Sad News

Thursday

I was picking up a couple things from SAMs Club when my Dad called. My Grandma Mary doesn't have much time left....she's been put into hospice. I know this will be a welcome relief for her and there will be a sweet reunion when she reaches the other side.....but I will miss not having her here on earth. I was hoping she would hang on long enough for me to see her if the house rents and the kids and I drive out to California. I'm glad Vicki and Ed saw her in January right after her 100th birthday when they drove to Barstow. Her memory has been gone for years and lately her body has been continually slowing down.....she has lived for an entire century, so i guess that happens....She has been the most awesome grandma! I have just totally wonderful memories with her that I will never ever forget. I do hope and pray that she can leave this life peacefully and without pain...the part about growing older that really sucks is your favorite people start slowing down and leaving planet earth....

Football Camp

Ty has started conditioning for football season. Football Camp was first on the agenda. He was able to work with players from ECU fine tuning the basics and learning some new things. He totally loved it! He LOVES football!!!

Not Batman, SUPERMAN!

I took Ty cleat shopping today. I pointed out the Batman cleats and he said, "No Mom! SUPERMAN!!!" I guess I know where he stands on the whole Batman Superman debate.

Aqua Spin With Friends

Aqua Spin was extra fun today with my work friends! It was a little LHS get together! These classes are during the day and so those of us, like my friends pictured here, who work in the schools don't get to go to these classes until school breaks! Bummer there are no evening or weekend aquaspin classes!

Peach Sweet Tea Yogurt

Tried another one of those new yogurts. Yep, it was good! Quite peachy and sooo yummy!!!

USA Loses AND Advances!!!

USA ranked what, um 13? played Germany ranked I think #2 today. I took Ryan out for Panda Express to make up for forgetting to bring him home a Sonic burger last night. We watched the last part of the game. USA played really well but still lost, but not as bad of a loss as i thought it was going to be....but amazingly they get to advance!!! Looks like there will be another game! Wow! Go USA!!!

#onenationoneteam

It's A Hypothesis....

Ryan and i went out for a frozen yogurt. While he was eating i noticed the shirt he was wearing was getting small on him. It is one of his favorite shirts and i remembered when it was actually too big on him! Now i could see the bones of his shoulders at the seams, the seams that no longer were lower than his shoulders!!
I said, "Ryan you have been growing! That shirt is getting too small on you. What have you been doing to grow?!!!
Ryan continued shoveling in his frozen yogurt and just kind of looked over at me. In between bites he nonchalantly said this...."If you scream at grass it will grow. Vicki is always yelling at me, so I'm growing.....(long pause) It's a hypothesis Mom. And he just continued eating his frozen yogurt while i almost choked on mine cracking up! He is sooo funny! I love these times just chit chatting with him.  

Stinky Shoe Love

I'm guessing he is either reminiscing in the smells I brought back from our walk this morning, or he wants me to take him for another cardio, or he just likes the smell of my stinky feet!!! 

Hot Day Cool Night Treat

Ryan was my buddy all afternoon today. On our way home tonight we stopped at Peach Tree and got ourselves some yummy frozen yogurt. It was a hot day today!

My yummy creation!

He's such a cute kid!!! Just love him! He always has the funniest things to say! Ryan has this crazy mind that just takes things in and than sends them back out in just the funniest of ways.

Shot In The Hip

My right hip has been hurting for like atleast 2 years, I think it has actually been hurting the whole 5 years we have lived here but the pain has gotten worse. My doctor, who is awesome, thought it was Bursitis. She has given me shots before and a topical cream. It helped a little but since it has been hurting under her watch for about 6 months she decided to refer me to Ortho and verify it is Bursitis and if so than they would be able to give me a steroid shot right into my hip and if not than see if it is arthritis or what and treat whatever it is so I can get to walking with less pain. Had ex rays and it is Bursitis.  Soooo, the doctor gave me the steroid shot. OUCH!!! He laughed when i said ouch and told me he had to bring out the big guns for this kind of shot! he wasn't joking!!!  That totally hurt but I am looking forward to this pain to be going away!!! Sooo, I got to tease The Dude In Cammies and send him a truly naked picture of me from the waist down! Here is the edited picture of my hips!!!

Updated Shell Box

I updated our shell box from when the Adolpho's were visiting. I love my shell box. I can pick up any shell and there is a memory written on it....the latest one with the Adolpho's at the Dog Beach on Camp Lejeune.  It was a super fun day! The kids had a blast and so did the dog!!! I was thinking back on all the fun my kids have had with Adolpho kids and all the places we've been and it is pretty funny for us to have only been stationed on an itty bitty island in the middle of the Pacific we have been to a LOT of places together!

Our kids have been on three islands together:

*Okinawa

*Guam

*Hawaii

They have been in

*North Carolina

*Maryland

*Delaware

*New Jersey

*New York

and Vicki in Virginia with them when she went to Busch Gardens and rode roller coasters!

 

They have played together in the Pacific & Atlantic oceans and The East China Sea

 

AND!!! We were even all together on a Space A flight, so they have flown together on a giant C-5!!! I wonder how many childhood friends can match up with these Military Brats!!!

 

Yep, these Military Brats have had an awesome childhood and now teen years together on fun adventures!

I Guess We Knew All Along

There was this quiz Ty took that asked for his favorite colors. He said Green and Orange. Those have always been his favorite colors.

The results were:
Green=Cammo
Orange=Caution

I guess we knew all along without knowing that he would grow up to want to be in the military and that he is a cautious person. Funny that color quiz fit Ty exactly!!!

Out Of Strawberries....

I discovered I was out of strawberries and couldn't make my normal afternoon salad! Sooo, I decided to improvise with some other berries that I DID have!!! It was pretty good! I prefer strawberries, but this was good too! Than I had a piece of pumpkin pie to balance it all out!

Aqua Spin Stares

Vicki and I went to Aqua Spin Class today. It is at the pool in New River, indoor. Half the pool has lane lines for lap swimming and the other half was used for our Aqua Spin Class. Everyone in the class except for Vicki and I were young male Marines. Everyone swimming laps next to us were Marines too. It was 11:30, so lunch time PT time on a hot, humid, summer day. We were well under way into the class when I looked up and realized the Marines that were swimming laps had stopped on the wall facing us and were staring at Vicki....the Marines in our class were watching her too. She had a tank top on over her swim suit but I'm thinking maybe a full blown football jersey maybe even with pads or a big zipped up puffy coat or something next time!!! Why can't she just be 2 splashing around in floaties for like EVER?!!! 

Love My Spin Class

 

Now that it is summer i can finally get back into my groove!!! Back to Spin Calss!!! It was awesome!!! I am sure my behind will be sore tomorrow, but totally loved being back in class! The last month of school just got to crazy!

Yummy Colorful Cake

I finally made this cake Vix has been wanting me to make. Yep, too much butter, too many eggs....it was delicious! After just a couple bites I was feeling quite full of cake, but I ate it all, every last bite!!!!  YUM! On a side note.....i bought some really fun plates from Thailand.....they each had a different chick dressed all fun carrying dessert. I bought a LOT of these plates and whenever one of my friends would have a birthday i would bake a cake and take her over a giant piece on her own Birthday Plate. I have a few left and whenever i eat off of one it brings back fun memories of taking cake over to differnt super fun friends from Okinawa!

 

Your Soul Animal

Ty said that whatever animal/creature you dream about the most is your soul animal.....

Ty dreams about snakes....he was very disappointed....he wanted it to be a Wolf or a Tiger or a Wolverine.

Ryan was distressed that his is cockroaches!!!! 

I am traumatized to find out I'm sharing my soul with spiders and sharks!!! Hello!!!  This is NOT fair!!! I want something cuddly!! Like a Polar Bear or a Liger! Not something creepy or rows of teeth dragging me out to the deep to eat me!!! This whole dream thing can't be right! We decided there is no way our souls are shared with snakes, cockroaches, sharks, and spiders!!!

Can You Hear Your Eyes Blink?

Driving home from church today...

Ty: Can you hear your eyes when they blink?

Me: Nope....what does it sound like?

Ty: I don't know....

Me: ( I'm really wanting to now know what eyes blinking sound like) If someone had a gun to your head and was going to kill you what would you say eyes blinking sounded like?

Ty: Ummm....you know on Sponge Bob when he blinks?

Me: I think soooo....

Ty: Like that....but a little squeakier....

Total silence in car....I think we are all listening to our blinking....I am, I still hear NOTHING!!!

Ty: It also kinda sounds like a snap....a far away snap.....

Silence in car.....we are all still blinking......

Ty: It also kinda sounds like a raindrop on the windshield.....

Silence.....I'm still desperately trying to hear my blinkers!!!!

Ty: Yep, definitely Sponge Bob, that is what my blinks sound like!

Me: I guess I have broken blinkers....or maybe yours just need to be oiled!!!!

Can anyone else hear themselves blink?!!! 

Sneak Peak: Transformers Age Of Extinction

The base was having a sneak peak of the new Transformers movie tonight. 

Malificant was showing at 3:30 so the boys went and saw that while I sat in my chair and read my book.  The boys said Maieficant was really good! I can't wait to see it!!!

A storm was rolling in when the boys had gotten out of the afternoon movie. The clouds got really dark and soon the thunder started booming. It was LOUD!!! The lightening was really close so the theater opened up early and started letting everyone in because it was getting dangerous with the lightening! I was the first person in line so we got in and bought our stuff at the consession stand and were seated in our favorite seats right away. Others weren't so lucky. I guess when it started raining it was pouring bucket fulls of water! People were soaking wet! In the bathroom people had their shirts off and were ringing them out over the sinks! I'm glad i missed Malificent and was Super Mom and sat in my chair reading instead!!!  

But Transformeers was really good! I was wondering if it was going to be like the last one, just repeat with a different location......but it was really good!!! The boys totally loved it!

New Neurology Office

Vicki had her appointment with neurology today to see what can be done about these headaches she has been having for the last couple of years. I assumed it was the same place I went for my neurology appointment for my migraines since Tricare is limited on doctors we can see and I asked if it was close to the hospital. We got there today and the lady said Vicki didn't have an appointment and wasn't even in the system. I called the number in my phone and it turns out her appointment is at another place by the mall. We zipped over there. Total ghetto, smelled horrible, we felt like we were dying of second hand smoke, the exam table looked like someone made it in their garage....the cut backs continue....I miss my Kaiser health care I had before I married my Marine and switched to government health care.... 

Vicki & Drew

I had started this post a little while ago and would just upload pictures from my phone.....but than i guess i waited to long so now i have changed it from a post that had started about boyfriends.....to now they are just friends....

 

Vicki has been friends with Drew since 8th grade. They started liking each other last year.....they just recently switched to being just friends....I think she is a little sad but they still hang out and do things together and she just went to his High School graduation, they were in the same class until she decided to graduate a year ealy! I am glad they are friends so she can think more about what she wants to do with her life instead of factoring choices around him......

Oh, the arrow is pointing at a bruise left behind from Joseph Kirwan. We have known them for a LONG time and Vicki has known his family since before he was born. vicki was with me on the day they were packing out and they were who knows what but she hit him he hit her back somewhere along the while of sweeping and cleaning and almost empty house. They are totally like brothers and sisters to each other.....anyways he was driving to Texas with Kelli (his Mom) to meet up with the rest of the family who had left in the earlier departure and so i sent him that picture telling him a part of him was still in NC, so the arrow and bruise has nothing to do with Vicki and Drew.....

vicki would go to Drews soccer games so he wouldn't have to drive all by himself and she would take pictures....

I think this is one of their very first pictures when they started officially liking each other....

They have fun taking pictures....

sometimes Vicki just doesn't want her picture taken....

Lots of car trips for soccer games!

But i am glad they stayed friends.....

 

Favorite Summer Lunch

This has been my favorite summer lunch so far....just throw some salad in a bowl, slice up some strawberries, than add some sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, sometimes I put some chicken on top and than of course top it off with my berry salad dressing! Yum! I think I will buy some cashews.....those would be good on it too!

New Yogurts To Try....

I bought 3 new flavors of yogurt to try. i tried this one first today for breakfast, Total Yum!!! It will be great in breakfast drinks too with all those chocolate flakes in it, but at 190 calories it will have to be one of those breakfast drinks that carries over into lunch too!!!

Summer Morning Cardio With The Dogs

I try to take the dogs out every morning for a quick cardio. I can take Leah and Bells at the same time and than i take Jasper by himself, he is just too crazy and strong! But this was just a typical morning walk. I take jasper on the same roads just go a little bit further than with the girls. Bellas little legs get tired and i don't want Leah to get too hot with her super heavy duty fur coat! 

Trying Out Uniform Looks From The Past

Having some photo fun at the Marine Corps Museum! The boys don't think this is fun anymore!!! I still do, so they have to! I'm Mom!

Watching Videos

I think Ty could spend all day here just watching all the videos.....

His Growing Up Has Been Intertwined With Iraq and Afghanistan

I was watching Ty as he went around the entire Iraq and Afghanistan wall....he was just reading everything and looking at all the pictures.....he was very quiet.  I wonder what our children are thinking.....there are times like these they don't talk and i can tell they don't want to....this was one of those moments....he just wanted to read it all....so much of his growing up has been immersed in what is going on in the Middle East. He has seen his Dad off to both of these countries to fight.  The early years it was just to 'go get the bad guys' but now he knows more of what it is to actually go and get the bad guys and so with each deployment his thoughts have changed i am sure.....i just really wonder what goes thru our childrens minds when they are quiet like in this moment..... 

Tick Tock 9/11

Every Marine Knows This One

 

Dan Daly.....every Marine knows this line.....I sent this picture to The dude In Cammies and said 'guess where we are?' He knew.....

Lunch Stop

We decided we would stop at one of the Forts as we were driving home since traffic was horrible and we knew there would be food choices for lunch without being stuck in further traffic! Fort Belvoir was huge and beautiful and the boys had wanted Subway, so we were in luck as there was one in the food court! We also did a little shopping.....

Traffic

DC traffic was no joke today! So far a wreck closing down the freeway we needed, we stopped at a Fort....a car fire that shut down the freeway except for one lane, we took another stop....FINALLY clear roads the rest of the way home!!! 

Road Trip Home

And we are off!!! time to head back to NC!!! We have been all over and now it is time to head home! If we don't stop except for gas and food we will be home by 3:30 this afternoon!

Delaware Stop

It was time for a potty break while heading up to New York. Delaware was the stop! Another state these Military Brats can add to their Okiohana adventures!