Our American Dream

Retirement 101

2011-09-20T05:04:00.002+02:00

August Philip went through the motions to retire. It was very humbling to see friends and family from all over the states. At least once a week I tell him that I am so thankful he is home now. The reality hasn't completely hit. We did switch back to making a month of menus to ensure we didn't eat out. Being an American family isn't any busier than a military one overseas. There are great differences in the culture. The biggest adjustment for me is being able to understand the language being spoken. Most times I prefer not to and miss simple nods and smiles.

Despicable Me

2011-02-21T05:39:00.003+01:00

ok so i have a lot of great ideas. Most are never excuted due to random excuses and loss of motivation.
Some how through all the craziness of the last two years I have finally found a direction that feels exciting and am motivated to succeed.
What do you ask brings this on? Well I knew the goals but had no way of obtaining the skills to escute them... Alone.
Yes me the extrovert has accepted that without the imput of my loving and forgiving husband no matter what goals I set will sabatoge myself

titles are just words sometimes there are none

2010-02-10T02:45:00.004+01:00

Tonight I talked to a friend, she wears many hats and somehow she is intertwined in many aspects of our life in just a few short months. Funny when you meet people during a traumatic event. I have waited for some time to actually blog about what has been going on since my move. Certain aspects you want to keep private while others at a certain point don't matter anymore.

November 30th my husband and I went in to find out the sex of our baby to be told there no longer was a heart beat. It was the single most shocking event of my life. I thought before I had been through emotional trauma but nothing like this.

We were to find out the sex of the baby. Seriously we had talked only of a girls name really, Shelby. November 4th was our anniversary and for a gift I bought the early gender test. It said we were having a girl. Shelby Rae. Ray is Philip's dad's name. He is a honorable man worthy of much more than a name but all the same he doesn't ask for much.
I was told by the Dr after three different tests there was no heart beat and that delivery was needed that day. We went home cried and screamed into my pillow. Now looking back there is wisdom, don't scream bloody murder into your pillow. For the rest of the evening overpowering most of my labor pains was a horrendous migraine.
My Mom and GG drove up from Kansas City and cousin (who is also a nurse), for the delivery. It was interesting for the three of us women to be together. I never had anyone with me overseas but P. They were amazing support. GG took the boys after P picked them up from school. Telling our children was one of the hardest things he has had to ever do he said. I can only imagine.
Sometime in the evening we delivered a baby boy, Logan Ray. I had liked Logan but until then it wasn't official. Bergen Hospital is a Catholic hospital much different from the military one at Yokota AFB. The Chaplain came in to pray with us and we realized we really wanted more than a figure of faith in our lives. A Pastor who would know what our faces read more than our words. Sometimes the basic prayers are the best. Silence and warmth of a hand much more powerful. The hospital staff was nice, the social worker got me quite upset when there was mention of a mass grave for babies born before 20 weeks. I didn't know before 20 weeks a baby wasn't considered alive because it cant sustain life outside of the womb. Never before had I had to choose my voice in this but to me that little hand I held when I kissed his cheek was real enough to love. The lips and toes in my heart held life. Why do I mention this? Well emotionally draining as it is to read, there is closure. Life is happening in so many layers.
Later I realized my mom was waiting for me to ask her to stay, I wished I had. No matter that I am twice the size of her, when she wrapped her arms around me I fit. Her heart beat was soothing to hear, and made my tears stop. All the words that had gotten in the way over the years were thrown to the side. This time, in silence I had healing in so many ways. It is ok to be still, and listen and feel empty.
Part of my closure is to know what happens as much as we may want to drag our feet kicking and screaming to do, may be it was really just what we wanted most after it is over. Yes I was so confused that we were having another baby and the timing it was hard to not to panic.
P and I have a strong faith in God. To us he is omniscient or all knowing, there is still this need to be in control.
The day before I delivered was a Sunday, we went to visit Victory Baptist Church. We were attending a few in the area. Pastor Moore and his family were in a small storefront church. Sometimes life doesn't make sense, neither does how you can attend a church thinking it is too small, well nothing is to small for God. ty. It is better to allow others to help, when you don't know what to need for. His sermon touched my heart and filled my soul. Sermons are sometimes intimate and personal a kind you cannot ignore or discard after you leave the building.
The Moore family would be at our sides for the next 6 weeks encouraging us along. He was the first Pastor to visit our home Dec 3. We had not called him during our time in the hospital. He did get a welcome in the door, and hope was left as he went home.

We decided to cremate Logan's ashes. When P made arrangements the woman was very moved and offered sincere condolences. P isn't a huger and was quite surprised when he received a hug when picking up the ashes. It wasn't that he was offended more that he needed someone to care besides family. A stranger had mourned for our child she shared. The small amount was placed carefully among some wispy flowers in a tin with a note of certification. In my heart there was some small sort of closure. My prayers were for not begging for myself but all those mothers who don't get to say goodbye. My small boys asked so many questions. The most significant to me was G asked WHY US? my answer simply was because we were suppose to. There is always someone else. Of all the hospitals in Omaha filled with children, I didn't have to say goodbye after months of pain. Our time with Logan was cuddles on my belly, and C yelling Good MORNING baby or GOOD NIGHT BABY into my belly. E was most vocal it coming out as to why he would never get to teach him to play football, sometimes its not what you had but hoped for.

whoa NELLIE

2010-01-13T19:19:00.003+01:00

ok hold on STOP
First of all I have spent enitrely too much time with myself inside my own head/
I learned a few things la

ok quick list since i shouldn't be wasting time pshyco analyzing myself.

my own language to myself is filled with crazy mix of languages and other wise strung together with curse words.

Jesus argues with me a lot in regards to how things should be done or addressed. I should listen more.. Ok the holy spirit. inner conconscience whatever you may believe ...

Philip brings me to insanity when i think about him.mmmmmmmmm

I have so many places I have been I should have been journaling becaus e those times were much better than now.

Julia & Julia

2009-12-14T06:49:00.003+01:00

I just finished watching the movie Julia & Julia. Philip was so exhausted he feel asleep, or just hated it. In the morning he will surely give me the run down. The food alone made me hungry. He never had the love affair with Paris that I did. Of course it is obvious to me at this time it isn't always the place I am physically in life but mentally. Most people see one perspective and off in a complete opposite I would be with stars in my eyes. Julia & Julia did Paris well for it captured the back garden in one scene of what appears to be Notre Dame. A church I found to be totally overrated until I saw the back garden and just feel in. It took me to a memory of my mom reading The Secret Garden to me and my brother when we were about 9 and 11. It was his favorite book. I don't remember ever finishing it with them. Mom has the most beautiful reading voice. Even now I enjoy reading as she did to my boys. There is something in sharing a story, like a hug, that wraps you in warmth.
Julia & Julia also made me think about how the idea isn't that original at all. Philip and I were married and moved to Panama the year after I graduated high school. He worked in a special duty Postal job for the Air Force then. The amount of bulk mail ( catalogues and magazines) that consumed his day kept him from ever allowing me to order much. He was not about to add to his work load. Gourmet magazine did capture his attention. We were the only married couple at the time that was our age. All the single guys had him hands down in the party dept but when it came to food he carried all bragging rights. Each date we had always tried a new restaurant which continued when we got married. While living in Panama we didn't trust the local food for the first two years we lived there. It was his idea that since employment was not an option for me that I cook a new meal at least once a week. I remember the first time he chose the recipe for a London Broil the price made me almost cry. Back then he didn't know how to give compliments so it was just good. I believe that issues is still floating around in a box 18 years later.
After the movie the special scenes talk about how people experience life with food. We sure have, in every country my best memories have some unique culinary story to move the listener down memory lane. In these memories are beautiful people who I hold in my heart still today. Although some are no longer "friends" it is well for they have not been forgotten.

.

Laundry

2009-11-04T21:27:00.003+01:00

Laundry has always been the worst for me. Even as a child I remember laundry on the sofa because no one had time to do it. When we did it was an all day event. Taking days afterward to fold. It really was terrible now that I look back when the laundry was always backed up and it was just Philip and I. Yes today I understand why he dropped his jaw when I told him I couldn't keep up on my own, and wouldn't be doing his any longer. Our new home we set a goal to keep up on it. Philip always has done the laundry to keep it up, at times it was only washed because he did it. I have been successful, not a complete turnaround each day but there is a basket holding most of it.
We purchased the Samsung front loading heavy duty machines with pedestals. The set was part of a package deal we did on appliances at APPLIANCE LIQUIDATORS. I wanted LG products after living in Europe. We knew we wanted a gas dryer after dealing with electric ones in base housing for years. It worked out well for us. The pedestals are useless except for added height. I can actually do the laundry and remember it because it bells or plays a chiming tune when finished. So all these years I should have been using a timer...then I would never have forgotten a load. hahahaha

We haven't been happy with the laundry detergent we have been trying out. It is gooey and in Europe they have the same machines but you have much thinner consistancy in the washing fluid. It has something to do with the proteins they add. In the front loading machines the washer will "sour" over time. My dad has had one for years and there is no explaination why his would smell. Which they had warned me about and sent me off thinking how to prevent this in my new machines.
So this week I am going to order the ingredients to make my own. Several sites list different rememdies to take the smell from the washer but all say the same the drain hoses become clogged by the proteins of the other washing detergent. So I am going to not only save money but keep my new machine clean of smells.
Here is what I have found at the link http://www.stretcher.com/stories/09/09sep21a.cfm
"

You can Google for homemade soap recipes. I make a powdered version with 1 bar of Fels Naphtha and 2 or 3 bars of deodorant soap (Walgreens® 3/$1 works great!), 1 to 2 cups 20 mule team borax and 1 to 2 cups baking soda. You can also add a cup of an OxiClean® if you do a lot of very dirty laundry, but for most laundry, it works great without it.

Slice the bar soap with a paring knife as you would a chunk of cheese and then put it in the food processor to chop it fine. With a damp cloth on the open edge of the feed chute, add the dry powders and process in short bursts. This makes enough soap for approximately 25 loads, using the smaller measurements. Use 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of detergent per load, placing the powder in the detergent cup. Use hot or warm water to make sure the soap dissolves completely if you do not grind the soap finely in a food processor. Store airtight; an empty ice cream pail works great. If clothes are very dirty, add a little more soap. It will not create foam/suds in quantity but you will be amazed how clean your laundry will be."

Ace Hardware carries it all. I think at first I am going to leave out the deodorant soap but add OXIclean. Carson has sensitive skin so we will see if it bothers him. I am thinking this may be a cheesy but great homemade Christmas gift for my parents who never need anything.

Cuisine

2009-10-23T00:19:00.004+02:00

Tonight I made a great new dish and before I forget what I did will share the recipe.
Before leaving Belgium my German friend, Anja, gave me a huge bottle of MAGGI sauce.
I have been given many foods to use when leaving a country we have lived in before. Most I do try but it was never the same as my local national friends made. Example fried rice. Never can repeat the same texture or taste twice.

I had tried using the Maggi sauce in something else and forgot what. So here is what I made tonight and the kids are scarfing it down as I type this out.

I package of Beef Kelbsa cut into 1/4" slices
2 bell peppers sliced into strips
1/4 onion quartered
4 T Maggi sauce
water
oil
corn starch

white rice for the side(20 min in rice cooker to cook while making stir fry)

I sliced everything up
put oil in pan and stir fry veg first, sprinkle on Maggi sauce.
when you smell peppers/onions add meat and cup of water: bring to boil
1 cup water 2T corn starched mixed then poured into stir fry mix let boil for 5 min then simmer.
add pepper to taste
entire meal took 20 min.

October

2009-10-19T00:10:00.002+02:00

I am sitting in the house just have finished off a can of ravioli. Being 13 weeks I feel great but am appalled at how great the taste was. Normally I am gagging at just the smell. Peaches and fish are still my favorite things to eat this pregnancy. Anything orange that is food makes me hungry. Wishing we were in Japan because I really want sushi.

The boys are outside today. The weather is beautiful and I am so glad we moved to a neighborhood where they can go out and play. There is a large open area less than a football field away where the kids can play next to the park. Our house sits to the back of the bike/walking path so I can freely let them come and go. Ethan is 11 now and able to stay by himself. He has three times now. I think for the area we are in I can be home in 10 min. Maybe suburbia isn't so bad.

Unpacking the house is still at a standstill. My eyesight is terrible and being pregnant just doesn't help things move along any faster. Philip has his own stipulations as to what he will do when. I would be happy if he would just finish the painting. He also doesn't want any of the Japanese stuff in the living room. We had this problem in Belgium too. I think this week I will just have to buckle down, go slow and move everything back that he had moved out.

Wish I had a handyman.

SNOW DAY first of WInter 2009

2009-10-10T23:58:00.003+02:00

Its 0530 on a Saturday and Gavin comes running through the house to each person's room that it has been snowing. He is talking so fast my brain does not catch half of it so I tell him to settle down. "NO MOM, really, LOOK!" He rips open the blinds so hard I think he is pulling them out of the walls. I give in for the sake of not wanting to replace them this year.
The houses and yards were not only dusted but had a amazing amount still falling upon them. I crawled in bed with Ethan while Gavin and Carson climbed in with Philip. How long they actually slept I don't know. Ethan's side was cold as Philip said he was taking dogs and kids out..I asked for pictures. Rolled over and went back to sleep.
The smell of pancakes woke me up about the time Ethan was coming in. The boys had built a small fort wall in our back yard. Gavin quickly let me know it was only to practice for because the snow was like dust. Good I thought the best kind. No surprises as to what damage a real storm could do.
The snow kept falling as the boys were back in with wet tennis shoes. Funny in a way because we just went to stores yesterday looking for Carson a coat. He was very upset at Old Navy when the only coat he liked was $65 and didn't come in his size. Yes! I put my foot down about the tantrum..even not buying the hat and gloves he liked after he remarked Dad would get it for him, I still had compassion. How can we be in America and still not have choices available? We live near a shopping area but who wants to take their whole family shopping? Not I.
Today we all got dressed and chattered in the car. It was amazing at how little they sounded as they talked about sleds and boots, forts, teams, and all the fun stuff that goes with boys and snow. Walmart Supercenter..ugh. They did have boots for Carson who still wears a big size for a kid. Ethan and Gavin are in men's small sizes. There were no sleds to be found but we found some rocking trashcan lids. The trash can was $10 sold only with lid so we decided to wait. Why don't they sell lids seperatly? I am sure they blow away or get eaten by dogs?
Gavin floored me as we went into Dick's Sporting Goods. He was all about selling me on Underarmor. What does a 9 year old do with that expensive of an item? I know when he was 2 he wanted Levi's because they had five pockets. Underarmor is soft and fits well..ok I get it.
Besides the sales pitch for UnderArmor we didn't get much from Dick's Sporting goods. OH AND THEY MAKE SOCKS TOO LOL. The boys eyed snow boards.. no no no. They even asked to use our snowskis since we couldn't find any sleds. No way. We do have a hosptial with an emergency room three blocks away. It is small and doesn't have a good reputation but still there.
One of the hazaards of shopping is you always somehow miss a meal. I don't know how this happens but we do anyhow. Just in time to save us lots of money everyone was more tierd than hungry. We headed home for a big lunch after grabbing rotisserie chicken from HyVee. Full with a hot meal I immediatly cuddled and went to sleep on the sofa. Philip was watching Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. This paticular kitchen served nice food in Hollywood.,from all premade products. I was glad we ate at home.
The thing about boys is once they are fed and warm it's time to rough house. We on the other hand were ready to hide in our mink blankets ( extremely warm fuzzy synthetic blanket from Korea). There is a certain point as a mom you are willing to throw your innocent husband into the frenzy to save yourself. I kept Carson with me while Ethan, Philip, and Gavin went to Super Target to get boots hopefully for them.
With great success they hunted down sleds there also. Timing is everything, the store had just put them out. I loved the half hour power nap stolen while they were gone. Carson flew off the sofa from his cuddle spot behind my knees at the first word of sled. Off they went for what snow was left on our monster neighborhood hill.
The hill is one of the things we talked about when picking this house out. It held a promise of hours of fun for us all. Our yard is small but the park with hill is down a bike path. Can't beat that. Returned were three mud balls. I haven't quite looked into the damage yet but know snow is better than the sand they have been bringing home from the park.

September Rundown

2009-10-01T13:36:00.003+02:00

Its the first of Oct. To me this means Fall which is my favorite time of the year no matter where I live. Right now I am typing before the kids wake up for the morning and cant think of event dates.
We did go to Vala's Pumpkin Patch which is the largest in America. It was fun and interesting. Most things I watched the kids do with Philip. It was a squadron function in which we got a discounted admission. I forgot the camera so no photos folks. It was nice to walk around holding Philip's hand and having the boys chatter. Ethan did somehow manage to get lost on the way to enter the cornfield maze. Philip found him just as he had tears spurt. I don't which was worse for him lost or having his dad see him cry.
Ethan had a Birthday in Sept on the 15th. He is 11 this year and I honestly wasn't prepared for it. We spend $100 on birthdays. This includes a gift and whatever party or activity they want to do. This year is family year so we picked him up the old Star Trek Movies, a Game Stop gift card, and a gift bag of "favorite thing" goodies. Philip started the gift bag years ago for me and it was so great it stuck.
Ethan's actual birthday we went out of Chinese food where Philip met us after work. It was decent food. I hated that Ethan wasn't at home opening gifts, on that note the camera was home also. There is something to be said that is so special about homemade cakes and streamers.
We volunteered that evening at the Mable Rose Estate Homes to call Bingo. Ethan was our caller and all seemed to have fun.
Jermey Camp an alternative Christian Rock performer, came to Omaha. This is one of Gavin and Philip's favorite music groups. Philip doesn't dance freely. Gavin doesn't stop moving, so when both did opposite of the normal self I knew we were having a good time. I did like the fact we had church pews to sit in. Comfortable for the boys to fall asleep. They aren't used to staying up so late and crashed after slow song lol. It was nice to be out as a family, hear live music, and not have to deal with drunks, someone smoking pot, people making out, and language. It was all the great stuff a concert is suppose to be.
I did lose my Great Aunt Maxine Stinson. Everyone called her Aunt Mackie. What is the story behind this I wonder? She was a tiny lady who made it to 94. The past five years my Mom and Greg have made a place in their home. The boys were able to get to know her this summer when they spent a week at Mom's by themselves. Aunt Mackie was there when Mom would go into work for a few hours. Ethan I remember watched a lot of news with her. His comment when he came home was MOM THERE IS A LOT OF BAD STUFF THAT HAPPENS IN KANSAS CITY. He has been told every city is like this. Too bad they forget the good news when broadcasting.
Philip and I are very excited to have a baby coming. The doctor we have found is really friendly and proactive. Hearing the baby's heart beat was very overwhelming for me. I honestly had not fully registered it was real. Last night I felt the first flutters at 10 weeks. It was such a different odd movement I am sure of what it was. Number 4 it is possible.
One of the best things about being back in America is friends are closer. Jen was my first BFF and has been through the past 9 years with me. I don't really get why our lives have started to parallel maybe age. Last Jan she to her surprise found out she was pregnant. Well little Bethany decided to come early and sent all plans flying. I didn't think I was going to get to go. Tickets were an absurd amount to fly to Boston. She lives in Sommersworth NH. Jen told me in a message." Don't worry God will find a way to work this out" I have deep trust and faith but the little stuff I don't ask God for much. He does pretty good giving me what I need, and teaching me what I should learn. Sometimes it does feel like a spanking but for the most part doesn't hurt long. So no lie the next day after she says this I have a junk mail from Travelocity with specials from Omaha. My flight was $219 leaving a Sat and returning a Tues. I didn't have to go to Chicago to connect and had long enough layovers it wasn't stressful.
We had a great but busy two and half days. Bethany decided she liked me and didn't scream when i held her. This is a trend in General with females in my life. lol Glad i am not a man. The first night I was able to take Bethany to let parents sleep. They were zombies.. I hate the first four months of any new routine. The next day she was dedicated and we went for a great lunch. I got to babysit this night while Jen and Ian went to dinner. Monday we headed into Portsmouth to see the old square. I found a market that named that the spot where George Washington read the Declaration of Independence. Their children Natalee and Zachary spent time doing things with me also. I was chuckling as I cleaned out their fridge.. that's a friend come clean poopy diapers, pack lunches, babysit, and clean out a fridge without asking. It's in this moment that I realized I was praying and not just talking to myself. It was a humbling experience to have a person share their love, life and family without any concern or jealousy. I did miss my own guys terribly but they were having a blast with Philip. They did a guys weekend full of karting, movies, football games, and unpacking.
Our house still doesn't feel like home but our family is getting back to normal. Maybe it's time to start unpacking.

Brain DUMP

2009-09-07T21:58:00.004+02:00

Ok it is sometimes much easier to list rather than try and make sense of the random events that overlay or in other words explain life.

No matter how much we plan, save, pray, beg, or just yell at times I am truly aware that as a person have no control over anything. ANYTIME ANYWHERE.. rather have had the best coolest life I can imagine just by experiencing every possible thing i can. Ok skip amusement park rides and anything large persons are required to obtain a doctor's note.

I have moved back to America and yes love Omaha.

the roads are well done and for the most part you can get anywhere within 30 min.

I hate understanding everything everyone says around me.

my movers talked more than I do.
I am doing society a favor by making my boys be seen and not heard.
most people have opinions about things they are totally not educated nor have experience in. It seems they feel confidence in voiceing their thoughts to cover up true issues in their life, which actually are far more interesting.

The house we bought wasnt the one of our dreams

ie lake house or simple country home
holds the family in which all our dreams are created and cherished.
everyone got what they wanted since we couldn't come to any decisions
wall to wall beechwood on main floor
each child has a room of his own for now
my belgian window has too much mold dust to be in a bedroom
we are having an Asian themed bedroom hopefully I can pull off sexy geisha room and not a Korea palace look.
my husband wants new furniture and is actually a far more contemporary trendy guy than I ever gave him credit for.
Philip got a great deal on appliances for our house
we changed everything we could to gas fuel
I wish i had looked at the measurements for the laundry room and had the unit drain and hoses put on another wall. too late now.
all grout in tile should match the tile you lay NOT CONTRAST..lesson learned. Nothing some white ceiling paint wont fix in a few years.

Philip has a EASY job here and I am so grateful he has supported us by being in the military. We are staying in until they tell us he has to leave... or he gets a teaching degree.

it is so wonderful that we were able to leave Belgium when we did. Sometimes we do totally agree on things.
I can't believe we were living so far away for 18 years.
America is really an amazing place, the blend of architecture on just one street downtown I have rarely seen anywhere else.
My husband has truly spared the world and given it a great gift by letting me stay at home.

My eye disease has wrecked havoc since arriving back to the states. So far no promises. Contacts didnt fit on my eye correctly, awaiting now answer from DR.

If you aren't an organ donor please do the paperwork, without donors I wont be able to see in a few years. Glad to not be dying from this disease.
last week Dr Greer fitted me with at least 5 contacts,, none worked.
I do have the option of getting a cornea transplant but when?? dont know.
have to check to see what TRICARE will cover

I havent been feeling well and am pregnant.

motion sickness
wanting to eat icecream
hot flashes
peeing constantly
and well its not the flu
I have taken a blood test
will choose a DR someone else I know is using
will be having my first baby in America
Jen Tate thinks this is all is absolutely hysterical...
it is so amazing to think once again we are blessed even though I was finally ready to not have anymore children
Philip is great and supportive and hasnt made fun of my swelling ankles or the thick socks I need to wear
I had my hair highlighted where all my gray was coming in and went dark where I had remaining natural black. Its interesting to be faux natural.

Musical instruments are too expensive

when i was little i wanted to play the Sax and my parents either couldnt afford it or the sax slots had all been filled. I refused to play the clarinet.
Philip played the sax in school and was good.
I know the bump on his lip i have seen for years ..comes from playing the sax instead as worried I thought he lip cancer.
Ethan has choose the sax and of course it has to be the most expensive to rent
Gavin I have found a wonderful teacher for and he starts this week.
We now need a weighted key piano..he is level 2
Did I mention each boy has his own room.. thank goodness for this will be wonderful during practice times.

PAINTING

2009-08-10T04:54:00.004+02:00

Philip and I finally found colors we could live with and started painting on Saturday. I painted the laundry in the green left by the previous owners. Its a nice color in a small room not a dining room. Ethan hasn't got his green but other boys got paint rejects from Home Depot.. 5 dollars for the gallon. Gavin picked a gray for his SPY theme and Carson got three little cans for 1 dollar each. A bright yellow, ocean blue, and navy. He is getting Tommy Hilfiger strips (yes sounds good huh_ to go with his surfer room. Anyone got a surf board? Still working on Philip to do the Purple suede and silver metallic reproduction of a euro room. I got the wall idea from a room in the Notre Dame. He doesn't know about the chandelier idea yet. lol

We decided to get bids on updating the doors with glass and adding in a wine rack and lights. BUT THEN Philip painted today and said they look really good. The new trend in cabinets is to have various sizes so we are looking into adding a taller cabinet to replace one that has mismatched sized doors. I will then use the cabinet in another bathroom. We did go ahead and use our house fund for all wood floors on the main floor. For the past few weeks we have looked at tiles, but i cant find anything we like. So just doing to do the laundry and bath.
On a funny note.. we signed last week for the house. Had tons of contractors look at all we would like to change. LOL one guy,, a great nice man, came back with a quote to finish the basement. It was 26 thousand dollars. LOL our house isn't worth improving for that amount. I mentioned to him Philip was military and it took him years to save for this house for us. That he shouldn't bid unless it was a poor mans salary to pay for it. WELL funny is we cant use him but he did a great job of floor plans for us so we have a professional idea of what it could look like. wahoo

2009-08-02T17:43:00.002+02:00

Last night's Facebook post: had a great visit with my parents today. We did the walk through for the house and the boys picked their rooms.

Our good friends posted the following:

What? no fighting to report? My reply: no its all good. I was shocked. And not one of picked the room i thought they would.

I have thought about this a lot. Bringing flash backs from subbing Kerrigan's lessons in 7Th Grade math on probability. I bring her up first because if it weren't for her lesson and example on how if a family has two boys/girls shouldn't they have a opposite gaurantee for the third? Hehe we know NO and my friend with four little boys know NO. I know I would try to change the outcome of their choices with rational reasoning. Only to have them miserable they didnt stick with the choice made while allowed to think freely. This is not a bad thing anymore.
Yes in my mind Carson should have picked the biggest bedroom next to the bathroom and ours. Instead he chose the middle room with only one window and the smallest. His reasoning was he would have less of a room to clean. This is the same kid who wants no more toys because he is tierd of cleaning them.
Gavin chose the front bedroom that faces the street and has a view of the backyards off the next block. He thinks he will get to see everyone's buisiness. This not at all a freakish thing but right now he is of mind he is going to be a SPY. Three languages under his belt and a memory he amazes us with ...I am not argueing.
Ethan chose the largest room. All I got out the conversation about it was our realtor told him it would be a good room if he likes to sleep in. Hmmm Philip and I got a good chuckle since he is normally a morning person. Guess early was getting up with Dad. At least he is the clean one so the room next to ours wont reek too much.

My Mom reminded me of how we would change rooms and rearrange all the time. Yes, she was cool about it. Which only helped me be a better military wife later,,changing your spaces is a good thing. It also gave me an eye for "staging" things.

another reply to my post of them choosing rooms was Do they all get to pick out the decor too?

yes but thats where the fighting with Philip will come to play lol. He is ok with color now..took 6 months but only one wall. Their favorite show was Extreme Home Makeover....
right now Carson is at a toss up for a castle room or a space room. I found a wall mural I think he will love. A castleI have to paint my arms off. OkI do have some artistic talent and he is just 7. If he goes with the space room he wants a bed that is mounted with a nerf gun so he can play space ship. Philip is saying yep to my ideas on the space room. SOLD.
Gavin ... wants a spy room.. any ideas?
Ethan is getting my our bedroom set. He wants dark green walls. No problem. Easy kid. Like his dad wants no frills.

Omaha

2009-07-31T20:14:00.002+02:00

I haven't known really how to start, life has been very eye opening since moving to America.
First and foremost I have realized what a really wonderful and blessed life I have had. In the next years will it seem as if it was because we were living overseas or is it just US. Am I so unique and why?
I should have been journaling all my adventures over the years. Who knew though? Seriously we meet in high school, have no formal education yet have seen a lot of the world.
What strikes me isn't who I am but how unique others are. Now the people of my past stories are what I am grasping to in my effort to belong here. It brings me comfort.

Omaha:\
We are staying at a friends home who deployed to Iraq two weeks after my arrival here. In Belgium we knew them but Philip traveled quite a bit more with Scotty than we spent time with them. It is a nice home down the street from the Field Club Historic district. I absolutely love it. It feels like my home, Scotty did a great job of showing us around. The neighborhood reminds me of Independence MO where I spent time growing up. Of course the school district on this block is not Field Club and with not being able to drive it wasn't an option.

Eyes: I took the eye test for the drivers license. It was devastating to not be able to read the numbers. Oh yes I thought I could guess ...and said letters. After living years in other countries and not knowing the language has helped me through this. I am not used to being able to read the signs and now that I can see them well...it doesnt matter.

House:
We looked at several houses. Being married 18 years and living in whatever the military tells you to helps you know what you want. We have talked about what we needed and liked. Philip actually has an email from me saying that I hate the house and it was ugly. Well we bought it, for the extreme potential it has and open room for the boys. Philip loves the suburbs while I don't know what to think but YeAH my stuff is going to fit.
A friend said they have a wish list for their new house. Its good to dream.
Things I wished we could do:
lay hardwood on the main floor.
Add gas stove
add gas dryer
add gas grill
tile kitchen and entryway
finish basement
bathroom in basement
move gas fireplace to downstairs and put in see through one from dining to living room
put gas fireplace in master bed
change shower in master bed to tile japanese style shower
glass in study nook at top of stairs by boys rooms

yup about as much $$$ to do all of this that we paid for on the house lol.

The one thing i want to change the most is the carpeted floor So we will know this next week after all the estimate people come in and shock therapy me with quotes.

Colors we are hashing it out. I am so over tans and browns. At this very moment discussing a desert yellow.

Nebraska Dreaming

2009-05-03T15:20:00.003+02:00

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2176762Château de Beloeil

This morning I had plans to take the boys to a flower show at the Chatteau. Yes there are serveral near us in our small farming town of Lens.

The weather is cold today and very gray. When I think of Omaha there is only two seasons?? Summer and Winter. Surely it is smarter to buy a home with a hill for sledding then?

All joking aside, it is gray here and I am dreaming of a nap in the sun this summer at my dad's in Georgia. Nebraska isn't real yet.

Mom and Greg are coming to get Major ( the dog) this week. You cannot ship a dog easily, we know this. Philip tried to explain this prior to me picking out a cute fuzzy sniffing fur ball in November. He is the best dog ever, we had a great plan Philip would take him to Mom's in Missouri, at minimal cost. This of course all went south and we discovered that it was cheaper to pay someone to come get the dog than ship him by cargo. For more info traveling with a pet please check..luckly we only have kids in the ca

http://www.militaryavenue.com/Articles/PCSing+with+Pets-27089.aspx funny article

Questions this week?

Gavin: When does Kaleb come visit from Leavenworth Kansas?

Carson: Will I get a King size bed?

Ethan: On the weekends will our family come see us or we drive to them?

Mom: WHAT NO IKEA?

Dad: ok not available but did want to know if I don't know understand the definition of HOUSE POOR?

American Dream part 2

2009-05-02T16:22:00.000+02:00

Historian and writer James Truslow Adams coined the phrase "American Dream" in his 1931 book Epic of America:
“ The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.[2]"
People don't know your interesting unless you tell them you are। I don't find it all that amazing we have lived in three countries in 18 years. Four if you count a tour in Korea for a year. It's almost pathetic we have not learned an one language besides English fluently. What is absurd though makes us interesting.

Age old Questions

2009-04-03T19:00:00.000+02:00

We are offically moving to America after 18 years overseas. This is my journey with my family. A gift though to all our friends who love us, and those who have never called America home.

It is amazing the things you think about when you are moving. Still the age old questions Will I have friends Are we still going to be happy? Is the plan to stay forever? Will I ever return home. Japan is still home for us.

So here are the questions by person:

Gavin wants to know how long before we have a house? If it will be rainy or shiny? If I ever will make new friends? How soon before we see our family? If we move to Omaha are the people nice?

Carson wants to know what school is like there? Is our house big or small? Is Omaha a Hawaii place (wants to be homeschooled on the beach)? Will our neighborhood have a park?

Lisa can I find a house that has acreage so my boys can have go carts and pets and play baseball in the yard? How long does he really plan to live there? Will we find a good church where both can serve Jesus? Am I going to get to see my family a lot? What is it like to live away from the military?

Philip and Ethan are off to a school parent conference. TBA

Maybe this is a time to reflect and not worry. This is what I did in Japan. Left with no expectations of Belgium. I still remember my last day there as clearly as any day since.

American Dream

2009-03-19T09:47:00.001+01:00

What is the American dream anymore? We are about to find out as we move from Belgium to ??? When someone who isnt from America choose to move there how do they choose which of the 50 states to go to? I have realized this week that my American friends are giving me a warped view of the chaos