Thursday, December 25, 2008
Feliz Navidad!
With much love and joy, we want to wish everybody out there a Merry, Merry Christmas! May God bless you during this beautiful holiday!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Back to the Sticks!
Nah, I'm kidding, really. So what if I grew up in an area where we give directions based on landmarks rather than street names? LOL....I am back in NJ and loving it already. Of course, one of the wacky things about coming back after you have been gone for awhile is that you notice how much has changed in your absence. Almost like you thought that everything should have stayed the same while you were gone, you know? But c'est la vie (I probably didn't even spell that correctly, so forgive me if you speak French)...
So let me tell you about the trip...if you have kids, perhaps you understand the stress of traveling with children for long distances. I think one of the troubles with living on an island is that you can't exactly drive to your destination on the mainland. Even though you would technically be trapped for long stretches of time with your kids in a car, you don't have to inflict them on other people in a confined area of space. If you have to regulate on them, it's your business and nobody is looking at you like they are about to call Child Protective Services. But airplanes...oh, my. I try really hard to prepare myself for the plane trips - I get toys and gadgets for entertainment, the portable DVD for distraction, a favorite stuffed animal/blanky, and of course, extra meditative breathing exercises and a nice, extended prayer that we not only have a safe trip, but that I don't completely lose my mind in the process. God certainly granted my wishes in His own way, LOL...I have to believe that He was giving me an opportunity to improve my skills in the area of patience!
We were traveling on a night flight, and I was operating under the assumption - or hope, rather - that all 3 would pass out once we got to cruising altitude. No problem there with my two boys. But for some reason, Isa decided that this particular airplane was not doing it for her. She did not want to sleep, she wanted to run around. Needless to say, the aisles of airplanes these days are not exactly the widest places in the world, so that got old pretty fast. Next attempt was the DVD player. I don't think Isa realized that the people around her did not want to hear her recite verbatim the dialogue (and songs, mind you!) to "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." So I attempted bribery with food - I know, bad Mommy! But alas, the goldfish and juice only went so far, because my little terror was tired and fighting sleep like crazy.
I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate it when you are trying to calm down your child, and everyone is making that face like, "Can she PLEASE get that kid under control?" So sue me, maybe I have had that thought myself at times...but now I realize how much it sucks, especially when you know that under most circumstances, your child is a well-behaved creature. Well, those were the faces I saw while Isa and I battled for supremacy over her desire to holler and cry in a plane full of folks attempting to sleep. The sleeping giant eventually took over - HALF AN HOUR LATER - and mercifully, she finally passed out. Did I mention that I went and hid in the bathroom for 10 minutes afterwards? I was so frazzled at that point that I couldn't sleep myself!
I stayed awake throughout the entire flight (thank you, Lord, that the tailwinds were fierce - our usually 10-11 hour flight took only 9 hours!) and we made it to Newark only a little worse for wear. And boy, was it cold! It actually was raining (hailing?) ice while we drove down the turnpike to my parents house in "P-Town." When I finally went to bed the first night, I slept from about 10:30 pm until 1200 pm the next day! Man, I was exhausted.
But I was definitely ready to head outdoors on Wednesday! First stop: commissary. On the way to Fort Dix and McGuire, I got nostalgic and drove on the back roads past Garden Terrace to see where my old house was. And then I got kind of sad - it no longer exists. Torn down with all the rest of the decrepit, outdated homes from back in the day, and replaced with this housing that is just so beautiful. And don't get me wrong, in retrospect, my old house was not a prize...if I am being honest, it kind of looked like a small, extended white box that was plopped on earth back in the 60's. But I still remember that it was my very first home as an adult, and both times my Dad was stationed on Fort Dix we lived in the same neighborhood, in homes exactly like it. Sniff, sniff....memories....
....but the homes are still gorgeous! Who knows, if we get stationed back at McGuire, we may move back into that neighborhood! Nice thought to ponder over.....anyway, I hit up the commissary to stock up on a few things that I just can't live without, food-wise, and then the PX/BX. Isabella scammed us out of an Elmo doll that won't shut up. I thought it was the cutest thing ever until she decided that we all should hear every single one of his programmed phrases, over and over and OVER again. I think my ears are bleeding. Needless to say, Elmo got sent to bed for the night and is now sitting on a shelf until tomorrow.
I also got to take a brief trip to Target...and almost sighed in sheer bliss as I walked into the store. See, there are certain stores that do not yet exist in Hawaii, and Target is one of them. And I LOVE THAT STORE. I have been suffering from separation anxiety without it (just for the record, Hawaii also does not have Victoria's Secret, JC Penney, Bath and Body Works...but they recently acquired an Express, however, and I hear rumors that they are thinking of opening a Target, but we shall see. Don't get my hopes up). Anyway, I picked up a cart full of stuff and even got most of my Christmas shopping knocked out. Woo hoo!
And now I am in my Dad's office, where I have commandeered his computer so I can catch up with all of you. My fingers are freezing and I am starting to yawn, so this must mean it is time to wrap things up. But first, I have to add one thing: Ike, if you are reading this, I love you and we miss you, too!
I will keep you updated on our adventures in the Garden State. I plan on seeing a lot of my family and friends, so there should be plenty to write about! 'Til then...
So let me tell you about the trip...if you have kids, perhaps you understand the stress of traveling with children for long distances. I think one of the troubles with living on an island is that you can't exactly drive to your destination on the mainland. Even though you would technically be trapped for long stretches of time with your kids in a car, you don't have to inflict them on other people in a confined area of space. If you have to regulate on them, it's your business and nobody is looking at you like they are about to call Child Protective Services. But airplanes...oh, my. I try really hard to prepare myself for the plane trips - I get toys and gadgets for entertainment, the portable DVD for distraction, a favorite stuffed animal/blanky, and of course, extra meditative breathing exercises and a nice, extended prayer that we not only have a safe trip, but that I don't completely lose my mind in the process. God certainly granted my wishes in His own way, LOL...I have to believe that He was giving me an opportunity to improve my skills in the area of patience!
We were traveling on a night flight, and I was operating under the assumption - or hope, rather - that all 3 would pass out once we got to cruising altitude. No problem there with my two boys. But for some reason, Isa decided that this particular airplane was not doing it for her. She did not want to sleep, she wanted to run around. Needless to say, the aisles of airplanes these days are not exactly the widest places in the world, so that got old pretty fast. Next attempt was the DVD player. I don't think Isa realized that the people around her did not want to hear her recite verbatim the dialogue (and songs, mind you!) to "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." So I attempted bribery with food - I know, bad Mommy! But alas, the goldfish and juice only went so far, because my little terror was tired and fighting sleep like crazy.
I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate it when you are trying to calm down your child, and everyone is making that face like, "Can she PLEASE get that kid under control?" So sue me, maybe I have had that thought myself at times...but now I realize how much it sucks, especially when you know that under most circumstances, your child is a well-behaved creature. Well, those were the faces I saw while Isa and I battled for supremacy over her desire to holler and cry in a plane full of folks attempting to sleep. The sleeping giant eventually took over - HALF AN HOUR LATER - and mercifully, she finally passed out. Did I mention that I went and hid in the bathroom for 10 minutes afterwards? I was so frazzled at that point that I couldn't sleep myself!
I stayed awake throughout the entire flight (thank you, Lord, that the tailwinds were fierce - our usually 10-11 hour flight took only 9 hours!) and we made it to Newark only a little worse for wear. And boy, was it cold! It actually was raining (hailing?) ice while we drove down the turnpike to my parents house in "P-Town." When I finally went to bed the first night, I slept from about 10:30 pm until 1200 pm the next day! Man, I was exhausted.
But I was definitely ready to head outdoors on Wednesday! First stop: commissary. On the way to Fort Dix and McGuire, I got nostalgic and drove on the back roads past Garden Terrace to see where my old house was. And then I got kind of sad - it no longer exists. Torn down with all the rest of the decrepit, outdated homes from back in the day, and replaced with this housing that is just so beautiful. And don't get me wrong, in retrospect, my old house was not a prize...if I am being honest, it kind of looked like a small, extended white box that was plopped on earth back in the 60's. But I still remember that it was my very first home as an adult, and both times my Dad was stationed on Fort Dix we lived in the same neighborhood, in homes exactly like it. Sniff, sniff....memories....
....but the homes are still gorgeous! Who knows, if we get stationed back at McGuire, we may move back into that neighborhood! Nice thought to ponder over.....anyway, I hit up the commissary to stock up on a few things that I just can't live without, food-wise, and then the PX/BX. Isabella scammed us out of an Elmo doll that won't shut up. I thought it was the cutest thing ever until she decided that we all should hear every single one of his programmed phrases, over and over and OVER again. I think my ears are bleeding. Needless to say, Elmo got sent to bed for the night and is now sitting on a shelf until tomorrow.
I also got to take a brief trip to Target...and almost sighed in sheer bliss as I walked into the store. See, there are certain stores that do not yet exist in Hawaii, and Target is one of them. And I LOVE THAT STORE. I have been suffering from separation anxiety without it (just for the record, Hawaii also does not have Victoria's Secret, JC Penney, Bath and Body Works...but they recently acquired an Express, however, and I hear rumors that they are thinking of opening a Target, but we shall see. Don't get my hopes up). Anyway, I picked up a cart full of stuff and even got most of my Christmas shopping knocked out. Woo hoo!
And now I am in my Dad's office, where I have commandeered his computer so I can catch up with all of you. My fingers are freezing and I am starting to yawn, so this must mean it is time to wrap things up. But first, I have to add one thing: Ike, if you are reading this, I love you and we miss you, too!
I will keep you updated on our adventures in the Garden State. I plan on seeing a lot of my family and friends, so there should be plenty to write about! 'Til then...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Rolling on a Jet Plane....
Happy happy, joy joy, happy happy, joy joy....yup, I am doing my famous happy dance (well, famous to my friends who have seen it, LOL) because tonight, we are boarding a plane for Jersey! Oh, and let me tell you what happened yesterday - I promise there's a point. It's funny, I was walking around in Wal-Mart and started chatting with another lady who was in town on vacation. We were discussing what we planned on doing for the holidays...hey, Wal-Mart was crowded and occasionally I like to strike up conversations with perfect strangers. Totally not a Jersey thing to do, but oh well. So I mentioned that I was flying back to the East Coast for the holidays, and she looked at me like I suggested we go out back and smoke a crack pipe or something. She then asked rather nastily, "Why on EARTH would you want to leave a beautiful place like this to go out THERE?" Like Jersey is the armpit of the nation or something. Hey, let's clarify something - I am from SOUTH JERSEY, land of farms and cows. Completely different from the stereotypical place depicted on TV (Sopranos, anyone?) Really, we should be divided into two different states...but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, the interesting thing about her question was that at another point in my life, I probably might have seen her point.
But that's where the change lies...as much as I love it here, and as much as I love the life we have managed to carve out for ourselves with our dear friends and children, the bottom line is that sometimes it feels a little empty without my parents, brothers, sister, and the rest of the Colon crew. It's hard when there is this huge time difference, and something exciting happens, and the first thing I want to do is call somebody out there and can't. Or when I hear about the milestones in people's lives that I have missed, or will not be present for, like birthdays, graduations, hospital stays, weddings, etc...
But no complaints - just sharing - because that's life in the military. I am simply happy that I will get to spend some time playing catch up with awesome friends, much-loved family, and even try to appreciate a bit of the cold weather...after all, I do miss my winter clothes and I am getting to be something of a thin-blooded pansy out here, LOL....
So back to the lady in Wal-Mart. I didn't even hesitate. I just smiled and told her, "My husband is deploying overseas, so we will not be fortunate enough to spend the holiday season together. However, I AM fortunate to say that if I cannot be with him, I am blessed to spend Christmas with the folks I love best in the world."
That sums it up pretty well, don't you think?
But that's where the change lies...as much as I love it here, and as much as I love the life we have managed to carve out for ourselves with our dear friends and children, the bottom line is that sometimes it feels a little empty without my parents, brothers, sister, and the rest of the Colon crew. It's hard when there is this huge time difference, and something exciting happens, and the first thing I want to do is call somebody out there and can't. Or when I hear about the milestones in people's lives that I have missed, or will not be present for, like birthdays, graduations, hospital stays, weddings, etc...
But no complaints - just sharing - because that's life in the military. I am simply happy that I will get to spend some time playing catch up with awesome friends, much-loved family, and even try to appreciate a bit of the cold weather...after all, I do miss my winter clothes and I am getting to be something of a thin-blooded pansy out here, LOL....
So back to the lady in Wal-Mart. I didn't even hesitate. I just smiled and told her, "My husband is deploying overseas, so we will not be fortunate enough to spend the holiday season together. However, I AM fortunate to say that if I cannot be with him, I am blessed to spend Christmas with the folks I love best in the world."
That sums it up pretty well, don't you think?
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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