... and he's off again...

Nothing like a phone call at 6:45am to start your day!! And even better when that phone call means your hubby has to be on a plane in one hour. I was SO asleep... then SO awake! Tom was on stand-by status yesterday and today... and the orders finally came in. He's gone to Alaska for two weeks. Seems like he just got home....

He was actually excited about this trip... and was hoping it would happen during his "on call" time. Tom loves Alaska, and he wanted the flight hours!! And I'll admit I was kind of excited for him to go too... because I have a list of things he can get for me while he's there!! I'm planning a big event for the base here... a Father-Daughter Dance... and I need some decorating accessories and supplies! :)

I hope his trip goes smoothly... and I hope the two weeks doesn't turn into three! ;)

Sakura Season!!!

Japanese Sakura season is AWESOME!!! The cherry blossoms are blooming EVERYWHERE!!! It's SO pretty driving to our house!

This is our view:

I just love the way the tree tops have grown together to make a full canopy over the road. It's the coolest thing! And it looks like it's snowing because the white blossoms are constantly falling.

One question...

Can you tell me what's different?! heehee

The left photo was taken last weekend, the right photo was taken today!

*sigh* I get a snotty look or he moves so it's blurry. My kid is SO sick of my camera!!!

I really DO have a boy! ;) He is so difficult when it comes to getting a haircut... like a serious physical fight requiring 2 people to hold him down while a 3rd person cuts his hair. (Not kidding or exaggerating either!)

Well, today's haircut only required a large bowl of ice cream as a bribe!! He wanted ice cream and I seized the opportunity! It was definitely a challenge... and his hair is seriously gapped up and crooked, but at least he looks like a boy now!

By the way, it looked like I shaved a cat in my bathroom! I had him sitting on the counter so there was hair on the counter, in the sink, on the floor, on him and on me! Here's just what fell in the sink... that's only about half of what came off of his head:

BBQ with friends...

We went to a BBQ over at our friends' (Kim & Chris) house two weekends ago. It was great to hang out with everyone... watch the kiddos play... and watch the guys "attempt" to play horseshoes!!! :) We stayed until Noah was VERY whiny. I brought him home, got him all tucked in & left Andrew in charge, then walked back over to hang out for a little while longer. Andrew took the opportunity to play on the computer while Noah slept!

There was supposed to be brisket for the adults with hamburgers & hot dogs for the kiddos... but Tom & Chris didn't get the brisket on early enough! It was finally done around 10pm!!! It was a pretty good snack as the guys were playing poker!

Here are a few random shots of the day... I wish I'd gotten some inside photos, but it was really dark inside...

Our friend Chris w/ my hubby Tom... tending the grill:


The guys throwing horseshoes...


The Grill Sergeant... hahahaha ;)



Think he was cooperative when I said it was time to go in to eat?!

Kim & Chris' little girl Tasha... and her friend... cruising in the Mustang!

My kid... the total clown!

Two weeks ago, Dewayne went to a formal military Dining Out... which meant a suit with a bow tie! A Dining Out is a big to-do... military ceremony kinda stuff and all sorts of traditions. His girlfriend invited him to go with her & her family and I was surprised that he was willing to sport a bow tie for the occasion!!


Now... the first step was shopping. He needed a new suit and the bow tie. He is the PICKIEST TEENAGE BOY ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET. We had about 10 suits and 10 shirts to try on before he finally gave up & agreed to the very first one I picked out for him. Seriously wanted to bang my head against the wall right there in the store!!!


He decided to leave at the exact time I was getting dressed for an awards banquet myself (where I was presenting an award & I was nervous & took too long getting ready) so I didn't have a chance to get any before photos... and I was sure he'd have the tie off by the time he got back home. Well, he totally surprised me! He walked in at 10pm (it was a school night so he came straight home) still wearing the coat and the bow tie!!!! He was being goofy & it was late, so these are the only pictures... except for him being a total goofball and pretending to drink a Mt Dew with the lid still on. :rolleyes:


And he would not cooperate or smile when I started taking a close-up on a white background.... although with the awful night lighting, you can't even tell it's white... so this is the only semi-useable one. I normally would NOT be posting it but you can see his hair a little better than the brown background... and plus Grandma can see him one more time in the suit! To me, it looks like a bad mug shot!!! ;) (Check out my photo blog link over on the right side for a favorite from these pictures!)
Oh, and just so Amy doesn't have to ask... here's me... just before I left for a different banquet on the same night! My husband is going to get some portrait lessons REALLY soon! :)

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

Today is my hubby's birthday! He's out of town right now, but I want to wish him a Happy Happy Birthday anyway!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM!!

We love you and miss you! Hope you get to come home soon. {hug}

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!

That is EXACTLY what I'm going to say to my hubby when he finally gets home. See, this trip of his was supposed to be Thursday to Monday... getting home around 8pm Monday evening. I've learned from many many many trips like this that I really shouldn't expect him back until I get the call that he is HERE.

This trip was a little different because I usually get to speak to him once or twice a day no matter how long he's gone. Even when he was deployed we talked for 10-15 minutes on the days he wasn't flying. But not this time. He left early Thursday morning and I finally heard from him today (Sunday). He called to tell me that they have a broken part on the plane so they may not leave to come home tomorrow. Well. Color me surprised. ;) There's a small chance it can be fixed in time... but I'm still sticking to my original estimate of returning on Wednesday. hahaha!

It really surprises me that I can sort of joke about his trips now. When he cross-trained and started flying last year, I really was a nervous wreck every time I knew he was in the air. I've seen and heard about WAY too many airplane issues living on military bases. But, somehow, since we've been here in Japan, I've really calmed down about it. When he leaves sometimes, he will tell me that he's not sure when he'll get to call me so that I don't worry but I tell him that I'm ok until someone knocks on the door... (his commander & the chaplain would come to notify me if there was a problem) ... but until then, it's a normal day.

He loves his job... and it's so very obvious to me that he is happy flying... so, somehow I've learned to deal with the stress. It's worth the frustrations and the delays... because I can see the pride on his face when he talks about flying. He loves his job and he's proud of what he's doing... but not nearly as proud as I am of him for what he does.

Ever have one of those days....

Ever have one of those days that really makes you feel good... even if nothing big happens? That was today for me. It wasn't anything special... right up till I got to spend some time with a friend this afternoon. Funny how a few minutes can change the day!!!

This morning, I wasn't holding out much hope for the day. I didn't get much sleep last night... and got up WAY earlier than I usually manage. Tom left this morning. He'll be gone 5 days, including his birthday on Monday. Around lunchtime, I ran a few quick errands, checked the mail, made a quick trip in the grocery store and picked up some movies to watch while Tom is gone... then spent a little while with a friend. It really made me smile... just felt good today. Friends are so important... and it's great to be around someone when you know you can say anything and you KNOW they don't judge you & they'll keep your secrets... even if it's just the silly things you say with friends!! :)

I guess today was a day to be silly... after all, life is too short to take EVERY day so seriously! ;)

Daddy is home!!

I took these pictures the night Tom got home from his deployment... he was showing Noah some pictures on the laptop of his trip, but Noah was more interested in playing with Daddy's watch & snuggling! Tom usually hides from my camera, but he didn't mind that night! I even managed to get him to look AT the camera and smile! :)

It's kinda strange to have him home... good... but strange! It takes some patience, that's for sure! I am so used to doing things by myself... he's messing up my routine!! And I have caught myself explaining things to him about Noah... what he'll eat, his favorite shirt, his bedtime routine... because he's 4 and a LOT changes in 3 months. Things are slowly getting back to "normal"... or at least normal for us. ;)

GET YOUR FREAK ON!!!

My friend Monica is about to unveil her new scrapbook site! I am SO SO SO excited for her! The site name is pure greatness!!! ScrapFreak!!! It just went LIVE!! Check it out!

And I am super proud to be a part of !!!!! Very "fitting"!!! ;)


Congrats Monica!!! It's going to be FABULOUS!!!!