I had a busy weekend

On Friday I had to take Brutus to the vet to have a couple of teeth pulled. I was so scared because I know that anytime you have to put them under things can happen. We had to leave him there all day so hubby and I went to The Magic Kingdom at Disney World. It was not too crowded and was not too warm so we rode a few rides, walked around, had lunch and then watched a parade. Headed out to pick up Brutus. Poor little guy. When they brought him out he walked right past me to daddy and turned his back on him. That means pick me up! Hubby rode in the back seat with Brutus while we made the hour long trip home. Brutus pretty much stayed in his spot on the couch all night. The girls were excited to see him and tried to get him to play but he was having none of that. I didn't want him being in his crate on the other side of the house in case he needed me so he got to sleep with mommy and daddy. He is doing fine now and does not seem to be bothered that he is missing his bottom two teeth.

Saturday found us working in the yard. Hubby in front weeding and removing old bark and me edging and mowing. It was so hot on Saturday. It got over 90 down here. After showering and resting we went to Barnes and Noble and then out to eat. Pretty boring existance.

Sunday we finished up in the yard and then I went to Costco and Walmart. We did not do anything special for Mothers Day. Both of our mothers are gone and of course Shay is not here. She did send me flowers and TWO cards this week. She said she could not decide between the two so she got them both. They were both musical cards with the song Stand By Me in one and then the mom and daughter from the Gilmore Girls in the other one. We used to watch that show together every week and she would always say that we had the same kind of relationship that they had. I am not so sure about that but it made me feel good. I hope I had some influence on the lovely young lady she has become.

I have also spent the weekend digging through photo albums and boxes of photos that never made it into an album and searching my computer for pictures. I am making a Memory Book for Shay for her 21st birthday (May 31st). I am not that artistic so this could be a challenge. Wish me luck!

Gotta get back to work so TTFN.

Hey, long time no write

It has been a really long time since I posted last. Last week was a very busy week for my office. It was Grant Review week. We brought in over 50 people from all of the US to review and evaluate over 400 Grant Applications. I work as a Budget Analyst (I just got my REAL title) for the Veterans Administration, Homeless Grant and Per Diem Office. We give out grants to non-profit agencies that provide services and transitional housing to homeless veterans. Before coming to work here last July I had no idea that there was an epidemic for homeless veterans. I also had no idea how many agencies there are out there to support the homeless veterans.

Much of our day is spent answering the phone. Many people get out number from our program homepage but do not actually read what we are about. So we get calls from veterans themselves and sometimes family members or friends of veterans. Some think we will give money to the veteran to help with mortgage payments or assistance with rent. Others are actually homeless and need to find a shelter. Either way we listen to their "story" and try to help them with their needs. If it is because they are homeless, we try to put them in touch with their local VA Med Center. Every Medical Center has a Homeless Coordinator. Sometimes we have to tell them that there really is nothing that we or the VA can do to help them. It can really tug at your heart when you hear them talk about losing their homes, living on a friends couch, etc.

I am so excited! My airman is coming home for Memorial Day weekend. They are giving them Friday off so they get a 4 day weekend. She will fly in on Thursday and go back on Monday. 3 whole days of hanging out. Then we meet in Phoenix 2 weeks later for a wedding AND she is coming back to Tampa for the 4th of July weekend. How great is that?

And it is official, she got her trade of base assignments and is now heading to Fairchild AFB in Spokane, WA instead of Travis. She is excited about it. I am excited that she is excited. She will be able to see her friends more but will still be on the other side of the states from me ;(

I gotta go to the grocery store now but I promise to TRY to blog more. ;)

Norman

I am so proud of my Molly (Ch Porcia puella pro Brute d'McKee). Her son Norman is heading to the California French Bulldgo Speciality and here is the advertisement that will be in the brochure. He is such a handsome looking boy. He is the brother to my Binde. I wish Binde took after him! This is the first time I have been mentioned as a breeder in one of these magazines.

Pretty cool, huh?

Hug a Med Lab Tech - Updated!!!

UPDATED - I was able to add the picture

This is National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week so I say hug your lab tech. But you know I would only hug MY lab tech!


In honor of this week the lab at Wright Patterson AFB held a cake decorating contest. Shay won!!!! I can't believe what a great job she did. But I will have to attach the picture later. Our server/inernet connection at work as been hosed all day Monday and again today (so far). And of course I do all my blogging at work! Actually, the pictures are onmy work pc and I can't send them. Heck for all I know I may not get this posted today either. If you get to read this then it worked.


Do you remember what we did before computers, servers and the internet? I really was not that long ago that I could do my whole job without a computer. In fact, I got my first computer at work when I was pregnant with Shay. That was 21 years ago. OMG! I am getting old. My baby will be 21 in 45 days.

Looking back.........

I was inspired by Debbie over at http://gittinitouttamyhead.blogspot.com/ I dug through some old photos and found one of me in uniform. I was a SP5 (Specialist 5) so it must have been around 1983. This is what is called a promotion photo. It would go into your promotion file for when you are considered for the next promotion. Nice legs, huh!
This is one of me and Shay on my wedding day, July 17, 1999. She was 13 and was one of my bridesmaids. It is hard to believe that she is now in the Air Force.

And here is one of me and Wes leaving the church. Yes, we had a military wedding. The Honor Guard members were all friends of mine. The first one on the right is actually Sherry Murphy. Or as I call her, Murph! Shay would babysit her kids . I think the rest of them have retired like me.And lastly, this is of us leaving the church after the honor guard stopped us. It is tradition to stop the couple and make them kiss. And just as we were done and started walking again I got swatted with the saber. A tradition that I did not know about!

What is the hardest job you ever had?

So I was thinking this morning on the drive into work about the hardest job I have ever had. I would have to say that the hardest job that I have eer had is being a parent. Yup, that would be it. Don't get me wrong, it is also the best thing I have ever done in my life.

I was thinking about how when they are little it is so easy to "fix" everything. They fall down, you pick them up and hug them and they are back on their way. As they get older you take them to soccer, softball, and karate and expose them to all the things "you never had as a child" because you want better for your kids. Right?

High school brings new challenges. Boyfriends or girlfriends. Fights with best friends. New best friends. And the most proud moement of graduation. Then they are off to college and you still have influence because you are paying for it. So you get input into which college they go to and hopefully you have helped them decided what they want to major in. Of course, this can change so many times during the 4 years they are in college.

Some choose a different path. My daughter went to college for a couple of years before deciding that she wanted to join the military. Because I am retired Army and my husband is still in we had always told her that if she wanted to join the military she would join the Air Force. Well, Thanksgiving of 2006 that is exactly what she decided she wanted to do. Off she goes to BMT in May 2007.

Now when she calls home and is sad I can't fix it. That is the hardest job I have ever had. I can give her advice and suggestions. I can even talk about other things to get her mind off of it but I can't fix it. And I can't make her decisions for her. Heck, I can't even tell her what I would do if it were me because I really don't know.

You see, Shay has orders for Travis Air Force Base in California. She is excited to be going to the west coast. She knows some people in San Francisco and it would not be that far to drive to Seattle (our original home). Now she has someone who wants to trade with her. They have Fairchild AFB which is in Spokane, WA. The same state she is from (still on the other side of the world from me though). She says it is a rapid deployment base which means she could get deployed sooner than she would if she were at Travis. (And she wants to me say that this would be a good choice?) She also says that because it is a smaller clinic she would probably be better able to go to school. So she tells me she is going to say yes.

2 days later and now she is worried. Seems that now there are at least 4 people with orders to Fairchild and she is sure that some of them will get their orders changed and she does not want to agree to a change and then have it changed by the Air Force and go to Minot (her words, not mine). And here I sit unable to fix it. If I could fix it she would be going to MacDill.

I want her to establish herself as her own person and live her life. I don't want her making decisions based on me. Since we are currently living in Florida she would love to come to MacDill. But what happens in 2 years when we get transferred (I hope)? Will she then try to get assigned where we go? Of course I would love that but that would not be what is best for her.

This job is so hard!

Week in Review

So I finally got around to downloading pictures from my camera. These were pictures from my trip to Wright Patterson AFB to see my daughter last weekend and pictures from Yappy Hour at The Dog Water. It is a sports pub that allows dogs on special occasions. This was the first time we went. Well, it appears that my camera has not been cooperating with me because hardly any of the pictures I took turned out viewable. I will share with you the ones that did turn out semi ok.

This is the hospital at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

This is the sign outside the entry way to the collection area where my airman was working. She would nto let me take one of her in the lab.

This one is so bad but it is the only one of our night at the Dinner Theater so I had to share.

This is a little bulldog puppy at The Dog Water. He was so cute I could not resist.

I had to take a picture of the only wiener dog that was there. I now know so many people that have them.

And just for Hallie at Wonderful World of Weiners http://wonderfulworldofweiners.blogspot.com/ I wanted to show her that not every day in Florida is a sunny day.