Guess what? I'm not dead!

I can't believe it's been a month and a half since I last posted.  It's not as though there hasn't been anything interesting going--on the contrary, there's almost too much interesting things happening that it's hard to process it all.  So I'll just break it down crazy bullet-point style and elaborate in more posts later this week and next.

• Charlie turned nine-months old in May and marked the occasion by learning how to crawl like a peg-legged pirate.

• You know how I said we were moving to Colorado this summer?  Well, we decided to be wild and crazy and bought a house.  I still can't really get over the fact that we will soon be calling this lovely place home in less than a month!

• Charlie turned ten-months old this month and marked the occasion by finally figuring out how to roll over from his back to his belly and vice versa.

• Sammy turned three this past Sunday.  THREE.  Where in the world did the time go?  Sammy's about 90% potty trained and a non-stop chatter box; some of his favorite things are pierogies, riding his bicycle, and dancing; he's even started his own version of break dancing.  Video to come soon--hopefully.

• And last but not least, I've taken the first steps towards opening a vintage shop online.  I won't have everything fully up and running until after we've settled into our new house in Colorado, but I've started a Facebook page for it so stop by and say hi! 

 

Moving on up

 It's official--the cast of L to the Third is going to be trading our view of the Franklin Mountains of El Paso for the Front Range and Pike's Peak of Colorado!  It's all come as a bit of a surprise, especially as Captain Husband thought we were going to be in El Paso for at least three years, but it turns out that we won't even make it to a full two.



We're still working out all of the details, like where we're going to live and just when exactly we're moving, but I think it's safe to say that the entire family is pretty excited for this next adventure, especially as it's only a day's drive away. So who wants to come visit once we're settled in at our new location?

Grandpa to the rescue

Due to a tragic accident involving one of Captain Husband's soldiers two weeks ago, CH had to attend a funeral out of town for four days last week, which meant I was going to be on my own with the two boys.  I've got the day-to-day routine of juggling the two of them at once down pretty well, but I admit that I am far from confident in my abilities to handle both boys on my own once the evening rolls around--that's when CH and I deploy the divide and conquer tactic; he tackles the toddler while I handle the baby.  Thankfully CH's dad had some vacation time burning a hole in his pocket, so he offered to fly down and help out around the house while CH was gone--plus it gave him the perfect excuse to come and meet his new grandson.

Sammy immediately warmed right up to his Pop-Pop and was very happy to have someone to play with while I was dealing with Charlie; and Charlie definitely seemed to enjoy all of the attention that his grandfather lavished upon him, especially whenever Grandpa would sing or speak to him in Italian.

The four days were up before I knew it and soon it was time for my father-in-law to return to New Jersey; CH returned home Saturday afternoon and his dad was leaving Sunday morning, so they didn't have a lot of overlap time to spend together, but I was at least able to grab a few photos of the three generations before my father-in-law had to leave for the airport.  With any luck, we'll be able to visit with CH's grandparents over Thanksgiving and then I'll be able to take a photo that captures four generations all at once.

Texture Thursday: Sweet

I attended my very first FRG meeting last night (Family Readiness Group for those of you military-acronym-challenged, like myself), which was going to be a family-style potluck affair.  Being that this was going to be the first time that many of the soldiers and spouses of Captain Husband's battery were meeting me, I definitely didn't want to show up empty-handed.

CH insisted that I didn't have to make anything, but I didn't need much excuse to make my current go-to favorite dessert--strawberry cream cake (you may recall that I made this a few weeks back, but here's a link to the recipe again because seriously, it's awesome.  You should make one immediately if not sooner; you'll thank me.)

The cake turned out fabulously and apparently CH's battery thought it was pretty tasty, too--only one piece was left by the time the meeting came to a close.  Yeah, I totally called dibs on that last piece--it was in my belly about two hours after we got home last night.  Do you have a go-to dessert?

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

Hi and welcome to those of you coming over from the Military Spouse Appreciation Day Blog Hop; pull up a chair, get comfy and enjoy your visit!  (New to the Blog Hop?  Go write yourself an intro post, link up over at the Household 6 Diva, and join in on the fun!)

My name is Laura and all of my initials are the same, which is how the name of this blog came about.  This is the story of my ongoing adventures as a historian, military spouse and mom.  (And not to toot my own horn, but today is my birthday, too!)

Captain Husband and I met at a Halloween party in Washington, DC in 2007; I was dressed like a zombie flapper and he was a 80s hair-metal rocker, complete with an awesome mullet wig.  We were married in July of 2008 and became proud parents to a bouncing baby boy named Sammy in June of 2010 and are expecting bouncing baby boy #2 in early August of this year; we also share our home with a very lovable and fuzzy kitty named Sandy.  The cast of L to the third currently resides in the west Texas town of El Paso--a bit of a change from what we are used to, having spent most of our lives in the northeast, but so far so good.

Want to know more? Click here for our story.  Thank you for stopping by--please leave a comment so I can swing by your blog, too.  And to all of my fellow MilSpouses that are reading this, I offer my heartfelt thanks for all that you do!

In command

Friday was a big day for Captain Husband; he assumed command of a battery of just over a hundred soldiers.  He's been waiting a long time for this and I couldn't be more proud of him--I just know he's going to do a wonderful job.

This was my first time attending a military ceremony (and Sammy's too), so I wasn't quite sure what to expect; fortunately it was held outdoors, so Sammy plopped himself down in the dirt and spent the entire time quietly playing with some of his matchbox cars.  The ceremony itself was short, sweet and to the point, with the outgoing commander passing the unit guidon (or flag for those of you new to military speak) to CH in a symbolic transfer of power.

CH then led the battery in formation and then it was time to break for some refreshments.  It was one of those situations where I didn't know a single person, but everyone seemed to know who I was and kept coming up to introduce themselves to me--it's going to take me a while to learn all of these new faces and names!  Sammy had a blast running around and many of the soldiers were more than happy to indulge him in little games of chase and tickle monster; I was worried that he might get confused by all of the people in uniform and start calling random dudes daddy, but fortunately, that never happened.

Part of the ceremony included a presentation of roses to the outgoing commander's wife and to me; they're really quite lovely although Sandy seems to be under the impression that they're meant for her...to eat.

My first military ball

Last Friday marked a very momentous occasion in my life as a military spouse--my very first military formal.  It was also my very first official military anything, actually, thanks to Captain Husband's rather unconventional military career since we've been together.  I was pretty nervous about the whole event--what was I going to wear?  What was I going to do with my hair?  And then the awful realization that I was going to have to not only wear makeup that night, but I'd also have to go out and procure some before the actual event took place (I estimate it's been about three years since I last bought any and I threw it all away when we moved last summer).  Thank goodness my friend Aubree' was here to walk me through the whole beautification process.

After two very unsuccessful shopping trips to Macy's and Dillard's (I maintain that having to shop for a formal gown while pregnant should be considered cruel and unusual punishment), I finally found a dress that I liked on eBay and took the plunge, hoping that it would fit by the time the formal rolled around.  The formal was here before I knew it and I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, going to various appointments like pedicure, manicure and hair.  I don't think I underwent this much primping for my very own wedding.

We were running waaaaaaay behind schedule so we weren't able to pose for any nice pictures before hitting the road and CH didn't want me bringing my camera along, due to my habit of wandering off to take pictures rather than socializing, which was a huge bummer because the ball was taking place in the gorgeous Camino Real Hotel in downtown El Paso (home to the beautiful Tiffany Dome pictured above).  Thank goodness for my iPhone!  All in all it was a pretty good night--I got to meet some of the people CH will be working with once he takes command at the end of the month and it was fun to go out for a night on the town with my husband, even though we headed home at 10 pm like a couple of old fogies.

A loaded question

A few weeks ago my best friend, who is pregnant with her first child, wrote me an email regarding the transition from working full-time to being a full-time stay-at-home-mom and asked me if I ever planned to return to work.  This is a topic that is never far from my mind...adjusting from being a full-time member of the work force to being the slave of a tiny tyrant (I may be exaggerating slightly) is one that I still struggle with.  A lot.  I actually had a dream a few weeks ago about being back at work in the antiques gallery and helping to identify an unknown DC cabinetmaker...exciting stuff, I know.  

Would I like to go back to work?  Most definitely.  However, the sad fact remains that most military spouses face an uphill battle in the quest for employment regardless if children are in the picture or not.  There's not much call for someone with a masters degree in American Decorative Arts where most military posts are located, unless we happen to find ourselves back in northern Virginia, which is possible, but unlikely.  And now with number two on the way...well, that pushes the timeline for my possible re-entry into the workforce back a couple more years.

Ever since I made the difficult decision to not return to work there have been many times where I've felt as though I've lost just about everything by which I used to define myself.  This feeling has only intensified in the months since our move to El Paso; I think it's a direct result of the fact that no one down here knows the version of me that existed in my life before kids and that makes me feel very isolated and lonely sometimes.  Don't get me wrong--I love Sammy and our family and I've been privileged to make some very awesome friends since moving here--I know that I'm incredibly lucky that we can afford for me to stay home and raise our son.  I often get down on myself because I don't feel completely fulfilled by motherhood alone; I know many people who would give their right arm for the chance to be home full-time with their children and that makes me feel even more guilty.

I hope that I'm not the only out there that feels this way, so now the question is how should I go about dealing with these feelings; I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Foto Friday: Bridge (and a very special thank you!)

This week's prompt over at Foto Friday is bridge, and for once I actually had taken a photo ahead of time with the prompt in mind.  This was taken on the Montour/Panhandle trail connector when I was western Pennsylvania for an extended Thanksgiving visit and is located less than half a mile from my parents' house (you may remember seeing the bridge here and here).

I also want to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful MilSpouse Secret Santa, Lauren, who blogs over at Not Just An Army Wife; she sent me this fabulous mid-century modern gravy boat made by Salem in the "Biscayne" pattern.  I love how sculptural its form is, and of course, the turquoise-glazed interior.  It's now displayed in my turquoise kitchen hutch with pride--thank you so much, Lauren--it's absolutely lovely!  (As were the chocolates, which were consumed within minutes of your package's arrival.)

Have a great weekend everyone!

The greatest casualty is being forgotten

Every other week or so I receive an unsolicited email from some company or vendor looking to advertise on my blog; it's not that I'm entirely opposed to the idea of using my blog as a marketing tool, but I decided that if I was ever going to take that route, I wanted it to be for something meaningful...something that I believed in.  Well, a few days ago that offer came in, just in time for Veteran's Day; I was contacted by the website, BradsDeals.com, which is one of the web's top coupon and deals sites.  BradsDeals recently updated their list of 195+ stores that offer military discounts and they wanted to share that information with as many military families as possible--and to do so, they created a badge that links directly to this list.  All you have to do is click below and you'll be taken directly there (I'll also be adding this badge to the footer of my blog):

Stores & Services Offering Military Discounts

www.bradsdeals.com/military

To thank me for posting this information, BradsDeals is making a $25 donation to the charity of my choice, which is the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation.

I asked that my donation be made in honor of SFC Aaron M. Causey; Aaron is the husband of a fellow military spouse, Kat, that I came to know via her blog, The Unlikely Wife.  Aaron lost both of his legs this September when he was severely wounded by an IED in Afghanistan; the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation has paid for plane tickets for family, given Kat and Aaron a grant, an iPad, and offered any type of assistance that they might need.

The ugly truth about reintegration

I try to keep my blog a relatively happy place, one that is free of drama and general complaining. But every now and then I have to break out the tiny violin and give it a play.  This is one of those times, so consider yourself warned.

There's no real way to candy-coat this, so I'm just going to come out and say it: Reintegration sucks.  It is quite possibly the hardest thing I've had to go through, and remember, I just spent a year alone with a baby, so that's saying something.  I'm actually surprised by how difficult this has been; after all, I've been through this before, when Captain Husband returned from Afghanistan and again when he returned from his career course.  By this point, I should be an expert, right?   Wrong and here's why--there is now a kid involved.  Previously, when CH and I would experience a reintegration hiccup, we felt free to yell and swear and stomp our feet to our hearts' content, but we just can't (or shouldn't) do that in front of our young, impressionable child, who may be harboring some reintegration issues of his own for all we know--after all, he did call a complete stranger, "Dada," over the weekend.

And of course, it didn't help matters at all that CH was sent out to the field for ten days--it had taken us nearly two months to finally get used to living with one another (plus a toddler) and I was feeling pretty good about things.  But in the span of those ten days it was as though all of our hard work was for naught.  We spent most of this past weekend bickering about the silliest things; it honestly feels like every time we take a step forward, we wind up taking two steps back.  I know for a fact that I'm harboring some feelings of resentment and that CH is having problems adjusting to a battle rhythm that's not of his own making; hopefully by acknowledging these aspects, we'll be better equipped to take the necessary steps to make our relationship happy and healthy once again.

I chalk up a lot of our points of contention primarily to the fact that we never really got to have a "honeymoon" phase with this reintegration; basically CH returned from South Korea and then *BAM* we had to prepare for our cross-country move to Texas (which would have been hard enough on its own regardless of the circumstances leading up to it).  In fact, I don't think CH and I have had a night to ourselves since he's returned--something that we definitely need to look into, preferably sooner rather than later.

What is also making this reintegration difficult is the fact that I feel as though I'm going through all of this on my own.  Yes, I've been making new friends here in El Paso, but I don't want to be known as the annoying woman that is always high-jacking the conversation so that she can complain about her husband.  Okay, enough whining already; I know that, in the great scheme of things, I have it pretty good.  Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that fact. 

Foto Friday: Books

Captain Husband has been out in the field for the past ten days, which hopefully explains why I've been a bit off of my A-game (slow to respond to comments, visit your blogs, and so on and so forth), but he's home now, so I'm hoping that we'll soon be able to settle into some semblance of a routine; it was rough caring for a newborn on my own, but holy crap, a bull-headed toddler is a horse of another color!

Anyway, Sammy and I are both very happy that CH is home again--Sammy is especially so because CH does all of the right sound effects for his favorite bedtime story book, Bear Snores On.

Be sure to check out the other photos by clicking below; have a great weekend everyone!

The last day on the road

I get the feeling that Sammy and Sandy were beginning to tire from all of our time on the road, because they really let us sleep in on our last day of the trip.  Before we got on the highway again, I took a quick detour in downtown Big Spring to check out a turn-of-the-century architectural gem:

Joseph Potton was a master mechanic with the Texas and Pacific Railroad; he built this home as an investment property and leased it out until his retirement in 1912.  The home was meticulously maintained by Potton's descendants and is now operated as a museum that can be viewed by appointment; I really wish we had been able to see the inside of the home.  But the road beckoned and Sammy and I were soon on our way.

We did manage to find the time for one last pit-stop in Odessa, Texas, where Sammy and I visited with the world's largest jack rabbit--however, I think it's a bit of a dubious honor:

Well, at least there were no tears this time!