Told ya so!

OK, OK, OK!  It's been quite a while, but nobody can say that I didn't predict that I would fall short on the whole blogging thing.  I think I might have mentioned that in my very first post.  I often have what I think are amazing ideas for blog posts as I'm driving down the road or sitting in a doctor's office, but those ideas never seem to make it to the computer.  Anyhow, here's a quick update on what's been going on lately....

We are Guamanians!  We landed on Guam precisely 1.5 weeks ago, and I have to say that things have been pretty darned good.  As you know, I was very worried about living here.  I suppose I was mostly worried about the logistics of the move and how it was all going to pan out.  We had a few bumps along the way, but we managed to arrive to an island that welcomed us with a tiny bit of a typhoon and some more than wonderful people at the airport.  We are now neighbors with the airport brigade, and we couldn't be happier.  Yes, we have neighbors, which means we are living in a house!  We moved into our military-issued house about a week ago, after staying in a temporary lodging facility for 4 nights.  This was actually an old base house that I think should be condemned.  Why, you might ask?  For the love of God, that amount of mold and mildew is just not healthy for anyone.  I had to douse the shower with Tilex, but there wasn't a thing I could do about the AC vents.  Not the kind of adventure I enjoy.  

I digress...we're not so sure when we'll get our household goods.  Let's just say that this is the fastest we've ever moved into a house, and this is the absolute, hands down nicest base house I've ever seen or lived in (I've only lived in 2, so that's not saying much after all these years, but I've seen quite a few).  We visited the housing office the day after we arrived, they handed us a key and that was that.  I have to note here that I am not bragging...I'm just in shock, that's all.  It's never worked that way for us....ever.  I'm just acknowledging a wink from God.  

Here's what we've accomplished/discovered so far:

Our new home!

The new "Guam Bomb"

Coconuts!

Our first snorkeling adventure:  Gab Gab Beach

Gab Gab

Girls in love with snorkeling

Breaking all kinds of rules picking up that blue starfish  

Sunset view from our front porch...a site I'm sure we won't get tired of seeing.

I have "Tales from the Trip Crypt" to share....coming soon, so stay tuned.

And the winner is.....

Guam it is, folks.  Still no official word (orders), and who knows if there will be anything official for a while with this whole potential-government-shutdown-debacle.  I have a lot of thoughts on that, but I'm not going to go all political at this particular moment.  For the record, I'll just state that I'm mad as hell.  Maybe I'll collect my thoughts and write something about it when the government shuts down tomorrow.  Just wanted to update the assignment situation.  Steph, that blank would have had me living in the same state as you.  :(

Dazed and Confused

Here's the scenario:  You are told, "Hey, you're going to be assigned to Guam," but when the assignment office sends the virtual congratulatory assignment letter, it says, "Congratulations, your next assignment is              ." In other words, it doesn't say Guam.  What would you do?  Freak out?  Blow it off as a simple mistake?  I just need this saga to end.  Please.  Now.

Germtastic

Those of you who know me well are already aware of the fact that I am a germ-a-phobe.  To-the-extreme.  I carry Germ-X in my purse and have a big bottle of it in my car.  My kids know that the first thing they do when they walk in the door is wash the hands.  My own hands are normally dry and cracked from my obsessive/compulsive behavior (attractive, huh?).  In my defense, the cold weather doesn't help the dry hand situation.

This is an illness that stems from college.  As a Biology major, I think I took one too many classes and learned more than I needed to know about microbes, bacteria and viruses.  Microbiology.  Human Physiology.  Human Anatomy.  Genetics.  After changing my major to Biology my junior year, I simply didn't have time to take Pathophysiology, but man, I really wanted to.  Maybe I need to refer back to my Abnormal Psychology notes to diagnose myself.  Sometimes there is danger in knowing too much.  It may also be related to the horrific stomach bug I had the pleasure of experiencing when I was 8 months pregnant with the youngest.  That one lives on, and on, and on in my memory.  Anyhow....

So, rewind to last Wednesday night (insert annoying tape rewinding noise that my husband likes to make with his lips here)....I put the oldest to bed with a cough and cold.  I was pretty convinced she wasn't going to school the next day.  She just didn't feel well.  I went about my business, read my book, fell asleep...woke up to the youngest crying, "Mom, my tummy hurts."  Cough, cough.  Gag, gag.  "Go to the bathroom!", I yelled.  You know how the rest of the night went...and the next day.  Two sick kids with two different ailments.  Oh, but wait!  The kicker was...the husband was home sick, too!  Cold and fever.  Wha?

Lawdy, lawdy, Miss Claudie (that's what my NaNa used to say)!   If I would've had access to a biohazard suit, I would've been wearing it that day.  The germ-a-phobe in me just couldn't take it.  I wanted to run out of that house as fast as my freezing feet would take me.  (Did I mention that we woke up to a few inches of snow on the ground that morning?)  What does a girl do with a house full of sickos?  Why, clean, of course.  I scrubbed the bathrooms, the counters, the computer keyboards, washed the bedding, and washed the hands repeatedly.  I admit it.  I have issues.

I really wish I didn't have this affliction.  I can make myself sick just worrying about getting sick.  I'd go to the doc to talk about it, but I'm afraid of what I'll catch in the clinic.  Don't even ask me how many times I washed my hands in the physical therapy clinic when I was going through PT.  I'm sure the people in that place thought I was certifiably cuckoo.  And ya know what?  I'd have to agree with them.

No Guts, No Glory

I just ordered P90X.  I figure if I'm going to be living in a tropical location for an extended period of time, then I better get myself in beachbody shape (mind you, I lived in Florida for 4 years before we moved here and was never in that kind of shape, but a girl can dream, right?).  Can't hide behind the workout pants and sweatshirts any longer, although I do love them and think they are so very convenient and comfy.  I just can't seem to make myself go to the gym.  It's cold.  It's inconvenient.  I'm there for 2 hours.  I also can't run because of my P-O-S back.  So, I'm banking on this.  If it turns me into a supermodel helps me lose a few pounds and tone this out-of-shape body of mine by the time we leave the tundra, then it was money well spent.  So, hold me to it, will ya?

Island Hopping

I'm pretty sure there is one thing we military wives have in common...planning the next move.  I can't speak for all of us on this matter, but I am often wondering where Uncle Sam is going to send us next before I've even finished unpacking boxes at my current abode.  So, we came to the great state of Rhode Island last summer knowing we would only be here for a year.  From the second I stepped foot on New England soil, I was visualizing doing it all again next summer.....not because I don't like where we are living.  It's beautiful here, and I am thrilled to see the sights and experience a proper winter.  It's just some sort of innate, masochistic thing we dependents endure.  What sane individual spends hours researching houses, schools, and activities in places she might live?  The hubs gives me his list of maybes, and off goes the roller coaster.  I swear, it is an illness.

Well, here it is, the middle of March, and I have houses picked out in about five different locations.  I've sent out e-mails and made phone calls to my AF sisters, and I've picked the school districts we just have to live in.  House at the Pentagon...check!  House in Colorado Springs...check!  House in Tampa....check!  Base housing in Hawaii and a possible rental back in Niceville, just in case the mandsome goes remote...check!  Now, all we need is the assignment...hmmm.

Monday, March 14, 2011 will certainly be a day I'll never forget.  For one, it was my oldest baby's birthday, and a milestone at that...double digits and the new ID card awaiting.  So exciting!  Secondly, my hubs found out he promoted to colonel, which is fabulous news.  Yippee!  And thirdly...wait for it....my world came crashing to a screaming halt.  We finally got the much anticipated assignment news.  All of those months of planning, and it's down to this.  My husband was talking to his commander on the phone as we were driving to the birthday celebratory dinner, and these were the words I heard from the hub's mouth:  "Andersen AFB, where's that?", and "Joint Marianas", and "No, I've never been there".  And these were the first words out of my mouth when he hung up the phone:  "I am not moving to Guam!"

Guam....really?  Where did that come from?  What about that Pentagon job that everybody gets but doesn't want?  What about all of those wonderful houses and schools I had picked out?  Guam?  A teeny speck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that's 30 miles long and 8 miles wide at its widest?  Fast forward almost a week, and I am fine with it.  I've scratched all of my glorious plans, and I am now making plans of a different sort.  Plans for a 24 hour plane ride, plans for quarantining animals, plans for the delivery and sorting through the 80% of our household goods that are in storage because we live in a furnished house here, plans for which elementary school and base housing area we should/could live, plans to sell a car and boat, plans...plans...plans.

So, here I am, planning our third overseas move, and I feel as if I should be a pro at it now.  I also realized that, at the moment, I live on an island much smaller than Guam.  The difference is that it is connected to other islands and the mainland by bridges.  The climate is just a tad different as well.  Don't think we'll be needing snow boots in Guam.  And we are all excited about traveling to places like Australia, Thailand and New Zealand.  Really, how many kids can say they've lived in Guam?  It is growing more appealing by the day, and flip-flops and shorts are sounding pretty awesome right about now.  We have approximately 3 months until we get this show on the road...from an island in the state of Rhode Island to a tropical paradise...two completely different locales and experiences that will hopefully provide us with memories to last a lifetime.  In the meantime, I just might need the best medication the Navy docs on the immediate island can provide.      

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

So, here I am.  I'm taking the plunge and blogging again.  A few years ago, I started sharing beautifully written anecdotes about myself started blogging on a different site, but that soon fell by the wayside.  My thoughts were, "Really, who wants to read this boring crap about my life?"  I've come to realize, though, that I really enjoy reading what other people are doing/experiencing/loving/hating, so maybe you might feel the same way.  If anything, it's just a great way to keep in touch and share pics with family.  A girl can always count on her family, right?  And, as a military wife, my family doesn't just include those linked to me by blood.  My family is spread all over the world.  So, here's to blogging...and family...and duty, honor, country, blah, blah, blah.  Let the complaining and venting fun begin!