Colton's Surgery II

I hadnt taken my camera with me, so thankfully Preston had his new phone and the camera on that to capture some memories of our morning.
Here he is just hanging out, all comfy with his blanket and Disney Channel. We didnt have a very long wait by the time all his prep stuff was done. By about this time, the nurse had brought his surgery meds and he was getting pretty sleepy. This is the cute little nurse, named Kaydi, who was with us for the whole day. She was so good with Colton and so patient. She sat and talked with him and answered all the questions he fired off at her about all the prep. She was really great This is Colton when they brought him out to us after surgery. He was wide awake and ready for popcicles and juice, but within about 2 minutes he was totally out again - and we never did get him awake again while there. Colton was coming around from anesthesia in spurts - they came and got us and told us he was awake - only for us to go back to see him and have him not be awake. Then 5 minutes later, the nurse wheeled him out and he was totally awake - she told us after we left that he had about bolted out of the bed because he had to go pee, she said it was pretty funny. Literally 2 minutes after they brought him out to us, he was out cold again and we couldnt wake him. We chatted with the nurses about him being stable enough to send home, even unconscious. We talked with them in depth about potential concerns, and even chatted with another anesthesiologist about his condition. Knowing that he just is extra sensitive and probably wouldn't come around, they felt secure he had shown them what they wanted and we bundled him up and came home.

We came home late this afternoon. Thinking he was still totally out, Preston got him tucked in on the sleeping couch in my room and left to get his meds. I was in the bathroom for less than 5 minutes and came out to find colton had ripped off all of his bandanges and was just sobbing. I had to really talk with him and get everything re-wrapped. He was just finally coming around and didnt understand anything except that he hurt. I sat with him for quite awhile and explained everything about our job to help him get all better. I got him re-settled and cleaned up and then he and I took another long nap.

He is doing much better now and has held down some liquids and solid foods. Meds are helping him stay comfy. Tomorrow and Monday are just going to be quiet rest days and we are going to have some work the next 3 weeks to keep bandages changed and stay on top of restrictions. Bandages are going to have to be changed often, maybe even multiple times a day for this week. He wont be allowed to have his hair washed for at least this week - and then we are going to have to be creative with his baths/showers. He is not allowed to do any swimming for the next 2 months at a minimum. He will have a post-op appt in about 3 weeks and we will know then what else will be on his plate. His next surgery will most likely be scheduled sometime in Dec. We may wait and just do it and the beginning of winter break so we wont have to miss any extra school time for the kids. We should have it on the books when we go to his check up.

He is doing very well, and I know that we have received many blessings today and appreciate so much everyone's thoughts, prayers and love in his behalf. Thanx to all of you! Esp thanx to Heavenly Father for the endless blessings we have received for Colton for all of the wonderful care he has received today and know that he will continue to receive many blessings throughout the challenging weeks and months ahead.

Colton's Surgery

We are at OHSU for Colton to have some reconstructive surgery on his right eardrum to repair the permanent perforation he has received from so many ear infections. The dr is hoping that this surgery will be successful in repairing the hole, preventing further hearing loss, and will hopefully heal enough for some hearing to be restored either with just the repair itself or with implants that may be needed later. We just have to keep him healthy enough to have future surgeries (left ear will probably be scheduled after Thanxgiving) Colton's specialist is hoping to get both surgeries completed and healed before the thick of the winter season (Nov-Feb are Colton's worst times for infection)
Our one concern is that Colton's ear canals have not physically developed or grown as he has gotten older. There is nothing that can physically be done to resolve that. These surgeries are not a sure fire guarantee that he wont get future infections that could rupture the surgery sites. We are hoping for the best. Colton's specialist has been with us since his birth, so we know he is being well cared for.
When we got here, they got him all set up in a bed, complete with Disney Channel on the TV. He was mostly cooperative with the nurses and responded to them well. His cute nurse gave him a sedative med which made him pretty loopy and unable to talk well. That was when we had our one battle, I really had to coax him and turn it into a game to get him to drink the 1 tsp of stuff they had mixed together. He was trying to talk to me, and then he got a bad case of the hiccups due to heavy meds on an empty tummy. His eyes got very heavy and he just wanted me to hold his hand and stay with him. It is times like this it is hard to see him so vulerable. We fight and battle every day, and then we go through these times again when he seems so little and fragile. I have been fighting tears all morning. I know it is a mixture of stress and very little sleep.
Surgery was supposed to last 2-3hrs....I will try to post again when he is out of surgery.

AT Day 15 – Fly Away Home

The morning went surprisingly well, as we only had one Soldier sleep in (luckily my text message woke her up in time to still make the bus on time). We nearly had another BM award nominee when we had to return to the hotel to retrieve someone else’s laptop. Then the bus and truck drivers took us to Lackland Air Force Base; too bad that wasn’t the airfield from which we were flying out. OK, so maybe things didn’t go THAT well after all.

We eventually did make it to Kelly Field and found our plane. Mr. Alexander and 1SG Worley gave their briefing on the results of the command climate survey, and a load crew was dispatched to “palletize” our equipment and luggage. Instead of leaving before 0900 (what the flight crew was hoping for) it was well after 1000 when we finally lifted off.

So here we are, crammed into “jump” seats like sardines still in the net. We’re facing each other, and someone should get a picture of our boots … there isn’t any space at all from boot to boot down the aisle. Some are snoozing, I’m being a geek on my computer, and we even have some crochet-ing going on. We’re quite the bunch. :+)

Since we took off later and the flight was longer than anticipated, touch-down was a bit after 2pm local time instead of noon. We dismounted the plane and walked into … 95 degree temperatures. However, this time I didn’t even break a sweat. After some brief negotiations the forklift driver who unloaded our pallets of gear agreed to drive them over to the band hall for us (saving an hour or more of equipment movement). Everything was unloaded and staged in the band hall within about the next hour, at which point we were dismissed.

It was REALLY nice to be home with everyone at last, and there were surprises for me every time I turned around. Ceana had weeded the whole yard, Kaeli made special cookies, we played games and had a grand time all together. Hopefully getting back to “real life” won’t take away very much of that special time together.

AT Day 14 – Tourist Time

Trying to beat the crowd, I started laundry about 6:00 in the morning. Seemed to work well as I didn’t have to wait for any of the machines.

The Riverwalk boat tours were supposed to start about 9:00, so a few of us walked down to catch the first launch. On our way we saw some canoeists on the river; apparently today was the annual “Ford Canoe Challenge,” a charity fundraiser. As we walked down the river, we saw teams of people paddling canoes up and down the channel, apparently being timed. We eventually found that the boat tours would start later than normally scheduled, so instead we walked over to the Alamo.

I got some of the typical tourist shots, and we took a short walk through the main mission building. A couple of us listened to a historical talk about the Alamo and surrounding missions, and their part in the war with Mexico. It was fascinating to hear that the actual battle only took 90 minutes, or maybe only 60. In the end all the men were executed by Santa Ana. General Sam Houston rounded up his own army, and remembering the Alamo was part of what helped Houston’s army defeat Santa Ana’s, even though they were outnumbered by more than 2:1.

We returned to the boat tour ticket line, but they still hadn’t opened up yet. I felt bad for the driver and ticket agent who had to endure a rather rude gentleman and his wife who were more than a little bit upset at having to wait, and that the restrooms were still locked. Anyway the tour was good, and our guide imparted quite a bit of good information about the area, some of the historic buildings, development of the Riverwalk, and some of the construction that supported the Worlds’ Fair (known as the “Hemis Fair” since it was a small one) held in San Antonio in 1968.

Looks like the afternoon will be spent packing and finishing off evaluations. Tomorrow we’re supposed to leave the hotel about 6:00, and hopefully we’ll get home without any incidents!

AT Day 13 – It’s All Politics

This morning everyone got to sleep in a bit before an 0830 departure. One group went to the Alamo to set up for a Jazz Combo and CAMO performance, while the rest of us went to the Quadrangle, the most historic part of Ft. Sam Houston. The historic buildings were already the headquarters for US Army South, and now US Army North is also moving in. The ceremony was the organization of the new headquarters battalion. So we set up adjacent to what is now a clock tower at the center of the square facility, amidst the freely-roaming peacocks, chickens and other birds. A few minutes later they released the deer herd. After his capture, Geronimo was briefly held within the Quadrangle. He and his group refused to eat the white man’s food, so they provided animals for them to hunt. Apparently the animals have been allowed to live on the grounds ever since.

The ceremony was relatively short, although it FELT like a long time since we were sitting in direct sun. The presiding authority was a LTG (3-star general) who we later heard would be our commanding general if we were ever to deploy. Mr. Alexander made some very good political contacts today with some very important folks.

The bus made a brief (well, not that brief actually) stop at the commissary to allow folks to pick up food for the afternoon barbeque. The hotel allows guests to use their grills and patio, and for us they even opened up the breakfast bar (they don’t serve dinner on Friday nights). Everyone bought WAY too much food, and we had some real culinary wannabe experts in the group. There were incredible steaks, pork, veggies, and even BBQ breadsticks!

The Commander and 1SG held a meeting with the Senior Staff to go over some of the results of the Command Climate Survey which was done last week. They looked for trends in the comments, and came up with some good responses to address those concerns. The Commander also wrote his “Commander’s Intent” that will be disseminated to the band, outlining his goals and priorities. It should help clear up some of the confusion and questions people have had, and should be a good guide going forward.

A few folks worked on year-end evaluations, which will hopefully result in everyone going home on time on Sunday!

AT Day 12 – Winding Down

This morning we had another morning ceremony scheduled. I was never able to talk to my Point of Contact (POC), but late last night I realized that he had emailed me and asked me to call. Too bad that I don’t receive email on my phone, and I didn’t see that message until well after 10pm. I decided to cross my fingers that things hadn’t changed since he didn’t mention anything in the email. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise that when we got to the ACS building, the folks at the desk knew nothing about any graduation ceremony. So we re-packed the van while I tried to call the POC, but got no answer. SFC Tuggy suggested I ask the folks in the ACS where Blesse Auditorium was located, since he remembered talking to someone about that venue. We got directions and headed down the street. (I suppose that’s the reason we always try to arrive at least an hour early … you never know when you’ll be at the wrong location!) We found the helicopter, building, and finally the auditorium. Nobody was there, but it was obviously set up and seats were labeled for a graduation.

The ceremony itself went fine, even though we got the script about 5 minutes before we started playing and had to make a few changes. Good thing we’re so flexible. The class was comprised of doctoral candidates in a military / Baylor University partnership program for physical therapists. According to the speeches the program is currently ranked 5th out of several hundred programs in the nation. We got several compliments about “live” music being so much better than someone running an iPod or having no music at all.

After returning to the band hall we read through new music for about 2 hours. SSG Cameron has his eyes on a relatively new Tichelli piece that will be a real challenge to pull off. Unfortunately the biggest challenge will be to convince some of the section leaders that we should even give it a try … there are a few who are quick to criticize and offer negative opinions. I suspect that following that heavy-duty music with a read-through of cheesy Disney tunes might have tempered their initial reluctance, but we’ll see. He’s also recommending “Scenes from the Louvre” which I remember playing in high school or with an honor group way back when. I suspect many in the band have already played it, since SSG Cameron seemed quite surprised at how well the reading session went.

After lunch the group packed up the truck for perhaps the final time this tour. We do have a couple of things going on tomorrow, but most of the large equipment won’t be unloaded again until we’re putting it on the C-130. We had our first medical mishap of the trip, with someone’s finger getting mangled a bit. Hopefully his recovery will be swift, although he won’t be playing his instrument for a few weeks or even months. We also did most of the cleanup of the building, so it’s possible many of the band members have seen that building for the last time. I think we’re all itching to get home.

The afternoon has been spent helping people with computer glitches, more ratings, counseling, etc. I’m thinking an early bedtime might FINALLY happen. I guess we’ll see how many more emails, texts and calls I get. :+)

AT Day 11 – Grading Day

This morning started out with a decent run around the Riverwalk loop and up to a set of locks and dam they use to control the flow. Even at 5:15 it was still quite warm, and I probably lost several pounds of water before I got back. Need to keep that exercise habit going for sure.

Much of the morning was dedicated to completion of our yearly evaluations (NCOERs), something that traditionally gets turned in to the state way too late each year. This year will be different as the 1SG decreed that they will ALL be done before folks are excused from annual training. Pretty good incentive! A few of us also attended an introductory sound reinforcement class by SFC Tuggy. It was probably the run, but I had a real problem keeping awake. In between snoozes I picked up enough to realize those guys on the sound crew have to know a LOT of technical stuff to be able to do a good job. SFC Tuggy told me he’s attended FIVE military courses to get to where he’s at now. I’m not sure too many of us will be able to pick up the basics from just an introduction, and typically when we’re setting up for concerts there is not enough time and there is too much pressure to allow new people to go through the setup. I’m guessing one or more people are going to have to go through those sound courses too.

Because I was recently promoted I needed to get my ID card replaced. The offices in Oregon are not convenient to my work or home, so I made an appointment to get it taken care of on base. It was pretty cool to actually make an appointment online, get a confirmation, and know I would be in-and-out within a 20-minute window. It took some effort to FIND the building, but I arrived and was allowed in early, and the whole process was very smooth. Glad I was able to get that taken care of. Too bad Rory and the girls will have to get new cards too (didn’t realize my promotion would invalidate their ID’s too).

Mid afternoon we loaded up our gear and headed to a town called Floresville about an hour away. I was able to use that time to complete one of my ratings (taking a positive step towards being allowed to leave AT on time) for one of my squad leaders.

The concert venue was a retirement center, and the original plan was for us to play underneath a large canopy tent. While walking through the center we caught the local weather, where they reported that the “heat index” (some combination of temperature and humidity) was 107! Fortunately we were able to convince the concert band leadership to move our “stage” to a location inside an interior courtyard that was completely shaded at concert time. The folks at the center were VERY hospitable; they had set up extra shade, prepared dinner for us, provided water and other drinks, had advertized the concert in the local paper, and seemed genuinely happy to have us there. Those are the best kinds of concerts!

The actual crowd ended up being relatively small, but I think that was probably due to the heat index. But we played anyway, putting on the best show we could. Most of the audience were residents of the living center, many in wheelchairs or scooters. They were a great audience, and many were dancing in their chairs in some of the more up-beat or big band jazz tunes. One of our Specialists was allowed to do a juggling routine while the band played a song called the “Circus Bee” which was pretty comical. After the concert most of us got to meet those who had attended, and got a sampling of how happy everyone was who attended. Awesome!

Another rating was completed on the way back to the hotel (yay for laptops!) so I am optimistic that the evaluations will in fact be completed and I may not get “stuck” waiting for others to finish their paperwork before we are released on Sunday. I’m really looking forward to being home, even if there is a “heat wave” going through Oregon this weekend. 92 in Oregon will be MUCH better than 107 in San Antonio.

LIVIN' IN THE COUNTRY

This week we have been caring for our friends' property, livestock and pets. It has meant a 20+minute drive (one way) there and back 2x/day. Usually early AM and late evening. These are the perfect times to see all sorts of wildlife and beauty.

In the last couple of days I have enjoyed seeing wild baby bunnies, does and a spotted fawn, and small herds of horses "talking" to each other from their pastures directly across the street from each other. I had to smile as I watched an older couple enjoy a leisurely walk down a old gravel road, and another couple laughing and talking as they also enjoyed an early morning stroll. I have also stood in awe of the beauty of early morning misty skies literally stuck in the treetops of evergreens. Today I got to take picts of a large patch of gorgeous sunflowers and the sun directly behind them creating breathtaking sunbeams (picts to come to PMR site soon) You only get to enjoy these sweet moments by livin' in the country!

I also lost a tree frog when it jumped off my neighbors front door and onto the adjoining wall (we are pet/yard sitting for them this week too) I was surprised to see the little frog because I hadnt noticed it when I first went in the house. I never did find it, and worry about it being stuck in their house. Hoping it will do ok tonight until I can sneak over there again in the morning.

It has been a fun week so far with animal antics and fun. Our friends have 2 big dogs who even though they are getting old, act like puppies. I get a very loud welcome each time I come and they both run around me like crazy each vying for my attention. It is pretty funny. A couple of days ago Sam did not want to go to bed and she lay down on the ground every few feet behind me. I eventually had to go to her each time to coax her along because she wouldnt come when I called. Apparently she needed some extra TLC and after I had petted her she jumped up, followed me and then lay back down. I think she did that about 4 times between the house and the barn. They also have cats and chickens that we are caring for (they took the horses with them) They have a mama cat and a growing kitten. It was fun watching the kitten play with the tiny hole spouting water from the hose as I watered the garden. He didnt quite know what to do with that water. Funny how little ones (whether people or animals) are so fascinated by the most simple things. He is quite the little scamp and has won over my heart this week. He has also been my de-stressor - on my rough days I have been able to gather him up into my arms and pet him, and he is perfectly content to be there. Normally I steer way clear of cats because of my allergies, so far I havent had any problems with him...
The chickens are a whole other laugh a day. There is one cantankerous hen who has finally decided to sit on one batch of eggs to hatch them( she moved several different times with batches of eggs) The other hens think every time I open the gate it is a free for all and I have to shoo them all away just so I can come in. They have been pretty pleasant this week when I have gathered eggs ( lucky us!) and havent put up too much of a fuss - except for today - there werent even any eggs for me to take, but they sure had a hissy fit over me being in their space. I shooed them all back out into the fenced yard just so I could get back out.

It has been really fun to help our friends and our neighbor this week. We give service, and yet we are rewarded with yummy, fresh eggs, playing with animals we arent around very often, and just a good feeling of a job well done. The kids are also hoping we will be invited to come and ride their awesome horses again before the end of summer :)

Guess that is all for now. I have more to write about soon and picts to share from today's photo session that was amazing. All in all, a much better afternoon after our rough go of things this morning. Here's hoping tomorrow will be a calmer day all around.

AT Day 10 – “Semper Gumby”

Late last night I sent a few emails to our leadership asking about updates to this week’s schedule. The response was to meet early in the morning to discuss things. We barely got started on the details when it was time to load up the bus and head to the band hall. The meeting continued for another hour or so, and during that time we got TWO new job requests! We had just figured out the logistics of getting the band to the Alamo on Friday morning when we got word that Army North is “standing up” a new brigade here on post, and requested musical support for the ceremony. Of course it’s scheduled for the exact same time as the Alamo performance. The dignitary will be a 3-star general, so that ceremony moves to the top of the list of priorities for the day. In our new system of small musical performance teams, we have the flexibility to send two smaller groups to the Alamo and still provide a small ceremonial band for the local ceremony. Score! We also heard that Army North was on the verge of buying plane tickets to bring the band from Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri before they sent the request to us. Double score! The second request was for a bugler to travel with the honors team to HOUSTON. That means a 3.5 hour (each way) travel time … incredible that there isn’t an honors team (or two or three or more) closer to that site. But hey, we’re flexible, available, and probably over-eager to cover everything we can while we’re here!

There was still enough time to do a run-through of the music for the afternoon performance before we loaded the van and headed out. Since I wasn’t 100% sure where the Army Residence Community (ARC) was located we drove to the site first, then stopped for lunch at Bill Miller’s, a local fast-food BBQ place. Wasn’t the greatest, but it was fast.

We arrived at the ARC a little more than an hour early and were greeted very warmly by everyone we talked to. That included our contact (the activities leader), folks behind the front desk, even the grounds keeper! Since we were there so early I got to talk to several residents before the show started. One lady had worked as a teacher at Kennedy School in Portland years ago, before it became a McMennamin’s hotel. She told me a story of being back in Portland on vacation, reserving a room at her old school, and the staff actually found out which now-renovated room had been her classroom. They set it up with the old chalkboard set up and wrote “Welcome Back Mrs. Toft” for her. Pretty special. Two other ladies (sisters) told me stories of their time living at Vancouver Barracks when they were just 8 or 9 years old. Nice to have “ties” to people in your audience!

The 234Five (today it was a brass quintet) started the show, and I tried to do the announcing. I managed to get my own rank wrong, and stuck my foot in my mouth by asking people to “Stand up or wave or whatever you’d like to do when your service song is played” … fortunately that got a bit of a laugh instead of groans or frowns. I did tell people that being from Oregon, we were still getting used to the weather … the “severe sunshine.” Later I talked about how much we loved Oregon, and how I was sure they loved Texas. I quickly realized it sounded like we definitely did NOT like Texas (which isn’t necessarily true) so I recovered by letting them know that we were “Learning to love Texas, too.” A few flubs, a few zingers, so I guess I came out even. The music went OK for the most part, and we heard that quite a few people were singing along with the George M. Cohen medley. We got some “oohs” and “aahs” when I announced we would play “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing” by Duke Ellington.

The saxophone quartet played the second half with some pop (Beatles), classical (Debussy), a rag, march (Liberty Bell) and one or two other selections before finishing with the Stars & Stripes Forever. The people were VERY appreciative and gave a standing ovation before mingling with us for awhile.

Our host took us on a quick tour of the facility, which is rather impressive. It’s a gated community with full medical facilities, workout room, pool, outdoor ponds, physical therapy and staff, several dining rooms, sun lounge on the top floor, library, activities center, auditorium, and a whole lot more. Many residents live in “cottages” that they have purchased, and are able to decorate both inside and out (landscaping) to their personal liking. Others live in the 13-story “tower” structure that was more like apartments, which have a GREAT view from their balconies. Several hospital-type wings care for those who need the most help. Only military officers (any branch) with more than 20 years of service or their spouse are eligible, and they have about a 2-year waiting list to get in. There are about 600 residents, and we had about 120 of them there for our concert! The place is so popular they are adding room for about 300 more people.

The evening was spent finishing off the schedule, writing up award recommendations, crawling through emails, and more administrative stuff. Pretty good, busy, productive day.

ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE DAYS?

I was awakened at 3am this morning by my 2yr old screaming her head off, asking for her "sissy"(kaeli). I went upstairs to get her re-settled, except ran into a major snag - could not find a single binky anywhere. I had her all tucked in and ready to go back to sleep, and I was turning on every light in the house, looking in every room for binkys where they are usually hidden for times like this. She ended up following me all the way downstairs and a major screaming fit started when I tried to tuck her back in. Turning on all the lights and having her screaming woke up my 13 year old. When I asked her if she knew where the binkys were, she informed me that my 15 yr old has thrown them all away....It was totally one of those "you have got to be kidding me!" moments. I am not sure what her thought process was, or if she knows or understands how thin my sanity is at the moment. I will be discussing it with her during normal daylight hours and then sending her to the store with her own money to replace them if she really has thrown them away. Binkys are not cheap, and there are only 2 kinds that my 2 yr old has decided she has to have. We have them still, hidden in many different places, for my sanity and because my 2yr old is not quite there yet to be able to have them thrown away. I keep them in the car, in my travel bag, in her room, in other places in the house, etc so I dont have to be hunting down one single binky. I ended up going out to the car, hoping I still had one hidden in the glovebox - thankfully I did. More screaming started up when I tried to get the 2yr old settled back down. Thankfully tonight, the boys slept through this middle of the night drama...

The 7 yr old and the 13 yr old have gone back to bed with all the lights on again. I may have to seriously consider the opt of having preston take out ALL of the lightbulbs again, or start having the kids pay the power bill....

I am also planning to have my 13yr old clean TWO bathrooms inside out tomorrow so I dont have to be the one to flush after she has been in there (coherent or not, she has developed a very bad habit taught to her by a relative who will not be mentioned when she was really little - unfortunately, it is a habit I have not been able to break her of - esp in the middle of the night)

It sounds as if everyone has settled back down finally - and yet here I am an hour later, wide awake and prob not going back to sleep any time soon...lovely. Will make for another very long day, esp with extra little people at our house again....yes, I am very grumpy, can you tell?

OK, so I was fooling myself that the 2yr old was settled back down - it is now after 4am and she is screaming again, after throwing all of her stuff (binky, tinkbell, cup) all over the baby gate for the 2nd time. Apparently the 7r old was up, again, and turned on all the lights and disturbed her enough to think it was time to be awake. Not sure how I am going to resolve this short of having everyone awake...I can already tell this is not going to be a productive day. Guess it is a good thing we are staying close to home, I am not going to be coherent enough to drive anywhere, and I am going to keep my fingers crossed that either everyone sleeps in (not likely since the 4 yr old is up before the sun) or that I will be able to talk one of the girls into holding down the fort so I can get a nap....rats, just cant get a good break lately....

ONE OF THOSE DAYS

This post is going to be a total "vent all my stress" thing - so feel free to peruse or not - it has been a VERY long, unconstructive day...

Last night was really rough. I woke up about 2am and then when I went back to sleep, I had one long dream including running from tornadoes spewing lava, running from and fighting bad guys, including vampires, trying to save others from natural calamaties of varying degrees, running, being chased, hitting, kicking, fighting, etc. I finally woke up about 8am feeling like I hadnt slept an ounce. (no I have not been watching or reading anything scary or eaten anything out of the ordinary)

I spent almost the next hour trying to get kids on task before I was out the door again (thought we werent going to have this kind of week again..)

I went to see Wendy, who beat on me and made me want to jump off the table. I had lots of hot spots and got a good hard rubdown with oils to see if she could get my stress levels to calm - good luck with that one. I left wendy's and practically flew to take care of Sam & Drew, who by then more than had to go potty and were starving. Thankfully, being such good doggies they werent too upset with me. I was still feeling so out of sorts this morning I even picked up the kitten and held her for quite awhile - just to try to de-stress (normally I dont hold her because I am allergic to cats)

After that I rushed back home to get kiddos back on track with house jobs and try to make a plan for today...should have not bothered. Kiddos were totally out of whack again today - spitting, screaming, throwing tantrums, the whole nine yards. They were all fed a quick lunch and separated for naps - unfortunately none of them ever settled down.

In the midst of all this chaos I was trying to help the girls get things ready to submit to our local county fair. I got picts burned to a CD only to get to our local store and have their machine NOT read the CD. I ran home, burned them to a flashdrive, ran back to the store, only to get an error message on ceana's images saying the file size was too small and they wouldnt be able to be printed. I also found out that we could have submitted everything online from home - would have been nice to know that about 2+hours earlier....Ceana & I worked on picts more, struggling with a computer that has both drives just about maxed out because I havent had time to de-junk from the hard drive crashing and scrambling everything that was recovered. We finally got picts to work, and I called and ran back to the store. I got there for the check out gal to try to tell me only 5 out of 19 picts had printed - I was not handling things well by then. It turned out that she had grabbed the wrong envelope, but it didnt help at all. By the time I got out to the car, we realized that we were going to have to cram in all of our errands to get to the fairgrounds in time to submit work. Ceana reazlied at the last minute that Kaeli had to sign her submission form - so again, I drove back home.

Our next plan of attack was to try to get to Walmart for needed mounting supplies. That was a joke and a half. Besides running around to several places in the store, we had the unfortunate chance to be just next to an isle of horrid teenage girls using the most foul language I think I have ever heard. I was already losing my mind, so I went around the corner and told them how inconsiderate and vulgar I thought they were for using such language in a public place. Ceana & I headed towards the checkout with my heart pounding out of my chest and me shaking the whole time. There were lots of people around those girls with faces that said the exact same thing that we were feeling, and yet I was the only one to say anything. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but at the time, I had just had enough.

We ended up gathering as much as we could - and feeling even more unsettled and unprepared for having picts ready for the fair - and then headed over to the fairgrounds. We got checked in and were directed to the arts & crafts building where we set up shop - or so we thought. With the few things we had been able to find, I managed to mangle just about all the picts I tried to cut out. We had bought some thick mounting board - and an extra junky exacto knife apparently. The more I tried to cut, the more I shredded the final product we were working towards. We tried scissors, and was even brought a pocket knife by one of the patrons. In the attempt of using the scissors, I did find out they were at least sharp enough to slice through my finger and caused me to bleed all over the scissors and the 2 images I was working on getting cut, and putting my paper thin sanity over the edge. I had ruined ceana's #1 image and several others. I sent Ceana on a hunt for a band-aid. I was in tears by then and ready to just give up. We had put the entire day and more money than I ever expected to spend into this project, and we were going to have to walk away from things completely. I was really beside myself and I am sure it showed to everyone around us - I did not handle myself well at all. I also felt sick that I had ruined ceana's best photo. She stayed totally calm - I was upset enough for 10 people -
(for Wendy and Drew who are probably reading this - no, I did NOT manage my stress well at all, and I am sure I will be seeing you soon as a result)

One little act of kindness on our part - a young boy came in to submit his work, only to be told that the images were too small. It was recommended that he put them into a collection so he could still submit them. They were going to have to leave and come back (nearest store is 15-20min) We had bought extra poster board mounting stuff, so I offered our left over piece to them. I had done the back and forth thing all day, would have hated to see that young man leave and maybe not return (that is the way I felt at that moment)
I guess one good turn sometimes receives another - or we were noticed, or we were taken pity on - a gal there had a REAL exacto knife which she offered to borrow to us. That thing really worked great and I was able to repair ceana's damaged image and finish cutting out the rest.

It ended up taking us 3 HOURS to get everything in a semi ok condition to be submitted. I still felt that I had blown things so badly that they were not presentable enough to even be there. So much effort to know that we would not receive any ribbons, let alone any prizes...

In the meantime I had made several phone calls to Kaeli to tell her we were still not done (my phrase for today was "I should be about an hour") and hour after hour went by until the entire day was shot. I also missed a work meeting with my web designer because of being stuck at the fairgrounds. This is the 2nd time I have missed an appt with her. She is probably wishing she had never agreed to work with me.

By the time we were done, it was after 8pm. I had ceana hurry and try to call preston, only to have woken him up. I did cry then, and had to keep apologizing. I kept trying to hang up too, but he talked me into staying on the phone to chat for just a few minutes. After I got off the phone I cried that much harder - I had lost the entire day, had left Kaeli in charge (missing her exercise time and an outing with the jeffries) which meant she would be seriously torked at me again (seems our normal MO lately)and could most likely guarantee she wouldnt be speaking to me-again, had woken up Preston after he had a really rough day and didnt sound so good, had missed my work meeting, never got to exercise, was extremely late in caring for the peyton animals, and didnt get to care for our next door neighbor's yard or bunny at all.

All in all, a completely ruined day. There are 10 gazillion things on my "to do" list that didnt even get looked at today, let alone completed. It is now 11pm and I think I have eaten a slight snack (early this morning) and not had anything else all day. Ceana also missed eating most of the day because she was with me. I also just found out a bit ago that we are needed to help take care of little cousins and extended family cousins. We hardly ever see them, so it was hard for me to say no, but it will mean the forfeit of another family day and of personal exercise time. I have been promising the kids for several weeks that we would go on some big outings, now with the way the week is looking, not sure we are going to get to them. I might as well plan to bag trying to even try for the triathlon. Between my injuries and having our entire life fall out of sync I am not going to have the time to train and be safe enough to participate...
I hope we will be able to get things back on track, but I am just not getting my hopes up. I really let the kids down today - esp the girls, most esp Kaeli. I feel like the worst everything in the entire world. I am sure I am the worst mom and wife...

AT Day 9 – Shamu!

Had one more round trip to the post last night to help get the bus driver back home, but that meant getting back WAY too late. Morning arrived right on time, meaning way too early, so I packed up all my clothes for the day and headed out to get the van. The quintet would have left on time except one of the trumpets was in someone else’s room, and that someone apparently didn’t want to wake up. We were about to wake up Mr. Alexander (would have been a BAD idea) to get permission to have the hotel staff open the door for us, but the sleeper finally woke up and the trumpet was secured. Why it was in that room, I have no idea.

We stopped by the band hall and somehow crammed in the tuba and euphonium with everything else already in the van. The next obstacle was getting around post with several of the main roads blocked off for people doing physical training (PT). We finally found a way to the building … a very dark and locked place. Three of the members decided to head over to the dining facility for breakfast since we were obviously not going to be involved in a ceremony any time soon. Awhile later we noticed someone in ACU’s walk up to the building, so we approached him to see if he had additional information. It was the chaplain who had been tasked to be part of the ceremony, and he had been told it would start at 0700. (It was probably about 0630 at the time). Phone calls to our contact persons went unanswered, so we continued to wait.

About 0700 someone opened the building. That same someone didn’t have the week’s schedule and couldn’t confirm any details about the ceremony. We did walk through the auditorium (with no chairs or podium set up) and joked that we could gather the other 234Five members and have a little rehearsal time. Finally we talked to someone who said she had been told that the unit’s travel was delayed, and that the ceremony would take place later in the week. Since we didn’t yet have first-hand confirmation we decided to wait a bit longer. By the time we got back to the van, the other members had returned from lunch and the 1SG had talked to the Chaplain, who offered to go to the office of one of our contacts and wait for her to arrive. We did finally get a confirmation phone call that the ceremony will be delayed, but they currently don’t know the new date or time.

So we drove over to the band hall and got there just about the same time as the rest of the unit. Tasks for the morning included unloading the Jazz and other equipment from the van, loading all the concert band stuff on the truck, and preparing the van to carry passengers. That all went fairly well … I think I only strained two muscles in my arm while helping to carry our HUGE percussion cabinet down the exterior stairs. All packed, we headed down the road to SEA WORLD.

I didn’t realize until later tonight that the NCIOC had emailed instructions for finding Gate 4 last night. However, we guessed it would not be a main entrance so we followed the signs to the admin and receiving area. Sure enough, there was Gate 4. We didn’t think we were THAT far ahead of the bus and equipment truck, but after about 15 minutes we finally made contact with them on the phone. Apparently they had decided to take the main park entrance (not following the directions sent by the person who happened to be on the bus) and we had to talk them in. Since we were on the back service roads they got an escort vehicle for us to follow, and eventually we were allowed to back our truck right up to a gate into the public part of the park.

It took some time, but finally a decision was made to place the band on a patch of rolling lawn, IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT, at the entrance to the Shamu Stadium. It felt like the temperature was about 300 degrees and it was only 10am! Given instructions to be ready to play at 1100 we were turned loose to change into our uniforms. The park staff who were assigned to us were VERY helpful, and found us an air-conditioned changing room, provided cold water, got clearance for us to use the loading dock in an adjacent theater, and basically helped wherever they could.

1105 came around and about five people were in their seats. (1SG was NOT happy.) By about 1110 we were finally playing a cut-down set list. At first we had a captive audience of people who were waiting in line to enter the Shamu Stadium for the 1200 show, but after they opened the gates people got little more than a few bars here and there. That was probably OK, because we couldn’t hear the rest of the band very well (I couldn’t anyway), it was so hot nobody could stay in tune (brass go sharp and woodwinds go flat … BAD), and the sun was so blazing it was hard to follow the conductor. But we gave it a good shot and then finished playing after about 30 minutes.

In exchange for playing our mini concert the park gave us some reserved seating for the Shamu show. As the show started they made a big announcement about Sea World’s support of the military, and their program currently in place which gets military members in for free. They also had all military (past and present) stand up for an ovation, and they put a live shot of our band members up on the big screen. The show was actually pretty cool, with lots of showing off the orcas, synchronized tricks, the ever-popular splashing of the audience, and the very erratic but fun “performance” of their newest calf. I did what I could to get a few movie and still shots that Rory and the kids will hopefully enjoy.

When we left the stadium to start tearing down the equipment and instruments, we found that a few of our members had decided to skip the show and put almost all of the concert band equipment away! That was a cool thing for them to do, and certainly helped get the rest of the band members ready to either return to the hotel or be released to enjoy the park quite a bit earlier than they would have otherwise. It was still a hot and difficult task, but things were packed back up in pretty good time.

Turned out that almost half the band members decided NOT to stay, mostly due to the extreme heat and how tired many people felt. Others (including myself) decided not to use the free entry promotion since we’re hoping to take families later in the year. So we loaded up and I drove home a vanfull of sleepers.

Only had to make two more round trips to the band hall to pick up drivers … I’m more than ready to hand these keys to someone else tomorrow. :+)

AT Day 8 – Day of Rest (?)

Thinking it would help solve my transportation issue for church, I volunteered to be the duty driver for today. The first task was driving SFC Tuggy, his wife and 1SG Worley to the airport so they could pick up a rental car and attend a “mega church” service in town. I returned to the hotel just in time to take the day’s bus driver back to the base to pick up the bus. Next stop was the golf course for 3 unit members and a guest. While filling the gas tank I got a call from the golf crew saying the course was booked solid until after 11am, so they wanted to return to the hotel and return at a later time. During our 1-hour “layover” at the hotel I was able to re-research my church options online, so I thought I still had a good shot. After dropping off the golfers I was on my way to the San Antonio 10th Ward Sacrament Meeting. Or so I thought.

The trip took just about as long as I had planned, and I arrived at the chapel just a few minutes after 11:30. It didn’t take long to realize this was one of the “typical” chapels with a U-shaped hallway around the chapel and cultural hall, so I was able to find the back chapel doors and step inside. However, instead of just having started the 10th Ward Sacrament Meeting, I listened to the ward’s young women give very brief updates (in Spanish) about girls’ camp, followed by their camp director. It sounded like a great camp experience and the stories were fun. But not only was I too late for the Sacrament, but they were also at the very END of the meeting. We sang the closing hymn, “Haz El Bien” (Choose the Right) and they split up for Sunday School.

Being a rather pale person I was easy to pick out, and it didn’t take too long for the missionaries to introduce themselves. When I mentioned I had used the ward website I got a big {sigh} and an explanation that they had been trying to get that updated for months. I had actually attended the Spanish-speaking Las Palmas ward, but there would be an English-speaking YSA Sacrament Meeting about an hour later. No problem – I followed the small stream of people headed to class.

I found myself seated in the Spanish-taught Gospel Principles classroom. When we got started there were about four members, but that grew as the hour went on. When the teacher said we were going to start with a hymn and looked like she was just going to lead off a capella, I offered to play the piano instead. She seemed to think that would be good, but tried to apologize because she had never led music with piano accompaniment before.

The class was about Personal Responsibility and the importance of work. I did quite well so long as I kept my mouth shut … understanding the conversations, following along in the manual, everything went well until I tried to give a comment. I managed to mess up the name “Sunday” by talking about how we try not to work on “Sabado” (Saturday), but the teacher was very nice and didn’t point out that glaring mistake. I think I made up for the blunder by accompanying the closing song for her. :+)

The YSA Branch Sacrament Meeting was VERY quiet, and I had a bit of trouble staying awake. I really could have used that rest hymn part-way through to help wake me up (why is it called a “rest hymn” again?), but it seems that the second talk (most of which I missed, since it didn’t seem all that long to me) left only about 8 minutes for the final two speakers. So I managed to attend about 2.5 meetings before getting back on the road.

Sometimes I manage to annoy Rory with my desire to take different roads and routes, even when I’m going to the same destination. Instead of going back to the hotel the way I had traveled to the chapel, I ended up on the “scenic route.” This was one of those times when I just let myself go wherever for awhile, then armed with a map I would make my way back along a different road. San Antonio is “ringed” with several roads at varying distances from downtown, and I really only needed to use the inner-most ring to get back. However, I found that I was headed out on a “spoke” towards the second ring, so I figured I’d take the loop and see what was out there.

Unfortunately, when I was just about as far away from the golf course as I could be on that 2nd tier ring, I got the phone call from the Commander’s golf group that they would be ready to be picked up in about 15 minutes. So it was back up I-35 / I-10 to FSH, through base and to the course. I wasn’t keeping track, but they said they weren’t waiting for me for TOO long. Quick trip up to the airport to drop off their guest, then back to the hotel.

I had about an hour before I got the call I suspected would be coming. About half of the band rode the bus to a water park about 45 minutes away (www.shlitterbahn.com), and I knew they were all going to meet at 5:00 to decide whether to come home at that time or stay until the park closes at 8:00. Most decided they wanted to stay, but some really weren’t interested so I was asked to come pick them up. Good thing I don’t mind driving, and it’s also a good thing only six wanted to return early since that’s all the room available in the van.

So I guess I got some “rest” if not rehearsing meets that definition. There won’t be too much rest tonight, since I have to be on the road at 0530 for a brass quintet job on post.

AT Day 7 – Pure Theatre

Since I can afford to shed (more than) a few pounds, I started my day on the treadmill while the rest of the band enjoyed their PT-less morning. I really need to get back into the habit of early morning exercise sessions anyway. I’ll probably have a few more chances to work on re-establishing that good habit over the next week.

Since I had been at the Arneson River Theatre the day before, I volunteered to accompany the Jazz Band leader in going down a few minutes early just to make sure everything would be ready when the rest of the crew and band arrived. We used a construction area to park (nobody was working there on Saturday), walked up the Riverwalk and found that the theater was LOCKED. A security guard just happened to be coming out of the adjacent building, but said he couldn’t open it up for us. He did help us track down the area’s maintenance man, who did come down and open up the gates.

The Theatre is basically a wooden platform on the inside part of a bend in the canal, with a historic backdrop of a set of bells (I’ll find out what their significance is when I take the boat tour) and a small building that is sometimes used as changing rooms. There is a stone-arch walkway over the river to the seating area on the opposite bank, arranged as an amphitheater. (According to the boat guides, the arched walkway played a role in the movie “Miss Congeniality” if anyone has seen that show.)

Not too much later the setup crew arrived and they started hauling equipment up to the stage. During setup the weather was warm, but the stage itself was still in the shade. From a temperature standpoint it would have been nice to play during the morning hours instead of noon. At the time I figured the later time would give us a better chance at gaining a larger audience, since there weren’t really that many people on the Riverwalk yet. However, by noon the sun was blazing down so even though quite a few people walked or floated by, not that many actually stayed.

Before the performance I made a quick search for a hat shop since my “oopsie” haricut left the top of my head with very little protection from the sun. Another Platoon Sergeant, Shannon Michael, accompanied me since she had been through the mall on a previous day. Good thing too, since she ended up being the one to pick out the hat (I really don’t like shopping) and it seemed to get positive reviews from other band members. Oh, and my head didn’t get sunburned. :+)

The Jazz Band did very well, ESPECIALLY considering how hot and bright it must have been for them. In more ways than one that band was HOT! Packing up went well and our system of shuttle vans got people back to the hotel air conditioning ASAP. Our original plan was to round up a crew to unload all the band equipment and put seats back into the van so it could be used tomorrow. We finally changed our minds and decided to just leave the gear in that van since we also had a rental van, and most of the band was planning to go to the large water park up the road on Sunday anyway. That change was being put out when the shuttle driver found three of us on the sidewalk, and we picked up another four on the way to the hotel. Being from the Pacific Northwest we’re such wimps when the sun comes out.

After lunch I had planned to ride back to the PX with the 1SG to pick up some supplies. Instead I got called into an ad-hoc meeting with the 1SG and SFC Tuggy, who wanted to know the details of why we (I) had decided not to unload the van, how transportation was going to work on Sunday, etc. While we were making sure all details had been covered, SFC Michael joined in to ask about getting her uniform altered before Monday’s job. Since it was already Saturday afternoon and our next performance is on Monday morning, options were limited. By that time a group of golfers had taken the rental van, so we were left with the GSA that was still packed to the gills with instruments. Since I also needed to get new rank sewn onto my jacket, I offered to drive the two of us to see if we could find someone to do the alterations on short notice. We also got tasked to drop off Mr. Alexander’s blues jacket for some minor sewing reinforcement.

SFC had talked with “Al’s Laundry,” had been told they would be open until 5pm on Saturday, and they could get it done for her by Monday morning. Unfortunately she couldn’t get them to answer their phone at 3:30. Instead she wanted to try the on-post clothing shop, which worked out for me too, since I needed to purchase the new rank. We found the alteration shop and were pleased to see it was still open. We weren’t so pleased when they said they could have everything done for us by NEXT FRIDAY. As we were about to leave they offered to do a “rush job” and get it ready by Monday afternoon. While that would have worked fine for the two jackets, the pants were needed earlier.

Right next door was the place to purchase rank. Thankfully it was right up front and easy to find. I was about to head to the checkout stand when I took a closer look. “Does this look blue to you?” When I held up the E-7 rank next to the other ranks hanging on the wall, the trim DID look blue, even though all the others were definitely green. Then I noticed the fine print on the package: GLD/BLU. The others were GLD/GRN. Oops, someone had apparently placed rank for blues jackets with all the rank for the A’s. I started going through the hanger of rank and found GLD/BLU after GLD/BLU. I was about to give up when the VERY LAST PACKAGE showed GLD/GRN. Yay! When talking about it later, we think that was probably because the Army is doing away with the green A’s uniform and going to a new color scheme for which they will use the blue rank. Other Soldiers are also reporting problems finding uniform parts. In fact, after this week we may never wear the green uniform ever again! But we were on a mission by this point.

The ladies in the on-post alteration shop suggested we try Kim’s which was located “just outside the main gate.” Since we had only ever used one gate we asked if that was the one, but we were told that wasn’t it. Instead of turning left at the light we needed to keep going. When we followed that direction we did end up at another gate, but it definitely did not look like a MAIN gate at all. In fact, it looked much smaller than the one we had been using all week. After driving off the post we found ourselves in a residential area. A few blocks away we came to a more industrial part of town, but driving up and down that street we couldn’t find any place called Kim’s. I figured we were west of the post, so I found a road along the south edge until we came to “New Braunfels.” It definitely used to be a gate on and off the post, but was currently barricaded off. We did find a couple of closed laundry and alterations shops in the immediate vicinity, and our hopes went up when we found one that was still open and promised same-day alterations. Unfortunately they were scheduled to close within the hour, and the seamstress said she was currently working on an alteration that needed to be done that day. Anything else would be done no earlier than Monday mid-day, too late for SFC Michael.

We still had time to drive to Al’s before their purported closing time, so SFC Michael plugged the address into her iPhone and off we went. We passed run-down places, abandoned buildings, a whole row of bail bonds businesses, and were not feeling that great about even being in that part of town until we found Al’s! Too bad the sign on the door said their Saturday hours were 8-3, not 10-5 like she had been told on the phone.

One last try: SFC Michael called the next place on her Googled list. She actually talked to someone, and asked if they were still open. Then she asked if they could do a same-day alteration. Then she explained the change. Then she asked me if we could get there in the next 15 minutes (I had no idea where we were going yet). Success! When we got to the correct address (back on “New Braufels” again), we pulled into the parking lot for a transmission service / alterations place. The “shop” was a single room with a lovely older Mexican lady who was ready to make the changes. They were VERY nice to let us come so late on a Saturday and still make the change while we waited. Interesting thing while we were there … a young man came in to pick up a pair of black jeans that he had left to have heavy starch added. The lady at the checkout apologized that this pair didn’t take the starch as well as other pants had, but he seemed OK with that. After he left, she came over to show us the tag she had clipped off of his pants, a price tag that said $920! She told us she was scared to even TOUCH the jeans, much less try to add heavy starch!

The next adventure was a trip with the 1SG back to the PX. He wasn’t able to complete his purchase because they were completely out of the one thing he really wanted to buy. After getting a semi-interesting life story of the salesman I mentioned that the 1SG just has “one of those faces that people trust” and feel like they can open up and talk to him about anything. I think he mentioned it’s actually more of a curse sometimes …

We made a quick stop at the band hall to drop off some personal instruments so they wouldn’t be in the baking-hot van all day, then a quick stop at the commissary for my introduction to unpronounceable meats and cheeses at the deli.

After all that I still got back to the hotel in time to walk back to the theater on the Riverwalk for the Noche Fiesta program. The local Kiwanis Club has some involvement in this fundraiser for local kids’ support groups or charities (can’t remember … that’s bad of me). The program itself is billed as a variety show, but mostly was music and dance from Spain, Venezuela, southern US, Mexico, etc. There were a few vocals, some “dance lessons” involving some audience members, and a really good Mariachi band. The dancing was great, the costumes INCREDIBLE, music was top-notch. Overall, a VERY good $10 ticket for 1.5 hours of great music and entertainment.

AT Day 6 – Recon

Today was a bit slower pace than many others. We did some PT in the morning, with a run through a park near the Alamodome and Convention Center. Even at 0630 the outside fountains were on and one of our guys ran through the waterfall multiple times I suppose to try to “cool off.” :+)

Morning rehearsals were dedicated mostly to the Jazz Band in preparation for tomorrow’s concert down on the Riverwalk, and a Combo gig tonight. We did get one hour of Concert Band and three of our Quintet members were able to run through a few things, but mostly it was a rest-my-lip-with-a-cold-sore kind of day (hate those sores).

After equipment was staged for the Monday concert band job and the Jazz band stuff packed sardine-like into the government van, most were released for the evening. I went down to the Riverwalk with SFC Tuggy and SGT Cook for dinner, but on the way we stopped at the theater. The sound technician for the evening show was setting up, so my companions got some good information that should help our setup tomorrow.

Dinner was also “work time” to discuss upcoming job details and working on some paperwork. I have a feeling today was a short breather before a mad rush of stuff coming up next week.

YES! YES! YES!

Yesterday was an amazing days of "YES!" an "OH,MY GOSH!" and "WOW!"

The first "YES!" of the day included an early morning trip to Les Schwab. I ended up needing to take BOTH vehicles in for servicing. Imagine my delight and surprise at finding our friend who is the manager there yesterday. He was more than willing to give me a ride back home to get both vehicles to and from LS. I am always impressed with our local LS staff. They always bend over backwards to give 110% service. Yesterday was no exception - they had both vehicles done and everything fixed and ready to roll in an hour. It was a HUGE help knowing what the rest of the day was going to be.
My first "OH, MY GOSH!" was seeing this in the stack of mail I pulled from my PO box.

We have this little local phone book come out every year - except this year it is WAY late - it should have been out LAST July. Anyway - When I saw it I just started shaking and screaming - right there at the PO! The front cover -the grand prize for a photo contest I entered 14 months ago - was showing MY work! I was in such shock I had to turn to the inside cover to confirm what I was really seeing. I had no prior notification at all - just all of a sudden there it was! I was so blown away I zipped through the doors into the main PO to show it to a friend who works there. I know he probably totally thought I had completely lost it. I just couldnt believe it. The very next thing I did was call Preston in TX and left a very animated message on his voicemail. The whole way to Salem I just kept glancing over at it on the seat, still not believing what I was seeing. Preston called me back just when I got to the shoe store and we shared a very excited conversation. I was so excited that he was so excited for me - he has been one of the main reasons I have been able to pursue photography to the level I do - because of his constant love, support, encouragement, etc I have been successful. I was thrilled that I had him to share this with.

This is the actual image that I submitted for the contest. It is fun to look at it and remember where I was and how I came about even getting this pict. I had gone down to the PO to check mail - and had NOT taken my camera with me - I ended up taking my not normal route home and saw this. I drove home immediately to snag my camera, hoping to beat the rain that was just about to start. I just parked the car and started shooting. I got some others that day that I totally love with the rain included, which actually added to them. This spur-of-the-moment shoot has included some of my very favorite Fall images. It makes it even more fun to know that this was also taken before I even knew about photoshop - this is what we call SOOC - Straight Out Of The Camera - meaning no tweaks. I have been just so excited I have been telling everyone and even had a ward member tease me about wanting me to autograph hers - that made me laugh. It has been another joyous piece of photography stuff that continues to fall into place through many blessings and gifts that I have been given by Heavenly Father recently. I know that He is the reason that I have this gift and the ability to share it with others. Without His help, guidance and blessings I could never do what I do. I am truly thankful that I have been given this talent and look forward to the next year and all the adventures that it will bring. Just as a side note, the local paper said that this local phone book goes to over 18,000 homes and businesses in 5 local cities. How crazy is that. As another side note, when I submitted this image to the contest I was still very ill and wasnt ready/able to get an add in the phone book (besides the fact that it would have been $700 to submit a tiny ad) It makes me kind of sad to know that so many are going to see my work, and not know that I have a business up and running. I will be saving my pennies this year though and will have something to submit next time!

My next "YES!" was at the shoe store. I needed new walking shoes, hoping to help contribute to faster healing with current health concerns. The sales gal was very helpful and I found out the shoes I was looking for were part of a "buy 1, get another 1/2 off" sale that had just started yesterday! I was able to get TWO pairs of normally very expensive shoes and 2 pkgs of new socks for an extremely low cost. It was awesome and just one more thing that fell into place.

My next "YES!" was at Dr Drew's office. He still beat on me pretty hard, but things were improved today and he even said that it should be pretty soon that he can release me to finish triathlon training. I may still be able to compete in all 3 events! Will keep behaving myself and working towards that goal.

The next "YES!" almost wasnt. I have been helping an inactive sister in our ward with moving this week. We were ready for cleaning yesterday and several sisters from the ward came to help. My friend had had a very hard morning, and having sisters in her house that she didnt know just added to vs relieving her stress levels. She has been so worried about everyone judging her about the condition of her house. Nothing I could do or say would alleviate her fears, concerns or stress. It seems that even I couldnt be a comfort to her. I continued to serve her throughout the afternoon and after the other sisters had gone (after doing a rockin' job on the apt) she relaxed a ton and really opened up to me again. We had some really good chats about the challenges of life traumas, having teenage daughters, and just life in general. By the time I left yesterday night, I was feeling like the service that I, and so many other ward members, had given really had been appreciated and very worthwhile. I will be making every effort to keep in touch with this friend and hope that I will continue to be a help to her through the coming weeks and months as she is making so many transitions in her life that are sure to be very stressful and difficult. I hope that I will be able to be the friend she needs. I love her and her kiddos tons and will miss having them close by.

I did lots better about eating/getting enough water yesterday than I have the rest of the week too. I was proud of myself for going to that extra effort. I also got plenty of exercise from cleaning and loading and unloading 3 more truckloads of stuff - and was good without having to do anything extra. By the time I did get home I was totally wiped. The big girls had also rocked by holding down the fort here at home and already had little people all settled.

Today I continued to serve in different ways, and have been completely exhausted. So glad that tomorrow is Sunday, I will need a day of rest and rejuvination for all the adventures of this coming week that will be filled with outings with the kiddos to make up for me being gone all this last week. Will be sure to post more soon!

THE GOSPEL IN ACTION

OK, just have to start out by saying today was another totally berzerk day with me being gone more than I was home and leaving big girls to be in charge - again (they are seriously going to break the bank by the time we pay out all the babysitting $ - KA CHING!)

The big thing today has been the little things all adding up - and bearing testimony like wildfire of the gospel truths and how amazing it really is when put into action.

First opportunity today was helping care for little girls of a sister in our ward who just had a new baby. She has been inactive for a long time, and has just recently moved into our ward. I have been one of her main contacts and her girls are comfy here with us for the most part. When I returned one of the girls home today after having her here with us, she immediately went into meltdown for the sole benefit of giving her mom stress (little miss is about 2-ish yrs) Her big sister had just gotten out of a bath and her mom was trying to balance herself between nursing the baby and trying to dish up dinner. Because my big girls were here caring for my little people, I was able to care for this sister's little girls. I got big sister up at the bar to eat and she let me brush and braid her hair. Little sister weeps & wails, and does not let her mom get anywhere near her hair, but tonight she let me. She never made a peep as I brushed it and braided hers as well.
During this small, every day task, I was having an on-going conversation with their mom. All about how she has never seen this kind of service, this kind of friendship or love extended to her. In her whole life if she was given anything, something was always expected back from her. There have not been people in or out of the church in her life that have shown the gospel in action - sharing friendship, love, support, kindness, talents, etc with no strings attached - serving just because it is the right thing to do, and the joy it brings to those whom we serve. I was able to share with her that another sister in our ward (with similar life experiences) was going through the same thing and really struggling with the outpouring she has had in the last week. She and I chatted about what a difference it has made to her, and her girls. How much comfort, happiness and peace it has brought into her life.
For me, it was just making sure she and the girls were good to go - fixing a cup of juice, brushing and braiding hair, carrying a little miss off screaming so her mom could have a nap (screaming stopped the minute the door closed behind us of course) - little things I could do to " forget myself and go to work" - never expecting anything in return and just feeling happy that I could provide some little thing that was needed in the moment.

So...fast forward about an hour later. Another sister in our ward who has had very negative experiences with the church has also given me the opportunity to serve. She is moving from a very spacious townhouse to a tiny little house this week. Yesterday, priesthood brethren and I helped her get big stuff moved out of the apt and it was apparent that it really, completely stressed her out. I thought for sure when I left her yesterday that we had done more harm than good. I called and checked on her again today, to find out the other truck that was supposed to come help her never did. I tentatively asked if I could bring Preston's truck and come and help again tonight, and was ecstatic that she agreed. I apologized to my girls (I had been home for all of 30 min), explained to them the importance of serving, thanked them for taking care of our little people, gave them instructions for the evening and was off on the run again.
It took the 2 of us and her daughter about an hour to get the truck and her car loaded up again. We had every inch of the truck packed to try to get things done in one trip (will still be another tomorrow) We came out, ready to roll, only for me to notice that the right back tire was completely FLAT! "Oh, crap!" came flying out of my mouth (I really need to work on that one) and I started thinking of all the brethren in our ward who could come to the rescue. After phone calls resulted in finding everyone we needed was out of town, I called Preston in TX, trying to decide what to do, esp when we realized all the tools we needed are in a small compartment - UNDER all the stuff packed in the truck. In the meantime, my friend had contact campus security who came to rescue us. The 1st officer brought a small air pump and gave it a go. A 2nd officer arrived with a monster air pump and they went to work on the tire. We were not sure it would fly, not knowing what was even wrong to cause the flat in the 1st place. Miracles come in all sized though - this one came in the shape of a monster air truck and a tire that held the air. We loaded up again and my friend followed me to her house - with me praying verbally the entire time. Sometimes I wonder if Heavenly Father laughs at me, or if He is keeping track of the # of times I am so irreverent. We got to the house safely and started unloading. Another miracle came in the shape of a simple phrase from my friend "I was praying the whole way over here" - something that would have never come from her even a few months ago...
While we had been at the apt, my friend had talked to her dad and I had suggested the name of a family I know lives in their ward, who I knew would come and help. When we arrived at the house, as we unpacked, this wonderful brother drove in. I chatted with him briefly about the current condition of the tire and with his agreement, we decided the tire really should be changed. Miracles come in the shape of tire irons, lugnuts, an instruction sheet, and heavy duty flashlights. While this wonderful brother changed the tire, and my friend and I just took up outdoor space with our uselessness, a conversation went on in a very casual manner. I mentioned what a blessing it was to know that no matter where you go in the world, the gospel is there and help is never more than a phone call away. I shared examples of Preston being in TX right now and trying to find help to get him to church sunday, and when colton was born and preston made one phone call to get assistance with a blessing. Just small, simple things. In this casual conversation with this wonderful brother, with my sweet friend listening the entire time, the gospel in action was shared, and we were able to bear our testimonies in an every day circumstance. My unforseen need for help gave a precious teaching moment and an opportunity to show my friend that the truth and love that is the gospel was right there in front of her.

It has been an extra crazy week with so many things happening and coming and going every day. It has also been an amazing week of being able to give service to others in everyday little ways, that maybe are making more than a little impact. I know where I was just a year ago - barely holding my head above water and just surviving each day. Just a year later, I am able to give in a small way to others. I am able to see and realize that miracles come in the shape of moving trucks, cleaning supplies & brooms, hair brushes, helping hands, flat tires, little smiles, hugs, cookies, hot meals, and so much more. Angels do walk the Earth as teenage daughters, as kind neighbors, as campus security officers, as brethren and sisters near and far, as dear friends who I have known for years, and as new friends I am just getting to know.
It has been a whirlwind week, with still 3 days to go! Whew!

On a side note - our range is in good working order (not sure I want to post about that drama today) and our sweet neighbor who has been in the hospital for the last several weeks has finally returned home. More to come soon!

AT Day 5 – Look in the Mirror

My plan to go for an extra run this morning (I could stand to lose a few pounds, and all the yummy food down here isn’t helping any) was completely foiled by doing laundry late last night. At least that’s my internal excuse. A lamer – but still true – excuse is that my old body is still hurting from the combatives training we did the other day.

We got to the band hall a bit late this morning, but soon found out there were some minor changes to the schedule. The first hour was dedicated to concert band sectional time, which was a bit difficult with so many of the rehearsal spaces locked up. My “section” ended up being just myself and another player, so we literally set up in the middle of a hallway and honked away. I do think we got a few things improved.

The rest of the morning we got to rehearse our brass quintet. The two trumpet players had played through quite a few of the marches yesterday, and had a list of those they thought would be reasonable to get ready for our ceremony and concerts next week. We even had a bit of time to read through some stuff that had been found in our library, but never opened. We might get a bit more unscheduled time tomorrow, now that I’m looking at the details on the schedule.

As happens in many organizations, we have fallen victim to a number of negative “issues” that were resulting in rumors, backbiting, lack of respect, and other negative things that while not major on their own, when looked at collectively are becoming more and more significant. So the First Sergeant called an NCO meeting for all E5’s and above, without the commander. He mentioned that he hoped it would be a relatively quick meeting, where things could be discussed and then we could get back to the schedule of the day. I suspect he really knew better, and it did end up taking ALL of the afternoon rehearsal slot until it was time to leave the building. There were quite a few issues discussed, everyone who wanted to had their say, and I hope some new perspective and maybe even a breakthrough or two were attained. Time will tell.

Our combatives training continued this afternoon in the oven / gymnasium. After a quick warmup we moved immediately into drills designed to get from a position of weakness (ie having the opponent sitting on top of you) to one of strength. Our instructor went through the technical steps of how to grasp the arms, positioning your legs, rolling so you are now on top, and then how to break what is expected to be a leg lock around your body. It was a lot of steps, but a real eye-opener for those of us who haven’t been exposed to wrestling or martial arts training. Once again, everyone who was there did a great job participating and working and trying to practice the techniques.

After cleaning up, the 1SG and commander met with the senior staff to discuss one of the issues brought up during the NCO meeting. Oregon state policy is that E7’s and higher (to include the commander) lodge in their own room when traveling. Typically all other Soldiers pair up two to a room. For this trip, however, there was an oversight somewhere that resulted in the State not allocating any money at all for our Annual Training. So part of carving out the money for these two weeks also involved a VERY small budget for lodging. The command staff traveled to San Antonio weeks ago to meet with the MEDCOM band, work out many of the details and issues (ie what equipment we could use, keys to the building, vehicles, etc) and also to check out potential lodging options. They found quite a few really BAD options that would fit within our budget and meet the State’s standard room allocations. There was one option that was MUCH better than the rest: free breakfast every day, free dinner 3 nights a week, free laundry service, within easy walking distance of the Riverwalk, full kitchenettes, and much more. The only problem was the total cost. However the hotel did suggest that they had several 2-room suites with two beds in one room and a hide-a-bed in a second room, as well as two separate bathrooms. Thus we could put three people in a single room and come in under budget. That was agreed upon … and then the State decided they were going to contract with the hotel directly instead of letting us make the arrangements. Somewhere along the line a change was made, and when we got here we found that the 3-Soldier rooms were actually standard rooms, and when the hide-a-bed is pulled out there is very little extra room at all. Plus getting three people through the shower in a timely fashion has become a problem. At the same time that many Soldiers were lodged in this way, others (myself included, as an E-7, as well as people who had family travel with them) were in single rooms.

During our meeting the commander decided that we would re-distribute the room assignments, to include him sharing his room with the 1SG and the E-7’s will also share with other Soldiers. Unfortunately all of this will likely also result in the exclusion of families when we travel out-of-state in the future, unless they are willing to completely pay their own hotel costs. It also means that the Soldier who did not comply with any of the time-sensitive directives about bringing family members ended up in his own room anyway, while the Commander is ending up sharing a room. I hope that irony (mockery, really) isn’t lost on this or any other Soldier in the unit.

The night finished off well with dinner on the Riverwalk. A few of us went to an Italian place where I ordered the house special: spinach-stuffed chicken with mushroom sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and veggies. The Riverwalk is a set of canals running around downtown with sidewalks, restaurants, art, and more. Tour boats travel around the loop; sometimes they carry live musicians, others had dinner guests, but most were just packed with tourists going along for the ride. Next time I’m down there (while in civvies) I really need to take my camera …

Day 4 – This is normal?

The San Antonio Riverwalk is a gorgeous stone walkway along a canal system that winds around the center of town, and is lined with restaurants, trees, bridges and art. All of that went by at jogging speed in the dark this morning. Maybe I’ll get a chance to see it in the daytime before we leave.

For the morning concert band rehearsal we were joined by several members of the regular MEDCOM band, several of whom have also offered to perform with us. With only one rehearsal remaining before our upcoming performance, things are going pretty well.

I sat in with the Woodwind Quintet after lunch while James was busy, and then I had a few minutes to do a bit of maintenance on my horn. Tomorrow the Brass Quintet will have our last chance to go through our music. All the MPTs will be performing on a mass concert, so we’re all scrambling for rehearsal time in preparation.

The last scheduled activity was a tour of the CFI (Center for the Intrepid), a “state of the world” rehabilitation facility for severely wounded soldiers. The center was literally DONATED by more than 600,000 Americans, and in the words of the visionary behind the project those private dollars would “build twice the facility in half the time and for half the cost” of a government-funded project. I don’t know about the details of that quote necessarily, but the CFI IS an impressive facility based on the tour we received.

One lab is a motion sensor room right out of motion detection facilities used for CGI movies or video games. They can scan exact movements of Soldiers in their rehabilitation, and help correct any issues. They are also collecting a lot of data for future rehabilitation methods, and sharing their results with the other two similar military facilities.

Another room is filled with a “dome” structure equipped with a 6-degree-of-motion platform on which the Soldier stands, and then is fully-immersed in any number of scenarios. He/she might be in a city street, on a battlefield, or even snowboarding. The whole system allows the participant to practice balance, reaction, and develop reflexes based on “live” scenarios.

Their hydro rehab is being used for therapy more than at any other facility. They even have kayaks specially fitted for those with physical limitations, and a continuous wave generator on which Soldiers can actually practice boogie boarding. They feel (and I’m sure they are right) that this sort of therapy is much more interactive and engaging than simply lifting weights, and still accomplishes the physical strengthening and other rehabilitation objectives.

Other parts of the facility include a working apartment without handicapped modifications so they can practice what life might be like “in the real world” after their stay. In another room they can practice driving a simulated car, and the therapists can develop prosthetics to allow the Soldier to be able to drive again. Another room is set up as an indoor virtual shooting range. The indoor athletic track and weight facilities are all specially developed for this unique program. At all stages the goal is to return the Soldier to his/ her unit or back to a more normal life, and helping develop whatever prosthetics, programs or other prescriptions might be necessary. The whole facility was VERY impressive, and it’s very nice to know our severely-wounded Soldiers have such a facility to help them regain independence, confidence, and reintegration.

Dinner tonight was at a rather HUGE Mexican restaurant, and then I set to work doing laundry.

More Crazy Daze

Our week is turning out to be quite full and crazy. Today was in line with the rest of the week.

After having a very short night, the day has been extra long with ups and downs.

I missed swimming this morning after not getting to sleep until 3am. Got up and was able to get a ride to pick up the truck. First up - truck just needed tires balanced and service - minimal repair costs - yea! When the gal at the front desk told me how much it was I responded "Wow - really, that is all?" and she said "well, I can make it more for you" - that is the way she is, just cute and fun.

2nd up - we did make it to picnic in the park - 1st time ALL summer...the kids had fun playing and visiting even though we were there for just a little bit.

1st down - our new oven is apparently not working, and probably hasnt been for weeks. I have spent the last 2 days trying to get answers/schedule service for the new oven. It is a convection oven - something we havent had before - and it has been more complicated than expected. After getting the run around and being transferred to this or that person several times and being treated very rudely by a floor sales guy at Lowe's I called an 800 # to see if I could get actual appliance specs. Found out our oven is built to be sold directly and only by Lowe's - great. The guy on the phone was actually extremely helpful and patient and stayed on the phone with me until all my ??? were answered and I had resources to find repair options. I was at the point of tears before I talked with him, and felt much better after. I called a local repair shop - a 1 minute call - and they will be out tomorrow. Frustrating to have a new oven and not having it working. It does explain why nothing we have made in the last couple of weeks hasnt turned out at all - including dinner yesterday which was totally killed. Will look forward to it being repaired tomorrow so we can make our much looked forward to choc chip cookies.

2nd down - another appt at the sleep specialist office. We are trying for another new tweak for my sleeping. We are also trying a help for staying awake. I now will wear some little ear bobbers that will send an electrical current to my brain to get the right waves going for sleep - or more accurately, eliminate the "awake" waves so I can hopefully sleep better. It is not a quick fix and it will be 5 weeks before we know for sure it is helping or not. The new med is a trial to help me be able to stay awake - esp when I am needing to do long driving (like to OHSU) Will see how my body reacts to it. I felt bad for my specialist. I really like him alot, he is kind and patient and really listens to me. I think I have him baffled though - everything we have tried has not worked, and we are nearing the end of our options. In 5 weeks, we may be out of options, and not sure what we will do then. I could tell he was a bit concerned about that - it wouldnt be the first time I have blown all the "normal" options out of the water and still come up empty.
We did find out there was a snafu/miscommunication with the last option I tried. It was recommended that I get a special sleep aid - except the nurse told me SONA vs ZOMA - 2 totally different products with 2 totally different focus. Nothing that can be done now, except that we have a very expensive floor/throw pillow....

3rd up & down - Wendy beat on me again today. Things went much better today, but I am still in need of lots of help. I feel frustrated at times that I am just contributing to her stress and life of extras when I really have nothing at all to give back. Little things I try to do or give just are never enough to repay all of her kindness and generosity through all these years. I know I need her help, but at the same time, I want to never go back because I know I am alot of work for her in lots of ways...

4th up and down - helping a friend move today. She is an inactive sister that I have been unofficially visit teaching for the last couple of years. I have been helping her with small bits here and there in the last week to get packed and things. She did allow priesthood brethren to come and help move things, though very apprehensively. She was in a total panic the whole time about things being broken and that others were judging her about the state of her apt. Nothing I could do or say today would comfort her or alleviate her concerns. I could see the panic and stress on her face, and I wondered if I had done the right thing in having extra help come. It is not anything she is accustom to and it was very stressful.
We got her on the other end and helped get things off the truck. Things went mostly well - except that her wardrobe/pantry closet got dropped and smashed to oblivion. She seemed a bit more calm on that side, though I was still concerned I/we had over-stepped our boundaries. I stayed long after everyone else had gone to chat and to see if there was more she might let me do.
It was really hard for me in lots of ways. I have been really struggling myself with some things this week - and Pres Hinkley's quote from a letter he received from his father on his mission "just forget yourself and go to work" - in serving my friend, I was able to forget my own worries and concerns. On the other hand, I wonder if I had totally blown it and caused her more stress and hurt vs help in that service and trying to "go to work". My friend and I have many similar life experiences, none of those good. Something that seems to be second nature to me now, is completely foreign to her. I had to really give myself a talking to while in the truck alone coming and going. I have been where she is, trust and love and peace have not come easily, and sometimes not at all. Those are things that have been taught and then betrayed. Our service today was our way to show our love, friendship, etc. but she struggled to accept it because she has not been shown love or support or friendship or trust in that way. I know right where she is, and I am on the other side of the giving now. It was really hard for me, trying to be understanding and respectful, and trying to do my best to give and serve in the best way I knew how.
I know things could have been better if I had done better in that service. I feel like in the short time I have come to know this friend that I have failed her in many ways. I was not the one to step up to the plate or be there when she really needed me most. Now she is going to be even further away and it is going to take extra special effort to keep in touch with her. I know she is not going to open up to other sisters in her new ward, and I worry about how she will do being in her new environment. All I can do is continue to pray and fast and serve. It might be enough and it might not.
I will call and check in on her tomorrow, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will continue to allow me to help her during this time of new challenges. I want to help, but also want to respect her wishes and concerns....guess we will see what tomorrow and the next few days bring.

Guess I should call it a day. I have been gone most of the day and I havent eaten since early this morning. I have had water, but not enough. I didnt get to PMR work or class prep at all. It is so late I hate to eat and then know my tummy is going to be unhappy. I am guessing if I dont though, I will be worse off in the AM. I am missing Preston tons tonight and in tears that he is so far away. He has already been gone for a bit, but I think today it is really hitting me. Feeling extra lonely and sad and tired. Will just try to start over and hopefully do better tomorrow.