Reflection

As I type this, a man that has meant so much to our family is being remembered at his funeral in Oklahoma.
I wish that we could be there to pay our respects and to share with others what his kindness meant to us this past year.
On Feb. 11, I received a call from my aunt letting me know that Dave had been killed in a car accident.
As it always does, death seems unreal, unfair and ill-timed.

Dave was the attorney who handled our adoption.
He and I spent countless days calling each other back and forth, trying to resolve the newest issue that had popped up with finalizing our adoption.
I don't believe our adoption was particularly difficult but these things are just very emotional.
And it is no small feat to adopt a baby.
Over the months it took us to finalize, David worked tirelessly to make things easier for Ryan and I.
Staying up late to send things to Ryan in Afghanistan, letting me vent about things beyond his control and always being honest with us even when he knew we would be upset.
He always had our best interest in mind and he often told me to let him be the "bad guy".
I think he should have earned some sort of title as therapist for the amount of counseling he provided me during those trying times.
How many attorneys allow you to cry and scream and then give your encouragement in return?
He was one of a kind.
He was thoughtful, smart, funny and honest.
And I only knew him for a few short months.
I can only imagine what richness he brought to the lives of those who were fortunate enough to know him for years.

Thank you for everything you were and everything you did for us, Dave.


 

Curry Chicken Salad Goodness

Janette taunted me on Facebook yesterday by telling me she was having Curry Chicken Salad for lunch.
So today I decided to treat myself with some of my own.
I. Love. This. Stuff.
And it's so easy and you can really make it however you like it, it's impossible to mess up.
And so I thought I would share my recipe with anyone who hasn't had it before.

1. Boil chicken breast for 15-20 minutes or until completely cooked through.
2. Remove chicken from water and allow to cool.
3. Shred chicken with a fork or by hand.
    This is what mine looks like when I'm done, you can make it chunkier or finer.

 



4. Sprinkle enough curry powder to coat the chicken.
5. Add mayo and stir, again it's up to you how much you like.
6. Add craisins! I add lots and lots.
7. Add chopped celery, chopped pineapple, diced apple or nuts.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper. ( I usually skip the salt).
9. Give it a good stir and add more of whatever you like most.

TADA! Easy Peasy.

 



 



I usually make enough for at least two servings because it is just as yummy the next day.

I eat mine as is but it makes a great sandwich too :)



 

Six Months of Sweetness :)

Our little man is six months old today.

It's hard to believe babies can change as much as they do in such a short period of time.

ZBob has gone from napping all day and depending on mom for every need.

Now he is a mobile little independent boy.

He is such a blessing. He fills every day with smiles and such joy.

This month he has transformed into a little ball of movement and curiousity.

He has started crawling backwards and rolling across the floor.

He can sit up and control his hands.

He plays in the pool and loves to yell at Murphy.

He has screams of happiness and screams of anger.

He smiles and frowns and every emotion between.

We are convinced we have a little dare devil on our hands.

The kid has no fear, he just wants to go!

 

So Happy 1/2 Birthday to the most precious little boy in the world!

 

 

 

Ryan AKA Amelia Bedelia

When we moved from Hawaii for the deployment we decided to sell Ryan's Jeep.
Since we have been back, we have gone back and forth about whether or not to buy another vehicle.
For now, we are a single car family.
This works out fine since Ryan hasn't been working much and Z and I just hang around the house.

With that being said, I sometimes ask Ryan to run errands while he is on post.
Yesterday I sent him to work with a shopping list.

In my mind, when I wrote "4 large carrots", it meant that I did not want baby carrots.
However, Ryan took that as a challenge to find the largest carrot on the island.
And his mission was a success. Seriously, look at the size of this carrot!

When I emptied the grocery bags and pulled that jewel out I couldn't help but laugh.
It made me think of the childrens books about Amelia Bedelia.
While I know it wasn't exactly an Amelia moment, it brought to mind how much enjoyed those books as a kid.
So now I am determined to share silly laughs over Amelia with Z when he gets a bit older.
Amazon, here I come!

 

An Update

It seems like time is moving so quickly now that we are back in Hawaii.
Waiting for Ryan to get home from Afghanistan seemed to add at least 20 extra hours to each day.
Now they just fly by.
Zach will be six months old this week!
He has blossomed into such a funny, adventurous little boy.
We think we have a future dare devil on our hands, they baby knows no fear.

Ryan's battalion is on block leave until the end of the month so he has not been working much.
We have been spending our free time at the pool and walking down to the lagoons.
Z is becoming quite the water baby.
If you haven't seen his swimming video on Shutterfly, it's a must.
I had to make Ryan watch a documentary about babies and their reflex to hold their breath before Ryan approved that experiment but it turned out to be really fun.
We also have found a new favorite place to eat, Monkeypod Kitchen.
They have live music everyday from 3-5:30 and all appetizers and pizzas are half-price.
As they say on the islands, "it's so ono" (delicious).

Ryan just started his last semester at Embry-Riddle.
He is going to walk across the stage June 22nd!!
I am so proud of him and what an achievement.

My mom is coming for a visit in exactly one week.
Janette and Marc will be here in April.
Natalie and Tyler and baby V will be here in April.
and hopefully my grandparents and my sweet cousin T will be here this summer.

Ryan and I are going to his battalions ball next week to celebrate their homecoming.
I am pretty excited about my new dress, pictures to come!

Hopefully in the next few weeks Ryan will be getting orders to our next duty station.
We think we know where it will be but I won't dare put it in writing until we get the official word.

Lots of good stuff to come.
Love you all!

 

I'm baaaaaack.

:)

I need to talk.

I know it has been months since I last blogged but to be honest, I have just been trying to get by without R.
It is amazing how you can live your whole life (well, 23 years) not knowing someone and then once they are in your life, it is as if you forget how to live without them.
I am not saying that we do everything together but we do always have the option of doing things together.
Now I am solo, like it or not.
And that is okay, because I know that this is what being a military spouse is about.
And I know that this is why Ryan became a pilot, to save the lives of troops.
In fact, the motto of the 25th ID is:

 

We Fly For The Troops
• Dark of Night, Heat of Day
• Challenging Weather
• Harsh Terrain
• Hostile Territory• Always Mitigating Risk
• With the Best Maintained Equipment in the Army

 Until The Fight on the Ground Is Won!

But no matter how motivating the motto, or how many years you are a military spouse, it never gets any easier when you hear about the loss of your husband's friends.
Thursday, Ryan lost three of his friends in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
And I have no idea how to comfort him, I feel completely useless.
And on top of that, I feel the need to be comforted myself.
I feel this loss too. I feel it for him.
I feel it for their families.
It wasn't Ryan but it was someones "Ryan".
Everyone over there has someone waiting back home, praying for their return, sending them letters and packages. Waiting for pictures and emails.
There are people just like me, who have just learned their loved one is not coming home.
And that is too much to bear.

And the part that really breaks my heart is that no one even knows this happened.
Our media spends countless hours telling us that Dick Clark and Whitney Houston have died but most Americans are not even aware that a helicopter crashed last Thursday.
They have no idea that four heroes are gone.
Every one's lives just go on as frivolously as ever.
It is hard not to get bitter.
It is hard not to resent people for not caring.
How can they be so clueless?
How can they be so unaware?

When these things happen, it makes everything else seem so trivial.
There is a two year old out there today who will never see his dad again.
There is a wife who will never kiss her husband again.
There are mothers and fathers who will never get to tell their sons they love them again.
And people are complaining about Mondays or traffic or bills or being busy?
I just want to scream "Get some perspective"!!

I'm sure I could go on in this manner for an hour but it won't change anything.
If you are offended by this, it is probably safe to say that I am offended by you.
So let's just agree to disagree.