Catching Up, Yet Again

Well, the last 20 days have been a whirlwind, so for the sake of this being somewhat my journal, I am going to try to recap.

We had our friends from Cambodia over and that was nice to catch up and see the kids hang out with each other. We were 2 moms with 6 kids, and only 1 of them was Caucasian, needless to say we were a spectacle everywhere we went. The kids got along fabulously though and a good time was had by all. We also went and say Kung Fu Panda and the kids loved it and I didn't mind it much either, very enjoyable.

I then took off for the Jefferson Awards in D.C. and they definitely know how to do an event up right. I had a really nice time and so did K, my nanny and friend who went with me. I fell in love with this older gentleman, and I will post his picture as soon as I get it downloaded, he inspired me and I just enveloped him in my heart the minute I heard him speak, it was just something about him. He also said a beautiful prayer that I will get posted here for you all to view, it was magnificent!

I came home on Wednesday, hung out with the kids and then got all 4 of us repacked to take off again on Thursday morning. K took the kids and I drove to the airport to go to D's Navy Officer's Graduation. My flight ended up being delayed so by the time I got there, I was precariously close to missing the Thursday evening shindig, so I did not stop to find my hotel, just drove to Newport and then saw a Curves workout facility and schlepped my dress clothes and make-up in there and kindly begged them to let me use a changing room. They kindly did and I got a bit gussied up and headed over to the Navy base to see D for the first time in 5 weeks! Well, I must tell you all that the word handsome is just not enough for how my husband looks in uniform. Ultra Fine. Wow. I was so proud to be with him all weekend (not that I am ont always anyway), but it was a unique glimpse into our future and it was such a fabulous time. His graduation was full of pomp and circumstance...with the exception that the music was not played live, rather was piped through speakers as a recording...which I thought was a bit of a cheap copout, but still very nice. We relaxed and explored Newport and it is a quaint little town with lots of tourists and lots of mansions! It was a wonderful weekend.

I was scheduled to fly out on Sunday evening, so I tore myself away from D and drove the rental car back to the airport, tried to sign in for my flights and the first one was DELAYED...well, the litany of what happened between that moment and 11:00 a.m. on Monday when I finally arrived home is beyond frustrating. I spent 6 hours on a flight that should have been 2. I was feeling so bad from stress, turbulence, and worry that I cannot believe I managed to keep all my internal cookies from tossing...not pretty, but true. I finally got out of the first airplane at around 1:00 a.m. and then had to stand in a line with a ton of other people to reschedule our flights for the next day, and I was fortunate to get one at 8:00 a.m. the next day. So, without food and/or beverage, THANK GOD LITERALLY that a Starbucks was the sole thing open in the Charlotte airport at 2:00 a.m. and that I got a bottle of water and a crossaint and then took my self to a well-lit floor area with some ladies who sat up and talked on their cell phones all night, which I did not care about, I felt secure. It was a very long night. I finally made it home, Meesta had been whisked off to scout camp by a helpful other mom and K had the ladies. I was exhausted but glad to be home.

The rest of last week was a bit of a blur with work and the kids activities, but the week days go by so much faster, so I prefer them. We now have 4 more sleeps until I make that same trip with the kids to go and see D. They are beyond excited to see him, it will have been almost 7 weeks since they have last seen him. Oddly enough, I am doing worse this weekend even though I saw him last weekend. A bit depressed and ready for this time apart to be over with. And yes, I do realize that there are other times during his military career when he will likely be gone longer, and I won't like it then either. My hope is that if he indeed makes it a career, that the pros will far outweigh the cons. We shall see.

Okay, well that is all for now. I hope to not be gone for so long next time.

CC

Lying...and Wait/Weight

So much to tell, so little time.

This picture above was from our "Cambodia" photo shoot in a park. We had a lot of fun and the kids got to play on the playground equipment too. This or a similar shot will be used in some marketing stuff for my company, in association with the Jefferson Award.

Well, the big issue around our abode lately has been one of my children's new habit, lying. While I won't go into details (because my brain is tired of thinking about the topic), it has been exhausting and I have had to shake the mother failure blues. I mean, this is lying over unimportant things, but it scares me that it will lead to lying about important things. Anyway, it has been rather challenging, almost one of the most trying experiences so far as a mom. I know that having D gone is likely part of it, but I am not letting this cherub off that easily as an excuse. They all know right from wrong and I must stay consistent with my behavior corrections, always making sure that they know the rules and boundaries. Exhausting though! However, redeeming them all, we were eating at Bob Evans the other day and after our meal, this older gentleman came up to me and told me he had been watching our family during the meal and that he had not seen such a happy and well-behaved group of kids in a long time. He wanted to congratulate me and my husband (who he also asked about...probably being a bit nosy, but oh well) on raising such great kids. It was a nice salve to my ego since it had been a rough one with the lying...(and yes, apparently I do need external validation...:)

On to D, he has now been gone for over 3 weeks. I miss him so much, in ALLLL areas. We are over 1/3rd of the way done. I am flying out to see him next week for the Navy Officer graduation (and apparently there is some kind of ball also). That will be pure bliss to spend some quality time with him. Before flying there though, I will be attending the Jefferson Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. and am really stoked and honored by being chosen as a National recipient. My nanny, who also works for Tabitha and has been an amazing donor over the years, is going with me....leaving my 3 cherubs in the capable and daring hands of her 2 high school girls and her husband. Now, my kids are truly like part of their family so I am not worried and it is only for 2 nights, but if you could send positive thoughts and some prayers their way, that would be great!

And weight, I keep gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. It is insane and ridiculous. I don't know where to find more time, other than to never sleep, which would then make everything else even worse, I don't know when to work out consistently - which is what I need. I am going to keep fighting the good fight though and will not give up. When D returns and our travels are done for the summer (also going to Cambodia for 2 weeks), I am going to set aside time for me at least 3 days a week when I can go to the gym.

Okay, I think that is the big update for now. I am hanging in there, but MISS MISS MISS my D!

Life is this good though,

CC