Bathroom Remodel - Day 3

As you may have seen over at SgtDub's site, we began work on MissDub's bedroom/bathroom remodeling project. MissDub had been a "Cowgirl" and her room was decorated with all things "Cowgirl" and horses. This decor worked for quite sometime . . . that is until MissDub decided she liked "Asian" decor and was ready for a change. Well, that's quite a jump from cowgirl to feng shui. MissDub has a CD that allows her to render 3-D drawings and floorplans. She has already designed her dream home and will probably build it some day. She has drawn up the design for her Asian-inspired bedroom and boy is it fancy. I doubt seriously that SgtDub and I will even come close to her expectations, but we'll give it the old college try. We decided to go shopping without her and come up with some choices. We're big HGTV people and one of my favorite shows is "Designers Challenge" where 3 designers come in and give their ideas on a project, and the homeowner must pick one. That's kinda what I wanted to do, but I decided against it, because knowing MissDub, she'd pick the most expensive and most difficult project. Like Mother, Like Daughter! I'm not in to the "Asian" decor, but I'm trying to be flexible and go with it (more Zen like). The reality is, we don't want to alter our home in a way that will detract from future buyers. We're planning to stay put, but you just never know. I can't see anyone else coming in and saying "oh my, this bedroom is exactly what I was looking for". So with that in mind, we will update the bathroom, paint the walls, add new lighting, window treatments and furniture (within reason). After our shopping excursion, we estimated that the remodel (excluding furniture) would cost approximately $3000! Here is where I fainted and when Dub revived me, I said "heck no!" She won't keep it clean now, what makes you think she'll keep it clean after! We began the demolition on Saturday -- it was raining and we couldn't do anything else, so why not knock a wall out. We removed the vinyl flooring, fixtures and are attempting to remove the shower enclosure, which is proving a bit tricky. No work was performed on Sunday (i.e. Dub was on the couch and MissDub was on the computer), and I'm not sure if anythings been done today or not (I'm leaning towards nothing). I will be home shortly and will access the progress and if necessary, create a "to do list" and make sure I call home frequently tomorrow to ensure work is being done. I feel certain that they're both playing X-Box and as soon as I drive into the garage, they will rush to look busy. More tomorrow. By the way, I will be taking wagers on how many days it will take to complete the project. SgtDub has the reputation of being the "95% man", which means he WILL leave one part of the project undone . . . what will it be?

A Better Day

Sorry to have been so gloomy with my last post. I'm in a much better mood and trying to get past my "OCD" issues. We are drowning in rain and it's really putting a crimp on our outdoor plans. We purchased 2000 feet of pipe to build our new fence. Only problem is our front yard is under water and the pipe is just sitting there. MissDub's goat "Bella" is about to have a baby soon. She checked out a book from the library and is learning how to be a "goat midwife". This should be interesting. We had planned to have a big 4th of July cookout, but that's been put on hold because of the rain. We've also decided to go to San Antonio instead of Durango for our family vacation next month. Fellow Blogger (Ron) let us know about a promotion that gives free Sea World admission to military families. Yippee, that will be awesome! I'm planning to turn in my application at Tractor Supply and see if I can earn some extra income. I hate the idea of working an 8 hour day and then putting in another 2 to 3 hours, but we're determined to get out of debt and this will hopefully help us out. SgtDub will also work a part-time job once he's back to work. He makes really good money as an off-duty police officer. I'm not guaranteeing how long I'll last, or even if they'll hire me, but I'm at least going to try. It was a toss up between Kohl's or Tractor Supply, and I think I'll spend less at Tractor Supply -- that is if I can keep Dub from coming in and getting the employee discount. Not much else to report around here. I told Dub that he needs to update his blog, but he's frustrated with the dial-up connection at home and says he can't get logged on. Hopefully he'll post soon. Hope everyone is doing well. Be safe and have a great day!

The Honeymoons over

Just ask my family and they will tell you that the honeymoon is over! Our first week together was great! I was off work and we were all together enjoying being a family. The second week, MissDub was gone to camp, and Dub and I had had plenty of couple time (which was awesome). Now it's the beginning of week #3 and I'm back at work and SgtDub and MissDub are home together, which puts me in a really BAD mood! I want to be home too! It doesn't take much to put me in a bad mood, and when I make up my mind to be that way, there's little you can do to change it. The best thing to do is stay out of my way and as SgtDub would say "yes Dear". He refuses to fight back and that drives me insane! I haven't cleaned house since SgtDub returned, and that's bugging me too. I try to tell myself that it's only dust and dirt and nobody cares if my house is clean (nobody but ME!) Poor Dub and MissDub - they put up with me and all my ranting, raving and complaining. I hate myself when I get in a mood like this, but I don't know what to do to get over it. All I want to do is bury my head in the sand, and I'm sure everyone around me feels the exact same way! We watched several movies this weekend, which were pretty good (1) MissPotter (really good family film), (2) Pan's Lambrinth (weird and violent), (3) Happy Feet (boring), and (4) Flicka (fair to midland). Tonight we're watching "The Queen". We ate out a bunch last week, so this week will hopefully be dinner at home. We're settling into our routine (i.e. me being cranky and demanding). I'm sure Afghanistan is looking pretty good to Dub right about now. He's asking himself "why did I come home?"

Hopefully my next post will be much brighter - until then, I'm burying my head in the sand!

"Date Night"

SgtDub and I had our first official "date night" since he returned home, and it was wonderful! We had gone clothes shopping the night before, and I picked out several casual outfits for him. These were items he would not normally choose for himself (faded jeans, loose fitting shirts and thongs (flip flops). So when I got home from work, he was all decked out in his new clothes and he looked great! We went to eat dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I had yummy lobster and he had steak (again). We indulged in dessert "Thunder from Downunder", and it was yummy too! We finished our evening with a movie "Ocean's 13", which was great! Oooo - George Clooney is so hunky, and it didn't hurt that the other guys in the movie are hunky too. So, I not only got to sit next to a hunky man, there were hunky men in the movie! It ended up being a late night for me, since I'm normally in bed by 9pm, but it was well worth it. I'm so happy that he's home and we can have our special time together. Miss Dub is having a great time at camp and only called twice yesterday.

SgtDub Visits Tractor Supply and Sonic

Well, since SgtDub isn't going to post about his adventures this week, I guess it's up to me to do it. We headed out on Monday morning with the camcorder in hand. Our first stop was at Sonic for a 32 oz. cherry vanilla coke. From there, we headed over to the new Tractor Supply store. I think I really embarrassed SgtDub and MissDub because I was video taping everything they did. SgtDub stopped to browse the gloves when one of the employees (Sonny) came up to see if he needed anything. Dub said he was "just looking" and I jumped in and said "he's been in Afghanistan for the past year" and with that, the guy shook his hand and thanked him for his service. They chatted a few minutes and I commented that he should get an application while he was there, and the guy said "yeah - I'd love to have you on my team". I said heck, maybe I should get one too, and he then grabbed two job applications for us. SgtDub and Sonny chatted a few more minutes and they shook hands again and then Sonny grabbed him and hugged him. It was hilarious, but awesome, and I believe it made SgtDub's day (although he wouldn't tell you that). We ran around all week looking at tractors (I think the only thing we have to pick is the color, because they all look alike to me) Blue, Orange or Green. We ate at Sonic several times this week, and I'm sick and tired of it. We've had an awesome week and managed to do a lot of fun things (actually ordinary things that we used to take for granted). We had family over on Saturday night to celebrate Nana & Papa's birthdays. SgtDub got a new gas grill for Father's Day, so he fired it up and cooked some steaks (yum yum). After everyone left, we pulled out the video tapes from the last year and started catching up. SgtDub got to see the video tape from the Veteran's Day ceremony at MissDub's school. She participated in the ceremony by reading a poem. It was really nice, and like the first time, I cried again. We went to church on Sunday. All the dads were given a key chain tape measure and then at the end of the service, the Preacher pointed out that Dean was back and had him stand up. Everyone applauded and he got several handshakes and thank yous as we left. I was very proud to be standing next to him! I'm heading back to work today, but only after we deliver MissDub to the church for camp (woo hoo!) SgtDub and I will be all alone this week . . . what should we do? Another exciting event this week . . . SgtDub was interviewed by the Mustang News. Maybe there will be a story soon!

Life Is Good!

Wow, where does the time go? I feel like I blinked and the week is gone. I'm so glad I've taken off work this week - we've had so much fun being together. We haven't done anything exciting, but have enjoyed just being a family. It's a shame that it takes being apart for 15 months to appreciate what you have. SgtDub did a pretty good job of summarizing our week. I haven't had to feed the horses all week and it feels really weird. I keep feeling like I've forgotten to do something, and I guess I miss going out there every morning. In fact, I've been sleeping in and I feel like I'm wasting time that I should be doing something productive. I don't think I've nagged SgtDub (yet) -- I have picked up and taken things back to "his" room. Three of the footlockers arrived before he got home, and I parked them in the guest bedroom. He carried home 2 ruck sacks, a huge black bag and his backpack. It amazed me that he could carry that much stuff, but he did. Those bags got dropped in the garage and haven't come inside yet. I've asked him several times to bring them in the house so people wouldn't think that I made him leave them in the garage. He has his little piles of paper laying around everywhere. That used to drive me insane, but now it's a good thing to know he's home. Ask me in a month, and I'll probably be biting my lip and saying it doesn't bother me. We've been tractor shopping all week and it's so funny to see SgtDub drooling. We've also been truck shopping. We're trying to decide which one he wants/needs more. I guess he can always drive his tractor to town if he has to. We still have his 1994 GMC truck that runs, but is not in the best shape. The driver's side seat is broken, the window doesn't roll down, the windshield wiper motor works on sunny days only, and the muffler is rusted out. He says if we would invest about $500 we could get it back to decent condition. I've caught him several times just sitting on the back porch starring out and saying "there's so much to do". It's overwhelming and it's depressing because it all takes money. Although we did a pretty good job of paying off debt while he was gone, we didn't do so well about savings (bummer), but we'll make the best of what we have. It may take time and patience, but we'll get it done. He's started growing out his mustache and will soon have his "Larry the Cable Guy" goatee (snicker!) I love it when he grows it out, but I'm so sad when he shaves it off to go back to work. I will try to post again tomorrow and tell you the Tractor Supply story -- unless Dub decides to do it himself. Having a great time in Oklahoma . . . be safe and have a great day (we are!) Miss Dub says "hi"

Sgt Dub is finally home!

Wonderful news! SgtDub arrived in OKC a little after 6:00 a.m. today. He was scheduled to arrive at 7:10 a.m., but believe it or not, his flight arrived 45 minutes early. MissDub and I arrived at the airport a little before 7:00 and noticed there were a bunch of soldiers standing around. We topped the stairs at baggage claim and there they were! I was so bummed out that we didn't get to greet him at the gate, but it was great anyway. As soon as I spotted him, I ran and hurdled a couple of duffel bags and jumped into his arms (yippee!) Talk about a great day! We had some friends from church present and Nana & Papa and Papa Phil and Aunt Susie. Everyone hugged and kissed and cried. It is so wonderful to look around and see the smiles on every ones face. There were some people standing in the background holding signs that said "Thank You Soldiers". Wow, that's pretty cool! We went to eat breakfast before coming home. SgtDub's been awake for the last 24 hours, so he was fading fast. He barely made it in the house before he collapsed on the bed (poor baby). He just got up after a 4 hour nap and I made him hot dogs with chili. I'll regret that decision later. How wonderful it is to have him sitting here with me. I'm signing off for now . . . Dub wants to update his blog. Be safe and have a great day!