Tommy and Wyatt found the perfect pumpkin... several times over :) We ended up taking back SIX pumpkins for only two kids!
Wyatt and his cousin Jake their favorite pumpkins
It also happened to be our 6th wedding anniversary that day. Yay, us!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The Pumpkin Patch!
Last weekend we went to the Pumpkin Patch in Richmond. The same Pumpkin Patch we went to last fall when we moved here! The air wasn't quite as crisp this year, but it was just as much fun!
It also happened to be our 6th wedding anniversary that day. Yay, us!
It also happened to be our 6th wedding anniversary that day. Yay, us!
Goodybe, Quantico
I am sitting on the floor of our very big, very empty house, thinking how weird this particular goodbye is. I'm sad to be leaving Quantico, but not for all the usual sentimental reasons. I've already said my goodbyes to family and friends. We've got a few more days left in the States before heading to Japan, but we're spending them down in Richmond with Tommy's family. He's there right now, and I'm staying here to check out of our house in the morning, and the sad part is, I really don't even care that I'm leaving.
It's not that I didn't like living here. I did. It's just that calling it living here would be a bit of a stretch.
I met some great people here, but most of my good friends here are people I knew from before. There are one or two new ones that I will keep in contact with, but for the most part, the people I know here are friends of convenience. Which doesn't mean I appreciate them any less. They played a big role in helping me survive 2009.
But 2009 has been a tough year. I'm really ready to see it go and to ring in 2010, to hopefully move on to more positive endeavors. Maybe it was the move and the transition from our nice "family" life in Iowa to the hell that is The Basic School. Maybe it was the three months following TBS when Tommy was training in to California and I had to fly solo. Maybe it was the stress of my father-in-law's battle with lukemia and subsequent passing that made it so tough. Probably it was all these things combined. But whatever it is or was, I never really felt like I lived here. I felt like I was watching someone else's life go by and just trying to survive the next series of events.
To be fair, maybe living in a place for only 358 days means your roots aren't quite as deep. Regardless, I will have to wait until another day to really live in Quantico.
It's not that I didn't like living here. I did. It's just that calling it living here would be a bit of a stretch.
I met some great people here, but most of my good friends here are people I knew from before. There are one or two new ones that I will keep in contact with, but for the most part, the people I know here are friends of convenience. Which doesn't mean I appreciate them any less. They played a big role in helping me survive 2009.
But 2009 has been a tough year. I'm really ready to see it go and to ring in 2010, to hopefully move on to more positive endeavors. Maybe it was the move and the transition from our nice "family" life in Iowa to the hell that is The Basic School. Maybe it was the three months following TBS when Tommy was training in to California and I had to fly solo. Maybe it was the stress of my father-in-law's battle with lukemia and subsequent passing that made it so tough. Probably it was all these things combined. But whatever it is or was, I never really felt like I lived here. I felt like I was watching someone else's life go by and just trying to survive the next series of events.
To be fair, maybe living in a place for only 358 days means your roots aren't quite as deep. Regardless, I will have to wait until another day to really live in Quantico.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Tour de U.S.
Wyatt and I leave tomorrow for our Tour de U.S.! It will be fun to get to see so many people, but I am not looking forward to the goodbyes.
First stop is Arizona for our friends' wedding in Winslow this weekend. Wyatt is going to be a ringbearer, and Tommy is a groomsman. They will be so cute! And Wyatt is soooo excited to see his daddy after a long 3 months!
Next stop is California to see my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, Tyler. Haven't seen them in two years, so very excited about that!
After that, it's back to Arizona (with Tommy this time, he'll be done with his class then), to stay with my best friend from Iowa State and see some other friends while we're there, too.
On the 13th, Wyatt and I fly to Iowa to see lots of family and friends. Tommy will be meeting us there later - he'll be driving my car. We will be there for 10 days and plan to see both sets of my grandparents, lots of friends at Iowa State and in Ames, take in a wedding of a former colleague, visit scattered friends throughout the state, and a family party to celebrate our going-away and my parents' 60th birthdays!
We fly back to Virginia on the 23rd, with Tommy driving again. When he gets back we have lots to do - sell the cars, check out of housing, the cat's appointments, see his family/friends, and I have my ultrasound appointment for the baby!
It is going to be a whirlwind next few weeks, but I'm ready to see everyone. It's been a year since I've been back to Iowa! And it will be nice to finally have Tommy back, at least for awhile. Wish us all safe travels~!
First stop is Arizona for our friends' wedding in Winslow this weekend. Wyatt is going to be a ringbearer, and Tommy is a groomsman. They will be so cute! And Wyatt is soooo excited to see his daddy after a long 3 months!
Next stop is California to see my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, Tyler. Haven't seen them in two years, so very excited about that!
After that, it's back to Arizona (with Tommy this time, he'll be done with his class then), to stay with my best friend from Iowa State and see some other friends while we're there, too.
On the 13th, Wyatt and I fly to Iowa to see lots of family and friends. Tommy will be meeting us there later - he'll be driving my car. We will be there for 10 days and plan to see both sets of my grandparents, lots of friends at Iowa State and in Ames, take in a wedding of a former colleague, visit scattered friends throughout the state, and a family party to celebrate our going-away and my parents' 60th birthdays!
We fly back to Virginia on the 23rd, with Tommy driving again. When he gets back we have lots to do - sell the cars, check out of housing, the cat's appointments, see his family/friends, and I have my ultrasound appointment for the baby!
It is going to be a whirlwind next few weeks, but I'm ready to see everyone. It's been a year since I've been back to Iowa! And it will be nice to finally have Tommy back, at least for awhile. Wish us all safe travels~!
The Kitties Can Come!
Yay, yay, yay! We found out yesterday that our cats, Tenga and Peaches, can fly with us to Japan! We are so excited. This has been very stressful for me to think about leaving them behind and what we might do with them... I do not believe in re-homing pets and when I adopted them, I adopted them for life, so this was a huge weight off my shoulders!
We have been working with this process for months now, because Japan in a Rabies-free country, and they want it to stay that way. So there are many steps you have to take to get them prepared to go. First we had them Micro-chipped, and then they had a series of two rabies vaccinations. After that was a blood draw which involved Tenga being taken to Fort Belvoir to be sedated, because she stresses out so much at the vet there was no other way to do it. She had a hard time coming out of the sedation and that was really scary. Then the blood samples were overnighted to Texas to a lab to test the blood's antibody levels. They "lost" Peaches', so we had to re-do the blood draw, which was highly traumatic. Finally, we received the test results, and of course, neither cat has rabies... :)
Yesterday we overcame the hurdle of getting them on the flight with us. There were no more pet spaces available in the cargo area, so they will be flying in soft carriers under our seats, which is actually what I would prefer anyway. This was a whole ordeal getting them on these flights that involved some heavy persuasion on Tommy's behalf with the powers that be, but it finally paid off!
The final step is that about a week before our flight, we have to get them each a Health Certificate showing they are in good health, and then take ALL of their paperwork (believe me, there is a lot) to the USDA to get certified in Richmond.
When we get to Japan, the cats will still have about 4 weeks of quarantine time left, (it is 180 days from the date of the blood draw), but they allow you to do that in your home IF you are living on base, which we have to.
Whew! Good thing I love my kitties ;) Super excited they get to come!!
We have been working with this process for months now, because Japan in a Rabies-free country, and they want it to stay that way. So there are many steps you have to take to get them prepared to go. First we had them Micro-chipped, and then they had a series of two rabies vaccinations. After that was a blood draw which involved Tenga being taken to Fort Belvoir to be sedated, because she stresses out so much at the vet there was no other way to do it. She had a hard time coming out of the sedation and that was really scary. Then the blood samples were overnighted to Texas to a lab to test the blood's antibody levels. They "lost" Peaches', so we had to re-do the blood draw, which was highly traumatic. Finally, we received the test results, and of course, neither cat has rabies... :)
Yesterday we overcame the hurdle of getting them on the flight with us. There were no more pet spaces available in the cargo area, so they will be flying in soft carriers under our seats, which is actually what I would prefer anyway. This was a whole ordeal getting them on these flights that involved some heavy persuasion on Tommy's behalf with the powers that be, but it finally paid off!
The final step is that about a week before our flight, we have to get them each a Health Certificate showing they are in good health, and then take ALL of their paperwork (believe me, there is a lot) to the USDA to get certified in Richmond.
When we get to Japan, the cats will still have about 4 weeks of quarantine time left, (it is 180 days from the date of the blood draw), but they allow you to do that in your home IF you are living on base, which we have to.
Whew! Good thing I love my kitties ;) Super excited they get to come!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Movers R Not Us
I am sitting here contemplating whether or not the movers will actually show up at my house today to take my belongings. They have not exactly been reliable, which gives me cause for my concern. First, it took me over a week to get the guy to return my phone calls to set up the pre-move survey (where they come and scope out what all you want to take, review move-day details, give you directions on what to do before they get there). When he did call, it was 8:20 at night, which I thought was odd, and our conversation was not promising. It went something like this:
Joby: Can we set it up for Wednesday?
Me: Umm... that's the day you're supposed to pick up my stuff.
Joby: Oh. What about Tuesday?
Me: Sure, anytime after 10 works. I have a Dr. appt. at 8:30.
Joby: Is it urgent?
Me: [Inner monologue: what do you mean is it urgent?! It's a doctor's appointment for Pete's Sake!] Instead, I say: The Dr. Appointment? Um.... well, I'm pregnant, so yes.
Joby: [big sigh] I guess it'll have to be 1 p.m.
Me: [refraining from inner monologue about how I ruined his 4-hour lunch] Thank you.
Then the company called yesterday, the day of the pre-move survey, and cancelled. Apparently Joby was stuck in North Carolina. They tried to reschedule for today... the day of the move~! I keep explaining to them that TODAY IS THE MOVE and they just don't seem to get it. And now here we are, 8:46 a.m., with no movers in sight. When I asked the dispatcher for reassurance that someone would be here today, his response was, "Tomorrow? Oh, yeah, I'm sure someone will be there."
Sweet.
Joby: Can we set it up for Wednesday?
Me: Umm... that's the day you're supposed to pick up my stuff.
Joby: Oh. What about Tuesday?
Me: Sure, anytime after 10 works. I have a Dr. appt. at 8:30.
Joby: Is it urgent?
Me: [Inner monologue: what do you mean is it urgent?! It's a doctor's appointment for Pete's Sake!] Instead, I say: The Dr. Appointment? Um.... well, I'm pregnant, so yes.
Joby: [big sigh] I guess it'll have to be 1 p.m.
Me: [refraining from inner monologue about how I ruined his 4-hour lunch] Thank you.
Then the company called yesterday, the day of the pre-move survey, and cancelled. Apparently Joby was stuck in North Carolina. They tried to reschedule for today... the day of the move~! I keep explaining to them that TODAY IS THE MOVE and they just don't seem to get it. And now here we are, 8:46 a.m., with no movers in sight. When I asked the dispatcher for reassurance that someone would be here today, his response was, "Tomorrow? Oh, yeah, I'm sure someone will be there."
Sweet.
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