The TV troubles

I've been wanting Billy to invite his "girl friend" (the girl he works with and met at AIT and the one we went to Christmas dinner with) over for a long time. He talks about her all the time and I just really wanted to meet her. So, after we ate Christmas dinner with her and her family, I thought I'd invite them over to our house. Billy said we were too boring and that no one wants to hang out with boring people. I admit, we aren't like real big on partying or whatever. But I didn't think we were that boring. So, I invite them over for pizza and games. We had gotten a new Xbox Kinect for Christmas (thanks Papaw) and wanted to play some games. So they were going to bring over a few games and guess what... Billy's TV dies. Dead. Dead Dead. It won't turn on at all. Thank goodness we still have the extended service agreement and we can get it fixed for free. But the bad thing is we have to wait a whole week. Or maybe longer. So, here we are about to have our new friends come visit out house for the first time to play the Kinect and now we have no TV. Billy was flipping out. So, we ended up taking the TV out of our bedroom and bringing it downstairs. We went from the 56 inch screen to a 30 inch screen. None of us could read anything on the stupid screen. Lord, have mercy! We are so spoiled, it is nuts. But before we decided to bring the TV from the bedroom down, Billy was convinced we needed to go buy a new TV. Just the thought of that made my stomach hurt. Because I know him and I know he's going to want to buy something bigger than what he's already got. Which is nuts. I'm still thanking God for that extended warranty. Mainly because back when we were shopping for washer and dryers, he kept getting sucked into the TV room where there was a 92 inch flat screen up on the wall. He was like moaning with excitement over this monster of a TV. This thing was ridiculous. And what didn't help matters at all is that on this exact day, three of the six ladies whom I drink coffee with every day all got new TV's for their husbands. We're talking like 70 inch smart TV's all bought on the same day that I refuse to let Billy buy a new one. I suppose I am the mean wife since I won't let Billy buy a new one as long as this one is still under warranty. So, yeah, anyway, we ended up playing games on the smaller TV and still managed to have a nice time with Billy's friends. She and I got along well. So despite the TV trouble, we enjoyed our visit with our new friends. And if they thought we were boring, they never let on. Well, they did leave before 9 pm. So, maybe we were a little boring.

Drama Drama Drama

I completely understand that sometimes kids (mainly girls) are mean. I get it. I hate it, but I get it. Kids are mean. The occasionally bragging or showing off of new toys is in a way, I guess, understandable. But when the kids start spreading lies about my child and then telling all the other kids on the street to not play with me child.... UM... NO! I have very little patience when I catch a kid in a lie. Be it my kid, or someone else's - very little patience.

Needless to say, there's been a little bit of ridiculous drama going on with some of the kids on my street. It kinda revolves around one particular girl and my daughter. But see, I know that my child is not innocent and not some victim here. But this other child... OH. MY. GOD! I have no patience for the crap that goes on. So, I've spent the past few days putting out fires up and down the street because these kids keep starting junk that just isn't going to fly with me. I'm kinda over it. I'm sick of the drama. But I don't know how else to get it to stop unless I tie them all to their beds.

Star Trek

Billy and I were sitting here watching the new Star Trek movie (well the newest one) and I was just super confused through the whole thing. See, I have never watched nor really understood any of the movies, the shows... none of that. I'm more of a period romance type of gal... not so much a science fiction spaceship kinda gal. Anyway, Billy is giving me all the details about how it is possible for Spock to be old and young and how Kirk really wasn't a deadbeat and that his dad never actually died. I was totally lost. So, I look on Facebook later that afternoon and here is what Emma posted...

"[My parents] are watching Star Trek and mama is so confused daddy is trying to explain it and all I hear is blah blah time travel blah blah dead blah blah blah ramen noodles?? blah blah blah volcan blah blah its confusing"

Ramen noodles - Romulans. I thought I was going to pee in my pants! She just totally cracked me up!!

And then later on that day I said to Billy because I'm so super smart, "Hey they should make a star trek where the new generation meets the old generation." He just looked at me like I had horns. He says, "they already did that." Well DUH! Like I'm supposed to be all current on the Star Trek information. PPPPBBBLLLTT! (that's me blowing a raspberry)

Smallest World

So, we had a wonderful Christmas! Despite being so far from home, we were able to talk to the grandparents and even open presents over Skype; so that was neat! We ended up going to both Christmas dinners that day. For lunch we went to my lady on the corner's family's home in Falcon, NC. This is like the smallest little town on the planet. Very similar to Santa Fe, TN. And this is the most amazing thing... as we were sitting there after dinner one of the aunts asks me where we are from. I say, "About an hour south of Nashville." To which she replies, "Oh are you familiar with Santa Fe?" Billy and I almost fell on the floor! "That's where we are from!!" So, upon further discussion, we figure out that they have a cousin who was married to a fellow from Santa Fe. And then upon even further discussion we figure out that the fellow is the current husband (and ex husband to said cousin) to one of my dearest friends in Santa Fe. I could not believe it!! I mean, it was like taking two needles and throwing them in a haystack and then pulling them both out at the same time. Especially considering that Santa Fe and Falcon are two of the tiniest towns in the world! I just loved that! It was just really kinda awesome!

That evening we had dinner with the family of a girl that Billy has known since AIT. She has a sweet little family. Four kids and her husband stays home with the baby. I was extremely nervous about going to their house. I guess I just didn't want to say or do something stupid. Which is never a hard thing for me to do. I always seem to say and do stupid things. But anyway, we had a nice time. There were a few people there from Billy's unit and getting to finally meet the people that he talks about so much was a great thing. I even got to talk to one of the guys that is trying to get Billy to go work out with him. He told me he had plans on kicking Billy's butt! I sure hope so! PT test is Jan 6th. Sigh...

That night we got home and I was so tired I just completely crashed. It was a busy Christmas day, but we all had a super nice Christmas.

Oh and Billy bought me a new coffee pot. SQUEE!!! Love it!

Merry Christmas!

I'm still alive... I promise

I've not posted in a while. I've just been trying to think of what to write. See, if I write about what I think is going to happen with Billy and the Army, it is always wrong. So then I wait to see if what I hear actually happens and by then it seems so dull, I don't think I should bore anyone with it. Am I making sense at all? Plus, we've got Christmas this weekend and I've just been kinda running around like a looney toon trying to get everything together. But I will give you a run down of the highlights from the last two weeks.

First, the president visited Fort Bragg. Billy got the honor of guarding a parking lot. Which apparently was kinda neat, because they only picked a few of them. So he gets there at 3 am and sits in his car for 12 hours (except for the 25 minutes he stood out and directed buses out of the parking lot) and then gets a nice pat on the back for it. He was offered tickets into the place where Obama was giving his speech and he graciously declined. At the time, he was trying to stay awake and wasn't sure hearing a 30 minute speech would keep him from falling asleep. Of course, now that it is over, he kinda wishes he would have gone. I mean, who gets to say they got to see the President speak live - even if he's not fond of the guy. But he did get to see Air Force One. The plane - not the movie.

Second, Billy got yet another counseling statement about his PT test. This is six now. From six different people. It's like, really? Every person in charge has to discuss it with him as if he's forgotten what he's done. But he gets a chance to do a diagnostic run on Jan 6 which if he passes should lift the flag and everything attached to it. If not, he'll have 30 days from that point to pass the real test and if he fails that one... he's out. Blah! And by out... I mean out of the Army. No pressure though. GRRR!!! So here's my problem with this whole counseling statement thing. On it, it says that Billy is required to do remedial PT. This is that special PT in the afternoons. Since he got put on this bar/flag, he's had ONE session of remedial PT. This is something that his command sets up. How is that going to help him? And I know, if he argues that point they'll just say he should have been doing it on his own. So whatever. He's going to start working out with another guy next week, I hope, and get ready for his practice test on the 6th. Everyone pray!

Third, me and my gal-friends had a little Christmas party at my house last Friday night. Everyone was impressed with my party hosting skills. LOL! I was kind proud of my self. It was loads of fun. Kids had a blast. And I got a really cute picture of all us gals and a new coffee cup. Fun stuff!! One of the girls' husbands took a liking to Billy and they chatted for a while. He's not really been involved with the husbands yet so that made me feel better.

Fourth, the kids are out of school and we've not stopped doing stuff. We went to Chuck E Cheese for William's birthday on Tuesday. He had a blast! You should see that kid play some Air Hockey! It was super fun!

Fifth, Billy's good buddy Jonathan came into town yesterday. We took him to dinner and I know Billy really needed that. Just to have a piece of home here for a while was priceless. Billy's just been so down lately with the whole PT mess and being stuck here for the holidays. So to have his best friend come in was just what he needed. Although, he's still not 100%. I'm just hoping things will turn around after this PT mess is over.

Sixth, I THOUGHT Billy and I weren't exchanging gifts for Christmas since we got the washer and dryer. Little turd went out and brought home a nice big box with my name on it. So, I did a last minute run to get him some new sunglasses that I know he really needed. In the car that afternoon, I turned to him and said, "I really hope you like your new sunglasses. D'OH! I mean Christmas present!!" He just smiled. But I got all ridiculous about it! I wanted it to be a good surprise and I just made a mess of the whole thing. GRR!! Oh well, sucks to be a dummy!

So, maybe I know why I've not posted in a while. I know things are kinda sad here - at least for Billy. I don't want to be all doom and gloom. So, I've just kinda not felt like sharing all the sad stuff. It's not all sad. We've been having a few great laughs. Like when Allison was trying to teach William his birthday song...

Allison: Ok William. When I sing this, "whose birthday is it?" You say, "me me me!"
William: OK!
Allison: Are you ready?
William: YEAH!
Allison: Whose birthday is it?
William: You You You!!

And then there's my gal-friends who I've really started to care for. I love these ladies! It's not anywhere that you can say, "my husband went to the gas chamber today" and no one thinks twice about it. (Billy really did have to go this week. No big deal, just testing his mask) But they're already planning a big New Years Bash. I'm super excited about it! So this is going to sound awful, but I really want Billy to pass this test next month so that we don't have to leave. I kinda feel like I've found my place here. And a couple of my friends invited me to their church - I can't wait to go! They've got great things to say about it! So, yeah... I'm not ready to leave.

The life of an Army Wife

So, William and I have finally found our little niche. I've made friends with a group of ladies that live on my street. These are the 'coffee drinking gals' from a while back. But the more I hang out with these girls, the more I've gotten to really love being around them. They can be serious and silly. We can talk about politics and dirty diapers. And they all like their coffee just like me... a little bit of coffee and a lot of cream.

This weekend we had William's birthday party. His birthday is not for a while, but we did it early so that some of his friends could be here since most of them are headed home for Christmas. So I invited four ladies and their kids. We had a house full! 15 kids - ages 2 to 12. It was actually a lot of fun!

And then something else kinda cool. We got invited to two different Christmas dinners. One is from the lady on the corner. Her mother lives about 30 minutes from here and they always ask her to bring a family who can't come home for Christmas dinner. So, we're going there for lunch. And then the other dinner is from a girl Billy works with. She went to AIT with Billy and they became close friends. Now they are in the same unit here at Bragg and she asked us to come eat dinner with her and her family that night. I think we'll be nice and partied out. Of course, we used to have the rule that we would not go anywhere on Christmas day so that the kids would have a day to play with their toys. We made this rule because we always had like 7 different houses to visit during the holidays. And now that we aren't going to have all that family to visit, we figured it would be OK to break our rule. I'm OK with that. So, now I'm debating having our Christmas dinner on Christmas eve and just let the kids open all their stuff that evening. Still thinking about that one.

Oh and for heavens sake... President Obama is coming to town this week. It's a big deal. I understand it. But they are making the guys work some long hours this week to get ready for it. Billy's got to be at a meeting at 6 this evening just to learn about what he's going to be doing the next couple of days. So, we may not see much of Billy this week. (time for some Chick Flicks!!!)

And I'm taking my puppy to get "sterilized" tomorrow. I think that means neutered. Why the vet can't just say "neutered" I don't know. Whatever. But I'm very much in love with that pooch. He is so dang smart.

I feel like I've given you whiplash with this post... going in so many different directions. I guess I've just got a scatter brain today. That seems to be my life now a days.

Commander

So things have not been all peachy with Billy and this whole Army thing. I'm not going to say he hates it. But it's beyond frustrating some of the things that go on. Like the whole sick call thing. Sick call is what you and I would call "going to the doctor." But the way his Sgts make it out is like, "if you go to sick call, you're a weak fool and you shouldn't be in the dang military!" But then the next words out of their mouths are, "if you are sick, you better go to sick call because I'm not going to hold your hand and make sure you're feeling ok." It's like Really? What the crap is that all about? And then the whole, "some of you get in trouble for messing up PT and some of you don't." You already know how I feel about that. The only PT they do is running and it is for miles and at a pace that hardly anyone can keep up with. So, rather than build strength, they are bringing everyone down to exhaustion and frustration. And then there is the "We're going to do this tomorrow" and they show up only to be told they aren't doing that anymore. If you know my husband, he is one that likes things orderly and structured. Which is why he thought he would really like the military. There is less organization in his unit than anywhere he's ever worked in his life. Not to mention that everyone there is so negative. All the soliders talk about how much they hate it and how much they want out. Billys like "how am I going to feel good about going in every day when all I ever hear is how much everyone hates it all day long." But here's the thing... they do not do anything! Nothing! They literally stand around for hours on end until the sgts get tired of looking at them and send them home. But maybe... just maybe there is some light...

The company got a new commander this month. She's on top of things. They had a meeting yesterday and she explained how things were going to change. First off, the PT. She says it does no good to run like that everyday. YAY! So, they are going to do what they call ability PT. I don't know, but the way Billy explained it, it is going to group people together according to their PT levels. So, Billy will be with other folks on his level. YAY! Apparently the reason for those people who failed are getting barred is because some people are trying to fail and get out on purpose. This doesn't help Billy in any way. But at least we know that all the folks (including young dude) that failed are now as of yesterday all barred just like Billy. New commander = fair. Then she said this whole business about not getting to go to sick call has to stop. A lot of people who are trying to get out of doing anything will go to sick call and get on "profile" which is like the note you would give your gym teacher excusing you from doing P.E. This all comes at a good time because Billy's been having some serious migraines lately. We've got to get him to the doctor. They're coming on more and more often and this last one was really bad. (the one day they actually got to do something and go to the range to shoot some big guns, he got a migraine and it was so bad they had a medic come and sit with him while he puked his guts out all over the dang place.) After that one, I've decided he's got to go see a doctor. So, when he starts his half days for the holidays, we're going to make him an appointment. So... we'll see. Anyway... back to the commander. She also asked the group how many of them had licenses to use the machines, and only a handful raised their hands. Out of a hundred and something there were only like 5. So, she said that this was ridiculous and that there will some serious training going on. Commander = get r dun! I hope this means that Billy can get certified on some equipment which is what he really wants. We've just got to get him to pass his PT test. Maybe Commander = Hope.

My dry spell is over

Yeah, so I've not been able to read any books for almost 6 months. I don't know why. I just have zero attention span and every single book I pick up, I'll put down after a couple chapters. It's beyond upsetting. I just lost my reading mojo if you will. I kept telling myself it's because I'm so busy and don't have time or energy left at the end of the evening to read. But really... I try and just can't. Until yesterday. I picked up "The Hunger Games" after seeing much chatter about it on Facebook and in entertainment magazines. There is a movie coming out in the Spring. I love a good book made into movie. But anyway. I sat down yesterday and started reading around lunch time. I got into the third chapter and my pulse was racing and I was all "ooohhh" and "oh my!" So, I picked it back up last night around 6 and could not stop reading it. At about 2:30 this morning I finally finished it. I couldn't help it. It's just one of those books you have to finish. And quick. At one point I looked up at the clock and saw it was after 1 am. So, I made it my goal to finish before Billy woke up and saw me reading still. LOL! He was going to wake up at 3am because they were going to the range today to shoot some big guns. But yeah... I still managed to get in about 5 hours of sleep. It was good. Now I've just got to get the next book in the series.
Anyway, Billy and I had a lot of talks this weekend about this whole Army life. This being barred is not doing anything for his confidence. If anything, it is making him more nervous rather than more motivated. And they told him he has to do this special afternoon PT and then every time they have it, they've got him off doing something else. So, he keeps missing the sessions. It's ridiculous. He's not going to get any better if he can't get the help he needs. Oh and the young guy who I thought wasn't in trouble for not passing and then turned out he was... yeah... not so much. He's still not in trouble. He didn't get barred. So now I'm pissed again. This is a guy who will show up like 30 seconds before formation, get in trouble over stupid stuff all the time, and fail all three parts of his PT - and he gets to go to a class to get certified on a machine. And then there's Billy. He shows up every day an hour early. He never leaves because he doesn't want to be late. He misses his run by a few seconds and they bar him. GRRR!!! So whatever. Billy said there is no way he can dispute anything at this point. He's just stuck. I don't know what to do either. Pray I guess.