Bingo

Last night we went to our first bingo outing of the season. (That's right bingo has a season). The season is during the winter when there is nothing going on. I talked here about possibly becoming obsessed with bingo. I'm afraid that is probably going to happen.

The group of people we go with get t-shirts made every year. This year they are red with yellow letters (not my choice of colors but oh well). Oh the front they say I 22 and on the back they say O 69 and whatever bingo nickname you want. I found a bingo nickname generator by googling bingo names. (I maybe be obsessed with google too but that's a different story). My bingo nickname is Sparkplug. Matt choose to have Johnny Popper put on his shirt. One girl in the group has "B-4-What" on hers. I like that.

So when the caller who's name is Dwayne calls I 22, the people we go with obnoxiously say "Dwayne wears a 22." And if O 69 is called they say 69. Its kinda like in a low monotone voice.

When we got there several people said they liked the new shirts and said they were wondering when the group would be back. The first time they called O 69 and we all said it the old folks were clapping. I think they like the excitement the group brings to the table.

Matt and I didn't win anything. One of the girls with us won $25 during a lightening round. We had a great time. This bingo is at the KC Hall and there is a bar there so you can go to the bar and get a bucket o' beer and bring it into bingo. I drank just enough to have the giggles without having a headache today.

I'm hoping to hit the jackpot at some point. And if when I do, I will be calling into work on Friday.

Dear Eclipse

Dear Eclipse,

I wanted you since before I ever got my license. I like to think I took good care of you. Well you know, except for that time I drove you into a bridge. And the time the cops took you away cause I was drunk. (Sorry bout that.)

I'm going to miss driving you fast and zipping through the gears like a mad woman. I'm going to miss taking the curves on the way to work like I'm a Nascar driver. I'm going to miss letting you haul ass when the light turns green at a stop light to beat the car next to us. I know how much you liked that. I also know you hated the snow and ice and I can't blame you for that.

I don't really feel like continually getting whacked in the head when your hatchback self decides to close while I'm loading groceries. Also, we will be becoming parents someday (hopefully) and let's face it, you just are not a kid hauler. I know, I know, I would be the coolest mom on the block if I kept you but I'm afraid that just isn't going to happen.

I'm sorry we have to get rid of you. If we were loaded I would keep you just to drive when I was feeling a little crazy. Matt wants a truck real bad and since you suck terribly in the snow we are going to have to get one.

Thank you for being such a reliable sexy machine. Play nice for the next person. And don't forget you were my favorite.

Your mama

The story of us

Matt and I met when we were around 16. (12 years ago) Wow I didn’t realize that I have known him almost half of my life! We were friends with the same group of people. I don’t really remember where we first met. He went to a different high school than me but mostly hung out in the town I live in. He dated a girl in my class for years. She wasn’t really friends with my group of friends and she really didn’t care for hanging out with us. So, a lot of times if Matt was hanging out with us it was because he had broke up with her so that he could.

He and I worked at the same factory the summer after our senior year of high school along with a couple of our other friends. So a lot of us would party together after work. Then after that I was working 3 rd shift waiting tables at Denny’s (best money I’ve ever made, by the way). He was still working at the factory that we had worked at together. He would come over to my house about one a week, usually right after I had fallen asleep at 2 in the afternoon and want me to go boozing with him. About 9 times out of 10 I would tell him no because I had to work that night.

After this, I had a few longerish relationships and wouldn’t see him for months at a time. But I always considered him a good friend even when we wouldn’t see or talk to each other for a period of time. Then I heard that he went to the Army. I didn’t get to say good-bye.

Fast forward about 2 years (3 years ago). It was actually probably about October too. I got a friend request on MySpace from Matt. He gave me his phone number and I immediately called him. He was stationed out at Ft. Lewis, WA. We texted and talked until he came home for Christmas that year. That Christmas we feel in love. I knew before he ever came home that I loved him. I loved the fact that we had known each other for so long and he knew so much about me.

(Real drunk here but only pic I could find)

Matt left to go back to Ft. Lewis and I made a trip out there around Valentine’s Day. He came home again in April. Around the end of May I went out there and stayed with him for 6 weeks before he left for Iraq in June.

While he was in Iraq, I worked two jobs. I missed that boy more than words can express. I sent him packages all the time and whoever went through his mail said he got the best packages out of his whole unit. I made him blankets and sent to him. I sent him cards every holiday. I wore his dog tags the whole time he was gone.

He came home for R & R in December and we got engaged. No real romantic story to tell here. He asked me to marry him before he went to Iraq but I didn’t want to be “that girl” that got married because her man was going to war. I don’t look down on anyone that does this; it just wasn’t for me. He asked me to marry him again on the phone from Iraq and told me to pick out a ring. When he got home for R & R, we got my ring and got our engagement pictures taken.

We had planned on going to Cancun and getting married on the beach during the summer of 2009. About 6 weeks before he came home we decided to get married as soon as he came home. This mean I had 6 weeks to plan a wedding. I bought our wedding bands. My engagement ring didn’t have a band that matched it so I picked out the one that matched it the best (more on this later this week).

Matt came back from Iraq on August 22, 2008 (14 and a half months) and we got married on 9/5/08 at a little wedding chapel around here by a hippie preacher and had our reception at a bar here also. After all was said and done, we spent around 2 grand on our wedding. I don’t regret for a minute not having a big fancy wedding.

Matt thought he was getting out of the Army in April. So, I stayed at home and waited for him. He ended up not getting out until the end of July because his contract said 4 years and 22 weeks. I took on the responsibility of finding a house and was able to mail him all of the paperwork he needed to sign. I made numerous trips out to see him between the time we were married and the time he got to come home.

I made my last trip out there on 7/28/09 and we were able to drive his car home together. Matt enlisted in the Army Reserves to cut his IRR time in half and we are finally living the life that we have been waiting on for three years.

What's on my iPod? and an Award!

Another band that is on my iPod is Alice in Chains. I recently downloaded the new Alice in Chains album, "Black Gives Way to Blue." That's right, a new album. I was a little surprised too considering the lead singer from the band, Layne Staley, died from an overdose in 2002.

The new album is definitely no "Jar of Flies" but it is good. Alice in Chains is a grunge band that became famous around the same time as Nirvana and Soundgarden. Alice in Chains always reminds me of being 16-19 and around a campfire or road tripping.

A few of my favorite Alice in Chains songs are Would, No Excuses, Don't Follow, and Nutshell.

Now, on to the award. I was awarded The Dragon's Loyalty award by Katie at The Adventures of Katie and Josh. Katie is very creative, has great taste, and I love reading her blog.

This award is to recognize loyal followers. All my followers are awesome and here a few of the most loyal followers:

Lola at Not All Those who Wander are Lost

Random Musings Of My Life

Los at Plethora

Jennifer at CrazyShenanigans

(army)Wife at More Than an (army)Wife

For a good cause

I'm posting this for my blogger buddy Lola.

She is trying to raise $2500 for the education of SSG Jackson's four children. SSG Jackson gave the greatest sacrifice of all in Iraq in 2006 when he was killed by an IED.

Click here to go to the website to go to donate.

Every little bit counts and I would not be posting this if I didn't think it was a worthwhile cause.

Fabulous? Me?

I was given an award yesterday by Jessica at Learning as We Go!!! I love her blog. She is so honest. Her blog is one of my absolute favorite blogs to read. I feel like if I knew her in real life we would be good friends. I can see a lot of myself in her.

The rules for this one are simple; just share 5 things you are obsessed with, and then pass the award on to five of the most fabulous blogs you read!

So here are five things I am obsessed with:

1. Reality TV... there I admitted it. Matt hates it. My favorites right now are Survivor, America's Next Top Model, The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Pawn Stars, and any kind of cop reality show.

2. Making Lists... I am also obsessed with making lists. I always have a list on the fridge of grocery items we need. I have a list for school stuff I need to do. I have a list for stuff that needs done around our house. I make lists at work. I have a little post-it note gadget on the desktop of my laptop and I make lists on it. And I probably even make lists in my sleep.

3. School... I'm probably obsessed with school. More specifically right now I am obsessed with figuring out which classes to take next semester. I think this is because when I got out of high school, I went to a four year college (used to be in the top ten of party schools in the US) and failed miserably. I failed because I spent more time at the bars and house parties than on campus. Oh well... you live and you learn. I just want to prove to myself and everyone else that I can do it.

4. Texas Country music... Before around three years ago, I despised country music. I still don't like a lot of it. But I love love love Texas Country. Its more like southern rock. My favorites are Cross Canadian Ragweed, Reckless Kelly, Whiskey Myers, and Back Porch Mary.

5. Bingo... Well not yet but I have a feeling I'm about to be. Matt and I went to bingo once with his friends when he was home on R & R about 2 years ago. His friends get t-shirts made. I can't remember exactly what they say but I know they say O 69 on the back. We were invited to join their crew this fall/winter. I have to decide on a Bingo Nickname by tomorrow. Bingo is at the KC Hall and they serve adult beverages their so it can get pretty interesting.

Now to passing this along. I didn't pass this along to anyone who has already received this award. I wanted to pass it along to bloggers that "do the award thing" and haven't received this one.

So in no particular order, I am passing this along to:

Marsie at Quite Contrary I just started following her blog but she seems super sweet.

Rachael at A Soldier and a Sweetheart

Bridget at Always an Adventure

Katie at The Adventures of Katie and Josh

Christina at Sugar Sweet Thoughts

Well lets see...

I haven't posted in awhile so I figured I better. I don't have any good stories to share or earth shattering news.

I stayed home all weekend and did homework, as I said I would. I got all kinds of shit stuff done. I'm actually ahead on my homework. And we don't have any plans this weekend so I plan on staying on top of it this weekend too.

I made stuffed peppers on Saturday. That was a first for me. They were awesome and so easy. I love my crock pot. I usually make something in the crock pot on Saturday and then we pretty much eat it all weekend. I need to figure out something to make in it this weekend. Any suggestions? I have made potato soup & chili recently.

I finally started a facebook. Matt and I have a myspace together and it is totally lame. No one ever leaves us a message or comment or anything. Some of our friends haven't even logged on in months. So I started a facebook. One thing I am noticing is that people I barely know want to be my friend. On our myspace it was more like people that we are actually friends with are our friends. If you wanna follow let me know and I will give you my email address. I figure, anyone who reads this probably knows more about me than some of my real life friends.

Matt got his Reserves unit drama figured out. He is actually supposed to be where his orders say. But no one is there full-time. Its kinda like you have to make an appointment with the lady, I guess. He's on his own with that one. He goes on Friday to report. He does know that their will be 13 people in his unit there. Sounds like to me that he may be fighting freedom one game of solitaire at a time. I mean they don't even have any equipment there. Who knows? I'll make sure to fill you in when he has his first drill.

Trying to get ahead

Remember when I wrote a blog about always having something to do on the weekend.

Well this weekend I am not going anywhere. I'm going to stay home and try to get ahead on my homework. Not just caught up, but ahead. I have a lot going on right, as far as school work goes. And I would love to be ahead of the game.

I have a research paper to write for both of my classes by the end of the semester. I would like to get a rough draft of my paper for Sociology done this weekend. I'm writing about how hoarding is both a personal problem and a societal issue. It has to be three to four pages and I have to have at least 3 sources.

My other paper, on the other hand, has to be 8 to 12 pages. I had to have 30 sources for my bibliography/paper proposal (I got 100% on that). I have to have 20 note cards done by Monday. And I'm writing this paper about the misuse of government power at Ruby Ridge.

Not to mention, I have to read a chapter for Sociology and take a quiz. And I have a presentation to do in that class in a couple weeks. But, I think know I will get a lot done this weekend.

Also, the class schedule for next semester came out online today. Very excited about that. I'm not too sure if I will just take a couple classes that I'm not overly excited about and get them out of the way (Science, Humanities, and Fine Art) or if I will take one of these classes and one that actually pertains to my major. What do you think?

The winner of the comforter set was #2 by one vote which I guess since Matt got to vote for Ozzy that means Ozzy was the deciding factor. I like this one anyway. It comes with the sheets and everything. Well I'm off to order our new comforter. *** #2 is out of stock.... #5 is the new winner!

Need help again please

I have decided that I'm one of the most indecisive people I know. We want to purchase a new comforter set. I can't decide. Since you are all so smart and have such good taste, I'm leaving it up to you.

Our bedroom has tan carpet and tan-ish walls. I have a few little plaque thingers on the wall that have a light blue, kinda teal with yellow and purple. And some flowers from our wedding that are purple.

Here are a few I like, in no particular order.

Click here to see #1

#2

#3

#4

#5
#6

Please let me know by noon Friday the 16th. (Central Time).

Thanks in advance.

I need my coffee

There is something that has been annoying me for awhile. I get to work at 7:30. I do a few things and then check my email accounts. Then around 8:30 I will wonder to the break room to get a cup of coffee.

First off, I am very grateful that my employers offer free coffee to us. But, about 9 times out of 10 I go in there and there is half of a burnt up cup in the bottom of the pot. I mean come one. How hard is it to make a new pot if you take the last of the pot?

Maybe this is just common knowledge to me since I waited tables for so long. But I thought people would be a little more considerate. If I take the last of the pot, I always make more.

Sorry for the rant.

The Guard?

Matt official ETS date was September 26th. So on the 26th our Active Duty military ID's expired. Wednesday we went to Decatur, which is like an hour and a half away to get our Reserves ID cards. Which mine, by the way, is pink.

The Reserves unit that Matt is supposed to join is in Decatur and he has 30 days from the 26th to report. So, we thought while we were there he could just sign in and find out when he has drill and whatnot. On his contract it gave the address. We went there. Place was locked up tighter than Ft. Knox.

There is also a National Guard unit in Decatur. So we went there to see if they knew anything. We talked to a couple people there and they all said that the Reserves unit had moved from Decatur to Wisconsin (8 hours away) about 6 months ago. They said a lot of guys from that unit transferred to their National Guard unit. They gave him a number to a place in StL to call and they said he was supposed to report to the place that was closed also.

Honestly, it really doesn't surprise me that Army can't get this kinda shit stuff straight.

But, there is a National Guard unit in our hometown and he is going to talk to a recruiter from there today that's wife is a friend of mine. The Guard unit in our hometown just got back from deployment and are not expecting to re-deploy for three years. (The reason he was going to join the Reserves in the first place was because he would have been on a non-deployable status.)

So, I guess we will find out later today what is going to happen.

And thank you all for being so supportive on my last post.

A Constant Struggle

I don't really know how to write this and I debated even writing it. By hey its my blog and someday maybe I can look back at this and see how far I have came.

Last night was a bad night. In my sociology class, the chapter we were discussing was on crime. We were talking about rape and what should be done with rapist in the jail system.

Click here to read a post I wrote about a month ago with my on going struggle with this issue.

Its not like I was singled out or anything but my teacher asked me what my opinion was on something. I basically said that I feel that it is the victims that need the help more help than the criminals. In my opinion, once a rapist, always a rapist.

When I was walking out of the door after class my teacher asked to talked to me. She asked me if I was ok. I lost it. She asked if I had talked to anyone. I have been to a couple counselors. The first one had a daughter about my age and compared me to her. The second time I was put into a group kinda thing and cut pictures out of magazines and made wicker baskets. Neither of these methods seemed to help.

All I want is to be able to GET OVER IT. I don't wanna remember. I don't wanna hurt because of this. I don't want to get upset over stuff that shouldn't even matter.

No one seems to have an answer on how to GET OVER IT. I finally feel like my life is stable enough that I could but I don't know how.

Props to my husband. His big strong arms and open ears mean the world to me.

Cardinals Game

We went to the Cardinals vs Brewers game on Friday night. We got to StL at 3:00. We were the 9th and 10th person in line at our gate. We stood in line for 2 hours.

But we got our two bobble heads.

We were winning 6 to 0.

Tony over-managed and went to our worthless bull pin too early.

We lost 6 to 13.

The Cardinals are seriously going to have to get it together when the playoffs start.

After we left the game, we were standing along the street above the metro next to 3 cops and metro worker. The road we were standing next to was blocked off on one end. People were driving down it and then realizing that it was blocked off on the other end. A couple people made U turns. Then this guy drives up in a Camry and realizes it was blocked off and proceeds to back down the street. We saw that there was a Mustang behind him and thought he would stop. I think the mustang even honked at him. Nope. Mr. Camry backed into him.

Since there were three cops standing right there I assumed they would go and take care of the situation right away. They all looked at each other and then scattered. One of them even said to us, "This is how the metro cops do it." And then he walked off too.

At this point, the street is blocked by these two cars and people are still driving down it and getting rather upset that they are stuck. People start driving through the barricades and down the crowed street. People are honking and yelling. We just stood and watch. The line for the metro was ridiculous so we weren't going anywhere anyway.

Finally a cop shows up and tells the drivers to give each other their information. Mr. Mustang was having problem with this. I don't know if dude didn't have a license or what his deal was. But the cop was yelling telling him that Mr. Camry admitted to hitting his car and that all he need to do was give him his information. Mr. Mustang finally did.

Now where we are from, if you back up into a car at 11 at night, the cops would have you walking the line and following the tip of their pen. This cop didn't even right a report. Not to mention that three cops saw this happen and took off. It all seemed very bizarre to us.

This all just reminded me how much I love living where life is far from crazy.

Leaving work early

Today I am leaving work early. We are going to a StL Cardinals game tonight. It is Ozzie Smith bobble head night. The game starts at 7 p.m. Matt wants to leave our house no later than 12:30. It takes an hour and a half to get there. So yes that's right sports fans, we will be there about 5 hours early. Gotta get in line for the damn bobble heads. Matt has like 4 or 5 other baseball player bobble heads and Ozzie Smith is his favorite Cardinal ever so this is a life or death situation to him.

We will be in the section below Big Mac land. So hopefully the Cardinals hit lots of home runs. We love the Cardinals and we love St. Louis so it should be a great time.

Right now its a brisk 54 degrees. The high today is supposed to be 65. Its windy and cloudy. At least I will have a big strong man to keep me warm. And it should be a great game!

Hope everyone has a great Friday!!!