The Year in Review - 2013

Changes in Latitude

We're on our way...   Over the last few weeks, we packed up the house.  We shipped our other car and the camper.  We've said our final farewells in Washington.  And when we got on the boat today, the final piece of us moving fell into motion.

Before we got on the ferry, we stopped in to hug Grandma Audrey. She was so sweet and had a piece of cake for each of us for my birthday.  It has been such a blessing to be so near her these two years.  My girls know their great-grandmother.  How many kids are lucky to have that?

We gave her lots of extra hugs and kisses and headed to the port in Bellingham, stopping quickly at the grocery to grab some last minute extras for the trip.

Next stop: Alaska!

Running Around -- and Portland Running

Last week was a WEEK!  Holy smokes!   Our household goods are all packed out and we are out of the blue house.  It's strange writing that; we're hobos until we find our Alaska home.  But that's not what this post is about.  This post is about the half marathon I ran this weekend.  Because, why not go ahead and run a half marathon when you're in the middle of PCSing.  Right?

Like last year, some friends and I tried to get in the San Francisco Women's Half Marathon.  After a massive email debacle got cleared up, we weren't in.  It wound up being a blessing, as we are
getting on a ferry bound for Alaska next weekend, the same weekend the half marathon is.  But I wanted to keep my training up.  I have back to back half marathons in January and February and wanted to run a good half marathon before I left Washington.  Enter a conversation with one of my mom friends, who suggested I look at the Girlfriend's Half Marathon in Vancouver, WA.  I did and I went for it.  Besides, one more trip to Portland is always a good thing!

So after we got everything packed up (and got my hair done one more time by my lovely friend, and got family photos taken, and.. and.. and), we headed south for the weekend.  Two hours later, we got to town, picked up our race bibs, and settled into our hotel.  Soon, we headed out the door for some REI shopping and supper with Emily!  Gotta love that my cousin was right here and we got to see her just ONE more time!  But it was a quick visit -- the race was early the next morning.

My plan for the race was to beat my Seattle PR.  Simple enough goal, but it's one you still have to work towards. I had a hamstring issue after the Princess Half.  Naggy but enough to keep me not running long distances over the summer.  But I got a plan together, worked with a trainer to get my hamstring back in order, and got my butt on the road.

On Sunday, I lined up feeling very prepared.  The gun went off and down the road we went.  A lot of the front end of the run was along the Columbia River.  It was so pretty!

At mile 2.5, we tucked in through our hotel parking lot where I got to hug the girls and say hi.  Picked the right hotel, Ronnie and the girls just had to walk out our room door to be right there on the course.

We continued down the road, and along the river front park.   The route eventually turned around and came back through the hotel parking lot for mile 7.  It was nice having my girls out there cheering.

The course then took us away from the river and through Fort Vancouver.  Which also meant we started running up hill.  Mile 10 held a massive hill (seriously, what is up with the race directors putting hills at the END of a race?!?!).  But the scenery was gorgeous.   

I knew I had the PR in the bag but wasn't sure how the hills were going to affect me.  We ran through some neighborhoods and before I knew it, I was at mile 13. And cruising well ahead of my goal.  I crossed the finish at 2:46, and shaved a full 28 minutes off of my previous best.

I was so happy to have made it... and made it in time to watch the girls in their race.  They have been working on doing a Kid's Half Marathon, a mile at a time.   They did great!  So proud of them for earning their first "half" marathon.

 

Guest who....

is a guest blogger...   Yep!  It's me. 

Our photographer-extraordinaire, Shauna, asked for some military spouses to tell their story.  I think we have a pretty darned fantastic one, so I shared.  Click here to read. 

By the way, Operation Love is a wonderful charity.  It connects professional photogs with military families and helps them document some of the most intimate moments of military life - separation and homecoming.  If you need to find an OpLove photographer in your area, or if you are a photographer interested in giving back, please go to http://www.oplove.org for more information.

Home

 

After 270 days, 9 hours, and 15 minutes (but who’s counting?) of waiting for him to come home, he did just that and stepped off the elevator at SeaTAC.  My breath was absolutely taken away when I saw him standing in front of me.  Or maybe I was finally taking a deep breath for the first time since he left.  Not a picture on the computer.  Not a white screen with instant messaging dialog on it.  No.  It was my husband, my babies’ daddy, my favorite partner in crime – and he was standing right there hugging my girls.  It took every bit of grit and determination to not fall to pieces.

Just an excerpt of something I'm writing...  I'll share more later, but he's home.  We have some serious family time scheduled for the rest of the month, but I thought that these photos needed to be shared.

 

Countdown

Time has moved really slowly this last week.  Well, it has and it hasn't.  The girls and I have kept busy trying not to focus on how many days there are until Saturday. 

Ronnie has been in Germany for a week; there is a mandatory stop over there for people who do his job.  We'll just leave it at that...  but they can't confirm flights until he got to Germany and did his paperwork there.  Lucky for us, he got there and had a confirmed flight that arrives tomorrow mid-day! 

That left 6 days for us to fill....  Luckily, we had a great weekend planned last weekend :)  So that just left the week to handle. 

Monday was our typical get up, go to work, go to the grocery store kind of day.  Except I had to think about what groceries Ronnie might want in the house.  Tuesday was more of the same, but with baseball practice thrown in the mix.  Wednesday was a blur....  I swear I forgot something, but still have no idea what it was. And we decided to put some highlights in the girls' hair.  Thursday was my last day at the Education office. 

Oh, yeah, so, I quit my job... About a month ago, I counted up the weeks we had to our pack out, factored in block leave and vacation, and that would have me working approximately 8 days in a 2 month time period.  Not fair to anyone....  So I resigned and cannot wait to not worry about going to work and get to spend time with my family before this crazy Alaska adventure begins.

Thursday night we had baseball practice and went to Monster's University.  Friday morning I had my usual run, but went to the spa to get all prettied up.  Actually, I went to the jjimjilbang, which is WAY better in my opinion 'cause I got to spend lots of quiet time without being rushed.   

And now it's Saturday eve.  I've tucked the kids in bed.  The house is clean.  The pantry is stocked with all his favorite foods.  I have a meal plan of all his favorite meals ready to go.  All I have to do is go to sleep.  Somehow...   

Come on clock....   Hurry up!  

You're OUT!!!!

Ronnie is officially on a plane out of the sandtrap!  YES!!!!!!!!!!   Must not get too excited.  A lot can happen between here and there, but if our intel holds, he'll be home NEXT WEEKEND!  If you can't tell, we've just been on edge all weekend.  He called on Friday and told us he was on his way out of there.  I'm so thankful we had a busy weekend planned! 

Besides, we had a date with the Mariners set up!  Today was Girl Scout day at the Mariners and we met up with a couple of girls from Holly's troop.  It was so much fun! 

 

As soon as we got to the park, the girls were chomping at the bit about getting some food.  I had to explain the process to them:  we eat on the odds.  Meaning as soon as we found our seats, I would get us some lunch.  Every ball park has their own "thing" to eat.  In Seattle, it's Ivar's fish and garlic fries.  Sarah wasn't too impressed with the garlic fries (don't worry, I got her regular chips).

 

 

During the third inning, we got a little something more: a fruit kabob for Holly and some popcorn for Sarah.  The game was going pretty slow at this point.  Minnesota had gotten on the board in the second.  Luckily, we were back in our seats for the bottom of the third and got to watch the Mariners score.  And then the fourth inning, Seattle scored more runs, including a home run!  It was pretty exciting!!! 

 

But the girls knew the fifth was coming up.  We signaled over to the other scouts and we went on a walk around the stadium.  We stopped in the museum area and the play ground before getting some ice cream and getting back in our seats.   



Unfortunately, while we were walking, Minnesota scored two more runs.  But we were front and center for the Mariner's second home run for the day!   When the game was done, the Mariners had won 6-4.  It was a great day at the park.  Only a few more days to fill up before he gets home... Day 264 

The Kiss Jar

Day 244:  In my military life, I have been lucky to have other women to learn from.  There are so many things I have picked up in the 12+ years of being around them.  I've been through countless deployments, TDYs, and reunions, as I've lived through our own and theirs. I've listened, studied, and chronicled all the things these amazing women do...  Lord only knows how much I've need their tricks this time around the deployment cycle. 

I have no idea where this idea originally came from.  We've lived all over the world... and I have the world at my fingertips now.  It may have been a friend. It may have come from a coffee.  It may have been on Facebook.  Or it may have come from a complete stranger on Pinterest or one of other milspouse blogs I read.  At any rate, this right here has been our saving grace for so many things this deployment. 

Yep, Hershey Kisses....  That glass jar has been full of Hershey Kisses since Ronnie started on this journey to the sand trap back in 2011.  They are kisses from him to the girls. They get one every night before they go to bed.  They get one when they are having a bad day.  They get one when they are sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing.  Sometimes the kisses even make their way into their lunchboxes. 

 

And this picture is of the LAST BAG for this deployment.  WOO HOO!!!!!  Sarah had the honors of opening it up and filling the jar.  And we all had a "this is the LAST BAG" party in the kitchen. 

DISCLAIMER:  Of course, there is an extra bag in the pantry....  Part of me doesn't trust the Army to return him on time like they said they would.  (and all the milspouses reading this said AMEN!)

Postal Form 3575

I needed to clean those closets out anyhow....   We are moving, y'all! 

We're moving to the North Pole!!!  The 65th parallel!!!  The Last Frontier!!!   Land of bears, moose, and the northern lights.  Of Dark and Cold or Light and Warm! 

Before you ask, yes, it's quick.  No, we haven't been in Washington that long.  Yes, it'll be soon.  And Yes, we are ECSTATIC!!!!  

Of course, Ronnie has to get home from the sandtrap so we can get a move on getting a move on. 

Growing Up

I've looked back through my posts, and one theme is consistent....  I am amazed at what my girls are doing/can do now that they are older.  It's crazy to think that it was just four years ago when I wrote my first post.  Four years!  That makes a huge difference when you're talking kids and what they are doing. 

Case in point -- Holly was just about to go off to Kindergarten.  Now, she's about to enter Fourth grade.  Sarah was just a baby-faced toddler.  Now, she's finished Kindergarten and is READING!!! 

Part of growing up is being able to go off and explore the world by yourself, right?  A few months back, I got an email about Operation Purple and a camp they were offering for military children who have a parent deployed.  And Holly qualified.  I struggled with filling out the paperwork.  How is my baby big enough for this?  Ronnie patiently reassured me that she was ready and this was the right camp.  So, I filled it out.  And guess what, she was accepted. 

I dropped her off at camp yesterday. I left my baby  *SOB!!!!   Boy, do I miss her!  But Sarah and I have plans to keep us busy this week.  And I can't wait until I pick her up on Friday and hear all about her week away. 

Water Fun

We had our Squadron "Holiday"/welcome home/awards party over the weekend.  But there was a twist, we had it at the Great Wolf Lodge.  Again, I am just plain lucky... we needed babysitters for the adults-only dinner and Emily was more than willing to come help out!  

The girls and I headed to meet up with Emily on Friday afternoon.  It was so nice having Emily there -- for one, she's a certified lifeguard... and the girls LOVE when their big cousin comes to visit.  They didn't waste any time and headed straight for the water park to get a few hours of playing in before the babysitting shift started.  I hung back and enjoyed some time catching up on homework and relaxing sans kids. 

The dinner was a lot of fun -- the party planning committee outdid themselves!  Lots of games, prizes, and yummy food. 

The next morning, I got a quick run in and then met up with the kids and Em in the water park.  We played for hours and hours!!!! 

Photo Friday

:: Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.  Enjoy! ::

 

Uncle Knock-Knock and Holly, Cameron, North Carolina, May 2005

 

Yeah!!!!! Dan is gracing the pages of our blog this week!  or Uncle Knock-Knock if you ask the girls.  Dan and Allison came over for dinner that night, and Dan pretty much hung out with Holly the whole night.  I have pictures of him giving her a bath and reading her a book as well. 

Dan and Allison, we miss you being around!  Then again, Ronnie doesn't get into near as much mischief..... 

About Last Night

So I posted last night about how I don't know how we do it....   Here's a glimpse into the "how"

This is Sarah messaging with Ronnie before she goes to bed.  This child has learned to read and write so she can chat with daddy by herself, with no help from mom or her sister. Yes, she is slow at typing and needs help from time to time, but she is determined to talk to her daddy on her own. 

Really, I Don't Know Either

"I just don't know how you do it." 

I think I hear that phrase the most these days when talking with non-military friends, church members, and acquaintances about our family schedule.  It happened again tonight and I got bit by the blog bug to write about it.

Ronnie has been gone for exactly 75 days.  The "I don't know how you do it" comments come after the well-intentioned person realizes that he is gone, has been gone for awhile now, and won't be back anytime soon. 

In 75 days, the house is still standing, the cars are still running, the kids are still going to school, and I have completed two courses and started on my next term.  I have also completed one half-marathon and am five weeks away from the next one.  I have taught one daughter multiplication, the other how to read, and am writing my Thesis this term.  There have been too many trips to the grocery store to count.  Too many Girl Scout and AWANA meetings.  Too many Hershey Kisses in place of real goodnight kisses.  Just too much to count period.  Maybe that stubborn streak is serving me well, because when I sit down and think about it, I really don't know how I get it all done either. 

And yes, it's all done without him. 

Just writing those words pulls the band aid off of my heart and brings tears to my eyes.  Right now, my life is "going on" without a major player in it.  And it sucks.  (Sorry mom, there's no good or eloquent way to write that statement.)

But life does go on, whether we want it to or not.  That's my end of the military wife contract.  My job is to hold down the home front.  To make sure the girls grow and develop, feed their curiosity, and beat them when they need it.  To keep everything running and moving in the right general direction.  To ensure that he has somewhere to call home, somewhere to look forward to returning, a somewhat safe place to fall -- even if there are Lego's, glitter, and lip gloss strewn about. 

We are at the quarter-ish way through point.   To that well-intentioned person: I'm really not doing it all by myself.  The girls and I are holding each up.  And when I just can't do it anymore... when I feel this house of cards is about to fall and crumble all around me... there are others who come in and huddle around us and lift us up. You, yourself, helped me do it today.  That hug you gave me and the kind words you spoke were all I needed to keep going today. 

Musical Matters

Two months down.   But I think the radio is going to get me in an accident soon.  It never fails that a song comes on that reminds me of Ronnie or has some lyrics that bring tears to my eyes.  This morning, I had to turn off the radio -- every station on my presets had one of those songs. 

On the country station was "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans.  Don't know the song?  Well, here are the lyrics:

Woke up late today, and I still feel the sting of the pain.
But I brushed my teeth anyway, got dressed through the mess and put a smile on my face.
I got a little bit stronger.

Riding in the car to work, and I'm trying to ignore the hurt.
So I turned on the radio, Stupid song made me think of you,
I listened to it for minute, but then I changed it.
I'm getting a little bit stronger, just a little bit stronger.

A big lump formed in my throat...  so I changed the station to the Rock station.  Ozzy was on.  One of Ronnie's favorites.  That wasn't going to get the lump to go away.  Switched over to another Rock station and another one of Ronnie's favorite bands Metallica.  Click to the other country station and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" is on....   lump is steadily moving up my throat to my eyes..... 

CLICK to change the channel  to the pop station.  And Mumford & Sons "I Will Wait" was on.  I was out of presets...  out of places to hide...  and the tears came.  Driving on 1-5 at 60ish MPH and the tears were falling.   Quickly, I fumbled to the radio and turned it off, then found a napkin to wipe the tears and blow my nose. 

Two months down....  seven more to go. 

The Year in Review - 2012

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas from the land where almost all the trees are Christmas trees!!!  Buckle in, ‘cause if you know our family, you know you’re in for a ride.

We started our year out buried by a few feet of snow…  Lovingly referred to as Snowmageddon.  Typically, the Seattle area doesn’t see snow on the epic proportion that we had.  We spent a week playing in the white stuff, watching our power go off, praying that it comes back on, and just having fun while stuck in/near the house.

Sight Seeing  You know we couldn’t just sit still this year….  We visited the sites in Seattle (Pike’s Place, the Seaquarium, and the Space Needle), went skiing at Crystal Mountain, spent some time in the San Juan Islands (and saw an Orca pod), and went out to the beach.  The Oliver’s came to visit us over the summer and we took them on a ferry ride, to drive around Mount Rainier National Park, and to see Mount St. Helen’s.  We just didn’t stay in Washington though….  Our big vacation this year was a week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  This is where Ronnie and I wanted to go on our honeymoon, but just couldn’t make it happen. We snorkeled, went to Hotel California (don’t worry, we didn’t check in), and just lounged by the pool.  In September, the girls and I joined Ronnie in Tucson (he was there training) for a long weekend.  We got to visit with friends and lounge by the pool in the warm, warm sun.   

Growing Too Quick  The girls continue to ignore my directive that they are NOT allowed to grow up.  Holly is 8 years old and is in the 3^rd grade.  Sarah is 6 years old and is in Kindergarten.  They are both actively involved with Girl Scouts and are just simply amazing… they love to learn new things, try new things, and play in the dirt while wearing skirts. 

Other tidbits  If you haven’t heard, Ronnie is currently deployed to Afghanistan. Please keep him and his Airmen in your thoughts and prayers as they fulfill their mission.  This is the first deployment the girls have actively experienced and, though they are doing well, they miss their daddy something fierce.   

If not trying to be mom and dad is hard enough, I am almost finished with my Master’s degree.  While I’m finishing my degree, I am working part-time at the McChord Education Office doing the same thing I did at Osan. 

So there you have it!  2012 has been a fun-filled, rewarding year.  I have been trying to keep up with the blog as we adventure our way through the Pacific Northwest – we’re at randcoliver.blogspot.com. 

We hope this finds you all happy and healthy.  Have a wonderful new year! And don’t forget to look us up if you are ever in the area. 

Love,

Chris, Ronnie, Holly, Sarah and Cleo the Cat

    

Day Zero

I'm numb. 

This day seemed so far away when we moved here last year.  Even this summer when we had our family time.  But, as time always does, it caught us quick.  Ronnie left today.

We woke up at 2 am to drive him into the squadron and drop him off.  The sky was clear and the stars were bright.  Especially Jupiter.  It was high and bright and stable.  Eventually, after our last hugs and last kisses, the girls and I left him to join his guys for the next 9 months.  We got back home and crawled into bed. 

Before I fell back asleep, part of me prayed there would be a call saying "nevermind, we're going to catch next week's flight" or "hey, the war's over and we don't have to go."  The more rational part of me prayed for their safe travel and for Him to watch over them and bring them home safe and sound.  At some point, I fell asleep.

The alarm went off as usual at 6:30.  I knew I had to get myself together enough to get the girls fed, dressed, and off to school.  Even though I didn't feel like it.  I wanted to hide under the covers.  I remember thinking that maybe if I hid long enough, he would come home sooner.  Instead I drug myself to the coffee pot for a jolt of energy and headed upstairs to get the girls, with a smile affixed to my face. 

They got off on the bus and I climbed back into bed...  And then the tears came.  The ugly, body-shaking, soul wrenching kind of tears.  The ones that you can only let fall when you know no one is looking because you are so vulnerable in that moment.  The ones that you let fall when you also know that one person is right there to comfort you.  Except he wasn't.  He was heading to catch a plane that was going to take him 7,000 miles away from us. 

I decided to allow myself to wallow until there were double digits on the clock.  I made a deal with myself, the big girl panties went on at 10 am.  There was homework to do, parent-teacher conferences to attend, miles to run, and grocery shopping to be done.  This house won't run itself, papers don't write themselves, and the food and laundry fairies haven't been around for a long time.  And so I did... 

Day Zero has now come to a close.  The girls are bathed and in bed.  And I'm sitting here alone on the couch.  Tomorrow will be better, and the next day will be better than tomorrow, and so on and so on. Day 275 can't get here soon enough.

A Decade Down, A Lifetime To Go

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary.  We've lived in 7 states (Alabama-Oklahoma-Georgia-Arizona-North Carolina-Texas-Louisiana) and one other country.  And we've been blessed with the two most beautiful girls on this earth.  Not bad for the first 10 years.


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