A Sordid Recap

It is I: your long lost blogger. No, you are not reading the words of a ghost, dear subscriber, but merely the ramblings of a once forgotten story teller.
Ok, enough of that. I'm sorry it's been so long. I'd love to have a great excuse for why I have been so remiss in my writing, but alas, I just haven't felt like it.
Things have been really crazy around here as most of you know. Bart has officially deployed to Afghanistan. He is safe and sound and getting a good handle on his new job out there. He's also been able to spend time with his brother Bill, and that's a good thing. On top of it all, he's found a stray kitten on base that he has decided to befriend. I am now charged with sending a care package to said Combat Kitty and finding a decent name for her. I'll try to supply a picture if Bart ever sends one.
As for me, I'm currently trying to keep my head on straight. I was able to spend some really good time with Mom right after Bart left, and we got to visit with my grandparents over Easter (not to mention a totally excellent, if not short, lunch with Bradley along the way). I also had a wonderful visit with Beth and Stephen when they were in town, and I'm sorry for the lack of recap on that one. Suffice it to say, it was an amazing time for all of us. Now I'm starting to plan all my trips and visits for the next couple months. So far I've got St. Louis, Nashville, Lexington, Denver and Indy on my list of places to go, and I'm sure my Mom will supply me with a few more as she is traveling extensively this summer. I also have a visit from Katie to look forward to, as well as a fun weekend coming up with Conley and Bradley.
I am also trying to start some sort of vocation up here from home. Jobs are scarce here in NOLA, so I am looking into doing some proofreading online. If anyone knows of a good way to break into this business, I am all ears. It seems like a great thing for me to do, with as much as I love to read, and it will also allow me the freedom to travel whenever I want. Sounds like a dream job if I can just get going.
Beyond all this, I am taking care of Sherlock and PJ, who are constant joys and companions for me. They made the trip to West Palm Beach over Easter and Mom and I had a blast taking pics of them in the car. PJ wasn't thrilled with the arrangement at the start of our trip, but eventually settled down for the drive. Sherlock, on the other hand, slept as if he'd been drugged (hence the glasses).

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and that you haven't completely given up on me. I will keep up from here on out, now that my head is a bit more properly aligned with my body. Also, if anyone wants to send Bart a letter or email, let me know and I'll get you his info. Take care all, and I promise to get back in the saddle again ("I'm BACK in the saddle again...").

PS- Here are Bart and Bill on base together in A'stan. How awesome to get a picture of them both. Enjoy!

Blessed

Not that this is a long or extremely verbose entry, but I would like you all to know that I am truly blessed. I have the most wonderful friends and family in the world and I wouldn't trade them for anything. For all of you who have called, emailed, texted, etc., I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for checking on me and Bart. Your love and support means more than I can ever say to you. Thank you all and I will post more details about his deployment as I get them. Love you guys. Thanks!

A Not-Quite-Drunk Dial

The reason I haven't posted in so long was that I was looking for the good in this world. Instead, all I came up with were some less-than-positive alternatives. At this point I am saying goodbye to quite a few things, which I love more than anything:
1. My husband (you may email for more details; and, no, we aren't splitting up)
2. A long friendship based on trust and honesty (which will never be over on my part)
3. My childhood (apparently at 27 you are no longer allowed to be a child)
4. My dignity (which is gone with all the crying I've done lately)
To explain: Bart has left. He is on his way to training for an OIC (officer in command) position in Afghanistan. His training will take him across the US and back before he leaves for the dessert at the end of April. All I can hope and pray is that God will bless His safety and mercy on Bart and all the troops overseas. Regardless of your opinions, I hope you will pray for the troops as well. Beyond those issues, we would have to be intimately close to discuss numbers 2 through 4. Better days to follow soon. I hope you are all well and holding your loved ones as close as you can. I know I would love to do so.

A Rant

It has come to my attention that the entire world is just going mad. This isn't a new development, nor is it shocking that it has occurred, but good Lord when will it all stop? Now, I am speaking/typing on many different levels: state of the union, economy, mental capacities, etc. All in all, we're going crazy. At some point we have to think that whatever it is that is going on in our lives, whatever it is that is going on in this country, we have brought this on ourselves. We have made poor decisions and are now seeing the effects of those choices. It seems to me that we have all forgotten how to take responsibility for our own actions. Instead of fessing up and saying, "Wow, I made a mistake and I need to fix it," we scream at the top of our lungs that someone else has wronged us and that there wasn't any way we would have made said mistake if it weren't for someone else. Or, in our attempt to right a wrong, we take completely ludicrous steps down the wrong path in the hopes that no one will point out the error of our ways, but allow us to continue in a manner that best suits our liking. Nope. Sorry folks. It is time to be responsible. It is time to stop feeling entitled. We aren't entitled to jack except for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That's it. You don't get to cut people off just because you want to be ahead of them in traffic. You don't get to spend the country's money simply to further socialism (in the name of democracy). You don't even get to walk away from your mistakes because you don't feel like dealing with them. That's not how this whole thing works. When did humans stop being humane? Honestly, I am tired of lying and cheating all in the name of something better. When did bad things ever lead to good ones? Maybe I'm way off base and maybe I'm just getting things off my chest, but in my humble opinion (and on my own blog) it is time for every one of us to evaluate ourselves and make sure we are all making good choices and bettering the places in which we live. Ok, I'm done now, I promise. Happier and friendlier blogs to come.

An Ode to Angela

Oh my dear Angela, how I love thee! Let me count the ways:
1. Talking and singing clams!
2. Great songs in a dirty pub.
3. Being brave enough to be "Lucid" (but you got a T-shirt for it).
4. Doing the pajama thing for an entire day.
5. Watching movies until our butts were sore.
6. Puppy Gras.
7. Searching out mask stores ('cause only one will do).
8. Seedy gay bars.
9. Seedy bars in general.
10. Playing pool with the locals.
11.... I could go on for a while here.
Suffice it to say, we had a blast with Angela in town. She blew in on a cloud of traffic-riddled frustration and it seemed the laughter didn't stop until it was time for her to go. I would post pictures of our grand and adventurous weekend, but not one of us had a camera and that's probably a good thing. It was great to show her around and show off our little town. I can't say that we did much of anything, but we did brave the French Quarter for a day and our timing was perfect. In the midst of Mardi Gras madness, we managed to go on the one day they were having a parade of dogs (thus "Puppy Gras"). Now when I say "parade of dogs," I'm not doing this thing justice. There were literally hundreds (maybe thousands?) of dogs dressed to the nines. They were decked out in everything from sailor suits to bumblebee costumes, had their toenails painted, fur dyed, all kinds of things. Needless to say, we could not have gone on a better day. The atmosphere made for a family friendly and tame crowd and it was awesome to see everyone all gussied up. This was just one of our many adventures, and there was so much more, but this blog just isn't big enough for all the details. I am so grateful Ang decided to come down and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed her visit. Ang, the door is always open and your room is ready whenever you'd like to come back. The offer is also open for my faithful readers. Come on down to the Big Easy and see what all the fuss is about. As for me, I'm off to Denver to see my Mom. Have a great weekend, everyone!

A Battle Almost Won... Part II (read Part I first)

An "I'm-going-to-rip-my-hair-out" story: When last we left our lovely Princess, she was galloping to meet the good wizard Zinsel in the hopes of amending her befouled Altima. The Princess bravely met the hoards of traffic and wound her way through the kingdom towards the wizard's abode. In she strode, head held high, with all the confidence in the esteemed wizard. The Princess handed over the Altima's entry tools (keys) to the wizard with hope-filled eyes. As the Princess settled into a not-so-comfy chair with a predestined tome to while away the time, the wizard returned suddenly. "Alas, fair maiden. I have not the backing plate necessary to reattach your mirror." "Can't you conjure one?!" wailed the Princess. "No, I am unable. My skills are no match for your considerable issue. You must return to the dreaded Nissan doctor." "Never!" replied the Princess in haste and anxiety. The Princess stormed from the wizard's domain, broken and bereft of hope. "I refuse to spend 478,392 gold pieces, but I will find a way to make this right," she vowed to the Altima. Tears brimming in her hazel eyes, the Princess fled to another evil place, the market. Not only could she not fix her precious Altima, but she had to shop, like a peasant, for supplies. Upon returning to the castle and carrying in her supplies, the Princess even broke a nail. What a tragic and horrid day! The Princess was about to give up completely when suddenly her glorious Prince called with some wonderful news: He had found a replacement mirror, complete with backing plate, for a mere 894 gold pieces! The Princess was overjoyed and felt herself blessed to have such a wonderful Prince at her disposal. Much rejoicing ensued, with a bit of lunch to follow. Our benevolent Princess now rests. Thrilled with the outcome, even through the trials of her day. More merry-making will come later in the evening, but after the Princess enjoys last night's episode of Bones. There is happiness in the kingdom once again. The End.

A Battle Almost Won... Part I

A sad story: Once upon a time there was a precious (and wonderful) blue '07 Nissan Altima that belonged to a gorgeous Princess. The Princess had moved into a new kingdom that was full of strife and messed-up-ness. Against the Princess's will, the pretty Altima had to be parked in front of the castle beyond the moat, instead of in the carriage house as it should have been because there simply wasn't a carriage house to be found for miles. One day, when the Princess went to visit her trusty steed, she found that a side-view mirror had been ripped from her darling car. She searched everywhere for broken glass to see if the Altima had been damaged by some "hoopty" of this realm, but to no avail. The mirror had been ripped off, leaving the casing fully intact but sadly missing its reflective gem.
An annoying story: In her sadness and remorse, the Princess took the Altima to a respected Nissan doctor who told her, "For sooth, great Princess, I cannot replace just the mirror. I must remove the entire casing because the Nissan God does not allow the mirror to be sold separately of its component. You must purchase the entire entity for 478,392 gold pieces." (This roughly translates to just over $300) The Princess was outraged by the doctor's analysis and refused to allow him to treat her valiant Altima and vowed to find the mirror on her own. For days and days she toiled over the phone and computer to find that every replacement was either not worthy of her gorgeous roadster, or was simply a cheaper form of the full component that the Nissan doctor had promised her. The Princess was saddened and dismayed, feeling that she had completely failed her beloved Altima.
A redemptive story: The Princess was near wit's end in her search. She had called and typed and researched until her fingers were sore and her melodious voice harsh from begging for the lowly replacement. She decided to make one last phone call; a last ditch effort to save her noble friend. The Princess called upon Zinsel, a glass wizard, and told him her long and sad tale, in the hopes that maybe he could help. The gentle and kind Zinsel replied, "Fear not, lovely Princess! I can heal your broken Altima! I can replace the appendage for a pittance. Only 893 gold pieces and your beleaguered motorcar will be as good as new!! (This roughly translates to $35) The Princess was overjoyed. She praised the glass wizard and promised to bring her Altima as soon as the mirror had been conjured. And even now, good denizens, the Princess rides to repair her Altima and the kingdom will rejoice. There will be much laughter, singing, and mirth. To the mead hall!!

Updates?

Considering that Bart and I are living in a new city, Bart has a new job, and we have acquired a new cat, I have surprisingly little to blog about. I think, though, that it all comes down to perception, and I am willing to bend mine to give a little of myself to my readers ("There is no spoon" name that movie). First things first, our new addition, PJ has firmly set herself into our hearts. She has become an instant playmate for Sherlock, with them running up and down the hallway and wrestling at 2 in the morning, and an extra little fuzzy thing for Bart and me to love on. She is truly precious and our little family is more complete with her around. She's actually sitting on the desk as I type this, as if she knows what I'm saying. Now, what else haven't I told you? Oh, my dance card is getting a bit fuller these days. I am thrilled to say that Angela is coming to see me next weekend and I can't wait for her visit! We don't have solid plans yet, but I am totally excited. Anyone want to join her? After Ang leaves, I'll be going out to visit with Mom and Bill for a long weekend and I'm really looking forward to that as well. It'll be nice to have some down time with them, since the last time I saw them we were all running through an airport trying to get home. March is bringing a trip up to Nashville with Conley (ROAD TRIP!!!) for Laura's wedding and a much-needed Diva reunion. And last but not least, Beth and Stephen are making their way to the Big Easy to visit Bourbon Street, and I'm sure a bead collecting contest will ensue at some point (or at least the guys wish). All this to say, I'm really excited about the next couple months. There's tons to do and fun people to see, so that helps the whole "perception" thing a bit. I think right now I'm just a bit down because of the whole not-having-a-job thing. It is so strange to have worked every day for so long and now have nothing. As I told Conley and Bradley earlier today, I find myself letting things go around the house just so I'll have more to do later. I mean, I organized our CDs the other day! Yes, I'm totally bored. The worst part, though, is that boredom + lack of job = lack of good moods. I am finding it harder and harder to be positive about things and I'm sure Bart is totally sick of me being such a baby about stuff. I keep trying, though, and that's all I can say. So, with all that on the table, my job search is in full swing (anyone know of any openings in NOLA?). I'm searching daily and will continue to do so. The one thing I know for sure is that I am totally blessed to have a wonderful husband and 2 loving cats to share my evenings with. I also have the most amazing family and friends who are always willing to commiserate and "cope" with me. Who could ask for anything more?

Blog Alert!

No, never fear my avid and loyal readers, nothing is wrong with this oh-so-sacred blog. I am just writing to let you know that the wonderful and truly effusive Miss Katie has moved her blog to a new space. Go check out her new rantings and ravings at 4th Quarter Katie. Let's all try and keep up with where she is going next. Good luck to her and to all of us for hanging on to this wild ride. Love you girl!

A New Start

Well, I guess it's about time that I showed you our new little abode. We've got a great house in a fun neighborhood and are loving it so far. The area that we are in has great pubs and restaurants within walking distance and we feel safe being out and about together (as long as we are together and not alone, 'cause that would just be silly). The house is a great size for us, and may even be a little bigger than we expected, but it's nice to have some room to move around and not be on top of each other. The cats love it and run up and down the hallway playing all day and night. We have gorgeous floor to ceiling windows in the front of the house (which really adds to the room we're using as a library) and with the ceilings being about 13 feet, it makes the house feel huge. There are 3 bedrooms, one of which we use as an office, and a really nice size living room with a built-in bar (that we only use for storage. Right. Storage). And finally there is a precious little backyard with a great deck. There is plenty of room for guests, so start planning your trips down to the Big Easy, folks. Beth and Stephen win the award for having the first planned trip. Any other takers? Anyone? Hello?!

Alas Poor Israel, I Blogged You Well

I know, I know, I know: I am the absolute worst blogger in the world. BUT, I'm writing now, I'm finishing off the stories of my travels and you can all enjoy and read and comment and we'll all be happier for it. So, where exactly did I leave off? Well, our group was heading into the last of our countries, namely Israel. (Disclaimer: I totally broke Bart's camera on the first day in Israel, so pictures may or may not be forthcoming.) The first stop on the tour of Israel was the Church of the Beatitudes where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. For all you "Lamb" readers, you will appreciate this on a completely different level. Of course the church wasn't there at the time of the sermon, but was built as a memorial. It was a gorgeous setting right on the Sea of Galilee (which is actually a large lake), with tons of flowers and greenery, which was an amazing site for all of us since we had only seen desert for the week and a half prior. Israel, in fact, is mostly desert but was irrigated for centuries to create work and exports for its inhabitants. After visiting the church we set out on yet another boat on the Sea of Galilee itself. What an amazing experience! We had a prayer out on the lake, danced with the crew and actually got to listen to our National Anthem. As a bonus, the crew of the boat plays the national anthem of whoever is on their ships. Nice touch to have a bit of home on the trip. We didn't get to stay out long, but again, it was an awesome experience. Our next stop on the trip was in Tabgha at the Church of Heptapegon, which is where Jesus fed the masses with the few loaves and fish. It was a very small church with very little to see, but neat to be there. As was tradition with our tour group at that point, we were quickly whisked back onto our bus and driven to yet another site: Capharnaum, or the city of Jesus. This ruined city was a maze of ancient buildings that told many different stories of the life and times of Jesus. There were meeting rooms and synagogues, churches and an actual city was laid out before us. Once we saw all these amazing sites, it was finally time for lunch. Yep, that's right, lunch. We quickly found out that we hadn't even learned the meaning of "rushed" before we got to Israel. Another word we quickly learned was kibbutz. A kibbutz is similar to a commune where a group of people work together to form a self-sustaining community. Apparently our guide was very fond of these and took us to every single one she could possibly find. Let's just suffice it to say that if all kibbutz's (I really don't know what the plural of kibbutz is) charge as much for lunch as the ones we visited do, then I have figured out how they are self-sustaining. No big secret there. The remainder of our first day in Israel was spent traveling to the Jordan River for baptisms. This was so very cool and there were people from all over the world having the same experience that we were. Two of the members of our group were baptized and it was awesome to share this with them. (Side note: In the interest of saving your brain cells, I'm going to hit the highlights from here on out. We did an inordinate amount of touring these last couple days and it all started to bleed together, so just trust me that you're getting the good stuff.) In the following days, we visited Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water to wine at a wedding (you guys can learn all about this from Bill) and Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. We also visited the Church of the Ascension, where the Angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her what God had in store for her (or as my Mom said, "Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time"). Caesarea was soon to follow and there we saw the ruins from the palace of Pontius Pilate (who was the judge during Jesus' trial). Next we were off to Jerusalem and Masada, where we took a suspended cable car up the mountain and got to see the city of Masada (if any of you have seen the movie with Peter O'Toole with the Romans trying to take over a city on a big mountain, this place is what the movie was about). After lunch in another kibbutz (I think this was the third or fourth by this point), we saw these awesome little wild goats that were literally standing in trees to get food. They were tiny but so very cute! I wanted to take one home, but they wouldn't let me off the bus. Our next big stop was the Dead Sea. Whoa... weird stuff. The water was way oily and dense and it felt like you would never get it off your skin. A lot of people got all the way in and floated in it, but I couldn't make myself go past knee deep. It just felt entirely too dirty. Gross!! There were folks all over the place bathing in the mud, had it caked all over their bodies and that was enough of a turn-off to keep me away. I admit it, I chickened out (although I did get some great pictures on Lori's camera of people who probably shouldn't have been in bathing suits). We visited the wailing wall, which is in the heart of Old Jerusalem and learned more than any gentile needs to know about the Jewish culture (just kidding). The streets or alleys that lead in and around Old Jerusalem are packed with tons of shops, similar to the bazaar in Istanbul. People just crushed in on top of each other, but we had a wonderful time shopping for treasures, bargaining and finding just the right souvenirs to take home. We spent an afternoon at Yad VaShem, which is the Holocaust Museum. I have to admit that I was fairly nervous about going, but the museum was very tastefully done, and although it wasn't a "pleasant" experience, it was incredible to see everything. We visited the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, and the garden Jesus was taken from before his trial. Experiencing all of this in such a short amount of time didn't give any of us a lot of time to process, so there was a lot of unwinding that needed to be done at the end of each day. We did venture into Palestine one morning to get to Bethlehem (yes, Bethlehem is part of Palestine, not Israel right now), and got to see the Church of the Nativity. Now, if I have to explain the significance of "Church of the NATIVITY," I'm going to be very disappointed, so if you don't know, don't tell me. K? K. Back in Israel, we spent the rest of the day in Mt. Zion and saw the room where The Last Supper took place, walked through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (a possible burial site for Jesus), and had communion in the Garden Tomb (another possible burial site for Jesus). Please keep in mind that all of these things happened in 4 and a half days. It was all jam packed and I am leaving a lot of stuff out. There were lots of trials and tribulations along the way, not to mention cats galore (yes, I tried to keep all of them), many complaints about our guide, stomach issues, blown out hair dryers, and more than I could ever relate. All in all, this was an amazing trip and it seemed to both last a lifetime and disappear in the blink of an eye. I definitely want to continue traveling and have plans to bug the tar out of Bart until he takes me somewhere (Italy anyone?). I hope you enjoyed my stories as much as I enjoyed gathering them. Coming soon: updates on NOLA, pictures of the house and a tourists guide to the Big Easy. Keep up, kids. I'm back!