Still too busy for words

I took a one of my fainals last week. It wasn't due until this week, but this week, I have a mid-term and a paper due, so I didn't want to stress myself. I think I have a decent chance of getting an A, though, it's all subjective. I hope to take care of the test today so I have the rest of this week to work on the paper.


I am going to try to go to the doctor today as I seemed to have developed a UTI. It's really not a good time for this, but hey, at least I am trying to take care of it. I figure I will be on antibiotics for ten days and it will go away. I am hoping to avoid another bad kidney infection like I had in 2003.


I have slacked off working out a bit this past week. I am trying to gert back into it a bit more. This morning was supposed to be a gym morning, but my partners didn't show up. I don't think I will be going back to that class. In the meantime, I can use those days to do practice fitness tests. This morning I did the pushups (not so good) and crunches portion. I can do the crunches no problem, but 30 pushups is going to be hard, so I need to work on that. I think I can get the mile and a half in 18 minutes, though it might just kill me. I need to work on that!


Derek goes to the doctor tomorrow to get the paperwork signed off for the PCS. Such a hassle. They want to make sure they can provide treatment for himthough. Too bad they don't do this earlier. The assignment selection date was back in April. If they would have given us a little heads up, we could have had all of this done rather than scrambling at the last minute. Ok it's not really the last minute but it feels like it.

Derek is almost done with his school stuff. He's taking a mid-term in one class this week, and the other class he's doing a project. It doesn't look like there will be any problems with him graduating, though you never know what will come up between now and then.

The kids are all doing well. Alexis is excited about her birthday this weekend. She's going to have a couple of her friends sleepover, so that ought to be fun. She's also working hard to test for her next belt in August. She wants to leave here as a brown belt.

Cedes is having issues with talking back and fighting her bedtime. Other than that she's fine. Her leg seem to have healed up, and she not had any other health issues. She's having alot of fun at school since they are going on field trips almost every day and she gets to take her lunch on Mondays.

Mason's continuing to develop his vocabulary though we don't always understand him. He's a little character, that's for sure. He's still Mommy's boy though.

Micah is doing well, though we think he's getting ready to cut teeth. That will be fun for everyone. He's going to daycare on a regular basis and that seems to be working out well also. He doesn't cry unless they wait too long to feed him, so he's a good baby. Speaking of crying I can hear him now, so I better go.

What we are doing

We have been busy, which is not unusual for us. This last weekend we took the family to the Zoo in Cincinnati. I was pretty happy with it, though I had heard form other people that it was not that great. We went later in the day so we missed the higher temperatures, but we got a lot of walking in. That wore us out pretty quickly. We turned in everything for our passports yesterday. Yea! Now we are going through a pile of medical paperwork for Derek mostly. The medical people are saying we can't get our orders until it's done. What? I don't think so. We are also being told that our passports could take up to 10 weeks to arrive which is when we are due to leave. Add to that two weeks to get visas and we might not leave when we planned too. Sigh! We are going to be flexible though! We have too. I have been working out 3 days a week but I have pretty much given the Abs and glutes a pass. It's just not easy for me since I hate going to the gym and working out in front of other people. I have been walking on the treadmill 3 days a week, plus the regular walking I do, so I think I am getting some good workouts. I just need to lay off of the sugar cookies form Sam's. Those are SOOOO good! I have a busy week for class this week. I have a case study to work on for one class. For another I have a paper to start and a discussion question. I forgot to take a quiz for one class but I did it this morning. I expect I will lose some points for timeliness. I have another paper due next week, so I need to get that started too. Plenty to do. In August I go back to two classes and by the end of August I will be done for a week or two. I start two classes in Septemeber again, but that's only for two months. In November, I start the final course abd I will be done in December. Yea! I am up in the air about whether I want to do a third Master's in Business or Criminal Justice. Unfortunately, the Majors board has been moved back three months, so I don't expect to hear anything until March. I was hoping I would know by January that way I could decide whether to go start a degree or whether I will be starting professional military education by correspondence. I have to go to small arms training on Monday. I don't really mind, in fact, it's kind of fun, but it's one more thing I have to do. I have to adjust my leave though because I was suposed to be on leave. Fun stuff. I went through quite a few boxes from storage this last weekend. It was not an easy experience since a lot of the stuff was Mom's, but I whittled down form 7 boxes to one. I found a lot of pictures so that was nice. Mom was a packrat though. I really miss her right now. She would have loved Micah.

A week in our lives

So, Monday we picked up Brittney and Alexis, and the fun started : ) We have been out to eat and to see Transformers. We got our hair cut and the girls went bowling. We had a bar b que with water war and fireworkds for the 4th, so what's left? Things are going to be a bit quiter for the next few weeks. I think we will go to Old Navy this week to do a little bit of school shopping. Alexis desperately needs jeans. Brittney just wants a few things here and there. I'm figuring out the money situation but I think I can swing it all. I will do the bulk of Mercedes and Alexis school shopping next month. Mercedes also needs new jeans, and new shoes, and a new bookbag, etc. Alexis does not need quite as much (thankfully).

Derek is having some serious issues with his surgery. I think a big part of it is that he is not taking his arthritis medicines so everything is magnified. I think he's going to hit the ER today to see if they can help. He sees the arthritis doc tomorrow.

Brittney is off to see the doctor tomorrow as well, and then tomorrow evening we are going to see a preview of the new Harry Potter movie. Of course, we are going to have to stand in line for two hours to get a decent seat. Sigh! It better be worth it. I am looking forward to the new book coming up, though I know I'm the one who will have to read it all. I might need to invest in the CD's.

School is going well for me. I finished my second case study and did much better (though not great) on it. I think it would have been loads better if I had not LOST the first one. THe e-mail ate it. Yep, that's my exucse. I had to re-do it and I know it was not nearly as good. It doesn't help that the book for the class has not arrived either. And I take the final in two weeks! It is supposed to be hear any day now. The other classes are all goign well. I got an A- on one of the mid-terms, so that was great! I started a new class last week, which is going to be interesting. No paper, but a project. Yuck!

I'm starting to get taskings for our move. We have to go get our passports soon, which is going to be fun!? We are also starting to go through our closets and get rid of stuff. Derek now has room in his closet for clothes! Wow! I need to go through my junk as well. Unfortunately, I also have uniforms that take up a lot of space, so my closet will stay full.

I think we are going to try to go to Sunwatch this week. We haven't been there for a few years, so it might be fun. Next week we are doing pictures with all of the kids. I need to get Micah's babtism outfit so he can have a picture taken in that. I have a pastor I like who I would like to Baptise him, but I haven't hear back from him yet. Hopefully that will happen in the next month or so. I want to do it before we leave.

And life continues to be crazy for us.

Off schedule

I usually do this on Sunday mornings, but this last Sunday that didn't work out. So, here I am on Tuesday morning playing catch up. Micah is on my lap cooing and sticking his tongue out. Cute, huh? Can you believe he's 10 weeks old today?

Brittney and Alexis got here yesterday. We have many plans for the next few weeks, but we also have a variety of things we have to do to get ready to PCS. We have to go get passports, etc, as well as go through boxes and closets. I am starting to get rid of things already, just to make life easier on us.

I have to go start the process of getting passports for everyone. We have to get no-fee passports and tourist passports so that will be two sets of documents to maintain. Just one more thing tpo take care of.

We turned in our paperwork with a departture date of 1 October. With the way the rules are changing, I couldn't be sure they would be willing to extend me to December and I wasn't willing to take the chance, so I decided to just suck it up and go. It's a 3 year tour so we should be back in 2010 or so. That's not too bad. I am hoping that I will be able to get San Antonio for that assignment and ride it out to retirement.

We are all doing well. Derek is doing pretty good in his classes. I finished a class last week with an A1, which brought my GPA up to a 3.33. I start a new class this week, which is always fun. I need to go to the library today to pick up books for classes also.

We had a new experience this last weekend. Mercedes had an abcess, we don't know from what, but the ER doctor had to make a small incision to drain it. We are being seen at the wound clinic, so we are getting a variety of visits in these days. Cedes doesn't like it a lot either. She threw some really good screaming fits. I

We are going to bar b que with friends for the 4th of July. I imagine it will deteriorate into board games or card games by the end of the night. THat can get a bit out of hand, but it's fun.

I am still working out, though I am not sure it's helping me a lot. I think I have lost maybe an inch or two and a pound or so, but nothing drastic. I was hoping that the loose areas would be noticeably firmer. I guess I just have to keep a it. I am doing good about getting up and doing the walking routine. I don't really like going to the gym for the ABS and GLUTES class (butts and bellies), but I have been going. I have a couple of friends going so that makes it easier to force myself. Otherwise I would stick with teh Ab Lounge and hope it made a difference.

I am considering going to the martial arts classes with Derek and the girls once we get overseas.
I think it would help me stay in shape and flexible. It would take a while to get uo to speed though.

The girls and I are getting ready to head out for errands. Oh, the joy! Guess that's it for now. More to come though as things heat up for the PCS.