Rain drop on roses, Etc.

And now for the time of day where I tell you my favorite things, because you know how much you care!

Favorite chips: Miss Vickies jalapeno, because they are spicy and awesome
Favorite Asian lady: Crazy Asian Lady, the one that takes naps in her boat of a town car outside my coffee shop, which she always manages to park in such a way that I'm sure she will one day damage something.
Favorite drugged-Luke moment: When, dispite having his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday morning, he insisted on eating marshmallows and chocolate. "I'm just going to let them melt in my mouth," he said as he clutched the candy. I took them away and hid them in a closet.
Favorite pool: Keeler, bar none. This is the secret pool portal for special swimmers only, but I found it -- yes me! And if I can get in there, I get to swim mostly alone and in a pool that is not 1,000 degrees (this is a rant for a different time, but believe me, it is coming. I just have to wait until some stupid Army dude pisses me off enough, and then - bam! you're in for it).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in coffee house land, I'm trying to take over the world. I finally decided that my whole semi-obsession with managing this dump is not so much based on desire for glory as boredom, and therefore I don't really care if he pays me more. I just want something more to do ...

It really didn't take any convincing -- I was surprised.

"I think there's enough down time, that, if you wanted, I could do the scheduling for you," I said.

"Oh! Excellent," said Bossman. And that was it.

We'll see how this goes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ah, Ohio. God's country? Not sure. But we are going there anyway ...

Maybe I just feel completely unprepared for this trip -- maybe I just haven't obsessed over it enough, or I just don't care. We'll be there for 4.5 days, whether I like it or not, meeting my future brother in law and seeing some good, old friends from College Days of Yore.

Pictures forthcoming, no doubt.

Really the thing is that I'm just sick of traveling. Why can't I be left here in peace? I don't want to get on a plane or go anywhere for a VERY long time after this ... oh wait, we have to go back to Ohio for Luke's sister's wedding in October. Sigh, so much for that.

Blah.

Hating on Dentists and Other Stuff

Last year the dentist told me "you may need a root canal," and I said "need or do? because that's different ..."

And I walked out without one.

Yesterday I was not so lucky.

"Yup, root canal," the jolly dentist said. And without even pausing for a "ughnonoidontwantone!" he started drilling.

And now I have a hole in my tooth with a temporary filling until they can slap another one on there. Meanwhile, the temp one was so sharp it has cut up my tongue and, after filling it down myself last night with a little tiny nail file so that I could swallow at all (my family has a long and glorious tradition of self-dentistry, starting when father sanded down his own tooth and followed by him super gluing it back on another time), I went to the dentist and had them do it for me.

Mmmk.

Meanwhile, I'm really tired all of the sudden, so I'm going to stop writing this now. But tomorrow you may expect:

-- A riveting list of some of my favorite things
-- How I will systematically take over the world (starting with the coffee shop, obviously)
-- Thoughts on my impending doom ... er ... trip to Ohio

Rainy Days and .... Everyday

After sweltering and melting into a tiny little puddle of Amy for three days last weekend, the Washington weather turned and left us with (just guess) rain. Lots and lots of rain. Rain pretty much for five days straight.

And now it's beautiful again.

Don't get me wrong -- even the day it was so wet that I could've kayaked to work I was grateful for the temperature change. That 90-something sun shine left my apartment very, very stuffy and no amount of window opening could change that.

We plan to enjoy today's sunshine with a trip to Point Defiance, one of my favorite area places.


Maybe we'll stop for chowder at a restaurant down there that makes the most delicious clam chowder ... mmm....

Which brings me to all the hunger. I've been basically starving lately, and it's really starting to drive me crazy. While I was contemplating the bajillion pounds this problem is libel to force on me if I cater to it, I decided that from now on I'm basically going to ignore the hunger and drink more diet coke.

That's right, diet coke is the answer to everything.

Abigail, I feel you should remember that.

And now there's a hole

It was an Anne of Green Gables moment -- magical, really -- or maybe that's too cheesy. But nonetheless, I sat in Bible study that first time and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the two of us would be fast friends. I had had that moment before, standing in front of Ebenezers with Dana, informing a certain Hyla that we should be friends. I knew what that moment meant -- I had found a kindred spirit.

When that stupid Cpt. loud mouthed at that ridiculous fight night last spring that all upcoming captains would be moved away from Fort Lewis, it was like my little stable world -- and stability is sooo anti-Army -- was crumbling around me. I jabbed Luke, "they canNOT leave," I said, "they canNOT."

"Yes they can," he said. "That's what people in the Army do --they leave."

And so they did. I didn't get to say goodbye, either, but maybe that's for the best. After all, I suck at goodbyes and always end up cracking slightly out of place jokes about things that really aren't that funny to start with.

The good news is that she will come back, and maybe my little anti-stable world will teeter a little less, what with all the sarcastic wit and such.

Abigail, we need you. Counting the days until your return.

Amy Loves Sports! A special this week only!

You heard it right, I love sports -- but only until the Olympics are over.

I first noticed this strange sports loving phenomenon a few years ago during the world cup when I felt inlined to ditch work (and did!) to watch the USA team play a mid-day match. Unprecidented. So weird.

Under normal circumstances you couldn't pay me to do something like that, and it's well known that I see major sporting events as an opportunity to talk to my friends non stop and eat chips while boys watch the TV for a few hours.

And yet this morning I watched a full two quarters of the USA v. China basketball game of my own volition and, shocking, actually enjoyed it.

And then I watched volleyball. And then I watched swimming. And then I watched diving.

It's out of control over here!

And so I ask myself -- why? Why the duce would I love these sports and not others?

Because when it comes to the USA as one cohesive unit playing against all the other countries I actually care. It's clean cut, us against them -- and for some reason I just cannot grip that when it's up between whatever team and whatever team. BORING!

Luke thinks that I'm crazy and that it's all the same thing. Also, he doesn't understand how I can enjoy the sport and not be screaming at the TV.

"Because screaming at the TV helps the people on the other side win. They feel it in their spirit," says Luke.
"And your football team has not won the championship in two years despite the screaming because...?" I ask.
"I haven't been able to watch the game in two years! I was working. I don't always scream while I'm working." he says.

Uh-huh.

That Old Black Habit and Happy Birthday to Me

I have a bad habit of getting really, really t-oed when I feel like I'm being ignored/left out/slighted. You can pretty much bet large quantities of money on this problem: if I'm mad because of a circumstance, it's probably because I feel like I'm being intentionally passed by, or unintentionally forgotten (which is worse, because -- hello!? -- how could anyone possibly forget about amazing, fun, everyone-wants-to-be-around Amy!?).

Enter the FRG. Remember how I was all "I'm going to be the FRG superstar?" Well that lasted approximately one week. And then the person who actually communicatd with me left the Charlie Company. And I never heard from the FRG leader.

Ah, that was OK (thought I), because I wasn't technically an Army wife yet and so technically they didn't need to want me to help them.

But then the wedding came and went, and I still had not heard from anyone. Then my husband went to the field for six days, a time when (rumor has it) the FRG sends emails noting changes of plans in return times and all that jazz.

Still nothing. I chose to ignore this whole thing until Luke came home and informed me that I am supposed to be the POC for his platoon -- that would be point of contact, who calls other wifes periodically to let them know about stuff, like the field business I was talking about a bit ago.

Now I started to get a little miffed. I mean, awesome me would love to be involved, but people are going to have to make a little effort to reach out first, cuz there's no way I'm going to do this if no one wants me around.

Fast forward to last night -- I didn't go to a girl's dinner at a friend's house because an FRG meeting was scheduled and, so help me, I was going to make an effort to force these people to want me around. ... that plan would've been awesome, only excepting they moved locations without telling us (or maybe they told Luke in a message on his cell phone, but he deleted it without listening to the whole thing... and let's be honest I was mad at him but I would've done the exact same thing) so we couldn't find them. And a senior NCO's wife/officer's wife coffee scheduled for Thursday evening that I've been hearing about from other people for some time? Still not invited.

A-nnoy-ing.

I stewed about this for approximately two hours before the captain's wife in question called me ... claims to have been sending me emails for a month, but never got a response (um, so, call?). We'll assume she was sending them to the wrong address (what IS it with people and that? Throw back to the mayor's press secretary in D.C. who refused to admit that he had my email address wrong when I complained for an entire year about NEVER getting his press releases ... only to announce two days before he left the job that "oh yeah, I realized I typed your address wrong" ... that man was very tall, but one of the stupidest people I've ever dealt with, but I digress).

For the record, she did seem embarrassed.

I would like to think I was upset about this whole situation for reasons beyond just feeling slighted. I really do want to be helpful and involved with people who need people, and I am certain that the FRG is the perfect way to do this ... it is heart breaking, on some level, to be left a place where that is impossible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy birthday to me.

A year ago today the love of my life got his clarity all unblocked and gave me call to tell me that he was tired of fighting it and we should be together. A simple blog post that meant so, so much when read by the right person.

And now I'm married to him, not to mention one digit greater -- a whopping 24-years-old.

No major plans for celebration. As The Girl Who Ruins Surprises I expect myself to accidentally foil all birthday attempts through stubbornness, oblivion or sheer stupidity. Therefore were we really surprised when I found one of my birthday gifts from Luke while he was gone hidden in his shirt drawer? (I maintain my innocence -- the shirts were in desperate need of refolding and reorganizing. Is it my fault that he chose to hide it somewhere where I go regularly to put away his laundry? I think not).

District Happiness

It's been a lovely two days in the District, I'll not lie. I arrived not super exhausted, proceeded to Ebs and saw my people, ate lunch with a friend took a short nap, swam, ate dinner with my Hyla, slept, more Ebs, more lunch with people, more dinner with Hyla, more swimming.

And now my husband is on his way here. Yay.

I was very afraid coming back I would feel that I miss this place and how I lived here so much that I would want to stay. Sure, Luke would be a strong lure otherwise, but I was afraid I would feel ... overcome ... by the past.

I am relieved, however, that that is not the case after all. Walking down my streets, past the buildings I once haunted, seeing people I used to spend all my waking moments with, swimming in my awesome (cold!) public pool ... and I realized that really I don't miss my former life here so much as I miss the people and the relationships.

I feel that is acceptable.

And now, for (Nolan) wedding fun.

Speaking of wedding fun, guess what I scored? My wedding photos!!! Woohoo! I'll upload some here later, meanwhile they are on Facebook. Check it out.