Up North

Yep...I skipped my weekly update...but for a good reason! I am here, with the family. More soon!

Puppy Time, Clean Cars, and Broken Teeth

Owning a puppy is a little bit like...well...nothing that I've ever done before. One minute I'm oohing and ahhing over her abilities to sit so quietly when asked, to walk so perfectly, and to be so cute. The next? I'm emotionally spiraling out of control, mad at her for chewing on electrical cords, not walking like she should, and stinking up her little corner of our apartment. Pretty soon I forget the cute, drop into a terrible attitude, and let everything bother me- including the crooked vent above the stove. Really? Who put that in there, an amateur?

I'm not sure if I've had a worse week of feeling sorry for myself in a very long time. But eventually, I gotta pick up the pieces, remember she's a puppy and needs me to show her what's right and wrong, and strive for a better, more patient attitude. This little one sure is testing my patience. I'm so used to doing my own thing on my own terms. With just Keagan and I in the apartment, it's so easy. Even when we don't agree, we still understand each other. This puppy? Well...she speaks puppy and I speak selfish-human-who-likes-her-own-way.

Patience- that's the word of the week.

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It's been a very hot and humid week. I think I broke my record for most showers taken...ever. We're getting more and more used to Virginia- the place where people back into parking spots, walk outside with umbrellas on sunny days, and always have really clean cars. It's really not a bad place.

Besides the puppy that's taken up so much of this week's attention, we actually had a pretty eventful week! Keagan's hours were not bad, which really helped relax his emotional, overtired wife. (That's me, by the way). On Wednesday, I got to join a group of spouses for a recipe-swap party...something I had decided to host, not knowing at the time that we'd take be taking in a little yapper. Thankfully, another spouse graciously offered to host at her place. We got together, ate delicious food, and came home with fun new recipes to try. Food...it gets me so excited.

Thursday, I got a text from Keagan saying- "Guess who lost a tooth?" I responded by immediately making Jello. Turns out helmets don't always prevent injuries, but are sometimes the cause of them. Keagan's since been living with half of a front tooth. Hopefully, they can get him in to the dentist tomorrow to get it fixed. Until then, we're learning to appreciate the new look. :)

Friday, we had a much-needed, relaxing night, watching Robot & Frank and eating ice-cream. It was a fairly delightful movie. The ending, though, not so great.

We got ambitious on Saturday and decided to finally de-gravel our Iowan cars. Remember when I mentioned that people out here always have really clean cars? Well...they really do. It's almost compulsive. I once had a lady apologize to me about her messy car and I looked around and saw one rock. One. We finally got self-conscious enough about our cars that are so used to a comforting dusting of gravel, and went to town. We scrubbed every surface that could be scrubbed, hosed down every nook and cranny that could be hosed down, vacuumed out every piece of gravel and several bobby pins, and then went out to Gelato Cafe to cool down and relax. We probably need to stop rewarding ourselves with ice-cream...even if it is Italian. It was so satisfying though...these high-90's days with 100,000% humidity can really drain a person.

It's been nice to relax this weekend and have a little help with Miss Puppy. We even snuck out of the apartment to enjoy a date at Zibbibo 73- a lovely Italian restaurant with live piano music. 

This week? I guess it wasn't so bad. We're looking forward to a cooler week ahead...with a chance of storms.

I wish you a week filled with patience, fully-intact teeth, and cars that fit your regional standards of cleanliness.

Dear Puppy

I've wanted one of you for as long as I can remember, but I think that is because I have mostly hung out with the older versions of your kind. I knew I wanted a friend, though. Someone I could walk with when my husband wasn't around. Someone who would sit next to me and watch me be my boring, but content self, and love me anyways. Someone to laugh at and cuddle and simply just...have.

We've been looking for you for awhile now. We were hoping you'd be a little bit older, a lot more trained, and a little less expensive. But those stinkin' cute eyes tugged our heartstrings and caused us to make an "almost" impulse buy.

We drove an hour to find you. I think Keagan feared for his life as I drove, nervous and excited, Sunday evening to get you. Honestly, I didn't know if I was ready for you. But those eyes. Ugh...those puppy eyes. They captured us. We got to pick you up and bring you home and you didn't even pee in the car...until I parked it in front of our apartment complex. It was a heroic effort, puppy. It really was!

You actually had a pretty good night, considering how we tore you away from your comfortable home and set you on a pillow and blanket in our bathroom. You had a little accident, but that's to be expected, I suppose. I, on the other hand, did not have such a good night. I panicked, and worried I made a mistake, and didn't sleep more than 3 hours all night. I alternated between sleeping on the bathroom floor next to you, and right outside of the door where you could see me. That's the only way I could keep you happy.You poor, nervous, girl. I tried to google puppy advice to soothe me to sleep. It actually...kind of...worked.

We started a journal last night, trying to discover your habits and develop a routine with you. I think that was a good puppy-parent move. We have made a few mistakes- like not buying your crate until this morning (but I made it to the pet store and back without you destroying a single thing), stuffing a pillow in it that was was too fluffy (but you can't do without it) and still not naming you...because nothing suits you quite right yet. Oh, and I bought a food and water dish that's too big for your crate. Hmmph. We'll make more mistakes, but puppies forgive with enough petting and loving, right?

We have had some victories, though. I taught you how to climb the stairs that you were so afraid of. We've made it outside a few times without getting anything on the carpet today, and you crawled in your crate when I wasn't even looking. I dramatically thought that I was never going to get you to go in there, and that crate training was never even going to be an option. (Yes, we're crate training, but we're also keeping her active! It's the best of the options we considered for our lifestyle and hers). Now, you're peacefully sleeping in there, and I think you kind of like it. In fact, you won't even exit out the wide open door! I tried to nap beside you, because I'm tired and don't want to grab that toxic can of Mt. Dew in the fridge. I just couldn't do it, though. You've got my mind running a million miles an hour, but I think that's a good thing.

You're kind of a silly little thing. You like to dart around and chase the end of your tail. You can't go more than an hour without plopping yourself right in my lap. You don't really like to play, but maybe we haven't found the right toys for you yet. We're gonna get really good at walking, I hope. You did make it around the block today, just fine!

If you forgive me for my puppy-parent mistakes, I'll forgive you for turning our normally tidy apartment into this...

But we're going to work on it.

You scare me, a lot. I know next to nothing about actually training puppies. I just know about what I've read. We've got a lot to learn, you and I, but I think we're going to get along just fine. I really do. Sometimes, I think that I can't wait until you're older, but I know I'll miss the puppy days. And this blogging thing? Maybe it will be a good thing. You can sleep peacefully, as I relax by letting my thoughts flow through the fingers on my keyboard.

Libo! 96!

There are very rare circumstances that the TBS Marines (or any Marines, for that matter) get extra days off of training. Usually, it's long hours Monday-Friday, and "homework" on the weekends. We've been spoiled so far as we enjoyed Memorial Day off, and this week, the 4th and 5th off. In Marine lingo, Keagan got to enjoy a 96 (4 days/96 hours of liberty/time off). So this week? Yeah...it's been pretty great.

Monday through Wednesday, not much happened. I spent quite a bit of time re-organizing myself after "vacation" with the family. The organization-freak in me has trouble readjusting. We got back in a fairly normal routine though. I kept busy during the days, and had supper ready to enjoy with Keagan when he got home. Shorter hours were much appreciated!

Thursday, I spent hours in the kitchen, and then we had Kiley over to help us eat copious amount of holiday food. We enjoyed BBQ Pork Steaks, Grandma Nelson/Kay's Homemade Potato Salad, Watermelon, Corn on the Cob, Salad, Baked Beans, and Key-Lime Dessert. It's been so long since I've had so many dishes for one meal...we sure did enjoy it. There were leftovers galore, but believe it or not, Keagan and I ate the last bits for lunch today. Yum. Call us lame, but instead of venturing out to find fireworks, we stayed at home and watched a movie.



Friday, Keagan and I ventured to D.C. First, we stopped by the Natural History Museum. Hopefully, by the time we move away we'll have seen all of the Smithsonians! After enjoying supper at the Eastern Market, we went to the Original Marine Barracks on 8th and I for the Evening Parade. (Click on the links for more information). It was such a fun evening. The location is so interesting, and the Marines that performed were beyond incredible. If you're ever in the D.C. area, try to get tickets. It's worth it...even if you aren't affiliated with the military!




Saturday, we had to go see Despicable Me 2, of course! And today...we've just been relaxing. It feels great to have him around the house for so long. Tomorrow, it's back to the grind.

Another Week

Well, another week has come and gone. I keep waiting for a "normal" routine, but I think I've come to the realization that there will never be one. For the most part, I'm okay with that, although the boring, organization-loving girl inside of me is craving at least a couple days of staying at home and accomplishing the normal tasks. It's a tough balance to maintain.

Last week, my family trekked over 20 hours across the country to come see what the wonderful state of Virginia is all about. All six of them crammed in the minivan, threw a topper on top for the luggage, and somehow made it without anyone losing their mind. I'm convinced that whoever created the minivan had a big tolerance for families...I don't know how my family survived. They made it to Virginia late Saturday night- my mom with history books in hand, my brother with his x-box, and the rest with their running clothes. (Yes, they're the type of family that runs...even on vacation). 

The whole family after we spent a day getting soaked in D.C.

Because they were staying in Williamsburg (almost two hours away), Keagan and I did not see them until they joined us for church on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, due to Week 2 of Range Week, Keagan only got to see my family for a few hours on Sunday and a few hours on Friday. I, being the lucky one, got to stay at the resort with the crew and shared a room with the little sister...just like old times!

With the family, we saw a few different sides of the Virginia/D.C. area- historical, touristy, and a mix of both. Look for a more detailed post about the different spots soon...but for now I'll just give you a quick outline. :)

Sunday: Church, lunch, Marine Corps Museum, quick drive-through tour of the bases
Monday: Virginia Beach (complete with a shark sighting!)
Tuesday: D.C.- Metrorail experience, Holocaust Museum, Air & Space Museum, supper, the Capitol
Wednesday: Colonial Williamsburg
Thursday: Jamestown Settlement
Friday: D.C.- lots of rain, American History Museum, Museum of Natural History, cruising from monument to monument, supper and farewell.

The week breezed by...it almost feels like it never happened. It was a good week though, despite the weather being either extremely hot, or rainy. I think everyone left with a little more knowledge of and appreciation for our country and I came home only wishing they could have stayed longer.

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Keagan spent his second week out on the range, learning from the best, and earning ranks for pistol and rifle shooting. Again, they had long hours and early mornings, so they had to stay on base. They even spent one night over-night working on night shooting techniques. 

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Since my family left, we've been enjoying getting to spend evenings together (even if it's only for a couple of hours). I got to have Keagan home all day Saturday, but he had 24-hour duty starting early Sunday morning, so I had to share him with the Marine Corps a little longer. :) While he was on duty, I got to go to a grill-out with members of his platoon and a few other wives. Thankfully, I was allowed to bring him supper on base, so I packed a bag with spaghetti and other goods and enjoyed a quick 20 minute supper.

We're looking forward to a 4-day weekend due to the 4th of July...and this long of a break is pretty much unheard of, so we plan to take advantage of it! We've also been searching craigslist for puppies and cars...even though we're a ways off from actually being able to buy either. It's good to have big dreams, right?? :)