Sister's can be challenging

Jan 2011.  Here we go again.  Over-indulged during the holidays.  Time to get back in shape.  Will there ever be a New Year when getting in shape is NOT my New Year’s resolution.  One of these years, I want my New Year’s resolution to sky dive naked or go up in a hot air balloon naked or attend Mardi Gras naked. 

Honestly, this year, my New Year’s resolution was going to be: to be less judgmental of people, but then my sister came up with the “Sister Challenge.”  It’s a long story, but basically, there are three of us.  I’m the oldest that was left by the way side; Jeny was born 353 days later and must have been way cuter since she was a keeper.  Nicci was the last-born girl (that we know of) and was most likely the only one planned.  I don’t know any of this to be factual information but that’s how it plays out in my head.  There is also brother Rob (no, he’s not a priest) that is the baby of the family.  I’m not sure if anyone asked him to join the “Sister Challenge.” 

So the “SC” started January 10, 2011.  Gathering all the information has been a challenge all right.  Tracking food and setting up my workout routine.  You would think I started a full time job.  Well, in my case, that would be any job.  Either way it’s a lot of dang work.  I’m doing great on eating properly, but getting my arse up and moving is a whole other story.  On top of that, sleep is NOT my friend. 

Bottom line, the three of us are all supporting each other 100% but don’t get me wrong, we are all fiercely competitive, so this should be interesting.  Please wish us luck.  Add a little more for me since I am the OLDEST and clearly have abandonment issues.  J 

Sleep-less nights

The past 3 nights I’ve had a hard time sleeping.  I was totally baffled because ever since we arrived in England, I’ve been sleeping pretty well.  Last night at around 1:00 a.m., it hit me why I have been so restless!  On average, there is about a 6-hour time difference between most of you and me.  Being the face-book social butterfly that I am, I sub-consciously feel like I am missing out on all the fun!  I also take my face-book friends status updates very seriously and being the caring individual that I am, some keep me up at night. 

I decided the only way to solve this problem was to jot down a few notes about some of my most active face-book friends.  Now hear this, just because you are not included in this blog, doesn’t mean you won’t be included in the next one.  This may even give you a chance to become a more active social network user. 

The following is a list of friends and some of their favorite activities.  I could totally miss their updates or their updates are keeping me from sleeping at night.  It’s a no win situation.

1.      Aaron B.-I could seriously miss what trip he is taking next, if he’s off work and if he completed his homework.  Most likely, he’s bored and he is sick of the town he lives in.
2.     Amanda (Mandy)-Trying to figure out what Alanis Morissette song she is quoting is keeping me from getting any shuteye.
3.     Angela-Numbers keep running through my head.  Do they have 57 or 58 more days until they move to Germany?
4.     Bill-Another one, that makes me put my thinking cap on to figure what song he is quoting or else he is plotting his next move against women everywhere.
5.     Brenna-I could miss South Korea’s weather updates which means I wouldn’t know if my first born is freezing her ass off or not.
6.     Candi-Actually, my husband should follow her status updates. They are mostly about sports and let me tell you; she knows her stuff!
7.     Chrissy-There are a variety of things I could miss by sleeping through her updates.  Anywhere from, household chores, crazy dog issues, itchy or twitchy eyes and last but definitely not least, her losing her mind.
8.     Cindy S.-I am pretty certain for the next 7 or 8 months, her status is going to be that she is having a grand-daughter.  One less update to worry about.
9.     Ce Ce-Missing her sarcasm updates would suck.  Big time.
10. Dale-Beer or homework?  How can I sleep at night, when he has these big decisions to make?
11. Dave T.-Believe me people, you NEVER want to miss Dave’s updates.  See, why I can’t sleep?
12. Debbie C.-I need to keep track on when the Hot Rod Hucksters are playing.
13. Del-He could easily get a new pair of shoes and I wouldn’t know until morning.
14. Den-Think about it.  What if he woke up in the middle of the night, without me knowing, to post (again) how much he is in love with me and I miss it.  It could happen.
15. Emily-She could have a day off of school but most likely she is bored.  I don’t want her to be bored alone.
16. Aunt Ida-Need to keep updated on her injury.  I worry about her.
17. Jackie V.-Simple.  Need to keep updated on our godchild.
18.  Jacquie O.-If I miss one of her inspirational quotes, I’m going to start sliding down the wrong path in life, I just know it.
19. Jaymi-As I’m sleeping, she could seriously become a famous photographer and I would miss it all!
20. Jenifer-Disney and Disney outfits dance through my head at night.  I want to go.
21. Jennifer E.-Hannah stories are awesome.  If I miss even one, I am going to be bummed.
22. Jeny L.-RUN!  In my nightmares, she’s making me run after her if I want one of her famous cupcakes.  She keeps telling me she’s the faster twin.
23. Jess-One way I can stay updated on my nephew, her work schedule and how much she is in love.  Awww…
24. Joe O.-Tell me, what if I miss just one of his odd facts? 
25. Jorja-Another person who inspires me to stay on the right course.
26. Karrie-No way I can sleep with visions of cakes running through my head.  Plus, she won’t ship overseas.  Those are the kinds of things that keep me up at night.
27. Kehau-I find myself tossing and turning thinking about her having to manage all that money at work.  Then of all things, she has to bowl afterwards.
28. Ken P.-I might just miss the next real estate lesson.
29. Kiannah-Her updates may be the #1 thing that DOES keep me up at night.  Stay true to yourself girl.
30. Kim B.-Dear God, please find good homes for all the puppies.
31. Kitty C.-She depends on me to make her laugh everyday.  I’m scared to disappoint her.  So much pressure.
32. Lance-This is a very good example of missing out on status updates.  I didn’t know he was having a baby until a week ago!  I think his g/f is due tomorrow.
33. Leslie- Each and every test she has to take at beauty school worries me. You can do it!
34. Matt D.-Even though, I live in England, I want to keep up on when the next get together is at Sheps.  Also, you never know what State Matt will be in when you wake up in the morning. State as in location and State as in mind.
35. Megan-I worry about her health.  She has been getting sick a lot lately and even though I give her good advice on what activities she can do in bed, she doesn’t always listen.  Sorry Rob.
36. Meredith-I’m a little worried that she is taking on England in only 3 months when in fact, we will all be here 4 years.
37. Mike B.-Two words.  Crazy beret lady.  Oh, that’s three.
38. Nancy-Chris updates and how many miles she biked.  She seriously makes me feel like a slacker.
39. Nate-I could just miss the wedding.
40. Nicole L.-I’m a little worried that Farmville has taken over her life.
41. Nic-HEELLOOO.  Where you been girl?
42. Rich G.-My theory is God is everywhere, but with Rich as a dear friend, I don’t have to feel guilty about not attending mass.  I have to make sure I’m awake for his updates.
43. Rick R.-HUH?  I lie awake at night wondering what the hell he just posted.
44. Sam-Housework is no joke.  Especially with two little one’s.  Of course, she rocks at it.  No worries there, just a shout out.
45. Shelley-Party?  Reunion?  Get together?  I’m missing everything.
46. Sonia-Hear me people, I never want to miss out on one of her hilarious updates or post.
47. Tom E.-White Sox.
48. Tracy T.-Her suburbia lifestyle and kid updates crack me up.
49. Troy-Army updates are very important in this house.  And yes, those really do keep me up at night.
50. Tyler-He could just win big one day and I could sleep right through it.
51. Wendy-Susan updates and now baby updates.  That’s a lot of updates.

Anyway, do you understand why I can’t sleep at night?  All these thoughts running through my head.  So many things I could possibly miss out on.  Things that confuse me.  Things that humor me.  Things that creep me out.  Like the fact, you’re all in bed with me.  

1st England blog

It's been one week and 2 days since we arrived in England.  I meant to start blogging immediately, but there was so much to do when we arrived, I just didn't have the time.  We don't move into our house until next Wednesday, so without my own belongings around me, I'm not really inspired to write yet, but I'll give it a try.

We live 2 hours outside of London so my first impression of England was how rural the area seems to be.  Lots of farm land, pigs, horses and lama's.  Yes, I said lama's.

The following list are things that either amaze, impress or baffle me about jolly ole' England.  Some random information is included too.

1.  England is over 1,000 years old. 

2.  I now have to learn how to drive on the other side of the road.  Not only is this a challenge but the roads are very narrow and the streets signs are very different from the States.

3.  The English people seem to be in no hurry except for when they are driving.

4. There is no censorship for their newspapers or magazines.  You can imagine the look on my face when I opened up the paper to find a pair of breasts staring at me.

5.  The electricity in Europe is 220 volts.

6.  The houses are smaller than in the states and the toilets have 2 buttons.  One for a little water, the other for a lot of water.  Get my drift? 

7.  I love the British accent, but I feel bad when I have no idea what the hell they are talking about.  The "in" fashion seems to be from the 80's back home.  I may be wrong on this topic, I'll let you know more the longer I'm here.

8.  I haven't quite figured out what the British men think of American women.  Especially, an alpha American woman (Den refers to us strong willed women, as Alpha women).  I can't see where they would be intimidated since it seems as British women are very strong willed themselves.  Again, I'll let you know.

So we have found a house, a car (nothing I would think about driving in the states, but it works here), set up our utilities, received our driver's license, ate at some interesting places and learned the areas around the base.  We have many challenges ahead, but they should all be pretty interesting, to say the least.

P.S.  I will try to blog regularly from here on out.  It's easier than sending a thousand different e-mails.

TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES

To: Nic and Ce Ce

It won't be long now and I will be leaving Travis AFB, CA.  I won't only be leaving the base but some great friends especially two that are very close to my heart.  My relationship with them is completely different in the fact that Ce Ce, I consider one of my kids (she's like 15 years younger than me) where as Nic, I consider a little sister (she is 11 years younger than me).  Little as in younger not in size, although both of them are considerably shorter than I am.  The pictures above prove it.

As most of you know by now, I have known Ce Ce for 8 and 1/2 years.   We were stationed at the same base in Georgia and then they received orders to England.  They were there 3 or 4 years and surprisingly were stationed with us again here in California.  Strangely enough, now we are moving to England.  I won't be at all surprised if we end up together again, one more time before Den retires.

I have only known Nic for a year and a half but you would think I have known her my entire life.  As a Commander's wife, I met her at her first spouses meeting that she held.  She somehow roped me into being a Key Spouse which is the link between squadron families and supervision.  From there on out, it was odd if you saw one of us without the other, at any base function.

I am not a "goodbye" kind of person.  They already know this and are probably suspecting that I am going to try to sneak off this base without a final farewell.  I've never been comfortable expressing sadness in front of other's.  It won't hit me that I won't be seeing them until I actually arrive at our new base and I am surrounded by only strange faces.  That's when I will e-mail them, skype them and leave them massive comments on their face book which at that point they may consider getting a restraining order against me.

So here is a list of things I will miss about the two of them...

1.  The way they make me laugh.  Again, totally different styles.  Ce Ce is just out right hilarious while Nic has a dry sense of humor.  Either way, they bring out the craziness in me full throttle!  After being with either of them for any amount of time, it's like I drank 6 Mountain Dews.

2.  The way they express themselves when they are mad at someone.  Ce Ce will just tell someone right to their face what she is feeling and somehow make it humorous while Nic has a subtle but stern way of telling someone exactly what's on her mind.  I've combined the two styles to make my own, which turns out to be complete madness.

3.  They both understand that half the time I am very social and the other half of the time, I want to be alone.  There is no in between for me.  What a blessing to have two friends that understand this and never pressure me to be one way or another.

4.  They have stood by me when I've been sick and the doctor's took years to figure out what was wrong with me.  They mysteriously know when I need to rest or just chill out.  They text me to see how I am feeling and ask if I need anything.  They also know when I need almond M & M's.  Very important.

5.  They know everything about me and still love me.  I'm sure I have shocked the hell out of them with some of my life stories but they never pass judgement.  They accept for me for who I was and who I am now.  I continually change and they just roll with it.

You may have noticed that I didn't write about their amazing children and awesome husbands.  I wanted this to be just about the three of us, just this once.  Den told me yesterday that he can't promise me much in life but he can promise that we will see the Kight family and the Harmon family again.  I'm holding him to that one.

Thank you Nic and Ce Ce for being such fabulous friends/family.  I love you both very much and I will miss you terribly.  We have great memories and so so so many pictures to prove it!  lol

De

P.S.  As soon as you both can find someone to watch the kids, meet me at the Hale Koa in Hawaii!

Yep, I'm adopted.

Well, some of you may know and some of you may not. Some of you may be wondering and some of you may not even have noticed. Either way, I thought I would write a quick study guide to the various groups of family I have on face-book.

My brother and I were adopted basically from birth so it was never really an issue. Our parents told us at a very young age and emphasized how special we were. Our perception was that we truly were the “chosen” one’s since our parents picked us and other kids parents just had to accept with whatever they ended up with.

As many of you know, we never went without anything, had awesome vacations and parents available to us 24-7. They lived for us and still do. My brother and I never had the desire to meet our biological parents. Our Mom and Dad should have been awarded parents of the year and really, should have adopted 10 more kids! ☺

Shockingly, twelve years ago, Catholic Charities sent a letter to my parents explaining that my biological mother wanted to contact me. As you would imagine, it upset our whole family. Reverting back to childhood, my first reaction was my GOD, she couldn’t possibly want me back, I’m 29 years old!

From here on out, I’m not going to go into much detail, but let’s just say after meeting her and talking to her a couple times, there was no connection. I did find out I had 2 younger half sisters and a younger half brother. My sister Jeny was born 10 months after me, making us Irish Twins or also referred to as Vatican Twins. We seemed to have an instant bond, kept in touch for a few years and then drifted apart. My sister Nicole was in the Navy at the time, but I was able to meet her briefly and I’m almost positive my brother Rob (wife Megan) was going through the Navy boot camp so I never met him in person. Rob has a son Andrew that I have never met either. Just recently, all the siblings re-connected through face book. You will notice Jeny, Jeny's daughter Syara, Nicole and Megan (Rob’s wife) commenting and joking throughout the day.

My biological mother contacted my biological father’s family after she found me. Tragically, my biological father (Timo) died when I was three months old. My Uncle Jr. (I love calling him that, it sounds so silly) planned for everyone to gather at a local restaurant in my hometown so we could all meet. They were all very warm and welcoming! We have kept in touch since through e-mail, every now and then phone calls and now through face book. You will notice Aunt Ida, Aunt Ernie, Aunt Diann, Aunt Linda Evanna, Jaymi, Sesar, and Sergio. If I have forgotten anyone, please let me know. Aunt Ida has become somewhat of a celebrity on my face book! ☺

The hard part for me is that my parents don’t feel comfortable talking about my biological family so I always feel very torn. You have to remember back in the 60’s a lot of families didn’t even tell their kids if they were adopted let alone meet the biological family. So out of respect for my amazing parents, I don’t bring up the situation very often. BUT (there’s always a but huh?) I wish my whole biological family could meet my parents so that they could see how wonderful they are. I am so proud of my Mom and Dad, it’s hard not to show them off.

My biological family is a pleasant bonus to my life but as we have all discussed, no one could ever replace my parents.

So there you go. One of the many stories of my life. 

TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES

Moms and Dads are funny

With a couple suitcases and bags in hand, my parents arrived here in sunny California yesterday.  Their flight actually landed 45 minutes early so we weren't there on time to pick them up.  Like my Mom said, they are in no hurry and have nowhere to go.  Much like my life but they are in their seventies and retired.

My Mom has visited our house on base before, but my Dad only visited when we first moved here and we were living in an apartment, waiting for a house to open up on base.  He told us how much he liked the house and then attempted to go to the garage through one of our closet doors.  Being the jokester he is, we thought he was just being silly.  When he attempted to use the bathroom going through another closet door we realized there are just too many damn doors in this house!

So back to the suitcases they brought.  Below you will see what my Mom actually packed and brought all the way from Illinois.  Like I said, she has been here before and knows there is a full grocery store not even 5 minutes away.  Some of her cookie ingredients could easily be mistaken for other substances so this Thanksgiving we are thankful that my Mom didn't get arrested and thrown in jail before she arrived to make our 21 pound turkey.

Last but definitely not least, this morning my Dad decided to make himself some toast unaware that our fire alarms are VERY sensitive.  Obviously something dropped to the bottom of the toaster and things got extremely noisy from there on out.  We opened all the doors, turned on the fans and waited for the alarms to turn off.  You would have thought we had a full fledged fire in progress.

All this after only 1 and 1/2 days and I wouldn't want it other way.  Love you Mom and Dad.

TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES  

They grow up

I remember worrying about Mandy and Troy as they were growing up.  From as early as if I should lay them on their stomachs or their backs to sleep (back then it was stomach’s), making sure the house was child proof, am I sending them to the proper pre-school, will they make friends in grade school, are they going to get their heart broken, ect. ect.   I was mislead to believe that the older they got, the less my worries would be even though I heard my Mom say, “When their little, you have little worries.  As they grow up, your worries become big ones.”  Boy was she right! 

It has nothing to do with the fact that I don’t trust them to do the right thing, it’s just the challenges they are taking now are completely out of my control.  There is only so much I can do to help.  I do everything I can possibly do, to be there for them, support them and keep in constant communication but that doesn’t mean I can solve every problem they have anymore.

For instance, if Mandy needed me, it would take me at least 2 days to get to her.  Although right now, my personal passport has a different last name and I look like a completely different person. I don’t think I’m traveling anywhere on that one.  My Military passport I can’t use unless it’s for moving purposes.  So basically, just thinking about the fact that I haven’t updated my personal passport could send me into a panic attack.   The potential list of people who actually have their passports ready that could fly over there is as follows:

Den

Papa  (my Dad)

Lee  (her Dad)

Kim  (her Step-Mom)

You’re all great people, BUT you know it has to be either Nana (my Mom whom didn’t get her passport yet) or me that manages the situation!  I hear the 4 of you chuckling and whispering, “control freak.” 

While we are on the subject, if something happened to Troy, I am powerless.  Although, if it happens at boot camp, look out drill instructors.  Have you ever seen a drill instructor cry?  This Mamma doesn’t play.  Anyway, back on subject.   From here on out with Troy and his career, he really doesn’t need me anymore.  He is being taught to be 100% independent and to help his platoon.  I can’t head to the desert to be there for him nor would he want me to!  Side note: I personally think I would look cute in the uniform but it’s the beret I’m worried about.  No way it’s staying on this head of hair. 

Bottom line, enjoy your little one’s.  Don’t fret over the small stuff.  Save getting an ulcer for later in life.  Continue to teach them to do things for themselves because someday, that’s what it’s going to come down to, whether us Mom’s like it or not. 

P.S.  From the time they hit 18, your stomach will be in knots, so stock up on TUMS now.

TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES