Things going on....

With the solstice right around the corner, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the next year and where I want to go with my life and lifting. I admit that while things are still a bit up in the air, I am still very focused on the Emerald Cup. I plan to attend the Cup in 2007 and compete in 2008. As much as I would like to strive for competing in it this coming year, there just is not enough time. I still have much mass to gain and I cannot see myself making it to where I would feel remotely competitive in March/April. But this is good because that gives me time to focus, grow, heal and learn.

I have seen so many bad routines on video that I do not want to place myself in the lower end of that curve much less in it. The time will allow me to have the abdominal surgery and heal with plenty of time to spare. I will also have time to deal with this shoulder and get it conditioned as well.

The time will also allow hubby to settle in to what he wants to do with his time now that he is retired. He is a little lost and floundering. There are times I look at him and see a very content man and there are others where I see the longing in his eyes to be out doing his military stuff. The transition is going well but there will be moments of longing for some time to come. I could not imagine walking away from that type of work and not missing it...it just takes a special and certain type of individual to give in the manner his job required without having equal dedication.

But time goes on as do we all...so we wait and take it one day at a time.

I created a Slide Show from out trip! Check it out!

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Slowing Down Finally!

We are here in Washington and what an eventful trip it was. A couple of flat tires along the way, stops to visit family, flying by friends at odd hours of the morning so unable to stop, and then to get within 60 miles of our destination and lose the transmission on our van. Argh!

After much expense of towing vehicle and trailer to the house and then to the shop, paying for a new transmission and much stress, we are finally slowing down.

The new transmission will arrive at the shop from Dodge tomorrow and then be installed, so hopefully we will have the van back on Monday. I myself am still having heart palpatations over the 3100.00 price tag on the transmission and installation but at least we are all here and in one piece. That is a good thing.

We did manage to locate a new gym, The Firehouse Gym. Seems like an okay place and amazingly is the only place close to us that is no a "Woman Only" gym. There are 6 woman only gyms in the immediate area and then just the one that will allow me to continue working out with Hubby. So, I am in the process of fighting with Gold's Gym to cancel our membership and trying to get signed up with the new gym.

Meanwhile, Sherry is thrilled that we are here and we have been helping her with projects around here. Chris and I spent one day putting a new roof on the porch while Hubby fixed her back door and took care of some leaks in the roof of the small trailer she has on the property. This weekend I am tackling her media room which must be re-arranged and have the new TV stand put together and a lot of stuff discarded and/or relocated in some fashion.

Cheyenne is happy to be here and has taken on the role of the "animal custodian". She is in charge of feeding the animals in the morning which include Sherry's 5 chickens (Eve, Rody, Lillith, Jezebel & Fee), the rescued rabbit (Pooh Bear), the dogs (Ben and Blue), her Rat (Kittsipimi) and spoiling the two cats (Amber & Felix). She also spent some time with the sidewalk chalk writing "I Love Washington" on the driveway. LOL

So now it is time to make a few contacts and get started on some new projects. I promised BuffMother to assist her with a new project so I must get in touch with her and get that ball rolling, get Cheyenne situated in her school work and lay out my winter crafting and beading projects. :) And of course get in some awesome workouts.

More from the home front later........

Two Days Left

Well just Friday and part of Saturday left and then we are outta here! YAY! Goodbye Fayetteville, Goodbye North Carolina and Hello cross country trip.

We are both exhausted from the packing, furniture moving, yard stuff, cleaning and so forth but we are also both anxious to get on the road and start heading out. Wow, a four bedroom house, 2 car garage, shop, storage and misc. kids' crap has worn us both out. But we are nearing completion and the garage has become the staging area for the U-Haul trailer to be loaded from. We pick the trailer up tomorrow afternoon and the guys will focus on loading the trailer while I focus on the last minute stuff in the house, carpets, extra cleaning and so forth. This has been a long process and we are both ready for a well-earned break.

Sherry's dad is back in the hospital and it is all concerning me...something else is going on with him and I just cannot for the life of me, figure it out. Talked to Sherry today and she has already created a huge "Honey Do" list for hubby with tons of projects waiting. As for me I ask her for 24 hours of doing absolutely nothing when I arrive and she informed me that for the first week I am to do NOTHING...she said eat, hot tub, eat, hot tub, eat, hot tub, sleep and repeat. LOL. She is so funny sometimes. I could not sit still for a week if I tried or was forced.

Well back at it, doggies go to vet in the morning for their shots and a good grooming. YAY! They will hate the process but love the results, as always. More later.....

The First Official Day of Retirement

The first official day of retirement from the military has begun. It is odd waking up and not having to answer to the US Army. I have been through a wide range of emotions so I can only imagine what husband has been through.

I know he will miss it and I am just sorta holding my breath waiting for him to get hit by the loss of his career. When it does hit him, I will be right here with him to go through that just as I have been through his injuries and this medical retirement process. I know he is happy to be out but also not happy about it. But he is very happy with our future plans and goals. He has stated more than several times that he is looking so forward to being back in the NW and to lifting with his wife. So now we just have to get the house here finished up and getting out to Washington.

Finding a gym nearby may be a bit of a hassle but we will find one. We are both anxious to get back to our workout schedule and get ready for a hard winter bulker. We are shooting for competing next year together at the Emerald Cup but it will depend on where we get and if we are both happy with our physiques at that time.

Time to shower and get busy around here. Still have some errand running to do also. But at least we see the end of the tunnel on this long journey and that in and of itself is a great thing!

The latest and partly the greatest!

Well things are moving along. Packers are supposed to be here Monday and I still have tons of work around here to get done.

We have our final out appointment on post tomorrow which is fabulous because we are just one step closer to being out.

Meanwhile, there is the consideration of the move, the trailer, the house preparations for the final inspection, and all that good stuff. If I can just get everything done, I will take a minute to breath and de-stress. The older kids are being of little use, which somehow is not surprising to me. In many ways, I would prefer them all just to get the heck out of my way and let me get it done. Ah but I am sure husband will not do that because it is just too much work for one person to get done. So there are going to be a lot of long nights between now and Wednesday.

Sidhefire's father is doing much better and is home so her plan is to come home on Friday as scheduled. This is a good sign. If she is comfy enough to return home that I am comfy with the thought he is going to be fine. :)

Well onwards and upwards as they say...more stuff to get done.

A crazy busy weekend coming up!

Today starts a very busy weekend. I have tons of stuff to go through, tons of stuff to pitch and tons of stuff to try to decide what to do with.

We finally got the Amended Orders for husband...on Friday. We ran around clearing the hospital and medical facilities for the Unit and the Installation. Monday and Tuesday we hopefully will have the rest of the clearing done.

Monday is also the hearing for my son in the afternoon concerning my grandson, so I will be saying prayers for him that all goes well. I miss my grandson and want to spend more time with him so badly.

Sidhefire flew to Denver yesterday to be with her father ... I did not hear from her last night which has me worried. I will keep saying prayers for her dad and her family. I hope that the doctors can determine what is causing the problems and help him get well soon. Meanwhile, I am sending all the positive healing thoughts I can and worrying about her. :(

Well time to eat some breakfast and get a move on. There is much to be done.

Wicked Thoughts

Is exactly how my wonderful husband has made me feel the past few days. He has been much more attentive than usual (which is always a lot). All of this tells me that some of the stress he has been feeling is lifting from his shoulders and he too sees the light at the end of the tunnel. What a great feeling for both of us. Each day that goes by we are closer to leaving the Army and Fort Bragg...those two things will make any amount of burden worth the weight.

Meanwhile, the contest at BuffMother is rocking right along and while I am staying in for the sole purpose of motivating and encouraging the other ladies, it is nice to join in for participation aspects alone.

Meanwhile, Sidhefire was able to talk to her father and he is doing much better in the hospital. Although he was still in ICU, he is coming along well. She will be flying out to Colorado for a week next Friday to be at home with him during the day while he recovers so mom can go to work. This trip, while a little hurried, will be a good thing for her to be able to see him herself rather than hearing how he is and looks from others.

Well that is all for now...

A little reminder of sorts for myself with everything going on. Best to note it so I can remind myself whenever I feel the need.

Affirming An Abundant FutureSquirrel Medicine

Native Americans considered all living beings as brothers and sisters that had much to teach including squirrels. These small creatures taught them to work in harmony with the cycles of nature by conserving for the winter months during times when food was plentiful. In our modern world, squirrels remind us to set aside a portion of our most precious resources as an investment in the future. Though food and money certainly fall into this category, they are only some of the ways our energy is manifested. We can conserve this most valuable asset by being aware of the choices we make and choosing only those that nurture and sustain us. This extends to the natural resources of our planet as well, using what we need wisely with the future in mind.

Saving and conservation are not acts of fear but rather affirmations of abundance yet to come. Squirrels accept life's cycles, allowing them to face winters with the faith that spring will come again. Knowing that change is part of life, we can create a safe space, both spiritually and physically, that will support us in the present and sustain us in the future. This means not filling our space with things, or thoughts, that don't serve us. Without hoarding more than we need, we keep ourselves in the cyclical flow of life when we donate our unwanted items to someone who can use them best. This allows for more abundance to enter our lives, because even squirrels know a life of abundance involves more than just survival.

Squirrels use their quick, nervous energy to enjoy life's adventure. They are great communicators, and by helping each other watch for danger, they do not allow worry to drain them. Instead, they allow their curious nature to lead the way, staying alert to opportunities and learning as they play. Following the example set by our squirrel friends, we are reminded to enjoy the journey of life's cycles as we plan and prepare for a wonderful future, taking time to learn and play along the way.

Another Week...Gone a New one Begins!

This past week has been filled to the brim with appointments and running around. We finished all of hubby's VA medical evaluations so that part is done unless they decide to send him for further testing. We fought the battle about his promotion and who was to cut the orders, which has held up our ability to clear post. We are still awaiting the final word on who on Fort Bragg cuts those orders since we have been assigned to the medical hold unit.

I spoke with my mother and the results from my sister's surgery and biopsies is back...it looks like the got it all and the other two places biopsed were negative. So that was a piece of good news indeed.

Hubby's blood pressure has been a little high but the doc says with all the stress of running around, trying to pack and sort through everything, promotion crap, and a cross-country move that he is not surprised by it. It is very minimal so no real concerns there. We just need to get this business on the road and get out of here. Time to start our new life of retirement. Which I thought would be when I was much older but I am very thankful it is now. LOL.

My Birthday was a quiet one spent doing little or nothing really. I cooked a nice meatload for dinner and enjoyed quiet. I did manage to get over to BoneSpear and have Don check the healing of the tattoo and he set me an appointment to come in on Sunday and have more work done which I did.

Sunday's appointment was not bad at all, the hip bone area is still very painful but I could have sat there much longer and let Don work but my skin began to swell and he was not happy with the way it was taking the ink so he called it a day until next Sunday. But I got more amazing progress on the bamboo and next week will be more on the tiger. I cannot help but love it more each time I look at it. It is coming into a life of its own, literally. Don's awesome talen with shading and shadowing amazes me...the tiger it starting to appear to be moving out of the bamboo and I can see depth in his face. I will never be able to thank Don enough or praise him highly enough for the beautiful work he is doing. This is the latest progress....red irritation and swelling included..



Well today is another day, the tiger gets more work on Sunday and meanwhile...let the running around begin.