wanted to win, and b: I was able to actually monitor my reactions to the process and control them and was aware of others' reactions and what stage of conflict management they were in through the whole process - which I think is half the battle.

Next project - world peace! Okay, well - first I think I'll go to Cancun and sit on the beach with margaritas, a big hat and some SPF 50! Tootles!

Settling in - but far from "normal"

2009-04-04T22:00:00.005+03:00

I know it's been ages since I've posted - sorry about that. I thought I would post somewhere along the journey home, but my trip home was escalated, in a really terrific way, which meant that I didn't have to spend 4-5 hours at BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) awaiting my flight to Kuwait, or spend the night and all day in Kuwait, awaiting the flight to DC.

Instead, I was blessed to have LTG Van Antwerp, my boss back in DC, coming through for a meeting, and we were coincidentally scheduled for the same flight to DC, so they were kind enough to offer me a ride back with them, and well - let's just say 3 star generals travel in quite a bit more luxury, and at a much more efficient pace than us minions do. :)

So we left Monday morning (the 23rd) and headed for BIAP, where his plane was ready and waiting. It was a 7-seater... very nice - a HUGE improvement from the C-130 I would have had to cram into normally. We got a lot of time to catch up and talk about the experience and discuss the possibilities for the future, which was nice.

Once we were in Kuwait, we had about 4 hours to relax and grab dinner before heading to the airport, and well, even that experience was expedited. It was quite nice.

The flight was quick and painless, as I slept through most of it. When we landed, we had expedited customs. I know. I'll never want to travel without him again. So within about 15 minutes of landing, I was hugging my squeeze.

Ray brought Harley to the airport, and when Ray popped up to give me a hug and Harley saw me, he jumped right out of his travel bag and bolted to me... started jumping on my leg while I said goodbye to my pals and travel companions. That was a MUCH better reunion than the one I got when I came home for R&R and he wigged out about the strange woman reaching for him. That wasn't so pretty... this time was terrific!

So we wrapped up quickly enough at the airport that we were actually able to get me to Winchester to outprocess at the deployment center the same day. Normally they figure you'll have to outprocess the following day, because it's very rare for someone to make it through customs so quickly. :) So no need to spend the night in a hotel in Winchester (saving your taxpayer dollars) - my squeeze brought me home that day - and we were at Fuji's - our favorite sushi place by 1pm.

I wish I could say it's all been R&R - we had to leave for California on Saturday, to visit my family - specifically, my Grandma Jo, who I was told was 'just waiting for me to get there.' And as promised, she waited - long enough for us to have a fabulous visit with her and make sure she went out in style. She died the day after we saw her. The world is a whole lot less sassy now, I'll tell ya. She was sassy right up to the last moment.

The trip to California also included some fun - I made up for missing our anniversary, Ray's birthday and Valentine's Day, by renting a limo for the Napa wine tour - and taking him to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) for dinner, then spending the night at the Embassy Suites in Napa. It was a fabulous day. I called it his "Birthannintines Day." At the restauraunt, they even wrote that on the plate when they served his chocolate soufflé!

We moved our flight home up by a day in order to get back and have a couple of days at home before I'm off again. This time to Leavenworth for a class - 2 weeks. But after that... it's off to Cancun for a week and then back to work for good... and I guess that's when I'll finally be back to normal.

I still haven't decided about continuing this blog... I may start another one... I'll let ya know. Although I am just an overgrown kid - so life in general for me is kind of like a girl in the sandbox... but I think this served a very specific purpose... and I'm just not sure I have anything all that interesting to write about that can't be gleaned from my status updates on Facebook.

But who knows what the next step may be... perhaps there will be some new adventures to share... professionally - or even personally. Ya never know with us crazy Cordells.

So we'll see what the future holds... thanks again for all your support during my adventures!

So long... farewell... !

2009-03-21T03:06:00.004+03:00

So the crew here held a farewell party for Doug, Belinda (two of my battle buddies) and me.

Can I just say how blessed I was to have Nicole as my deputy? I have to share with you the story she wrote... most of which you'll get from having followed along on this blog for the last six months. This was part of the farewell gift from the office - the document with the story is laminated and has a border of these pictures from my time in Iraq.

Yes - I got sappy. But all I could think about was how great this has been, and how much work Nicole put into making my farewell special. She's such a treasure. I want to take her with me whereever I go - because I know with her on my team, I will be successful.

This has been such a wonderful experience. Two of the sweetest women here, Azza and Sundus, both gave me Iraqi jewelry as a farewell gift. Hussain, our photographer, made me a disk with all the pictures of me from my time here. John, one of the guys in the programs office said they have a 'T wall' for me - which is a great gift to remind you of your time in the IZ - because we live surrounded by those giant T wall concrete barriers I told you about early on. Man, I'm going to miss the people so much, but maybe we'll meet again down the line Insha'Allah!

This isn't the end of the blog - I've still got a few days left here - some final outprocessing and errand running (note to self: must get cigars for Ray), and there's always the reunion with my squeeze and my Harley dog.

But the end of my tour drawing near has raised an interesting question. What should come of 'a girl in the sandbox?' Should I keep the blog going, using the spin off that even though I'm an adult, I'm really just an overgrown child, as my excuse for the name? Or should I hand it off to someone here to keep telling the story of the amazing people of the Gulf Region Division?

Thoughts?

So much to do! Tick tock, tick tock!

2009-03-18T19:59:00.002+03:00

Yikes! I'm running out of time and there's still so much to do! The days are flying by so fast... and all at once, I'm so ready to go - and yet, I'm not!

My replacement is here - and she's so the right person for this seat on the bus! I'm trying to get her up to speed, finish up some loose ends, tackle all of my outprocessing stuff and still actually run a forward-leaning office... ugh.

I'm going to be so worn out by the time I pull out of here, I'll have a hard time lifting that wine glass to my lips! Well, okay, clearly I could find super-human strength for that, like those women who can lift cars to save their children - but still!

I had to say goodbye to Nicole yesterday, my deputy, my rockstar, my right hand, and my dear dear friend for life. She left for R&R. But not before throwing me, and my pals Doug and Belinda, a great bon voyage party. The three of us are all on the same flight home. I'm going to post the video of this story Nicole wrote for me, about me, as a farewell gift. It's so precious - it made me laugh myself silly. She managed to work in everything - including the rocket attack that caught me in my birthday suit! I'll try to load that tomorrow.

Gotta turn the brain off now... but I just had so say... HOLY MAC - only 4 days and a wake-up left!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-16T21:00:00.004+03:00

Oh my gosh - so much is going on - I'm brain dead.

Sunday was our first ever St. Patrick's Day Parade in Iraq. We got donations from some amazing folks in Chicago - who take their St. Pat's Day very seriously.

In addition to a 5K, 10K, a walk through to visit wounded warriors at the Combat Support Hospital, a parade and a party, my successor, Carolyn, arrived first thing in the morning. I was trying to get her settled at the same time as participating in all these events, and escorting media around the compound all day. It was nuts! But so much fun!

So, here's the link to the media coverage we got - http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gBEeUtfvAJo4lBzJtLF7Ks10APig

I'm also uploading video from the cameras I planted around the parade.

After all that - we had a farewell celebration today, for me and my friends Doug and Belinda, who are all on the same flight home to DC. So, needless to say, Carolyn must think all we do is party!

A survey... if you don't mind

2009-03-11T21:03:00.003+03:00

I'm going to detour for some business, if you don't mind.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently developing a new brand design that provides a strong, enduring identity and resonates with the public. To help us get the right result, we humbly request your participation in a ten-minute, informal survey to determine the design for the new corporate brand.

Please complete the survey no later than Tuesday, March 17.
Thank you for your participation!

To access the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bBXrdlwb_2bwm_2fKc_2bw90rX6g_3d_3d

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging... which is neither regular, or scheduled. :)

Everything tastes like sand

2009-03-09T19:22:00.004+03:00

This was the worst sandstorm so far for me... and it's not at all what you'd think it would be like.

Over the course of the day, the wind picked up, but it's not like sand was blowing around with the wind. Instead - it's more like sand-fog. It's just in the air - everywhere, even indoors. You can taste it as you breath and eat. It's just this fine mist of sand that's thick in the air.

I ran out and took some video of it - and I swear, it looks like fog.

If we could bottle this in an aerosol can, it would be a great diet plan.

2009-03-08T04:32:00.002+03:00

Just two weeks and one day until I fly home... and I am so looking forward to seeing my squeeze and my little dog.

We've got lots planned once I'm there - it's going to be an insane month. First a trip to Calif. to see my family and friends, then I'm off again for a two week training in Kansas, then we get back and Ray and I are off to Cancun for a week.

We have much planned in the next two weeks. I'm inprocessing a new person this week, and of course, my replacement, Carolyn, next week. Next weekend we've got a St. Patty's Day 5 and 10K, a parade - a real, honest-to-goodness parade (can't wait for that) with big-time donations from all these people in Chicago (they take their St. Patty's Day very seriously!), a St. Patty's Day party, my farewell party, and several lunches and pre-return errands, like packing and mailing my stuff home.

It's hardly going to seem normal.... er um... normal for Baghdad.

A desert oasis...

2009-03-04T20:40:00.005+03:00

So one one of the days of the trip to Qatar, we signed up for the "Inland Sea Picnic," which I'd heard from a friend at work was a pretty good time. For me, I was sold the moment she said we'd get to ride a camel.

One of the first things you'll notice is that the drivers of our 4-wheel drive SUVs seemed to like rap music. No, they didn't seem to like it, they loved it, and they loved it loud. Some of it was, er, um... R rated - so if you have sensitive ears, forgive me... I was just a passenger on this adventure.

The whole day was a hoot... and it was nice to get some sun on my pasty white legs.

I also shot this little Corona commercial while I was there... and thought I'd share... just cause, what else am I gonna do with it?

The last day of our trip... we went back to the Souqs... cause apparently we hadn't spent enough money yet. But I put my haggling skills to work... and got some great deals.

One thing I forgot to mention on the first day, which I found so utterly entertaining, is that pornography is not allowed in Qatar, so when we first arrived, they lined us up for customs and explained that if we had any porn, we needed to drop it in the amnesty box. What you wouldn't have guessed is that their idea of porn was anything that showed a lot of skin... like Women's Health and Yoga Magazine, both of which I had in my bag. Needless to say, I had to dispose of my porn. I was very concerned that my O Magazine would be confiscated... but in the end, I was able to keep that one - and it turned out they never even checked my bag. But I'm pretty sure I had more porn than anybody on the trip. That is definitely a sentence I never thought I'd utter...

Shop til ya drop

2009-03-01T19:38:00.008+03:00

During our tour of the city of Doha, there was a lot of shopping to do. We went to the Souqs first: the camel souqs, the old souqs, the gold souqs and then after a refueling lunch, we went to the City Centre mall.

I've pulled all the video from that into one brief clip - and you'll quickly realize I got a lot more video at the camel souqs and the old souqs than I did at the gold souqs - and that is, quite simply, because I was too busy shopping, wheeling and dealing, and haggling like crazy. I love a good haggle! I got some great pearls... for next to nothing compared to what they would have cost in the states. The deals on the jewelry there are unbelievable - well, except the gold... it's quite pricey right now (I stuck to pearls and sterling silver).

You'll also see that at the old souqs, sometimes my video is a bit rushed, because they warned us not to take pictures of the locals, and I just didn't want to appear to be doing that... so forgive the crummy camera shots. While I was there, I bought an Abiya (Ah-'buy-ya) - which is the attire the local women wear - the long black cover with the head scarf (it's not a burka, but it's close). This may sound strange, but I took some kind of comfort in the fact that the women have to wear that, because they aren't like burkas, and they aren't drab and just black - they're actually quite beautiful - with decorative designs on both the dress and the scarf. The one I bought was gorgeous.

So here's a quick fly by of the Souqs - with the last shots of the City Centre mall. They have a lot of malls... and this one was huge!

So here's this amazing, beautiful mall - which must have taken up about 3 city blocks and had its own ice skating rink... but when it was time to go to the bathroom... this is what we found:

Imagine trying to do that in an abiya that hangs down to the floor.

So, I spent a fortune... and we went back to the Souqs on our last day - so we could get some more time for shopping - as the city tour was kind of rushed... needless to say, I had some 'splaining to do when Ray checked the bank account! (teehee... what did he think I was over here working my butt off for? Duh... major shopping!)

Last video upload will be tomorrow, I hope - with the Inland Sea Picnic - our camel riding, dune 4-wheeling and ocean-side oasis... it was the highlight of the trip (or was that the pearls... hmmm)

Doin' Doha

2009-02-28T20:09:00.004+03:00

On our 2nd day in Qatar, we hopped on board the Doha City Tour, and had a great tour guide, who tooks us to the souqs (markets) - multiple souqs, actually - the camel souqs, the old souqs (antique market) and the gold souqs (gold and pearls everywhere).

Our guide, as well as the many people at the base who organize the tours, gave us a few warnings:
1. No spitting - you can be arrested for spitting in Qatar (not so much a problem for me)
2. No pictures of the people without asking their permission

Also, some interesting factoids about Qatar:
1. An oil-rich nation, Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the world.
2. The population is about 1 million - and only about 250-300K of them are Qataris.
3. Qataris don't have to pay for their homes or cars - the petition the government when that time comes and they are provided what they need.
4. Qatari men can have 3 or 4 wives - and in some cases, they build multiple houses (paid for by the govt) on one compound - one for each wife.
5. The Qataris are obsessed with getting the 2016 Summer Olympics - everywhere you look are Olympic signs and massive building.
6. The driving there is INSANE! I've never experienced driving like this - you are surely more likely to be killed driving in Doha than... well - serving in Iraq for sure. We almost got into a few accidents just getting around town.
7. It's a beautiful, peaceful city, where Sunni, Shi'ia, Christians, and a whole gaggle of other folks - all get along beautifully.

So I've loaded some of the sites we saw as we drove around the city, so you can see just how beautiful it is...

Tomorrow I'll post some video from the Souqs. For now, it's off to bed!

Qatar Day '0' - "It takes two"

2009-02-27T10:43:00.005+03:00

I just have to say how much I enjoyed my trip to Qatar, which I would have missed entirely if my friend, Belinda, hadn't said "when else in your life will you have the chance to do this?" - and if several of you hadn't posted or e-mailed that I only live once and should absolutely take the trip.

We had so much fun, saw so much and shopped (too much!) that I'm going to break this into a day by day for you - and use video to tell most of it.

When we arrived and got settled at about 2:30am on Friday morning - they determined that Friday was 'Day 0' - which is great, because you spend the day getting settled, acquainted with the area and how the process works, and of course - sleeping in.

We used 'day 0' to get manicures, pedicures and massages - the whole package for $31 - sweet!

We also ate at the Chili's on post (I missed the Margarita Grilled Chicken), and went to our first briefing to sign up for trips. You see, you attend a meeting on one day to sign up for trips the following day, and depending on what day of your pass you're on, you have a priority status which determines the order of how you can sign up. We lucked out and never had any trouble getting on any of the trips we wanted - which I'll share with you in the coming days. But even hanging out on post, there is plenty to do:

I know - I owe you about a million apologies. teehee!

Camel Love

2009-02-25T20:57:00.003+03:00

Isn't he adorable? I'm back in Baghdad, settling in and exhausted from a long day of travel and trying to catch up on e-mail... but I just had to post this as I uploaded my photos... cause he's smiling at me! Lots more to follow in the next few days!

Greetings from Qatar

2009-02-22T14:42:00.003+03:00

Well, we're on day 2 in Qatar - and it's awesome. I'm with my pal, Belinda, and we've been busy!
Just to give you the quick run of it, we spent the first day just getting situated, figuring out where everything is on the installation, and enjoying some good food (the dining facility here is awesome, and there's a Chili's - the smallest in the world, I'm told).

And of course - I finally got a glass of wine - and the wine here is... well - it's okay. There are 3 kinds to choose from... and none of them are that great, but that's alright - beggars can't be choosers! There's a 3 glass limit per person/per day - which is more than enough - especially since it's only okay wine :)

The first day out on a tour (yesterday), we went on the Doha city tour - out to the Souqs (markets) - a Camel Souq, the old Souqs (antiques/flea market kind of shopping - which was really cool), and then to the Gold Souqs - with gold and pearls everywhere you turned. I did by some pearls - they're remarkably inexpensive (for pearls) here, as that's one of the major trades - used to be the #1 trade, until they discovered they were sitting on a big ole pile of oil. I'll fill you in on the fascinating culture when I get back and upload my picts - but suffice it to say - it's good to be Qatarian. We also had a great lunch at a local restaurant, and spent the afternoon at what the Americans refer to as BAM - the Big Ass Mall. It's actually the City Centre Mall - and it's HUGE!

Last night there were comedians here - in the Top Off Club - which is really nice. It's inside a huge wherehouse, but it's made to look like a little street with pubs - an Irish pub, a cantina, and a little Italian place. There's a bowling alley, huge stage for entertainers and pool tables/ping-pong/video games and much more as far as the eye can see. And of course - a sweet movie room with giganto comfie leather recliners.

They take good care of the troops - no doubt about it.

Tomorrow, we're heading to the beach! I'm gonna get some sun on these pasty white legs before I get home!

Much more detail and photos to come - but so far, I can definitely say I'm glad I came! This has been really fascinating - if only to see an Arabic country that is peaceful, clean, and prosperous!

A taste of Iraq's culture

2009-02-17T19:23:00.011+03:00

During the first two months of the Islamic Lunar Calendar, it is a tradition here to prepare and cook a dish called "Hereesa." Its main ingredients are barley and meat, cooked together in a large pot, until all the ingredients are melted and resemble a creamy smooth texture like oatmeal.

Traditionally, everyone partakes in the preparation of the dish by taking turns, all night long, stirring the pot. Usually the food is distributed to the community as an act of sharing and solidarity.

For the last two years GRD prepared this cultural dish. This year, we did it again - but this year I caught it on camera. :)

First... the preparation of Hereesa... it takes all night long...

I should apologize that every now and then, my dad's sense of humor sneaks in... shovel ready - ugh.

I'm told that if I had stopped by when I got up for the gym the next morning, I would have found that the workers had fallen asleep on the picnic table and the fires were all out, but everything looked good by the time I showed up!

When in Rome, right? I mean, it's not like they didn't all bury it in cinnamon and sugar!

I should apologize about the chewing with my mouth open - I didn't realize I was doing it... something about the texture just seemed to make it happen... I noticed I wasn't the only one, thank God. So classy.

We did go on to a little ceremony where everyone sang the Iraqi National Anthem, and then I was off to another ceremony... a signing ceremony for the first Foreign Military Sales project we're taking on - which is where Iraq pays us to oversee construction of something for them. Now if that's not a good sign of our Hareesa wishes for a prosperous Iraq showing immediate fruition, I don't know what is!

Heading out tomorrow for Qatar - yes, I decided to go... so within a few days I'll be riding camels and drinking wine, not necessarily in that order!

I'm in a pickle - help me out!

2009-02-11T20:30:00.002+03:00

That is the strangest phrase... what was going through the mind of the first person who used that to mean they were in an awkward situation?

Anyway - one of the perks of being a civilian here is that you get the 15 day R&R (which I took at Christmastime) and a 4 day pass - which can either be spent lounging around your hooch... or you can take a short flight to Qatar, land of beaches, pearls, amazing shopping and wine.

Sadly, my dilemma isn't 'should I stay around the hooch or should I go to paradise?' No, that would be too easy. The problem is that I've had several people tell me that travel to and from Qatar is often quite delayed, and more often than not, a 4 day pass becomes a 10 day pass.

I can't stomach the idea of being out of the office for ten days... or anything close to it. I was struggling enough with the idea of being gone for 6 days (4 days on the ground and 2 travel days). Then add to the mix that after I planned the trip, my team scheduled a blogger's roundtable for the night I'm supposed to leave and a press conference for that Sunday.

Now, don't get me wrong - I haven't a worry in the world about how it'll go while I'm gone. Nicole is a rock star and will make sure everything runs smoothly. But that, added to the possibility of major delays... I don't know...

What would you do? I need some advice. It's one of the benefits of the job... but that doesn't necessarily mean I have to take it... but then again - when else in my life will I have the chance to go to Qatar for free? Help!

Saying Goodbye...

2009-02-08T11:43:00.008+03:00

We've had a whole lot of farewells lately, it seems. Or perhaps it's just that the longer I'm here, I get to know more people, and so I pay more attention when they leave...

My pal, Tambour left recently - and she's left a void in our crew... our crew of killer chics in Baghdad (smile). But I thought I'd show you a little sampling of how we celebrate our people when they leave.

The week Tambour left, three other battle buddies left as well - so we had a big send off. I wanted to post this, because I think it shows you the kind of people who are here, sacrificing so much to leave this country a little bit better than they found it.

For the record, I'll be partaking in my own bonvoyage in just six weeks. I can't even believe how fast the time has flown by. I've also decided that I will take my four-day pass before then, which is a trip to Qatar. I wasn't going to go at first, but I've gotten the office where I want it, things are running smoothly (knock on wood), and in all honesty, when else in my life will I have a chance to go to Qatar?

A milestone on my squeeze's road of life

2009-02-01T21:04:00.000+03:00

The traditional 10 year anniversary gift is, strangely enough, tin or aluminum. I don't even want to imagine what my darling husband is going to give me for a gift for our 10 year anniversary... but that's down the road a bit.

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the day my squeeze pinned on Sergeant Major. That's right - he's been an E-9 for 10 years - terrorizing young soldiers... and officers of all ages. :)

In honor of this momentus occasion, I thought I'd tell you all a little story about my squeeze.

If you don't know all his stories - you'll miss some of the inside jokes... but really... this is for you Baby!

A special thanks to Nicole who served as an excellent camera operator... and suffered through my snickering and giggling as I wrote it and cracked myself up... as well as my reading it more than once, because the first time I said "tattoo" instead of "tattoos" - and we all know there's nothing singular about his tattoos!

I also want to thank Kelley who conspired with me to surprise him with this during the Superbowl Sunday party... teeheehee...

Wish I was there!

I've got a cold in my nose...

2009-01-30T08:44:00.003+03:00

My parents tortured me as a child. It's true. They'd put on 8 track tapes of Funny Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, the Jazz Singer and more... and although I can't remember what I had for breakfast, if I hear anything or experience anything that hints at any songs from those soundtracks, I end up singing those songs in my head all day.

Today, I'm fighting off a sinus thing, a nasty cold that's kicked the asses of most of the people here. The mere fact that I have a cold, has the song "I've got a cold in my nose" from - I can't remember if it was Funny Girl or Funny Lady -- stuck in my head for 2 days now. As if the sinus pressure wasn't enough torture.

I wish I was as high speed with blogging as my cousin, Audra, who manages to put audio players on her blog posts - because then I'd have you all singing it, too. Misery loves company.

Somehow despite the head feeling like it's going to explode, we did two very successful radio interviews last night, one with WTOP in DC and one with FOX News Radio. My boss is becoming such a rock star... (the one that was dancing with us in the last posting... teehee).

When I met him, he hadn't done any real media. We got him trained up... and prep him well before each interview. He's getting more and more confident, and you can see him getting better with each media engagement. Last night, he hit a home run.

See, most people think you have to be a spin doctor to be successful with the media - but that is soooo not true. You have to have confidence in yourself, and have something worth talking about that you really believe in, and you have to be able to say, honestly, that you are doing something meaningful with the best of intentions. Where people get clobbered is when they don't have that confidence - then when the difficult questions come, you get so nervous that your brain stops functioning and you can't communicate the good things you were trying to say... or even your side of the story.

I like to tell people that their brain starts working the moment they're born, and stops working the moment someone puts a camera in their face. Anyway - it was a good day... a win in my book.

Another win, this week - my friend Carolyn, the rock star who is going to replace me, was finally offered the job officially (don't even get me started about how long that took)... and is scheduled to arrive in March... which will hopefully give us plenty of time to transition and get her set up for success. I can't even believe I'm down to like 6 weeks until I pull out... it's flying by so quickly.

Whew! What a day!

2009-01-25T20:42:00.003+03:00

A couple of months of planning... a few weeks of preparation... and a whole lot of effort on the part of my team paid off. Today we had one heck of a busy day... but very promising.

Today is the 5 year anniversary of GRD - 5 years of reconstruction work in Iraq, 4,400+ projects completed... remarkable partnerships with the government of Iraq established... and thousands of dedicated volunteers and service members risking their lives to make it all happen.

To mark the occasion, we had a press conference, with 19 media organizations in attendance (17 Iraqi/pan-Arab media, 2 Western); then we had a ceremony with a cake cutting, remarks from the commander and Command Sergeant Major, an unveiling of a gift to the people of Iraq and kicking off our pencil drive; and then the commander and our senior civilian did an interview with AFN.

So my rock-stars and I - well, we have this thing we like to do to celebrate a success... and today... we had lots to celebrate!

Yep... it was a good day in Baghdad! Can we boogie down or what?

Ironically, I came back to my hooch to edit this... and guess what was on AFN Movie Channel while I worked on it?

Footloose!

What do you mean no beer for me??

2009-01-24T18:17:00.004+03:00

Can you believe this? Apparently not everyone has signed on to the whole '2 beers on Superbowl Sunday' thing - and because the Navy and Air Force haven't come around to allow their people to participate, and we have Sailors and Airmen on the GRD staff, the dumb-old rule about "if ANYONE can't do it, NO ONE can do it" is kicking in. Who wrote those dumb rules anyway?

Yep - no beer for DeDe on Superbowl Sunday. You should all feel immensely sorry for me.

Of all days to be in Iraq...

2009-01-20T19:01:00.004+03:00

Today, of all days since I've arrived here, I'm wishing I was home - because I would give anything - I would have slept in my office - in order to be part of this historic moment in time. I know, most of you are probably like "no way would I want to be in that mess." But to me, it would all be worth it.

This morning, I was watching the news, and as they talked about the event, I found myself overwhelmed with a need to pray. I'm not what you would call a religious person... but I do pray before almost every meal. This morning, though - I was overwhelmed with a need to pray for the Obamas, for their safety, and for the nation.

I wore an Obama t-shirt to work today, to celebrate our new commander in chief (and only got a little bit of crap about it).

I look forward to whatever the future holds - anything is possible!

A Cigar Night We'll Never Forget...

2009-01-18T12:20:00.005+03:00

I know, I know - I've been really bad about posting. I've been so busy - down one person, trying to hire, getting ready for our 5 year anniversary, and just catching up from vacation.

Enough excuses.

Every Thursday and Sunday night, a crowd gathers around the fire pit for cigars and socialization - a nice chance to wind down. The usual cigar night has about 5-6 people gathered around, shooting the breeze, and just turning off our brains. Because of General Order #1, we often drink near beer - which really just makes you forget where you are... it's like your camping with your buddies.

Thursday night, one of the regulars, Rich, was enjoying his last cigar night in the IZ. He left Friday for his next adventure - Korea. He's in the Air Force - really nice guy who was always in the gym at the crack of dawn, which is how we became friends. Between that, and Amy bringing some squid (packaged like beef jerkey) for us all to enjoy - the crowd grew to approximately 20-25 people.

I took my new high speed video camera with me - now I should say - I hadn't really had a chance to read the manual on how to use the darned thing... so it took me a while to upload, edit and post this video - but some of the video is really dark, 'cause I didn't really know what the camera was capable of... but I promise, I've since read the manual - and it turns out... there is a light on the camera, which really would have come in handy when cigar night took an interesting turn...

The most entertaining part, I think, was all of us racing for the Duck & Cover at the exact same time. We were moving pretty fast. But I'll tell ya, if you've got to be locked down in a Duck & Cover bunker for 20 minutes - it's good to have a near beer, a cigar, and a camera. :)

For the record, the rocket or mortar, or whatever it was, that was launched went right over the IZ - no harm, no foul.

We all went right back out to the campfire and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

Kids say the darndest things...

2009-01-11T12:41:00.004+03:00

As promised, the Christmas card received by a friend of mine here as part of a school project to send cards to personnel serving in Iraq. Very sweet sentiment indeed. If only...

If you have any trouble reading it, click on it, and it should provide a full sized image for your reading pleasure... teehee...

I need two of me!

2009-01-10T20:33:00.002+03:00

As you can imagine, getting back after 3 weeks away means the first week back is INSANE! I've been going a million miles an hour each day since I got back - and I'm having a hard time turning the brain off at night and getting to sleep... but damn - I love this! It really will be hard to leave when the time comes...

I know what you're thinking - "ya, DeDe - what's new? You always say that..."

You're absolutely right - I just had to write something to get that drunken blog and really drunken picture of me off of the main screen! teehee...

I have a really funny card I want to share with you tomorrow, but forgot to e-mail to my hooch PC before I left - so I'll warn you now to check back tomorrow for a hysterical card that a friend of mine here received during the holidays from a random 3rd grader back home - kids really do say the darndest things!

But my one tid-bit of news I can use (yes I said I) that I want to share with you tonight, is that General Odierno, the commander of Multi-National Forces - Iraq, the huge, football player looking guy calling the shots here - announced this week that on Superbowl Sunday - we get to drink! True story! I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it... but they've decided we can have two 12 oz beers on Superbowl Sunday (continuing technically into Monday since the game begins at 2am Monday our time). Check this out!

I find it amusing that he said beer, specifically. Why can't I have the equivalent in wine? Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

Last Call!!!

2009-01-04T04:26:00.003+03:00

I'm drinking in every last moment! Now, that can be read two ways - and both are correct!

Some of you would take that as this deep, philosophical, absorption of every moment, trying to memorize the smell of my husband, the feel of Harley's kisses, the comfort of my own home and Temperpedic matress (sigh), and the taste of that last bite of sushi (Fuji's was the first restaurant we hit upon my arrival, and the last one we hit on our way to the airport).

Others (those of you who probably know me too well - remind me to stop calling you, will ya?) know that that also, quite literally means, I'm spending every last minute I can with a drink in my hand (thank God for the free drinks when you upgrade to business class!) as there's General Order #1 in effect .

I'm actually at the airport right now... chillin' in the Red Carpet Club Lounge.... have called Ray three times since he dropped me off (is that bad?)

I'd like to take a moment to just say 'hats off' to the whole concept of upgrading to business class. between myself and my damned-perfect husband, I had enough miles to upgrade the trip there, the trip home for R&R, the return from R&R, and will also be able to do so for the final trip home in March (10.5 weeks, but whose counting?). When your flight is 12-14 hours - IT IS SO WORTH IT!

So after lounging in the Red Carpet Club lounge, I'll climb on board (priority boarding), have a drink offered to me before we even take off, have a great meal, 7-8 movies to choose from at any given time... and MOST importantly, a big-ass seat that fully reclines with a leg support like recliner, that makes it seem like I'm just chilling out, having a lazy day of movie watching and falling asleep in front of the boob-tube.

Now... as you all pull our your little violins and tell me to shut the hell up... need I remind you I'm returning to the Land of Salad and Turkey Sandwiches? I won't do anything other than work and work out for the next 2 1/2 months... every day... 10-12 hours a day...

So just tolerate me during this one moment.

Ooh - glass is empty and the nice lady at the front desk gave me two drink coupons instead of one... Ein moment, bitte....

Okay - all booze jokes aside - this was a wonderful vacation... and although not as difficult as the first separation (which was full of the big unknown), it was still very tough to pack up and leave. Perhaps if I wasn't the luckiest woman in the world... married to the most wonderful man ever created... it wouldn't be so hard. But damn, I love him so much - and I love our life.

So - 10.5 weeks (notice how much shorter that sounds, as opposed to 2 1/2 months?)... the first half flew by... this will to.

Honey - I'll be home before you know it! Have a good bottle of Red corked and waiting for me!

Lazy days...

2008-12-29T14:20:00.003+03:00

I love home...

This was actually a picture from last Christmas, but we made it our Christmas card this year... isn't he the cutest thing ever! Harley wigged when I came in the first time. I had this romanticized idea of what it would be like - did you see that video on YouTube (also replayed on most national networks) of the soldier coming home and his dogs went nuts jumping all over him and licking his face? Well, you can imagine after seeing that, what I thought it would be like... but instead, Harley started barking like crazy, and all the hair on his back stood up as I got closer, and until I was right there and he smelled me - he wasn't happy to have anyone other than Ray in the house! I think he's a bit of a grudge holder - mad at me for leaving in the first place. But he's coming around.

I'm having such a relaxing and peaceful holiday... we've been eating and drinking way too much - I've gained 5 pounds since I got here, even though we're still going to the gym every day. I'm not worried though. It'll fall right off as soon as I return to The Land of Salad and Turkey Sandwiches (I believe that's is official name now).

Ray and I have been very low key... just eating at our favorite restauraunts, hitting the malls (doing our part for the economy). The best part is, the time is not flying by! Usually you're so busy and go-go-go during the holidays, that the time flies by, but it's not - which is wonderful.

The most social we've been is that a friend of mine, Carolyn, and her husband Brian came over for dinner Saturday. Carolyn will be replacing me as chief of public affairs in March - which is great news! She's the perfect person for the job - and knowing that she'll take over, makes it very easy for me to walk away guilt-free. Those of you who know me best, were probably worried I'd extend and stay another six months! I probably would have if I hadn't found the perfect person to replace me. :)

Hope you all had a great holiday - and I'm hoping wonderful things for you for the New Year!

See ya in 2009!

Kick out the dancing girls, honey... I'm coming home!

2008-12-15T13:19:00.008+03:00

The bags are packed, the workload is all caught up and my 'acting chief' is all spun-up on what to do when I'm away... all that's left is the long, drawn out commute home!

We just had our little PAO office gift exchange, and are listening to the Muppets Christmas CD right now - Nicole has brought some interesting music selections with her!

There's nothing like listening to her and Polli do their Miss Piggy imitation when she sings the "5 golden rings" line of the 12 Days of Christmas... :)

I probably won't have internet access for a few days, and - well - dont' take this personally, but my blog will likely be the last thing on my mind while I'm at home, so I doubt I'll be posting much, if at all, for the next couple of weeks. Perhaps I'll send an update while Ray is busy cooking our Christmas feast! :) Man, I miss his cooking!

When I get back after the holidays, I'll have crossed the 1/2 way point - and it's all downhill from there! (But I have to say... I really am loving this job!)

So that said, in case I don't get a chance to say it later - happy holidays to each of you. I hope that whatever you celebrate, and however you do it, that each day is filled with love and blessings galore. Thank you for your support each and every day. This whole experience has made me so much more appreciative of everything I have, and how unbelievably blessed I am.

I'll close with some photos from our holiday party the other night...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's beginning to look...

2008-12-12T07:40:00.007+03:00

a 'little bit' like Christmas...

Not quite 'a lot' - but a little! Ray sent me a whole bunch of decorations... and I got a bunch more from all my friends and co-workers at headquarters. Ray also sent some gifts that I can give to the staff... and Habiba our cleaning lady - she's so lovely - one of those people who just emits love from their pores, you know? This is a picture of us on the infamous flooding day...

So... that doesn't have anything to do with Christmas... clearly - but that's part of the point! The weather is 'colder' - in fact, yesterday, I felt downright cold at times - because it was in the upper 50's! Most days it's upper 60's and low 70's - with a cool breeze that is wonderful - but it's not Christmas weather! Not since I left SLO, anyway (that's San Luis Obispo, Ca - for you non-SLO'ans)!

It feels very Autumn-esque. But, thanks to the generous gifts of friends and loved ones... I turned the office into a festive holiday setting...

I should have taken a picture of my desk, too - shoot! Ray got me some really cute stuff. Perhaps I'll add them later.

We're also having a holiday party tomorrow night - all of GRD - with a tree lighting and caroling! Again - the whole singing in public thing just seems wrong when the egg nog is virgin! I have yet to sing at Karaoke night... because hello! It just seems wrong to do that sober!

Hmm... I digress again.

So one more holiday side-note for you before I head to the gym... I was all worried about offending our Iraqi associates if I did the office up in all sorts of Christmas stuff - just for ignorance of what they do and do not believe/celebrate. I even asked Ray not to send me a Christmas tree, to make sure they don't take offense...

Well, they don't! Mohammed tells me that's his favorite part of Christmas - and that his family does up a Christmas tree every year!

So the holidays are on! And one week from today, I'll be waking up in my own Temperpedic bed, snuggled up next to my warm, handsome, loving husband and my tiny, loveable dog... and right after breakfast that morning - it's off to the spa and salon! Woohoo!

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

2008-12-08T20:15:00.015+03:00

How many words will these pictures be worth? I can't tell you much about this elementary school, other than what I've already said - it's made of straw and mud, has 120 students who attend in two different shifts (morning and afternoon), and it now gets clean water because of a mini water treatment plant we built just up the road.

We stopped in to meet the kids and deliver a couple of soccer balls and some candy. I've never seen kids so happy just to have the chance to learn... and to have people pay a little attention to them. Ray always says "you don't miss what you don't know." This experience reminded me that we are unbelievably spoiled... and blessed...

We are unbelievably spoiled

2008-12-07T06:13:00.014+03:00

So when I finally arrived down at Gulf Region South (GRS) - our district that covers the 9 southern provinces in Iraq (I think I got that right from memory... scary - if you know me, you know my memory sucks), I spent the first day just hanging out with Norris, our public affairs officer (PAO) there, and sharing with him a lot of cool tools that we have access to for public affairs stuff, meeting lots of neat folks who are very passionate about their work, and then we all chilled out and smoked cigars out at their lovely little pavilion.

On the second day, we headed out to Nasiriyah, which is really a beautiful city. The Euphrates runs right through it, and all along the river, it is so lush and green. I felt such mixed feelings, as there was so much beauty, but all along the route, so much trash. In fact, it seems everywhere you look throughout Iraq, there is trash all over the place. It's an environmental nightmare.

So first we went to a huge drain pumping station, but couldn't get in, because Prime Minister Maliki was hosting the ribbon cutting that day - and they wouldn't let us in without our security teams leaving their weapons behind - and that ain't gonna happen. So we headed over to the next project on the list - a mini water treatment plant in Al Shofa. This first picture is of me and Norris at the plant. He's a great guy - a retired Navy Captain who's planning to settle down in Thailand when he wraps up in Iraq.

So this water treatment plant is a small one, which provides clean water to about 1,500 people in the town of Al Shofa. First I want to show you what the water looks like before it enters the plant...

This little creek is their only water source - you can see how filthy it is - and cholera and tiphoid and all sorts of other diseases are a big threat around here. The picture on the right is the what they used to use to gather water from this creek for cooking, cleaning, drinking, bathing - you know - all those little things for which water comes in handy.

Now - instead - the water is sucked up into the plant and treated... then stored in this very high storage container...

This one is just my pathetic attempt to get artsy... (over a water treatment plant? Must've been the cigar from the night before!)

And what comes out at the other end? Well, it's not necessarily something I would drink - but I'm spoiled - but it is much clearer, much cleaner and free of disease.

This same water runs through a bunch of tiny hoses to the homes in the village - and most importantly for my story, to the tiny little school of Al Shofa, which is where we'll pick up tomorrow... 'cause I'm worn out!

If you would like to send something...

2008-12-06T21:33:00.002+03:00

I can unquestionably say I lack for nothing, here. But Krissy asked me for an address, as have a few other people, so let me put it out there... but I'd like to request that instead of sending something for me... send something for the people of Iraq - school supplies, toys, clothes, shoes, you name it. There is a lot of need, here - and it's not in my hooch.

And since I'm on the subject - in honor of GRD's 5th anniversary in Iraq, which is coming up next month on Jan. 25th, we are going to ask everyone to send donations of pencils. The traditional 5th anniversary gift is wood - so we figured pencils would be wood that we can give to the schools! Just for the record, we've built more than 1,100 schools in this country in 5 years - and when I have time tomorrow morning (I hope) to post the story of my visit to the school just outside of Nasiriyah, you can see why so many more are needed.

So, if you want to send something, feel free to send it to me at:
GRD (PAO)
APO, AE 09348

For those of you who never mailed anything to me when I lived in Germany, yes - I know that looks weird, but trust me - it's right. It's a military post office address... and it'll find me :)

For now, I'm too tired to think anymore - we had a false alarm at 3am that woke me up, and no going back to sleep - once my brain starts going... there's no turning it off... so - now I'm gonna crash into bed... it'll be all I can do to wash my face and brush my teeth first!

Nighty night!

And the skies opened up

2008-12-05T06:44:00.013+03:00

So I'm warning you now - the adventures of my recent trip to our southern district will take a few separate postings - it's just too much for one ... I'm gonna spoon feed ya.

I can't tell you about the trip, without telling you about the day we left for the trip - the same day as the incoming round into the IZ while I stood there in my birthday suit. Let's just say it was the beginning of a most interesting day. When I headed into the office that morning - this was Saturday, the 29th - we were all abuzz about the incoming, and of course, because I love self-detrimental humor, I was telling everyone about my birthday suit extravaganza.

At 9am, our security gurus were going to be holding a drill, to practice how to handle a mass casualty event. They'd asked us to have our photographer, Hussain, come over and capture some of the action. So when he arrived at about 8:45am, I escorted him over to make sure he knew who to talk to, where to go and all that fun stuff. However, just as we entered the security building on the compound across the street, where they were holding the exercise, there was another lockdown. The loudspeakers announced it, the guards all pulled us into the building and asked us to sit on the floor against the wall. We sat there like good little soldiers, and I was thinking 'well, things are really heating up around here!'

About 20 minutes later... I caught wind of the word 'drill' being tossed about - and realized that I was locked down as part of the mass casualty exercise! I asked one of the guards, and yes, in fact, it was a drill, and no, I could not under any circumstances leave to go cover it. So, needless to say, the exercise was a great success, because we were locked down and unable to go anywhere - back to my office, or to take photos of the event - for about 45 minutes. (Sigh)

So I FINALLY get back to my offfice at about 9:45am, and at 10am, our power goes out to all of the computers, as they were working on the wiring in the building - they said it would be out for about 2 hours. That's when I came back to my hooch and blogged about the morning's incoming and packed for my trip.

When I got back into the office, it was time for me to head to the palace for my weekly meeting with all of the PAOs here, and to pick up the reporter for AFN that I was escorting down to our southern district. While I was in the meeting, unbelievably loud booms could be heard echoing through the building. My initial reaction - the skies were opening up with incoming... and I was sort of right - the skies had opened up with thunder, lightening, buckets of rain and several inches of hail! It was a freak storm! This photo is from the roof of our building - that's hail!

So, anyway - I met up with the reporter, Andrew Kraus, and because we were on a deadline - we headed for the door, to discover everyone standing under cover and on high ground, as flooding had just overtaken the Embassy. We, however, were on a deadline and had to get back to my compound, so we made the slow run/quick walk/determined dredge through the now mid-calf-high ICE COLD water as the rain kept pelting down on us for the approx 150 yard trek to the truck. Thank God we have a Suburban, because otherwise we wouldn't have been going anywhere, but we made it back safe - not necessarily sound - but safe. However, the flooding there was even worse! So I dropped Andrew off at the door to my building and went to park the car. I sloshed my way to my hooch, which was luckily dry (lots of other buildings had major flooding/leaks), and grabbed my backpacks and body armor, and then grabbed my civilian uniform, as well, because I clearly couldn't wear what I had on for the rest of the day's travels - I looked like a drowned rat! (I wish someone had gotten a picture of me - it was a sight!)

I practically swam down the street to my office, where I dried off with paper towels and changed into my civilian uniform (wouldn't have done any good to change at the hooch, cause there was no way to get back to my office without going through now knee-high ice-cube filled water. The only problem - I forgot to grab a dry bra! UGH! Clearly not my day.

Luckily, shortly before we actually left, they managed to get enough of the street cleared up, that I was able to get back to my hooch and change that oh-so-important article of clothing. Poor Andrew only had with him what he had on, and in his back-pack, so he spent the whole 4 day trip in wet boots! So it could have been worse!

You ever have one of those days? You know what makes it better? Photos like this one:

There was a lot of that going on... how about those make-shift rain boots? Who ever would have thought I'd need rain boots in Iraq? This is the THIRD TIME it's rained hard and the streets have flooded, just since I got here! This is the desert, people!

So here's one last shot - me in my DCU's (Desert Combat Uniform) right before we headed out for the adventures in GRS. I'll tell you all about them tomorrow! It was AWESOME!

Before I hit the sack, I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone at my office back in DC who sent me some amazing care packages full of holiday goodies, as well as my most amazing husband who did the same. The office is completely decked out for the holidays - and we're up to our eyeballs in chocolate! YAY!

So much to say and absolutely no time...

2008-12-04T06:08:00.003+03:00

I just got back from an awesome trip down to our district in southern Iraq (Gulf Region South, or GRS). It was so awesome. I had to go down for two reasons: I was escorting media and I needed some time with our PAO down there to make sure he knew how to use some of the high speed new tools we've added to our collection.

I'm looking forward to telling you all about it - but I just got back yesterday and am way behind on work stuff, so tomorrow morning (yay! It's almost Friday! How I live for Fridays!) I'll sit down and upload the photos (they are so awesome - when you see the smile on my face... it's like ear to ear) and tell you all about it.

I just wanted to check in so y'all didn't get worried. I could hear it in the 6 voice mail messages my dad left for me while I was gone (love you, daddy!), that perhaps I wasn't very good about alerting people to the fact that I would be out of the loop for a few days. Sorry about that!

Incoming... the lighter side

2008-11-29T11:08:00.005+03:00

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. I read an article that said two people were killed and several more injured in a mortar attack that hit inside the IZ this morning - it's not really clear where - but, I can tell you that the sound was unbelievably loud - so loud that I was convinced it was right outside my door. Turns out it wasn't even on our compound, but nonetheless, it's a stark reminder that there are still people here who don't want us around - it is still a very dangerous place. Today I remembered why we get danger pay.

That said - there is a good bit of humor in my first real lockdown:

I sleep in pajama pants and a tank top, and not anything cutsie or anything - because it dawned on me one night that if there was an attack and I had to run for it, I didn't want to be in embarassing or inappropriate attire. So this morning, I got up at 4:30am, Skyped with Ray (when did Skype become a verb?) for a few, and then headed to the gym for another in my series of post-Thanksgiving pig-out work-outs. I popped back into my hooch to get cleaned up for work, and no sooner did I remove the last stitch of clothing to hop in the shower, when the thunderous boom hit. I knew the lockdown would likely follow within seconds, and reached for my body armor and thought, "I can't put that on over nothing!" I could only imagine if something happened here and I had to run for my life in my birthday suit + body armor and Kevlar (helmet). What a site - wait... I can see it now on the cover of Time...

Needless to say, I threw on some sweats and my body armor, threw a pillow on the floor and copped a squat. I was watching CNN's Thanksgiving special on Heroes (with the volume down quite a bit to be able to hear announcements), which kept my mind off of what was really going on (sort of).

All is well... but this is still a very dangerous place. Please keep us in your prayers, if you are so inclined.