Too busy for words .....

Life is CRAZY busy .... CRAZY. The boys are insane! Work is INSANE (can anyone tell me why I work with the stock market???)! My schedule has been INSANE .....

I hope next week will slow down .... but for now ... I am going to pay some bills, download some pictures and get ready to go see my beloved Cubbies play ball tomorrow!!!!!

Where has time gone????

I think it has nearly been 2 weeks since I last posted. Where has August ... shoot even SEPTEMBER ... gone?????

JL, my youngest sister, visited last week. It was so nice to have her here. Obviously it was nice to have help ... but it was also nice to have COMPANY. Someone to chat with once the kids go to bed.

She babysat for me a few days, while I went on my scheduled work appointments ... maybe she will be waiting for those additions to her family after these experiences!!! :)

We tried to shop a few times (tried being the important word there!). Mostly we just took the boys to lunch or dinner and hung out. We went to the Bears/Bucs game on Sunday - that was fun.

I celebrated my 4 year anniversary last Thursday ... without E. :( It sucked to not be able to celebrate with him. What was cool was that he sent me flowers and fruit (unbeknown to me - these are the traditional gifts for a 4 year anniversary). For anyone that KNOWS E and our issues that have plagued us over the years ... THIS was BEYOND sweet. I most certainly cried.

I am STILL looking for a new position ... to no avail. I wonder if I will EVER find anything. I really hate this place. Enough said.

I am trying to keep the boys out of teh house as much as possible over teh course of teh next week ... since I know CRAP weather is JUST around teh corner ...

Oh the joys .......

Sick and Tired ....

So maybe I need a Friday FIFTEEN for today .... I am fed up and irritated ... PMS is raging, I am going on a total of 6 hours sleep in three days, I hate my job, I must VENT now!
OK - so ....

I am sick and tired of: my son not sleeping. He is 6 months old. By now he should be sleeping "like a baby," peacefully through the night. This stupid game he plays that he suddenly forgets how to roll himself over is NOT cute anymore. I literally had to walk away from him last night ... I was getting so angry. SO EFFING ANNOYING!

I am sick and tired of: my job. If I have to go hang out at one more effing police station at 6:00 freaking AM, I am going to go nuts. No one is doing ANYTHING with their accounts - other than bitching, it is a waste of time and I am tired. Whatever. Could I NOT find something good?

I am sick and tired: of people stuffing Obama down my throat. No. I do not want to vote for him. No. I do not trust him. Yes. I am younger, my husband has been deployed ... these do NOT make me sway my beliefs like most people. Just because most people my age have thrown their upbringings out the window long ago, I have continued mine. I go to Mass every Sunday. I am Pro-Life. I do not agree with the welfare system as we have it. I feel that people should WORK for what they get, not be handed it. I believe in morals. I believe that we need to fight terrorism. I think Obama is shady and, quite frankly, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Quit trying to make me feel bad for not wanting him in office. And, oh yea, I kind of like Palin ... a mother with 5 kids, a working woman, a church going woman .. and pretty to boot. And she is BAD for women??? Whatever people ... quit being hypocrites.

I am sick and tired of: hearing about going green. Eff that. Green? WTF???? Pardon my French (2 hours of sleep does not keep my mouth clean). If someone would like to give me a raise so that I could afford hybrid cars, recycled paper towels and new light bulbs, I could help you. Until then, leave me alone. I use disposable diapers, I throw them away in plastic grocery bags and I clean my floor with Pine Sol. Get over it. Al Gore is a dumb ass.

I am sick and tired of: my husband not understanding anything I say. I repeat myself at LEAST three times with EVERYTHING. LISTEN and I will NOT have to tell you again ... and MAYBE you would understand the FIRST effing time!!!!

I am sick and tired of: being bitchy .... I NEED to get some sleep so I can become a more calm and peaceful person .... oh jeez ... this is JUST not me.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things I wonder about:

1. Exactly what makes people think Obama will bring about change but McCain won't? He ISN'T Bush .... he has already disagreed with many things ... so ... what is the big deal about this "change" platform they keep talking about?

2. Why can't the teams that I root for ever win? Why am I always on/rooting for teams that are losers?!??! High school football? HA! We sucked. All of the softball teams I played for? Can you say "slaughter rule?" The Cubs? Enough said.

3. I have been wanting a new job to make a better life for my kids for a while. Why can I not find anything; yet, some people THINK about a new position, and it falls into their lap.

4. If oil is at its lowest, why did my gas just go up 30 cents a gallon????

5. Why does it seem that EVERYONE I know gets to be stay at home moms? They go out to lunch, shop .... do ALL of these men REALLY make THAT mich money? Is my husband NOT????

6. When- OH WHEN- will I lose some weight!?!?!??!

7. Maybe some day my husband will have something hit him in the head and he will decide that he wants to move out of this frozen tundra we call Chicago .... ugh. Only September and people are already wearing winter coats.

8. Why DOESN'T bologna get pronouced like lasagna?

9. Will I be a HOT mama some day?

10. Why are some people able to hold onto friends for years and years and years ... and mine seem to change every few?

11. Will this winter be as cold and depressing as last? (Oh Dear Lord, I hope not!)

12. When will my husband be sent home?

13. Will they ever invent a diet pill that let's me eat WHATEVER the heck I want ... and still LOSE weight? How about a a device that allows donation of fat? Seriously, think about it. People can donate organs, tissue, etc. Well, I have enough fat in my thighs to make, AT LEAST, 5 women's boobs double in size! No more silicone ... just get donated fat!!! LOL!

Picking up Big J

Back at work from a few days off and I feel like I have been gone for a month (I could actually USE a good month off!).

The trip to Tampa was good - woke up at the crack of dawn (although little j started his "I cannot rollover come and get me" game around 4:30 - so I was up).

When we landed in Tampa Big J was at the end of the terminal and came running through people, doging legs and bags, to give me a hug. THAT was awesome. In the car, he kept saying, "I am SO glad to see you guys." :)

It was amazing what changes a brand new three year old can make in 2 short weeks. He kept telling me that he was a gentleman and that he does chores, etc. He showed me everything he had been doing at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Every time he even LOOKED little j's way, little j would get all excited and giggle like mad.

I took Big J in the pool and finally showed him how to jump in ... in 2 short days he was jumping in all by himself and swimming aruind with his floaties on his arms. THAT was cool (pics posted later!).

It, once again, was nice to be with my family, away from it all. Ate too much, drank too much ... watched sports too much. What is new?!?!?!? :)

The trip back home was uneventful - many people wonder how I do it - 2 boys , me and luggage .... but, with practice, it isn't too hard. Big J did great .... watched his movie and ate his turkey sandwich. On the way home he said, "I am SO GLAD you brought me home Mommy, but I miss Grandma and Grandpa."

Oh, out of the mouths of babes ......

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things I cannot believe:

1. I got rear ended by a Chicago Cop this afternoon. He honked his horn, ran into me and left. Now I have to go through an investigation ... woohoo.

2. Summer is over.

3. I am STILL wearing big lady underwear ... when - oh when - am I going to shrink????

4. I have been up since 4:30 this morning.

5. I have to be up at 5:00 tomorrow morning.

6. People actually think Obama is GOOD for this country.

7. The lady from a job I would really enjoy hasn't returned my phone call.

8. I have yet ANOTHER "blemish" on the very tip of my chin.

9. I get to see Big J tomorrow!

10. It has been pouring ALL day ... who would have thought you could get a Hurricane in Chicago?!?!???!

11. My husband is still not home ... and we have no clue when he will be.

12. Little j STILL cannot figure out how to roll himself over in the middle of the night.

13. How many old friends I have been in contact with through Facebook ... its like hundreds of reunions all going on at once!

Wordless Wednesday

"I love you" .....

So .... I just got back from seeing my E .... What a feeling. So happy - yet so sad.

Here is the fill-in:

E was injured overseas ... he hurt his back. They have sent him back to Ft. Bragg for medical treatment and more than likely, he will NOT return to Iraq. BUT - and here is my big BUT - he will NOT be returning home any time soon. From what he tells me, these medical boards and treatments can take 90 days or more ... and they will NOT release him until they fix what they broke. Ugh. So ... we are awaiting word on if he undergoes surgery or rehab or what.

So ... with Big J in Tampa visiting Grandma and Grandpa, we got MIL to watch little j and I headed out to Ft Bragg on Friday to see E.

I left from Ohare early and arrived in Fayetteville around 12:00. I rented a car, since E has been using post transportation this entire time. I knew he would want some time off the base ... and I needed a way to get around as well. I arrived at Ft Bragg with E waiting for me - he had a dozen roses with gerbera daisies attached (my fave), some gummy bears (some of my favorite candy) and an 8-pack of Diet Dr Pepper waiting for me in his fridge. For E to be THIS thoughtful is highly unusual. It was absolutely incredible to see him ... and have him just hold me (without any kids in the mix - I actually forgot I was a Mom for a short time)!

He immediately showed me around the base - this place is HUGE! Unlike what I truly pictured. It was cool b/c I was able to see where he trained, ate, slept ... some places were nicer than others. I was actually disappointed to see some of the places we allow our troops to sleep for weeks on end .... I think prisoners actually get better living conditions than some of these guys!

Friday night we went downtown Fayetteville (what a small town!) and ate dinner at a bar & grill. It was great to actually sit down and have a glass of wine with my husband on a Friday night! I felt like a lady again ... not just "mom."

On Saturday we SLEPT IN!!!! I woke up at 9:30!!!!! Can you actually believe that! It was heavenly ... not only to wake up whenever I wanted - but to be next to Eric again. We went to late breakfast and then he drove me out to the FOB (forward operating base). This is the place that he stayed for a few weeks, training for war. It is created to simulate life in Iraq. It was really neat to see - and hard to imagine my husband having to endure things like all of this. It was cool - yet scary at the same time.

We wandered around the PX and sat in the room and watched the Cubs game. That evening we got cleaned up and had a romantic Italian dinner downtown. It was so great.

On Sunday he took me to the Post chapel for church and we went out for Sunday brunch. We ate WAY too much but really enjoyed ourselves. That afternoon we went to the Special Forces Museum in Fayetteville. It was really neat to see the history behind these guys. What jobs they do ... and the things we, as Americans, take for granted on a daily basis. The next person that complains about war, politics, etc ... let them jump into a uniform and see what America REALLY is all about.

Because we ate such a heavy brunch we weren't really hungry until late. When was the last time just E and I went driving around looking for somewhere to go for dinner at BEDTIME?!?!?? It was so much fun. We stopped at a BBQ joint and had a great time.

Monday morning was bittersweet since I knew I had to leave that afternoon. We skipped breakfast and slept in, once again. We went to the PX to get something for Big J and an Army wife mug for me. It was hard to not get swept up in the "excitement" (is that the word I am really looking for?) of it all. Being on base, around soldiers, seeing my husband and all that he went through .... it made me very proud (maybe for the first time) to be an "Army Wife" ... I have always always been proud of E ... but never really thought of myself as an "Army Wife."

We went out to a Sports Bar on base for lunch ... played a mean game of air hockey and then went back to the room and prepared to leave. It was so hard. He is home .... but not home. He feels like he let down his Unit by not being back there and has to fight that demon, every day, all by himself. He knows that is children and wife sit back and go on with their lives without him while he waits on people to control his future life.

As much as I was all "hoorah" for the Army ... I am a bit pissed with them as well. Take care of my husband and then bring him home. Don't let him sit and sit and sit ..... what good does it do anyone????

Leaving was awful. I hugged him as hard as I could and drove away. I received a text about 15 minutes later .... "I LOVE YOU" .... I cried.

And now ... I am back in the hell hole that I call an office ... dealing with the same bullshit I deal with every time I am here ...and I want to scream at them all for not giving a shit about anyone else but themselves. Ugh ..... I miss E badly.