Things That Suck

No, not Matt. But Matt deploying for 15 months, that sucks. Here is a picture of us yesterday acting like it wouldn't:

When we were deployed (at the same time) before, I never gave much consideration to what it must be like on the "other side" of a deployment, to be the stateside spouse. I can now easily say that I would much rather being hanging out in Iraq than to be attempting normalcy at home while I'm worried about Matt.... And that's as emotional as I'm going to get in this blog.

Of course my opinion might change slightly in a few days when I'm leisurely watching football in the recliner while Matt is melting in Kuwait's 140-degree heat. Yuck.

More on yesterday's suckiness: the whole process took waaaaaay too long. Talk about pulling the bandaid of slowly - The Soldiers all had to report at noon for accountability, then had a full six hours of saying goodbye again and again in between more formations and weapons-drawing, before finally getting on the buses that took them to the plane. Six friggin hours. Miserable. Not to sound old-school, but four years ago the same process took about half an hour from the time Matt dropped me off until we had to say our final goodbye, a nice ripping-off of the bandaid.

Here's a picture of his company waiting for the buses yesterday:

NYC and the Alma Mater

These pictures are from last weekend, Matt and I had a 3-day so we visited our old stomping ground for the first time in 6+ years.... Our first stop was Garrison train station, where we caught the view of WP from across the river while waiting for our train to the city. Matt said even the sight of the academic buildings made him sick to his stomach - so we thumbed our nose at all those poor cadets by throwing down Coronas.

That night we hit the city and did the typical dinner & show, and yes, it was glorious. Below is an excellent picture of the bike-taxi-guy's back. Is this a new thing by the way? I don't remember ever seeing the bike taxis in the city before but they're all over the place now...

I know you don't care, but....

Landscaping, Part II.

When I was little I used to wonder why neighbors & family would blather on incessantly about remodeling and/or landscaping projects they had done when we would come to visit. My parents would politely listen and perhaps even ask questions but I was sooooo bored. Who cares about someone else's grass, really? New toilet? Whooo-hooo...

So what I'm saying is, I know you don't care about my new flower beds. Me talking about it makes me seem like a 60-year-old trapped in a younger body. Incredibly domestic. But because of the staggering amount of time Matt and I slaved outside over the past 3 months of weekends, I will subject you to pictures from one of our projects:

The before:

And, the after. Was it worth it?

Not Ashamed to be a Chocoholic...

Yes, I know, I know.... I have been slacking on my blogging duties lately. Two little things I like to call "work" and "laziness." I am burdened with a lot of each lately. Alas, I will bless you with a goofy picture of me without too much backstory....

So there I was, Matt's ball wrapping up, me finishing the unusually delicous chocolotate cake - And I notice, to my amazement, that I was the only one at our table who didn't scarf down their cake. I'm not shy, so I asked Abby if I could have her piece. Apparently, this was incredibly funny to everyone, something about me being a "pig." Whatever, two pieces of cake is even more delightful that one piece of cake, I have no regrets.... Except that the other ladies thought it would be really cute if they took a picture of me gorging, shoving all the rest of the cake at the table into the picture that I didn't actually end up eating. Yeah, so there's your picture.

Chipmunks dude, Chipmunks!!

I just want everyone to know I like chipmunks. Here is a picture with one of the less camera-shy little fellers that likes to hang out in our backyard. That is, until Matt started throwing things at the cute little guys....

I Hate Crocs

I didn't even know what they're called, but I noticed a bunch of the neighborhood kids and some (gasp!) adults wearing them too. I'm all about comfort over fashion, but these things are just straight ridiculous. I'm glad someone else shares my thoughts....

http://www.ihatecrocs.com/

Matt's Big Challenge

And I thought I had funny dreams.... Some quick background here: Matt is prone to bouts of sleep-walking every great once-in-a-while, usually after he's been sleep-deprived for a while. He doesn't normally walk around, but usually sits up and starts talking, eyes wide open and all - so I don't always recognize immediately that he's not in reality. This of course makes it funnier.....

Anyway, we've been on opposite schedules lately, with me getting home very late and Matt waking up very early. So when I get home I try to be very quiet, and, being the stealthy ninja that I am, Matt usually continues to sleep soundly. One night last week I was laying down and heard a mumble. The "conversation" went something like this:

MATT: mmmmmblemble mummmble mfle MBLE! mfflllfe mbll mfbllle.... What time is it?
KACIE: (quietly) Late - sorry, didn't mean to wake you up...
MATT: You need to tell him to weigh in.
KACIE: Do what? Tell who?
MATT: The fat one! That rolly-polly 12-year-old over there...
KACIE: 12-year-old, what???
MATT: Everybody has weighed in but him, he needs to weigh in!!
KACIE: (attempting to muffle uncontrollable laughter in my pillow)
MATT: (after a long pause.... ) They think I'm not watching, but I notice these things!!

Yeah, so that's about it. My entertainment for the week. The best part is that Matt has absolutely no recollection of this or the dream it came from (nor does he ever). I imagine he must have been dreaming that he was a counselor at fat camp, which I also believe to be his secret dream-job.