I know it's been awhile. I have a lot to catch up on, but not now. I have to get this out first!
Dear Certain People,
I know you messaged me yesterday. The question you asked is something I need to talk to the Marine about, since it does have to do more with him than me. I'm sure you guys need to know now, but you didn't tell me that in the message. And it's not my fault you all are notifying me now, because I'm sure you all have been talking about this for a couple of weeks. So you are just going to have to wait to hear back from me until I hear from the Marine. I do not have instant access with him all the time. You know, it's the nature of a deployment. Sometimes I can hear from him in a timely manner, but that is a rare occassion.
I know with the Marine gone, I'm just an after thought. So thanks for making me feel part of the group.
Sincerely,
The Dancing Outlaw
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
No Good Very Bad Month
That is what it has been for me. The past month has been horrible, and it was all out of my control. I'll get into it later, but that is why I haven't written. I'm still coming to terms with some of it, and my emotions are all over the place.
Just know I am ok.
Just know I am ok.
Monday, July 25, 2011
I'll see you at Rainbow Bridge Autumn
Today I put our cat, Autumn, down. She has been sick and we have been trying to figure out what was wrong with her. She started to really go down hill this past weekend. We knew it was coming, but we just didn't know when. It's been hard on me, but I can only imagine how this is for the Marine. I know he wanted to be here for both Autumn and I. A good friend came with me and that helped so much. I decided to have her cremated. It cost a little bit more, but they will put her in an urn and give us a little plaque with her paw print. I thought this way the Marine and I can do something for her when he gets back, so he has some closure.
I have had Autumn since the day she was born. She was born August 14, 1997. I was 16, I actually turned 17 a few weeks later. She has been with me through so much. High school, college, boyfriends, break ups, meeting the man of our dreams, moving 8 times, a wedding, 7 years of marriage, adopting new fursiblings, buying a house, 2 R&R's, 1.5 deployments, and so much more! She fell in love with the Marine right away, and almost stole him away from me! As a kitten she used to run up the under side of the stairs at my parents house! Gosh that was a site! She could purr like a chainsaw, and she loved to hunt bugs. She could get the Marine to help her hunt bugs by crying that they were too high, so he would pick her up so she could reach them. She loved to roll around in the funshine (sunshine), have her tailed pulled, and be picked up by both of her ears. She was Dashes true love, but she didn't want to show him how much she loved him. She liked to play hard to get. She was a sweet cat, and I adored her.
She had many names. Autumn, Autumn Bottom (I know creative), Squeaks, Squeakers, Squeakums, Munchkin, and the newest coined by our nieces Rainbow Kitty.
Autumn, you will be missed by all of us. We love you and will see you at Rainbow Bridge when it's time.
Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...
I have had Autumn since the day she was born. She was born August 14, 1997. I was 16, I actually turned 17 a few weeks later. She has been with me through so much. High school, college, boyfriends, break ups, meeting the man of our dreams, moving 8 times, a wedding, 7 years of marriage, adopting new fursiblings, buying a house, 2 R&R's, 1.5 deployments, and so much more! She fell in love with the Marine right away, and almost stole him away from me! As a kitten she used to run up the under side of the stairs at my parents house! Gosh that was a site! She could purr like a chainsaw, and she loved to hunt bugs. She could get the Marine to help her hunt bugs by crying that they were too high, so he would pick her up so she could reach them. She loved to roll around in the funshine (sunshine), have her tailed pulled, and be picked up by both of her ears. She was Dashes true love, but she didn't want to show him how much she loved him. She liked to play hard to get. She was a sweet cat, and I adored her.
She had many names. Autumn, Autumn Bottom (I know creative), Squeaks, Squeakers, Squeakums, Munchkin, and the newest coined by our nieces Rainbow Kitty.
Autumn, you will be missed by all of us. We love you and will see you at Rainbow Bridge when it's time.
Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Oh the Irony!
So R&R is practically here, and guess what happens? The glass on my oven door shattered! Not, what you were expecting, huh? We'll probably only have to pay a small fee to have it fixed/replaced if the manufacturer's warranty is out. Which I think it is, but that's ok. I'd rather pay a small fee than pay for the whole thing or even buy a new oven.
Where's the irony, you ask?
Well, last time the Marine was coming home for R&R (was in transit, and didn't have much access to phones and email, but more email access than phone) our computer blew up! Ok, it didn't explode but it started smoking, and it was basically toast after that. This was not that long ago, but this was when there weren't any Ipod Touches or Iphones, and Blackberries were just coming out. So smart phones were in their infancy. So there went one of my main of ways of contacting the Marine. Of course this happened on New Year's Eve, and every place in 29 Palms was closed for a few days!
Luckily I had some awesome neighbors who let me come over and use their computer a couple of times a day. They day he flew into Palm Springs he called me to let me know when he'd be here. That was my first call from him in days.
So last night I sent him an email telling him about the oven. I have yet to hear back from him. Now, I know this doesn't really affect our communication the like the computer did, but it does affect how I eat and possibly how we'll eat when he's here for R&R if it's not fixed! I use the oven a lot. I have something frozen, I throw it on one of my baking stones, and then I bake. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. I was telling my friends today, and they asked me if I had a toaster oven, and I said no but I'm thinking about getting one. They all said "Do it!" So I think a toaster oven is in my future.
Well, I have things I have to do since R&R is right around the corner! I couldn't resist with this quote, it's from my childhood, and since my appliances seem to have issues. Show yours some love.
"I remember the first time my bulb burned out. I thought, "That's it! I'm burnt out! Eighty-sixed! To the showers!" And then the master gave me a new bulb... and I glowed."~ Lampy from The Brave Little Toaster.
The Dancer
Where's the irony, you ask?
Well, last time the Marine was coming home for R&R (was in transit, and didn't have much access to phones and email, but more email access than phone) our computer blew up! Ok, it didn't explode but it started smoking, and it was basically toast after that. This was not that long ago, but this was when there weren't any Ipod Touches or Iphones, and Blackberries were just coming out. So smart phones were in their infancy. So there went one of my main of ways of contacting the Marine. Of course this happened on New Year's Eve, and every place in 29 Palms was closed for a few days!
Luckily I had some awesome neighbors who let me come over and use their computer a couple of times a day. They day he flew into Palm Springs he called me to let me know when he'd be here. That was my first call from him in days.
So last night I sent him an email telling him about the oven. I have yet to hear back from him. Now, I know this doesn't really affect our communication the like the computer did, but it does affect how I eat and possibly how we'll eat when he's here for R&R if it's not fixed! I use the oven a lot. I have something frozen, I throw it on one of my baking stones, and then I bake. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. I was telling my friends today, and they asked me if I had a toaster oven, and I said no but I'm thinking about getting one. They all said "Do it!" So I think a toaster oven is in my future.
Well, I have things I have to do since R&R is right around the corner! I couldn't resist with this quote, it's from my childhood, and since my appliances seem to have issues. Show yours some love.
"I remember the first time my bulb burned out. I thought, "That's it! I'm burnt out! Eighty-sixed! To the showers!" And then the master gave me a new bulb... and I glowed."~ Lampy from The Brave Little Toaster.
The Dancer
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Bah
The Marine has been gone almost close to half a year. If this was a normal (well as normal as you can get) USMC deployment, we'd be on the downhill slope. We'd be getting ready for his homecoming. Instead we are getting ready for R&R, and deep down I'd rather have him coming home and staying a while, instead of being here for a couple of weeks and then sending him back. Don't get me wrong, I am so glad that the Marine gets R&R, I just don't want to send him back.
I'm a bit jealous. It's hard for both of us to see our friends come home from their deployments when they left shortly before, around the same time, or just after the Marine did. Then they come home before him, and we still have a good part of the deployment left. The emotions at this point are frustrating. I am so happy that our friends are coming home, but it's hard for me too. I want what my friends have or will soon have. And to know I don't get that for many, many months just sucks. That's the best way to put it. It sucks, and nothing can be done about it.
I just want my Marine home. The Marine just wants to be home.
We are getting to the point we are over this. I remember during the first deployment, around month 7 we were over the deployment, We were both done, and we still 5 had months left. I believe that there is something about that number 7. I think we are not suppose to be away from our partners that long. The service members are also done with what they are doing. They are burnt out. It's an emotional and/or psychological thing, I'm sure there is some sort of study out there about it. I'm just too lazy to look it up, plus I already know how I feel.
But I'm starting to feel done with this deployment, and we aren't even to the halfway point. Maybe it's because it's the summer and I don't have as much going on. I'm hoping that's the case.
This quote is pretty dramatic, but it's the closest to my feeling right now.
"Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair." ~William Cowper
The Dancer
I'm a bit jealous. It's hard for both of us to see our friends come home from their deployments when they left shortly before, around the same time, or just after the Marine did. Then they come home before him, and we still have a good part of the deployment left. The emotions at this point are frustrating. I am so happy that our friends are coming home, but it's hard for me too. I want what my friends have or will soon have. And to know I don't get that for many, many months just sucks. That's the best way to put it. It sucks, and nothing can be done about it.
I just want my Marine home. The Marine just wants to be home.
We are getting to the point we are over this. I remember during the first deployment, around month 7 we were over the deployment, We were both done, and we still 5 had months left. I believe that there is something about that number 7. I think we are not suppose to be away from our partners that long. The service members are also done with what they are doing. They are burnt out. It's an emotional and/or psychological thing, I'm sure there is some sort of study out there about it. I'm just too lazy to look it up, plus I already know how I feel.
But I'm starting to feel done with this deployment, and we aren't even to the halfway point. Maybe it's because it's the summer and I don't have as much going on. I'm hoping that's the case.
This quote is pretty dramatic, but it's the closest to my feeling right now.
"Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair." ~William Cowper
The Dancer
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Home & Back Again
I am in Wyoming. It's nice to be back in Wyoming, home. I have been able to see many friends and family, and got to go up to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. I haven't been there in about 10 years. It's been nice to be in my old stomping grounds. The weather has been great, it snowed! Yes, I'm excited that it snowed, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons were beautiful from all of the snow. And yes, it did snow in May in Wyoming. It hasn't been too cold or too hot. When I left NC it was getting into the 90's! I'm glad that I left!
With that said, I'm ready to get back home. To my home, where my furbabies are and my things are. I miss Cinder. I miss the cats too, but they are not as dependent on me as Cinder is. It has not been the same trip to Wyoming without her. She has always been with me when we visited. I head back in a day. I have one more fav restaurant, Shari's, to go to, hopefully hit up Hobby Lobby, go to the post office, pack, have dinner with my friend, and then my parents and I are driving down to Ft Collins. Then the next day they take me to Denver, and I hop on the plane to get back to mi casa and my furbabies.
So with that I need to get off the computer and get packing.
"Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair..." ~Susan Polis Shutz
The Dancer
With that said, I'm ready to get back home. To my home, where my furbabies are and my things are. I miss Cinder. I miss the cats too, but they are not as dependent on me as Cinder is. It has not been the same trip to Wyoming without her. She has always been with me when we visited. I head back in a day. I have one more fav restaurant, Shari's, to go to, hopefully hit up Hobby Lobby, go to the post office, pack, have dinner with my friend, and then my parents and I are driving down to Ft Collins. Then the next day they take me to Denver, and I hop on the plane to get back to mi casa and my furbabies.
So with that I need to get off the computer and get packing.
"Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair..." ~Susan Polis Shutz
The Dancer
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Why I Dance and Create Dance
Tonight was dress rehearsal! Yay! It means we are about to end the year and show everyone our hard work! Tonight was why I dance. Tonight was why I choreograph.
When I started in the August things were a bit rough for a few months with my older girls. A big part of it was I was new and had a different style. They weren't used to me. So we were adjusting and it was a battle! Let's just say lots of drama with kids and parents. Luckily, my boss was very supportive. She kept saying that they had to get used to my style.
You see, I teach in a very small town, so they have all been dancing together since before they were born. So they have had the same teachers, and these teachers had the same teachers. See what I'm getting at? It's not a bad thing, but I came in with different experiences and styles. So I come in with my weird style, and gosh did those girls fight me! The piece is about them using all of their extensions to the fullest. They hated that, they said it was slow and not hard. But they weren't trying, they never used their stretched to the fullest extent. They were missing the hard part. Finally, they got it. They get me now, and I get them. It just took some time, longer than I expected though.
Tonight, I got my validation on it and on a few of my pieces. After my girls did Winter's Night, one of my Jr Company parents said, "S, that was really good!" Another parent that I had not met before came up to me and said, "Did you choreograph that? That was DANCE! That is what I see dance as!" Someone got it! They understood! I felt so good with those to comments. A bit later I was talking with another Jr Company mom, and she said, "That musical theatre piece was really good! And the ballet, did you do the ballet? That's M's favorite dance, and I loved it! And your piece with them in the ice blue, I had to ask who did that, because it was so different! You could tell it wasn't one of the normal teachers because it was so different. I loved it, and this part (she describes the moment) was amazing!"
It's those things you love to hear. It's an ego boost, we all need them every once in awhile. I admit lately, I wondered if my choreography was up to par with the other teachers. I mean I would look at their pieces and I thought yes they were, but I wasn't ever really hearing any feed back. Now, I know that it is, but I just do things differently (which I knew anyways.) Now, no more wondering.
So I teach because I want to touch the world, I dance because have too, I create because it's my outlet.
"I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance." ~George Balanchine
When I started in the August things were a bit rough for a few months with my older girls. A big part of it was I was new and had a different style. They weren't used to me. So we were adjusting and it was a battle! Let's just say lots of drama with kids and parents. Luckily, my boss was very supportive. She kept saying that they had to get used to my style.
You see, I teach in a very small town, so they have all been dancing together since before they were born. So they have had the same teachers, and these teachers had the same teachers. See what I'm getting at? It's not a bad thing, but I came in with different experiences and styles. So I come in with my weird style, and gosh did those girls fight me! The piece is about them using all of their extensions to the fullest. They hated that, they said it was slow and not hard. But they weren't trying, they never used their stretched to the fullest extent. They were missing the hard part. Finally, they got it. They get me now, and I get them. It just took some time, longer than I expected though.
Tonight, I got my validation on it and on a few of my pieces. After my girls did Winter's Night, one of my Jr Company parents said, "S, that was really good!" Another parent that I had not met before came up to me and said, "Did you choreograph that? That was DANCE! That is what I see dance as!" Someone got it! They understood! I felt so good with those to comments. A bit later I was talking with another Jr Company mom, and she said, "That musical theatre piece was really good! And the ballet, did you do the ballet? That's M's favorite dance, and I loved it! And your piece with them in the ice blue, I had to ask who did that, because it was so different! You could tell it wasn't one of the normal teachers because it was so different. I loved it, and this part (she describes the moment) was amazing!"
It's those things you love to hear. It's an ego boost, we all need them every once in awhile. I admit lately, I wondered if my choreography was up to par with the other teachers. I mean I would look at their pieces and I thought yes they were, but I wasn't ever really hearing any feed back. Now, I know that it is, but I just do things differently (which I knew anyways.) Now, no more wondering.
So I teach because I want to touch the world, I dance because have too, I create because it's my outlet.
"I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance." ~George Balanchine
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Ugly Duckling of Family Unit Days
Ok, lets talk about family unit days. This is something that has been on my mind since April and I just haven't had a chance to write about it. What is prompting me to write about it now? I am on a military chat board and the topic has come up.
Most unit family days or FRG family days are geared towards families with kids. You don't have kids you are kind of the odd duck. So most of the time I am the ugly duckling. Right now with both units I don't know many people. Well, honestly, I don't know any with the IA unit (Individual Augment, basically he is part of two units, the unit he is deployed with and the home unit), and our home unit it's a few, but they don't always come to the events either. It's not that I haven't tried. But with the Marine being an IA, I don't know the people with the IA unit, and we were only with the home unit for a short time that I didn't get a chance to meet everyone there. Then there is the fact that the units always do things when I am a working. So I can't make it those nights. So it has been a bit of a slow process.
Another thing is that they have been doing banner making parties when most of the Marines have been there only for a few months. Odd. Or at least odd to me, I can't go and make a banner when I have 1/2 to 3/4 of the seriously long deployment ahead of us. I don't want to store it for the majority of the deployment. I'll also forget where I put it. That's why, being the procrastinator that I am, I will make the sign the night before he comes home! (Yes, I did this for the last deployment. I was in denial about him coming home, I just didn't believe it because he had been gone for 13 months and the fact that they didn't inform the IA families. That's a whole different story!)
There are wives groups and they usually meet at least once a month, but again they ALWAYS meet on nights I'm working. They apparently have a thing for Tuesdays and Thursdays! So I rarely go to those, and then they plan things like a Beauty Swap. Seriously, not my kind of fun, maybe for them but not me. I just want to meet, talk, eat, and have a glass of wine. Make it easy ladies! Simple is good, really. Or do a wine tasting, or a ghost walk (yes, I have suggested those to no avail). But 2 Beauty Swaps in a year, come on now! Fashion is not my thing. Give me my jeans and t-shirt and I am happy. I don't dress to impress (I dress appropriate all the time), I'll dress nice when I need to, but I will not dress up for the Generals wife when the invite says casual. She DOESN'T care what you are wearing, if she does she is not worth your time or concern. Just my 2 cents on that, I do have a great Admiral wife story that I'll tell another time.
In all honesty unit family days are great, I don't mind them, normally I enjoy them especially if I know the people! But sometimes I wish they had more adult friendly or adult only events that aren't on Tuesday and Thursday. It's funny they seem to have more when the Marines are here, and when they are gone they are few and far between.
Now, please don't think that I don't do anything with the units. I do when I can! This weekend I am going to a event, it looks like it will be great! I'll tell you about it when I get a chance. This one is actually just for spouses. This event is actually done by CREDO, which is run by the Navy Chaplains.
My advice, go to any and all events that you can. You never know who you will meet. Your next best friend might be there and they may or may not have kids. Don't exclude yourself because you don't have kids, and don't decide you can't become friends with someone if they have kids. The events are what you make of them.
"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance." ~Author Unknown
Most unit family days or FRG family days are geared towards families with kids. You don't have kids you are kind of the odd duck. So most of the time I am the ugly duckling. Right now with both units I don't know many people. Well, honestly, I don't know any with the IA unit (Individual Augment, basically he is part of two units, the unit he is deployed with and the home unit), and our home unit it's a few, but they don't always come to the events either. It's not that I haven't tried. But with the Marine being an IA, I don't know the people with the IA unit, and we were only with the home unit for a short time that I didn't get a chance to meet everyone there. Then there is the fact that the units always do things when I am a working. So I can't make it those nights. So it has been a bit of a slow process.
Another thing is that they have been doing banner making parties when most of the Marines have been there only for a few months. Odd. Or at least odd to me, I can't go and make a banner when I have 1/2 to 3/4 of the seriously long deployment ahead of us. I don't want to store it for the majority of the deployment. I'll also forget where I put it. That's why, being the procrastinator that I am, I will make the sign the night before he comes home! (Yes, I did this for the last deployment. I was in denial about him coming home, I just didn't believe it because he had been gone for 13 months and the fact that they didn't inform the IA families. That's a whole different story!)
There are wives groups and they usually meet at least once a month, but again they ALWAYS meet on nights I'm working. They apparently have a thing for Tuesdays and Thursdays! So I rarely go to those, and then they plan things like a Beauty Swap. Seriously, not my kind of fun, maybe for them but not me. I just want to meet, talk, eat, and have a glass of wine. Make it easy ladies! Simple is good, really. Or do a wine tasting, or a ghost walk (yes, I have suggested those to no avail). But 2 Beauty Swaps in a year, come on now! Fashion is not my thing. Give me my jeans and t-shirt and I am happy. I don't dress to impress (I dress appropriate all the time), I'll dress nice when I need to, but I will not dress up for the Generals wife when the invite says casual. She DOESN'T care what you are wearing, if she does she is not worth your time or concern. Just my 2 cents on that, I do have a great Admiral wife story that I'll tell another time.
In all honesty unit family days are great, I don't mind them, normally I enjoy them especially if I know the people! But sometimes I wish they had more adult friendly or adult only events that aren't on Tuesday and Thursday. It's funny they seem to have more when the Marines are here, and when they are gone they are few and far between.
Now, please don't think that I don't do anything with the units. I do when I can! This weekend I am going to a event, it looks like it will be great! I'll tell you about it when I get a chance. This one is actually just for spouses. This event is actually done by CREDO, which is run by the Navy Chaplains.
My advice, go to any and all events that you can. You never know who you will meet. Your next best friend might be there and they may or may not have kids. Don't exclude yourself because you don't have kids, and don't decide you can't become friends with someone if they have kids. The events are what you make of them.
"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance." ~Author Unknown
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Where Were You on May 1, 2011?
President Obama just announced that Osama Bin Laden has been killed and that his body was recovered on May 1, 2011. This is from the information that I have gotten from the news.
I have mixed feelings. I am glad that we finally got him, I had a quick moment of "Thank God!" Since I have heard the news I have had a heavy heart. I can't celebrate this because this war is far from over, and with this news I worry for our troops that are currently in theatre and will be going over there. I worry about the retaliation. Maybe I'm more concerned because the Marine is a Marine and is over there right now, I have many friends that have husbands that over there, and we also have friends there. I worry that the next few months will be harder than they already have been. I worry that homecomings and R&Rs will be delayed or postponed, I worry that our troops may have to go over sooner than they expected.
Bin Laden's death can be a good thing or a bad thing. Things could calm down since they don't have a leader or mastermind. Or things could get worse because of those same things, they just might go crazy. I guess the coming days and weeks will prove what the outcome is.
The bases in my area changed the Force Protection Condition to BRAVO today. I think this was why.
So where was I on May 1, 2011 when I found out? I was in my living room waiting for President Obama to come on the air, at 10:30pm. Then the Marine called shortly before 11pm. We waited another half hour for him come on the air, and then we heard the news together. Nearly 10 years after 9/11 he was killed. A bit of a bitter sweet moment.
Just remember this doesn't mean it's the end, or that it should be the end. For all we know this end could be the beginning. Of what? We will just have to wait and see. This is far from over, both of these quotes are fitting.
"The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nations effort to defeat Al-Queda. Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that Al-Queda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad" ~ President Barack Obama
"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done." ~ President George W. Bush
.
I have mixed feelings. I am glad that we finally got him, I had a quick moment of "Thank God!" Since I have heard the news I have had a heavy heart. I can't celebrate this because this war is far from over, and with this news I worry for our troops that are currently in theatre and will be going over there. I worry about the retaliation. Maybe I'm more concerned because the Marine is a Marine and is over there right now, I have many friends that have husbands that over there, and we also have friends there. I worry that the next few months will be harder than they already have been. I worry that homecomings and R&Rs will be delayed or postponed, I worry that our troops may have to go over sooner than they expected.
Bin Laden's death can be a good thing or a bad thing. Things could calm down since they don't have a leader or mastermind. Or things could get worse because of those same things, they just might go crazy. I guess the coming days and weeks will prove what the outcome is.
The bases in my area changed the Force Protection Condition to BRAVO today. I think this was why.
So where was I on May 1, 2011 when I found out? I was in my living room waiting for President Obama to come on the air, at 10:30pm. Then the Marine called shortly before 11pm. We waited another half hour for him come on the air, and then we heard the news together. Nearly 10 years after 9/11 he was killed. A bit of a bitter sweet moment.
Just remember this doesn't mean it's the end, or that it should be the end. For all we know this end could be the beginning. Of what? We will just have to wait and see. This is far from over, both of these quotes are fitting.
"The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nations effort to defeat Al-Queda. Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that Al-Queda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad" ~ President Barack Obama
"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done." ~ President George W. Bush
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Happy Easter!
In honor of Easter (even though it's few days late) I'll show you the Marines Easter care package.
So first you need your box. I highly recommend you use the USPS Flat Rate boxes. I use them all the time, in country and out of country. I like USPS, I know a lot of people don't but I do. You can get FREE supplies, not only that but they can send you these FREE supplies to your front door for FREE! Ok, yes it can take up to a week to 10 days, but if you plan accordingly you don't have to hassle with the actual Post Office until you mail the package. Another plus with the flat rate boxes, is when you ship to APO/FPO addresses, it's $2 off the flat rate!
The Dancer
So first you need your box. I highly recommend you use the USPS Flat Rate boxes. I use them all the time, in country and out of country. I like USPS, I know a lot of people don't but I do. You can get FREE supplies, not only that but they can send you these FREE supplies to your front door for FREE! Ok, yes it can take up to a week to 10 days, but if you plan accordingly you don't have to hassle with the actual Post Office until you mail the package. Another plus with the flat rate boxes, is when you ship to APO/FPO addresses, it's $2 off the flat rate!
Then you need to gather your supplies, goodies, and box stuffers. Whatever you want to put in is fine. The Marine got Easter grass (Nicole and Kyle say it's the devil), an egg puzzle, a small basketball hoop w/ball, soccer eggs, an animal balloon (think the first Shrek movie,) and of course candy! Everything except the candy I got at Dollar Tree or in the Easter aisle at Walmart, but those items were about $1 each. I like to think cheap, something that they can give away or toss and not feel bad about it.
Here a few pictures of how I put it all together. I basically layered the Easter grass, and all the items. I did fill the Easter eggs with jelly beans, and I taped them shut. I didn't want loose jelly beans.
Now, tape up the box, grab and fill out your customs form and your label. Both the custom form and the label can also be ordered and sent to your house from USPS. You don't have to use a label, but we perfer to use them. That way the Marine can just take off the label and reuse the box, and to keep my name and address safe. It's a PERSEC thing, everyone should know and use it in this day and age, not just military.
The Marine did get his package, and I told him he had to open it on Easter Sunday! He said the white chocolate rabbit melted and it now looks funny. He's going to take a picture for me. He also said I ruined his diet, but what's an Easter basket without all the goodies! I think he secertly enjoyed it though.
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
The Dancer
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Waiting
It's been an incredibly long day. I found out this morning about the Marines cousin. FIL said that he was going to email him. We have a Google Talk phone number, and I called and left him a message, basically saying to give me a call when he can. I didn't want to tell him in a message or in an email. I'm sure he'll know before he calls me but I know we are going to talk about his cousin.
His cousin was one year younger than him and they used to hang out and play together before S and his family moved to Oklahoma. I have only met S once. That was about a year and half ago. I also met his wife and little girl at that time.
All day I have been thinking about if I can make it to South Dakota. I think that is where it will be because that is currently where his wife, parents, and grandparents live. I want to be there for the Marine and his family. This is what I hate about the military life. Sometimes you can't make it to events because of distance, deployments, moving, or even not getting leave approved. I'm sure I could get time off from work, but then I need to find someone to watch the furbabies. I have one extra pet right now, and I hate to have my normal petsitter take on another pet who is already a little stressed being away from her family. So when I know more about the services, I'll figure something out. I also need to discuss it with the Marine, see if we can afford it.
But I'll be there no matter what, even if it is only in spirit.
Can miles truly separate you from friends? If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?
- Richard Bach
The Dancer
His cousin was one year younger than him and they used to hang out and play together before S and his family moved to Oklahoma. I have only met S once. That was about a year and half ago. I also met his wife and little girl at that time.
All day I have been thinking about if I can make it to South Dakota. I think that is where it will be because that is currently where his wife, parents, and grandparents live. I want to be there for the Marine and his family. This is what I hate about the military life. Sometimes you can't make it to events because of distance, deployments, moving, or even not getting leave approved. I'm sure I could get time off from work, but then I need to find someone to watch the furbabies. I have one extra pet right now, and I hate to have my normal petsitter take on another pet who is already a little stressed being away from her family. So when I know more about the services, I'll figure something out. I also need to discuss it with the Marine, see if we can afford it.
But I'll be there no matter what, even if it is only in spirit.
Can miles truly separate you from friends? If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?
- Richard Bach
The Dancer
Rough Day
We had tornadoes last night. I'm ok, but Jacksonville and Camp Lejeune were hit. From what I can tell all my friends are ok. It was a pretty intense night last night.
I had gone to an event that my Jr. Company Dancers were dancing in. After about an hour there, one of the moms got a call from her boss and he said that the town he lived in (near Wallace, NC) was hit with a tornado and that many buildings were destroyed. So the moms and I went over to one of the brick buildings at the church. The building we had been in was a big metal warehouse type building that they use for a gym. So not the safest building. One of the moms was on the phone with someone, when Skip Waters , he was suppose to emcee the event, said on live news that the storm was heading for us and to get in a safe place. So she went over to the gym and let everyone know while we waited. We hung out in the hallway of the Sunday School building, for about 15-20 minutes. A tornado had touched down about 3 miles away from where we were. I waited a bit longer because the storm was headed towards my house, and I didn't want to drive into it.
I got home safely and nothing had happened in our area, not even rain, just some wind. But the clouds in the Jville direction were nasty. We still had a warning for Onslow County so I kept my eyes on the news. About 9pm Jville and Camp Lejeune were hit.
I have contacted my FRO's (2 because the Marine is an IA) to let them know that I'm ok. The Marine knows I'm ok. He had gotten on yahoo chat, and I let him know about the storms. He also called later. We are both concerned about all the Marines that are deployed from Camp Lejeune, because right now they are worried about their families. Not to be with your family during a time of disaster is frustrating.
In other sad news, I sent an email out to all of my friends and family letting them know we were ok, my FIL responded back saying he just found out that the Marine's cousin passed away sometime during the night or morning. S (cousin) was about the same age as the Marine. They aren't sure what the cause was, but apparently he had a similar episode a month ago. He had a wife and young daughter. Please keep the Marine's family in your thoughts and prayers.
What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
- Helen Keller
The Dancer
I had gone to an event that my Jr. Company Dancers were dancing in. After about an hour there, one of the moms got a call from her boss and he said that the town he lived in (near Wallace, NC) was hit with a tornado and that many buildings were destroyed. So the moms and I went over to one of the brick buildings at the church. The building we had been in was a big metal warehouse type building that they use for a gym. So not the safest building. One of the moms was on the phone with someone, when Skip Waters , he was suppose to emcee the event, said on live news that the storm was heading for us and to get in a safe place. So she went over to the gym and let everyone know while we waited. We hung out in the hallway of the Sunday School building, for about 15-20 minutes. A tornado had touched down about 3 miles away from where we were. I waited a bit longer because the storm was headed towards my house, and I didn't want to drive into it.
I got home safely and nothing had happened in our area, not even rain, just some wind. But the clouds in the Jville direction were nasty. We still had a warning for Onslow County so I kept my eyes on the news. About 9pm Jville and Camp Lejeune were hit.
I have contacted my FRO's (2 because the Marine is an IA) to let them know that I'm ok. The Marine knows I'm ok. He had gotten on yahoo chat, and I let him know about the storms. He also called later. We are both concerned about all the Marines that are deployed from Camp Lejeune, because right now they are worried about their families. Not to be with your family during a time of disaster is frustrating.
In other sad news, I sent an email out to all of my friends and family letting them know we were ok, my FIL responded back saying he just found out that the Marine's cousin passed away sometime during the night or morning. S (cousin) was about the same age as the Marine. They aren't sure what the cause was, but apparently he had a similar episode a month ago. He had a wife and young daughter. Please keep the Marine's family in your thoughts and prayers.
What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
- Helen Keller
The Dancer
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Mrs. Obama's Visit
Today Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden visited Camp Lejeune. A week ago I received an email from my FRO (Family Readiness Officer) about their visit. So I called my FRO to see if there was a spot available. In doing that I had to sign away my soul...Ok, not really but I did have to give him my full name, my SS number, my place of birth, and my current address. You have to do the same thing if you want to visit the White House, so not such a big deal since I did that last spring. I found out two days ago that I was selected to attend.
So I got up at 4:20 am, let the dogs out (I'm dog sitting one extra dog), lock the cats up (because they don't really like the new dog, and new dog isn't sure what they are), get dressed, let dogs in, grab purse, and leave the house by 4:45am. If you know me, I don't do well getting up this early so this is a huge feat for me! You are probably wondering why I left so early. Jacksonville and Camp Lejeune have horrible traffic in the morning on top of that there is some road work at the front gate. So I didn't want to miss the event because I was in traffic for an hour and half. I also picked up a friend who was also going to the event. Luckily, I did miss all the traffic. It was so nice! But that did leave me sitting in the parking lot for a while. So I did my make-up and read my book for about 30 minutes. About 6:45 I headed into our units building to wait for the bus, got on the bus at 7am, then we headed over to the field house. Then we went through security and were seated.
And then we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. We sat and waited about two hours. Thank goodness I brought my book, The Devil in Pew Number 7 (BTW, great book) and my iPod Touch which let me entertain myself by playing Sudoku. I also chatted with two friends, one sent me an text saying, "I see you...in a non-creepy way, I promise." LOL, I think she's pretty funny. We weren't waiting for everyone to get through security and get seated for 2 hours, maybe we only waited a half hour for that. But we were waiting on the White House people to be ready.
I also like to people watch. While I was people watching I noticed that the majority of the voluntold Marines were single Marines. So I felt that this event was wasted a bit right there. I know there were more spouses that were interested in attending but each unit only had so many spots for spouses. So that was a disappointment that most of the people there didn't want to be there because they didn't have families and didn't care about what was going.
While I am discussing things I'm disappointed with, let's talk about how they were telling people no kids, and then they had a select few (10 maybe 12) who sat with their parents behind the podium. Basically they made it look like a family event for the news cameras. Again, I had friends that couldn't come because they had children and couldn't get child care on such short notice.
Finally, the CO of the base made an announcement and let us know that we needed to be patient and that things would be starting soon. And we waited some more. He actually started walking around and was talking to the Marines and the spouses. He jokingly told the people not to ICE him because we were waiting on the White House, and I said, "So we need to ICE the White House?" He laughed and said, "Yes, ICE the White House!" Honestly, I think the base did a good job with the event, and I know we weren't waiting on them.
Finally, Major General Jensen got up and spoke. He introduced the "First Dude" (the Governor's husband)of North Carolina, Bob Eaves, and he gave a short speech. I learned from him that NC is the Most Military Friendly State. He also spoke of Carolina Helping Heroes. This program is about the local communities helping the families of deployed military members in NC. Check to see if your state has something similar, if not start your own! Then Major General Jensen introduced NC Senator Kay Hagan, and she gave a short speech. Finally, the time came for Major General Jensen to introduce Dr. Jill Biden and Mrs Obama. Dr Jill Biden spoke first, and she had some good stories of military families she has come across. Her son is also military so she understands the military life a bit.
Finally, Mrs Obama spoke. I did not feel that this was politically motivated, and this isn't in response to what happened last week with the possibility of the military not being paid during a government shutdown. This event had been planned before the possible shutdown. This was about helping military families during times of peace and during times of war. This is something that Mrs. Obama wants to last beyond her husbands term as President. She wants this for our Veterans, our current service members, and our future service members and their families. This is something that Mrs. Obama has been interested in for awhile.
She spoke of a new initiative for military families called, "Joining Forces." Basically, it's about getting the communities, businesses, and other organizations involved with helping military families. This can be education assistance, job assistance for spouses and service members, wellness, basically anything that can help a military family out big or small. Small, your neighbor's husband is deployed, offer to mow her lawn. Or in my case, my friend wanted to head home for a couple of weeks shortly after her Marine deployed. I offered to watch her sweet Chloe dog, so Chloe didn't have to be boarded for 2 weeks. Sometimes the little things are the big things. Big, businesses like Sam's Club offering job transfers when military spouses move due to orders, or Chamber of Commerce's having job fairs for Veterans and military spouses.
If you are in a military community you may already be seeing a lot of this type of thing. If you are aren't, go to your bases website, talk to your FRO, and check with your local Chamber of Commerce. If you aren't in a military community, you may have to look a bit deeper. Also check your Chamber of Commerce, and maybe check the VFW and the American Legion. If you aren't finding something then start your own organization to help military families. If you want assistance and aren't finding it, create it.
Be Proactive Instead of Inactive! (I say that a lot!) That's something I learned with our first deployment.
The Dancer
So I got up at 4:20 am, let the dogs out (I'm dog sitting one extra dog), lock the cats up (because they don't really like the new dog, and new dog isn't sure what they are), get dressed, let dogs in, grab purse, and leave the house by 4:45am. If you know me, I don't do well getting up this early so this is a huge feat for me! You are probably wondering why I left so early. Jacksonville and Camp Lejeune have horrible traffic in the morning on top of that there is some road work at the front gate. So I didn't want to miss the event because I was in traffic for an hour and half. I also picked up a friend who was also going to the event. Luckily, I did miss all the traffic. It was so nice! But that did leave me sitting in the parking lot for a while. So I did my make-up and read my book for about 30 minutes. About 6:45 I headed into our units building to wait for the bus, got on the bus at 7am, then we headed over to the field house. Then we went through security and were seated.
And then we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. We sat and waited about two hours. Thank goodness I brought my book, The Devil in Pew Number 7 (BTW, great book) and my iPod Touch which let me entertain myself by playing Sudoku. I also chatted with two friends, one sent me an text saying, "I see you...in a non-creepy way, I promise." LOL, I think she's pretty funny. We weren't waiting for everyone to get through security and get seated for 2 hours, maybe we only waited a half hour for that. But we were waiting on the White House people to be ready.
I also like to people watch. While I was people watching I noticed that the majority of the voluntold Marines were single Marines. So I felt that this event was wasted a bit right there. I know there were more spouses that were interested in attending but each unit only had so many spots for spouses. So that was a disappointment that most of the people there didn't want to be there because they didn't have families and didn't care about what was going.
While I am discussing things I'm disappointed with, let's talk about how they were telling people no kids, and then they had a select few (10 maybe 12) who sat with their parents behind the podium. Basically they made it look like a family event for the news cameras. Again, I had friends that couldn't come because they had children and couldn't get child care on such short notice.
Finally, the CO of the base made an announcement and let us know that we needed to be patient and that things would be starting soon. And we waited some more. He actually started walking around and was talking to the Marines and the spouses. He jokingly told the people not to ICE him because we were waiting on the White House, and I said, "So we need to ICE the White House?" He laughed and said, "Yes, ICE the White House!" Honestly, I think the base did a good job with the event, and I know we weren't waiting on them.
Finally, Major General Jensen got up and spoke. He introduced the "First Dude" (the Governor's husband)of North Carolina, Bob Eaves, and he gave a short speech. I learned from him that NC is the Most Military Friendly State. He also spoke of Carolina Helping Heroes. This program is about the local communities helping the families of deployed military members in NC. Check to see if your state has something similar, if not start your own! Then Major General Jensen introduced NC Senator Kay Hagan, and she gave a short speech. Finally, the time came for Major General Jensen to introduce Dr. Jill Biden and Mrs Obama. Dr Jill Biden spoke first, and she had some good stories of military families she has come across. Her son is also military so she understands the military life a bit.
Finally, Mrs Obama spoke. I did not feel that this was politically motivated, and this isn't in response to what happened last week with the possibility of the military not being paid during a government shutdown. This event had been planned before the possible shutdown. This was about helping military families during times of peace and during times of war. This is something that Mrs. Obama wants to last beyond her husbands term as President. She wants this for our Veterans, our current service members, and our future service members and their families. This is something that Mrs. Obama has been interested in for awhile.
She spoke of a new initiative for military families called, "Joining Forces." Basically, it's about getting the communities, businesses, and other organizations involved with helping military families. This can be education assistance, job assistance for spouses and service members, wellness, basically anything that can help a military family out big or small. Small, your neighbor's husband is deployed, offer to mow her lawn. Or in my case, my friend wanted to head home for a couple of weeks shortly after her Marine deployed. I offered to watch her sweet Chloe dog, so Chloe didn't have to be boarded for 2 weeks. Sometimes the little things are the big things. Big, businesses like Sam's Club offering job transfers when military spouses move due to orders, or Chamber of Commerce's having job fairs for Veterans and military spouses.
If you are in a military community you may already be seeing a lot of this type of thing. If you are aren't, go to your bases website, talk to your FRO, and check with your local Chamber of Commerce. If you aren't in a military community, you may have to look a bit deeper. Also check your Chamber of Commerce, and maybe check the VFW and the American Legion. If you aren't finding something then start your own organization to help military families. If you want assistance and aren't finding it, create it.
Be Proactive Instead of Inactive! (I say that a lot!) That's something I learned with our first deployment.
The Dancer
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Out of the Mouths of Not So Babes
So the real saying is, "Out of the mouths of babes." Well, I got the opposite tonight. One of my girls said "va-jay-jay bagging" tonight. If you are giving the computer a weird look right now, then it's probably the same look I gave one of my older students tonight. I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped to the floor.
She asked me if there was such a thing as "va-jay-jay bagging, you know because guys do tea bagging."
WTF, seriously! She is 14 (turned 14 recently), and asking crap like this!
Then one of my sweet innocent girls was like, "What's tea bagging?"
Of course I refused to answer, and some of the other girls were saying, "You don't want to know." Thankfully, they left it at that. I'm just stunned that they know this stuff, they are so young! Ugh, the things they say sometimes. These girls are all 14 and younger, I'm just blown away by the things they know.
I do believe that our society and technology is causing our youth to know about things they shouldn't. Or maybe I was just super innocent at that age and in high school. Maybe it's a bit of both.
I used to be Snow White -- but I drifted.
She asked me if there was such a thing as "va-jay-jay bagging, you know because guys do tea bagging."
WTF, seriously! She is 14 (turned 14 recently), and asking crap like this!
Then one of my sweet innocent girls was like, "What's tea bagging?"
Of course I refused to answer, and some of the other girls were saying, "You don't want to know." Thankfully, they left it at that. I'm just stunned that they know this stuff, they are so young! Ugh, the things they say sometimes. These girls are all 14 and younger, I'm just blown away by the things they know.
I do believe that our society and technology is causing our youth to know about things they shouldn't. Or maybe I was just super innocent at that age and in high school. Maybe it's a bit of both.
I used to be Snow White -- but I drifted.
MAE WEST, The Wit and Wisdom of Mae West
The Dancer
Monday, April 11, 2011
To Far Far Away and Back Again
Well a few days ago, I jumped into my trusty Charger and we went on an adventure to Durham, NC, to then go to the land of Far Far Away. If you didn't catch that, I went to to Shrek the Musical at DPAC in Durham, NC.
OMG, what an amazing show! It has some beautiful moments, like the ones that make you tear up and it touches your heart. It made you laugh, a lot, and I wouldn't expect anything less from something that is Shrek. The set was eye candy, the costumes were amazing, the lightening was perfect, the make-up was great, and the puppetry was fabulous. There was so much to this show I'm not really sure where to start. I'm going to warn you this blog is going to be long. And if you don't want to read about my opinions and find out certain things stop reading after the next two paragraphs.
Actually, I do know where to start. I LOVE the Shrek movies, except for the third one. The first two are the best, then four, and I would just like to forget that they even made the third one. I love Shrek so much, that I quote it fairly often, "Really, really." and I usually pick it if the Marine asks me to pick out a DVD. We actually started dating the year the first movie came out. Gosh, now I'm showing our age, kind of.
What do I love about Shrek? Well, I love the writing, the story is great, but I think what made me really fall in love with it was the use of music. They picked great songs for the soundtrack. It's one of the soundtracks that I always have. It has a lot of the music that makes you want to dance, but if it's not the dancing type of music it's the type that you just want to sit and listen to the lyrics.
So lets talk acting. For the most part the acting was great. There were a few times the actor that played Shrek sounded more Irish than Scottish. He also had a few time when he was hard to hear. It wasn't because of his accent. But I'm not sure if it was because of the sound people not bumping up his mic (the first time I noticed was the first few minutes of the show) or if he just wasn't being loud enough. Both maybe? Everyone was great, I mean they had to be bears, fairies, witches, Peter Pan, etc. They really got into their characters. Many of them had to play multiple characters. You know the "fairy tale things" as Shrek calls them, towns people, the Duloc singers, mice, the guards, etc. This a great show for the actor that wants to be a chorus member. So many options.
The set and lighting, wow. Moving trees, tread mill effects, great back drops, there is just so much to the set I can't explain it all. The colors were eye catching. Really, it brought Far Far Away and Shrek's swamp to life. When you came in they had the curtain drawn but it made you feel like you were about to go into a forest (I was 4 rows from the front of the stage.) Now, lighting made the set even better. They were great at creating the sun and the moon (if you remember both are important in the movie), the darkness that a forest creates, and the doom of the castle. The lighting definitely set the mood, but also created the time of day. I think they hit every point they need to hit with lighting.
The music, that's what makes Shrek, right? Well, it was great! Most of the songs are original. They do sing What's Up, Duloc which the first part of it is in the movie. You know,
"...Please keep off of the grass,
Shine your shoes,
Wipe your...face,
Duloc is, Duloc is
Duloc is a perfect place!" (ok the last half is my favorite part of the song and that's why I posted it and not the whole song!)
Then at the end after the Curtain Call, they sing "I'm a Believer!" Which was basically like a concert. Everyone was standing up, dancing and singing. Seriously, one of the best shows I have been too in a long time. My favorite song, Freak Flag, because there is a little bit of a freak in all of us. At the end of it Pinocchio says, "I'm wood, and I'm good!"
Costumes and make-up, without those this show would be a bunch of people pretending and the audience trying to pretend who they are. If you didn't have a good imagination you would be lost. The costumes and the make-up brought the "fairy tale things" to life! They were meticulous with things. Like Pinocchio's costume, I could see the grain of wood they painted into every inch of his costume. The costume designer probably had a lot of fun thinking these up! The make-up was great Shrek, Donkey, all the fairy take things, the mice, and the Duloc dancers. They did a great job with getting everyone made into what they needed to be and then back to their other character/s. Even Fiona's transformation at the end they were able to do in a matter of minutes.
The puppetry and special effects were very good and pretty ingenious. First let's talk Dragon. OMG, she was beautiful! Everything that she was in the movie she was in the musical. She was a giant puppet. If I remember correctly she had 3 people creating her motions. When they opened her wings she really flew across the stage. She definitely owned the stage when she was on it! "I'm a real boy!" and Pinocchio's nose grows. It really grew. He had a mask contraption over his nose, and they had it set up somehow to grow on cue. I'm guessing it was either remote control or maybe Pinocchio had a button that he had to push somewhere on him. Lord Farquaad, ahh, what a fantastic character. Let's hope that he has good knees! He was a full size man that did most of his acting on his knees. Lord Farquaad was a bit of puppetry and costume all tied into one. He was always fun to watch and they did some great choreography with him and his "little" legs. Fiona's transformation from human to ogress at the end when she is lifted into the air. Just like the movie. I could not see ANY wires or cords. We went to Marry Poppins last summer (great show also) but we could see the wires they used. I don't know what they used, or if it was just the lighting, but she just levitated. It was magic.
I loved this show. I want to see it again. I might see it again soon too. It's going to be in Charlotte in June. I suggest that you go see it if you ever get the chance.
I leave you with one of my favorite moments from the show, it was when Shrek and Donkey were crossing the bridge to go save Fiona. They changed it from the movie, but Shrek is ahead of Donkey, and Donkey looks down and realizes how high it is, and he freezes and won't move. He asks Shrek to help him and not let go, and Shrek takes Donkey gently by the leg and softly says, "I won't let you go....I won't let you go." And he guides him across the bridge.
That is a true friendship.
The Dancer
OMG, what an amazing show! It has some beautiful moments, like the ones that make you tear up and it touches your heart. It made you laugh, a lot, and I wouldn't expect anything less from something that is Shrek. The set was eye candy, the costumes were amazing, the lightening was perfect, the make-up was great, and the puppetry was fabulous. There was so much to this show I'm not really sure where to start. I'm going to warn you this blog is going to be long. And if you don't want to read about my opinions and find out certain things stop reading after the next two paragraphs.
Actually, I do know where to start. I LOVE the Shrek movies, except for the third one. The first two are the best, then four, and I would just like to forget that they even made the third one. I love Shrek so much, that I quote it fairly often, "Really, really." and I usually pick it if the Marine asks me to pick out a DVD. We actually started dating the year the first movie came out. Gosh, now I'm showing our age, kind of.
What do I love about Shrek? Well, I love the writing, the story is great, but I think what made me really fall in love with it was the use of music. They picked great songs for the soundtrack. It's one of the soundtracks that I always have. It has a lot of the music that makes you want to dance, but if it's not the dancing type of music it's the type that you just want to sit and listen to the lyrics.
So lets talk acting. For the most part the acting was great. There were a few times the actor that played Shrek sounded more Irish than Scottish. He also had a few time when he was hard to hear. It wasn't because of his accent. But I'm not sure if it was because of the sound people not bumping up his mic (the first time I noticed was the first few minutes of the show) or if he just wasn't being loud enough. Both maybe? Everyone was great, I mean they had to be bears, fairies, witches, Peter Pan, etc. They really got into their characters. Many of them had to play multiple characters. You know the "fairy tale things" as Shrek calls them, towns people, the Duloc singers, mice, the guards, etc. This a great show for the actor that wants to be a chorus member. So many options.
The set and lighting, wow. Moving trees, tread mill effects, great back drops, there is just so much to the set I can't explain it all. The colors were eye catching. Really, it brought Far Far Away and Shrek's swamp to life. When you came in they had the curtain drawn but it made you feel like you were about to go into a forest (I was 4 rows from the front of the stage.) Now, lighting made the set even better. They were great at creating the sun and the moon (if you remember both are important in the movie), the darkness that a forest creates, and the doom of the castle. The lighting definitely set the mood, but also created the time of day. I think they hit every point they need to hit with lighting.
The music, that's what makes Shrek, right? Well, it was great! Most of the songs are original. They do sing What's Up, Duloc which the first part of it is in the movie. You know,
"...Please keep off of the grass,
Shine your shoes,
Wipe your...face,
Duloc is, Duloc is
Duloc is a perfect place!" (ok the last half is my favorite part of the song and that's why I posted it and not the whole song!)
Then at the end after the Curtain Call, they sing "I'm a Believer!" Which was basically like a concert. Everyone was standing up, dancing and singing. Seriously, one of the best shows I have been too in a long time. My favorite song, Freak Flag, because there is a little bit of a freak in all of us. At the end of it Pinocchio says, "I'm wood, and I'm good!"
Costumes and make-up, without those this show would be a bunch of people pretending and the audience trying to pretend who they are. If you didn't have a good imagination you would be lost. The costumes and the make-up brought the "fairy tale things" to life! They were meticulous with things. Like Pinocchio's costume, I could see the grain of wood they painted into every inch of his costume. The costume designer probably had a lot of fun thinking these up! The make-up was great Shrek, Donkey, all the fairy take things, the mice, and the Duloc dancers. They did a great job with getting everyone made into what they needed to be and then back to their other character/s. Even Fiona's transformation at the end they were able to do in a matter of minutes.
The puppetry and special effects were very good and pretty ingenious. First let's talk Dragon. OMG, she was beautiful! Everything that she was in the movie she was in the musical. She was a giant puppet. If I remember correctly she had 3 people creating her motions. When they opened her wings she really flew across the stage. She definitely owned the stage when she was on it! "I'm a real boy!" and Pinocchio's nose grows. It really grew. He had a mask contraption over his nose, and they had it set up somehow to grow on cue. I'm guessing it was either remote control or maybe Pinocchio had a button that he had to push somewhere on him. Lord Farquaad, ahh, what a fantastic character. Let's hope that he has good knees! He was a full size man that did most of his acting on his knees. Lord Farquaad was a bit of puppetry and costume all tied into one. He was always fun to watch and they did some great choreography with him and his "little" legs. Fiona's transformation from human to ogress at the end when she is lifted into the air. Just like the movie. I could not see ANY wires or cords. We went to Marry Poppins last summer (great show also) but we could see the wires they used. I don't know what they used, or if it was just the lighting, but she just levitated. It was magic.
I loved this show. I want to see it again. I might see it again soon too. It's going to be in Charlotte in June. I suggest that you go see it if you ever get the chance.
I leave you with one of my favorite moments from the show, it was when Shrek and Donkey were crossing the bridge to go save Fiona. They changed it from the movie, but Shrek is ahead of Donkey, and Donkey looks down and realizes how high it is, and he freezes and won't move. He asks Shrek to help him and not let go, and Shrek takes Donkey gently by the leg and softly says, "I won't let you go....I won't let you go." And he guides him across the bridge.
That is a true friendship.
The Dancer
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Running Through My Head (Singing)
Remember that song from the around 2003? It's actually called All the Things She Said (caution video link) and it's by t.A.T.u, but for some reason the lyrics, "running through my head..." are what I remember! Haha
Well, I have a lot running through my head. Things I have to write about Kings Dominion, Shrek the Musical, care packages, and unit family days. Those are the ones that I remember right now. So keep your eyes open for them.
(keeps singing) Running through my head, running through my head, running through my head...
The Dancer
Well, I have a lot running through my head. Things I have to write about Kings Dominion, Shrek the Musical, care packages, and unit family days. Those are the ones that I remember right now. So keep your eyes open for them.
(keeps singing) Running through my head, running through my head, running through my head...
The Dancer
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Kindness
Wow, I was moved to tears a few minutes ago. I don't cry often. A few reasons, I don't like to cry, and if I cry hard enough it gives me a headache. I'm pretty sure I have said that in another post! Hahaha.
First let me say, I have a wonderful group of friends. We meet almost every week for brunch. We always try to be there for each other and help each other out, and to check up on each other. So we have that military spouse bond. It's like Army Wives but better and minus all of the drama! Ok, so there is that kind of kindness. We are all in the same boat so we help each other out. We become a family.
Small town kindness. Today, I had to take Cinder (our dog) to the vet. Her doctor is the father of one of my students, and the mother is the receptionist. Lately, we have seeing a lot of them, but that's a whole different story. The mother told me that if I ever needed anything or help with anything just to call. They barely know me but they are offering their help. She practically offered her whole extended family, because you know sometimes you just need a man to help with things! No, really you do, if you decide to move something big, or need help starting the motorcycle. My issue is the latter, I can usually move whatever it is I need moved, because I'm manly like that, but that darn motorcycle gets me every time!
So that experience made me feel good today on the drive home from the vet. Now the question is, is she saying that because I have been there 4 times in the past 2 months and they are starting to feel bad for me? I don't think that's the case, I think she was honestly offering to help. That's what you get when you live in a small town!
A good person and my dancer family kindness. The experience that made me cry happened on Facebook. This weekend we are going to King's Dominion for our last competition! This is a fun comp, they perform and then we play! The past few competitions I have gone by myself and stayed by myself, for the obvious reasons. Tonight, I asked one of the mom's if she got her tickets, and then she asked me if I wanted to stay with them and hang out with them. She asked because she knew I was going alone, and that's "it's hard to be without hubby." I cried. Probably because this would have been a competition that the Marine would have joined me on. This would have been something that we would have enjoyed together. I cried because someone realized that. That's the kindness I love.
I may be strong and seem happy. But there are times when I am putting up a strong front and I'm just acting happy. I don't want to seem weak. I have the occasional day when things aren't going well. So I really like when people step up and offer me their help or offer to do something with me. Why? Because I don't want to wear them out with my offers, I don't want them to think I'm using them because I'm asking them for something all the time. I don't feel that way with friends, but with people I haven't gotten to know very well I don't want them to feel used.
So be kind. Offer to help or do something with a friend, an acquaintance, or even a stranger. You never know how that might turn their day or life around. Plus, that kindness will find it's way back to you.
"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." ~James Matthew Barrie
First let me say, I have a wonderful group of friends. We meet almost every week for brunch. We always try to be there for each other and help each other out, and to check up on each other. So we have that military spouse bond. It's like Army Wives but better and minus all of the drama! Ok, so there is that kind of kindness. We are all in the same boat so we help each other out. We become a family.
Small town kindness. Today, I had to take Cinder (our dog) to the vet. Her doctor is the father of one of my students, and the mother is the receptionist. Lately, we have seeing a lot of them, but that's a whole different story. The mother told me that if I ever needed anything or help with anything just to call. They barely know me but they are offering their help. She practically offered her whole extended family, because you know sometimes you just need a man to help with things! No, really you do, if you decide to move something big, or need help starting the motorcycle. My issue is the latter, I can usually move whatever it is I need moved, because I'm manly like that, but that darn motorcycle gets me every time!
So that experience made me feel good today on the drive home from the vet. Now the question is, is she saying that because I have been there 4 times in the past 2 months and they are starting to feel bad for me? I don't think that's the case, I think she was honestly offering to help. That's what you get when you live in a small town!
A good person and my dancer family kindness. The experience that made me cry happened on Facebook. This weekend we are going to King's Dominion for our last competition! This is a fun comp, they perform and then we play! The past few competitions I have gone by myself and stayed by myself, for the obvious reasons. Tonight, I asked one of the mom's if she got her tickets, and then she asked me if I wanted to stay with them and hang out with them. She asked because she knew I was going alone, and that's "it's hard to be without hubby." I cried. Probably because this would have been a competition that the Marine would have joined me on. This would have been something that we would have enjoyed together. I cried because someone realized that. That's the kindness I love.
I may be strong and seem happy. But there are times when I am putting up a strong front and I'm just acting happy. I don't want to seem weak. I have the occasional day when things aren't going well. So I really like when people step up and offer me their help or offer to do something with me. Why? Because I don't want to wear them out with my offers, I don't want them to think I'm using them because I'm asking them for something all the time. I don't feel that way with friends, but with people I haven't gotten to know very well I don't want them to feel used.
So be kind. Offer to help or do something with a friend, an acquaintance, or even a stranger. You never know how that might turn their day or life around. Plus, that kindness will find it's way back to you.
"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." ~James Matthew Barrie
Friday, March 11, 2011
Japans Earthquake & Tsunami
As many of you know we lived in Japan for 2 years (actually, I lived there, the Marine visited, LOL) last night they had an 8.9 earthquake. I still have many friends there and it's been a scary and rough day from them. Please keep the people of Japan in your thoughts and prayers. As well as the people of Hawaii and the West Coast.
As of right now, my friends from facebook are reporting that there are still after shocks, and the news just reported a 5.6 after shock.
FB is a pretty incredible tool. I have been able to make sure many of my friends in Japan and Hawaii are ok.
Stay safe my Japan, Hawaii, and West Coast friends.
As of right now, my friends from facebook are reporting that there are still after shocks, and the news just reported a 5.6 after shock.
FB is a pretty incredible tool. I have been able to make sure many of my friends in Japan and Hawaii are ok.
Stay safe my Japan, Hawaii, and West Coast friends.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Let's Talk Dance
Since it has been awhile!
So about 3 weeks ago I took my girls to Encore DCS in Myrtle Beach, SC. I was really looking forward to this competition because I had two pieces this time, and I was going to see my friends, Nicole and Kyle.
I met Nicole and Kyle in 29 Palms, CA. Kyle is a Marine, he got out a few years ago. Nicole and I were introduced by a man whom I'll refer to as, Crazy Joe, and I think we drove that man crazier than he already was. That's not saying that he didn't drive us crazy, because he did! Oh, the stories we have! Nicole and I taught dance together and we coached the MCCS youth CheerDance group. Nicole was a great friend and support system that year. That was during the first deployment. They now live in SC, and we talk regularly on Facebook. Since I was going to be in SC, they decided to come see me! We picked up like we had seen each other yesterday, instead of 4 years! That is what true friendship is, you can go years without seeing each other, but it's like you have never been away from each other.
I went down on Friday night to watch a few of my students do solos. The next day I was able to see Nicole. We were trying to find each other in a large auditorium. I had actually been about 3 seats from her, but I didn't recognize her with long hair. Then I looked on the other side of the auditorium, so I called her and asked where she was. Finally, we saw each other and we were running down the aisle and then hugging! Clearly, we were excited to see each other! BTW, that all happened between pieces.
We watched a lot of dance. We saw some good pieces, I don't remember being as impressed at this competition as I was from DTI though. I had some "wow" moments, but not as many. The Senior age group had some good male/female duets. I have always enjoyed watching couples dance, and I admit, I LOVE men who can dance.
My girls did a good job. My younger ones were in new costumes and and they looked good. When they danced they looked like they were having fun! My older ones have never done a modern piece for competition before so they weren't confident in what they did. No matter what I told them, they thought it looked horrible! They did do good though. The stage was HUGE and they let that get to them a bit.
Last week during class, I had the older girls watch their piece from competition. They were so funny, before we watched it they were saying, "We want to see how bad we looked." After they watched it it was, "Oh, it wasn't as bad as we thought," or "It actually looked pretty good." So hopefully they have more confidence now that they have seen themselves and that they looked good.
The judges remarks were the same things I tell them every week and multiple times during class! Point their feet, spot while turning (more for my little ones), straighten their legs, strong arms, reach, stretch, etc. So that's something they have to work on and remember. Hopefully, they'll listen to what the judges say, since me saying it doesn't do it.
We are actually gearing up for another competition that is in a couple of weeks. I have been working them hard. The older girls and I are having a Lock In, and dancing all night soon! Then about two weeks after that we are going to another competition, that is our last one for the year. Then we have a month and half until recital! This year is going so fast! But that is a good thing.
So I'll leave you with this, "Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays." George Balanchine.
The Dancer
So about 3 weeks ago I took my girls to Encore DCS in Myrtle Beach, SC. I was really looking forward to this competition because I had two pieces this time, and I was going to see my friends, Nicole and Kyle.
I met Nicole and Kyle in 29 Palms, CA. Kyle is a Marine, he got out a few years ago. Nicole and I were introduced by a man whom I'll refer to as, Crazy Joe, and I think we drove that man crazier than he already was. That's not saying that he didn't drive us crazy, because he did! Oh, the stories we have! Nicole and I taught dance together and we coached the MCCS youth CheerDance group. Nicole was a great friend and support system that year. That was during the first deployment. They now live in SC, and we talk regularly on Facebook. Since I was going to be in SC, they decided to come see me! We picked up like we had seen each other yesterday, instead of 4 years! That is what true friendship is, you can go years without seeing each other, but it's like you have never been away from each other.
I went down on Friday night to watch a few of my students do solos. The next day I was able to see Nicole. We were trying to find each other in a large auditorium. I had actually been about 3 seats from her, but I didn't recognize her with long hair. Then I looked on the other side of the auditorium, so I called her and asked where she was. Finally, we saw each other and we were running down the aisle and then hugging! Clearly, we were excited to see each other! BTW, that all happened between pieces.
We watched a lot of dance. We saw some good pieces, I don't remember being as impressed at this competition as I was from DTI though. I had some "wow" moments, but not as many. The Senior age group had some good male/female duets. I have always enjoyed watching couples dance, and I admit, I LOVE men who can dance.
My girls did a good job. My younger ones were in new costumes and and they looked good. When they danced they looked like they were having fun! My older ones have never done a modern piece for competition before so they weren't confident in what they did. No matter what I told them, they thought it looked horrible! They did do good though. The stage was HUGE and they let that get to them a bit.
Last week during class, I had the older girls watch their piece from competition. They were so funny, before we watched it they were saying, "We want to see how bad we looked." After they watched it it was, "Oh, it wasn't as bad as we thought," or "It actually looked pretty good." So hopefully they have more confidence now that they have seen themselves and that they looked good.
The judges remarks were the same things I tell them every week and multiple times during class! Point their feet, spot while turning (more for my little ones), straighten their legs, strong arms, reach, stretch, etc. So that's something they have to work on and remember. Hopefully, they'll listen to what the judges say, since me saying it doesn't do it.
We are actually gearing up for another competition that is in a couple of weeks. I have been working them hard. The older girls and I are having a Lock In, and dancing all night soon! Then about two weeks after that we are going to another competition, that is our last one for the year. Then we have a month and half until recital! This year is going so fast! But that is a good thing.
So I'll leave you with this, "Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays." George Balanchine.
The Dancer
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Phone Calls & Kisses
Wow, it has been a little while since I have written! I have been busy! I'll do catch up on the things that have been keeping me busy later.
The Marine is pretty lucky, he can call me quite a bit. Which is nice. Our conversations are mainly about my day because his life is basically like Ground Hog's Day the movie. I tell him what I did, how work went, how the pets are, and funny things on tv. Sometimes we just sit in silence.
Sometimes we talk about what he wants or needs. I always tell him that a package is on its way. That way I can track how long it's taking to get there. Sometimes I get overly excited about a certain care package. Like the one I sent last week. I went to Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago and I decided to make him a beach themed care package. So I bought a frisbee, a small sand bucket, a few other items, but the best find was a cheap bocce ball set! I was so excited about it, it even came with it's own little travel bag. The Marine loves bocce. So he was very happy when he got his package with the bocce ball set.
Sometimes our conversations are long and sometimes they are short. The length of the call can vary for many reasons. Sometimes the connection is bad and we only get to chat a for a few minutes. It sucks, but I'm just glad that he got to call.
We always end the phone call with "I love you."
I always end the call with a kiss to the phone after the Marine has said, "I love you." It's quiet, and I don't think he even knows I do it. To be honest I didn't realize I did it every time until the other day. I just did it automatically. I always cherish the calls. I always take a moment after to reflect and take in the time I was just given with him, and hold the phone close to my heart.
Cherish what you are given. I'll leave you with this.
Please send me your last pair of shoes, worn out with dancing as you mentioned in your letter, so that I might have something to press against my heart. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Marine is pretty lucky, he can call me quite a bit. Which is nice. Our conversations are mainly about my day because his life is basically like Ground Hog's Day the movie. I tell him what I did, how work went, how the pets are, and funny things on tv. Sometimes we just sit in silence.
Sometimes we talk about what he wants or needs. I always tell him that a package is on its way. That way I can track how long it's taking to get there. Sometimes I get overly excited about a certain care package. Like the one I sent last week. I went to Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago and I decided to make him a beach themed care package. So I bought a frisbee, a small sand bucket, a few other items, but the best find was a cheap bocce ball set! I was so excited about it, it even came with it's own little travel bag. The Marine loves bocce. So he was very happy when he got his package with the bocce ball set.
Sometimes our conversations are long and sometimes they are short. The length of the call can vary for many reasons. Sometimes the connection is bad and we only get to chat a for a few minutes. It sucks, but I'm just glad that he got to call.
We always end the phone call with "I love you."
I always end the call with a kiss to the phone after the Marine has said, "I love you." It's quiet, and I don't think he even knows I do it. To be honest I didn't realize I did it every time until the other day. I just did it automatically. I always cherish the calls. I always take a moment after to reflect and take in the time I was just given with him, and hold the phone close to my heart.
Cherish what you are given. I'll leave you with this.
Please send me your last pair of shoes, worn out with dancing as you mentioned in your letter, so that I might have something to press against my heart. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Monday, January 24, 2011
Deployment Bucket List
Ok here it is, or at leat part of it! So this is all the things I want to do during the deployment. I wouldn't be surprised if I add more in the next few months.
South Pacific at the Kennedy Center- Done!
Shrek the Musical
Mrytle Beach
See Nicole
See Jojo
Go back to Wyoming
Go camping with the mutt, and maybe the cats
Kings Dominion
Renaissance Festival
Beaufort Pirate Invasion
Learn to boogie board
Learn to Surf
Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Jojo
Run the MCM10K Goal time 1 hour
Wicked at the Kennedy Center
Go to Minnesota
Take up Painting again/take a painting class
Road Trip Across America
Ok that's it for now!
We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance. ~Japanese Proverb
The Dancer
South Pacific at the Kennedy Center- Done!
Shrek the Musical
Mrytle Beach
See Nicole
See Jojo
Go back to Wyoming
Go camping with the mutt, and maybe the cats
Kings Dominion
Renaissance Festival
Beaufort Pirate Invasion
Learn to boogie board
Learn to Surf
Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Jojo
Run the MCM10K Goal time 1 hour
Wicked at the Kennedy Center
Go to Minnesota
Take up Painting again/take a painting class
Road Trip Across America
Ok that's it for now!
We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance. ~Japanese Proverb
The Dancer
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Calm Before the Storm, Good-byes, and South Pacific
Well, the Marine has left.
Things are ok. I'm definitely doing better than I was for the first! I was surprisingly calm the last few days he was home. It was a little eerie. The best way to describe it is that it was like the calm before the storm. Hopefully, you have experienced this with weather.
The day he left sucked. There really isn't a better way to describe it. Luckily, I had a friend that came and took some pictures of us and saw him off with me. That was a nice change, to have someone who has been there be there with you. Then she and another friend invited me to one of their houses for a bit. Again a nice change. Going back to the house is the hardest. It's empty and you know it's just you for however long they are gone.
So I tried to stay out in public. I held myself together better when in public. It's easy to sit at home and cry and cry when they frist leave. But for me being out in public made me not want to cry. I had decided to attend Tangled (the new Disney Princess movie) to keep me occuppied. As I was walking out after the movie I heard someone say, "Is that Miss S?" I turned around to see a friend from my 29 Palm days. I said "Hi!" Then she said, "Did you come alone?" And with that word "alone" I started tearing up. I couldn't help it. I proceeded to apologize and then tell her that he had left that morning, so everything was very fresh. Thank God for good friends and friends in the military. She hugged me and said. "It's ok, I understand."
For the most part I have been pretty good. The day after the Marine left it snowed, and so I stayed in the house for 2 days. (So I had my mopey days then.) I don't mind driving in snow, but I don't like driving in snow in areas that arean't used to snow! Two reasons, 1) Crazy drivers, they just don't know how to drive in snow, and 2) the state/county/city aren't equipped to take care of roads in snowy conditions.
I decided to create a deployment bucket list. Basically, I wanted to plan certain things each month so I have something to look forward too. I'll discuss that more later. But I have already checked off one thing off of the list! This past weekend I saw South Pacific at the Kennedy Center. It was a wonderful and beautiful show. Not much dancing, but that is ok. The actors were wonderful and the set was beautiful. The music was great, as always. You definitely felt like you were on a tropical island, you could hear the breath of the wind, and waves crashing on the beach.
I sat by a really cute older couple at South Pacific. Everytime a love song was sung they would hold hands, giggle with each other, and coo. It was very sweet. Truely happy and in love.
So that's what I have been up too. I post shortly about the bucket list, and I have a few other things that I want to talk about.
The Dancer
Things are ok. I'm definitely doing better than I was for the first! I was surprisingly calm the last few days he was home. It was a little eerie. The best way to describe it is that it was like the calm before the storm. Hopefully, you have experienced this with weather.
The day he left sucked. There really isn't a better way to describe it. Luckily, I had a friend that came and took some pictures of us and saw him off with me. That was a nice change, to have someone who has been there be there with you. Then she and another friend invited me to one of their houses for a bit. Again a nice change. Going back to the house is the hardest. It's empty and you know it's just you for however long they are gone.
So I tried to stay out in public. I held myself together better when in public. It's easy to sit at home and cry and cry when they frist leave. But for me being out in public made me not want to cry. I had decided to attend Tangled (the new Disney Princess movie) to keep me occuppied. As I was walking out after the movie I heard someone say, "Is that Miss S?" I turned around to see a friend from my 29 Palm days. I said "Hi!" Then she said, "Did you come alone?" And with that word "alone" I started tearing up. I couldn't help it. I proceeded to apologize and then tell her that he had left that morning, so everything was very fresh. Thank God for good friends and friends in the military. She hugged me and said. "It's ok, I understand."
For the most part I have been pretty good. The day after the Marine left it snowed, and so I stayed in the house for 2 days. (So I had my mopey days then.) I don't mind driving in snow, but I don't like driving in snow in areas that arean't used to snow! Two reasons, 1) Crazy drivers, they just don't know how to drive in snow, and 2) the state/county/city aren't equipped to take care of roads in snowy conditions.
I decided to create a deployment bucket list. Basically, I wanted to plan certain things each month so I have something to look forward too. I'll discuss that more later. But I have already checked off one thing off of the list! This past weekend I saw South Pacific at the Kennedy Center. It was a wonderful and beautiful show. Not much dancing, but that is ok. The actors were wonderful and the set was beautiful. The music was great, as always. You definitely felt like you were on a tropical island, you could hear the breath of the wind, and waves crashing on the beach.
I sat by a really cute older couple at South Pacific. Everytime a love song was sung they would hold hands, giggle with each other, and coo. It was very sweet. Truely happy and in love.
So that's what I have been up too. I post shortly about the bucket list, and I have a few other things that I want to talk about.
The Dancer
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Time Nears
Well the holidays have passed, since they have passed that means the deployment is near. It's almost coming too quick. I have mixed emotions. Like, I just want him to leave so we can get this started. Then I feel guilty that I want him to leave. Then on top of that I don't want him to leave yet, and then sometimes I feel like I'm not ready for him to leave. (Remember that roller coaster? Well, I'm on it and it's a wild ride right now!) I wrote on my Facebook that I was ready for my year to start. I almost feel like my year can't start until the Marine has left.
Earlier today I was thinking how I prefer the 10 day notice, because we didn't have anytime to think about it. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed having the Marine home for the holidays. But it seemed to make it harder too. When I finished wrapping his last Christmas present and put it under the tree I started to tear up. No reason really, but it just happened. I'm tired of the emotions. I guess part of the reason the holidays were hard were because we knew he was leaving shortly after. So after every holiday it got harder and my chest got heavier. I dreaded New Year's Eve. I wasn't ready for 2011, but there was nothing I could about it because it's here! Once it passed it was also a relief, knowing that we can get this deployment going soon helped with some of the stress.
I had class tonight and it was good to be back with my dancers. It helped heal my soul tonight Things don't seem so dim and sad, there is definitely a light shining on me! One of my younger dancers asked me, "Has your husband left yet, so you can be ours?" LOL, that made me feel good that they want to take care of me. I am so thankful that I have dance in my life right now. I'm also thankful for all of my dancers and their parents. I am so blessed to have them, they have been very supportive.
I am always amazed how dance can make me feel better. It's a great medicine for me. Need to feel better or have your spirits lifted? Just dance. Some food for thought and probably some good advice...
"Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health - it rusts your spirit and your hips." ~Terri Guillemets
The Dancer
Earlier today I was thinking how I prefer the 10 day notice, because we didn't have anytime to think about it. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed having the Marine home for the holidays. But it seemed to make it harder too. When I finished wrapping his last Christmas present and put it under the tree I started to tear up. No reason really, but it just happened. I'm tired of the emotions. I guess part of the reason the holidays were hard were because we knew he was leaving shortly after. So after every holiday it got harder and my chest got heavier. I dreaded New Year's Eve. I wasn't ready for 2011, but there was nothing I could about it because it's here! Once it passed it was also a relief, knowing that we can get this deployment going soon helped with some of the stress.
I had class tonight and it was good to be back with my dancers. It helped heal my soul tonight Things don't seem so dim and sad, there is definitely a light shining on me! One of my younger dancers asked me, "Has your husband left yet, so you can be ours?" LOL, that made me feel good that they want to take care of me. I am so thankful that I have dance in my life right now. I'm also thankful for all of my dancers and their parents. I am so blessed to have them, they have been very supportive.
I am always amazed how dance can make me feel better. It's a great medicine for me. Need to feel better or have your spirits lifted? Just dance. Some food for thought and probably some good advice...
"Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health - it rusts your spirit and your hips." ~Terri Guillemets
The Dancer
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