The post where I discuss the second trimester

This pregnancy has flown by so far (but what I am told the third trimester drags on slower than molasses in January). So here is my second trimester recap....

Most Exciting Moment…
Feeling Little Boy move (yep...I said boy). I couldn't get over watching my stomach twitch when he moved. I still can't (although now it is getting pretty freaky...not really twitches anymore...full on rolls.) Finding out the gender was also pretty awesome.


Most Challenging Moment…
Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. That pretty much sucks. I don't have to take any insulin which is a bonus but having to limit my carb intake when I am a potato and pasta person hasn't been all that fun. I wasn't a very good diabetic over Thanksgiving weekend though.... I was careful I didn't go too crazy but ERMAGERD the food was DELICIOUS.

One Thing I’m Proud Of…
I was able to keep running up until week 24 or so when I pulled a groin muscle. It is finally almost healed in week 29 so I am gonna try to go for jog/walks again. 

One Thing I Wish Were Different…
For the most part everything has been fairly easy. There are a couple things I would change but for this blog that is as far into details as I'm gonna go... :-p

Cravings
French Onion Soup....from Applebees. By the vat full. I ate two bowls at every visit and I went (usually) at least twice a week. Drool. And now I want soup....

Also, Little Debbie brownies. Not the best thing for a person with gestational diabetes to crave but I've made it work.

Aversions
Nothing was too overly digusting during the second trimester.

My Physical State Included…
Peeing. A lot. A lot of peeing. Waking up early and not being able to go back to sleep (luckily I could take naps like a champ). Still not much weight gain.

Symptoms I [Thankfully] Didn’t Have…
Crazy cravings and terrible mood swings.... Ain't nobody got time to bawl over the fact there aren't any artichoke popsicles or something. Swelling.  

One Thing That Surprised Me…
The long car rides I had to endure weren't as bad as I thought they would be. Don't get me wrong....they weren't fun but they weren't like I was expecting.

Baby Names and Nicknames
The uterus alien shall be known as Cain Kenneth Sylvester. :-D

Looking Forward To…
Seeing my belly REALLY roll. The end product of having a smallish child.



Pretty short recap but it'll do. :-)

~Turtle

The post where I voice my opinion and probably piss off some of my friends...

Okay. This is going to be one of those posts where I ramble and string thoughts from one thing to another because I am irritated.

I apologize in advance if I piss anyone off.

Adam was watching an interview with the nephew of the man that died in Dallas from Ebola. I can't find the video now to reference it but as he was watching it I was yelling at his phone as if the man could actually hear me.

And I quote.... "If he hadn't been a black man he would still be alive."

Really? You're gonna throw the race card? Really?

I do not consider myself to be a racist person. I look at the person as a whole rather than the color of their skin. I will form opinions based on your stupidity levels...not your color. That being said we can move on.

Yes, the hospital made mistakes. They were unprepared and uneducated and did not have the odds in their favor when Mr. Duncan came in. Yes, they screwed up and sent him home even though he was sick. Do I think that had anything to do with him being black? No. Uninsured? That is more in the realm of things possible. I have been on the receiving end of shitty hospital care because I was uninsured. It does happen. They should have taken into account that he had just come from Liberia and considered Ebola as a possibility....but they didn't. Americans tend to live in their "oh that won't happen here" bubble and it bites us in the ass on more than one occasion.

Another thing Americans tend to do is expect everything to work out because we are in America. Life doesn't work out that way. So sorry. I think Mr. Duncan's chances of survival were higher here than in Liberia. As I said before, I think the hospital was ill prepared to deal with an Ebola case and it is unfortunate that Mr. Duncan died but I don't think he would have had great chances in Liberia where, most of the people that are sick and dying are black. If he had died there then would his nephew be saying, "If he hadn't been a black man he would still be alive"? 

Two nurses have tested positive for Ebola. News flash....one of them is black.....one is not. They are receiving care and hopefully they will not die. Does the non-black one have to die to prove this isn't a race issue? Seriously. If the black nurse dies is this gonna turn into a Ferguson issue?

Oh, and THAT lovely gem of current events. White, black, purple, orange or maroon....if you act like a thug and threaten a police officer...you will get shot. If you SHOOT at a police officer THEY WILL SHOOT BACK. For the love of GOD and all things holy...if you act like a thug you will be treated like one. Yes...in some cases that have occurred I do believe that the police were in the wrong and that racial profiling did occur. I think that is a shame and it is sad that it does happen. But more often than not the person lives up to their stereotypes and that is why the police react the way they do. The case of the foster kid that was black getting pepper sprayed in an assumed robbery...he was calm until the police asked him why his pictures weren't on the mantel in his white foster family's house if he lived there like he said he did. He got pissed and wouldn't calm down and came at the cops forcefully and angry...he was warned to calm down and didn't....so they sprayed him.

Moral of the story.... if you don't want the color of your skin to be an issue don't make the color of your skin such a big damn deal.

The post where I discuss the alien in my belly

I had many people tell me what it would feel like when I finally felt Cain move....


"It feels like bubbles popping."
"It feels like gas but you never fart."
"It feels like when you're in a pool and you wave your hand close to your stomach and the current pushes on your skin....but on the inside."
"It feels like when you drive over a bump in the road and your stomach lifts."

That all may be true and accurate descriptions but I would like to add one to the list....

"It feels like you just ate a taco. A delicious taco...nice and spicy...perfect amount of grease. You obliterate the taco and relax on the couch. But then something happens in the intestinal area. The taco has come to life and wants out and the preferable route for the taco's exit is through your belly button.... Welcome to pregnancy...you have an alien in your belly that loves tacos."

I felt Cain move around 20w1d pregnant. I felt him move on the outside (and so did Adam) at 21w2d. I caught him on video thumping his way around my uterus at 21w4d.... This is also the approximate timeline that I went from food baby bump to actual baby bump status....

 

I still don't quite "feel" pregnant...but I think I will soon... I have a banana sized baby that likes to sit on my bladder soooooooo......

~Turtle

The post where I discuss a fear and reveal the gender to blog land

I am terrified of smallish children.

No really. You may think I am kidding but I am not. Smallish children fresh from the uterus scare the living bajeezus out of me. They are essentially bobbleheads with broken springs.

I have been terrified of broken bobbleheaded babies since I can remember.

Example: When I was just about to start fifth grade my best friend Erin acquired a little sister named Regan. I wouldn't hold her. I would look at her and make dorky faces and play with her but when asked if I wanted to hold her I decided that I needed to be as far away from her as I possibly could get. I don't remember which one of the Stacey family finally called me out for being terrified but I do remember when I finally "held" her...

She was probably about six months old or so...big enough to be sitting up on her own... and she was playing in Brendan's room. I remember arguing with someone about how I was NOT afraid to hold her and I was finally like, "Fine!" So... I went into Brendan's room, sat on the floor behind her and put my hands on her waist. When someone asked if I was gonna hold her I said, "I AM holding her!"

Since then I have gotten better about it. Once the bobblehead's spring is strong enough to support its own noggin' I am all about cuddling the cute little boogers. I will hold them prior to that milestone but in all honesty I am internally freaking out. I hold them long enough to pretend I am not terrified and then I am looking for someone....anyone...who wants to hold it more than I do. The only time I am semi comfortable is if I am sitting when I am handed the baby, the baby is sleeping so it is not moving and I am not required to move...at all. If I need to get up....someone else takes the baby before I get up. If the baby starts to squirm....someone else takes the baby because I have suddenly found a very important reason why I need to get up. If I am standing when holding the baby I will only stand long enough to find someone else to hold the baby or to find a place to sit.

And if I am standing and the baby starts to squirm.....Oh dear GOD someone take the baby.

Why am I rambling on and on about my fear of the weak necked newborns? Beeeecaauuuseeee I am about to HAVE one.

I am not terrified to give birth. I am not terrified to have a baby. I am excited. I love babies. But I am terrified of being alone with a broken spring bobblehead. I know I will be fine and motherly instincts will kick in and all that jazz... I know that... but that is what I am scared of....holding him and feeling like a shitty mother for wanting to play pass the baby because I am terrified.

Oh yeah....by the way....it is a boy. Here is (as Adam calls it) the "junk seen from space".

Yeah... I am terrified of my unborn broken spring bobbleheaded boy.

Don't judge me.

~Turtle

The post where I discuss the first trimester...

The first trimester is behind me. It went by fast and slow at the same time…. “Wow, I am already 12 weeks!” (Five minutes later) “Ugh, I am only 12 weeks…”

Being in Oklahoma and having most of my family and friends in New York and Michigan I tend to rely on Facebook as a way to keep everyone in the loop. I am not a very private person when it comes to things I am excited about (clearly….I was only four weeks pregnant when we announced to the world. Screw that whole ‘wait til the second trimester thing’. The only way I would have been able to do that is if I disabled my Facebook account). A few years ago I pulled an April Fool’s joke where I posted “Today’s forecast is cloudy with a 100% chance of morning sickness.” People were not amused. Some got downright pissed off. I told myself that when I did get pregnant I wasn’t going to tell anyone except my parents and a couple of friends until I was around seven months pregnant and post a photo of my big ol belly with the caption, “See kids….this is why you don’t eat watermelon seeds” and then have everyone freak because they didn’t know yet. Clearly that didn’t happen. I was just too excited to keep my mouth shut. Anywho…anyone that reads my Facebook posts knows my first trimester was a little rough in some aspects but over all it could have been worse….and there were some moments that were pretty damn good.

So without further ado…. here is my long winded first trimester recap.

Finding Out and Telling Family

I touched on this in my last post. I wasn’t even late yet. I ordered a weird pizza topping and ate the crap out of it and I peed on the stick because…well….why not. I had been in Texas Memorial Day weekend and Kerri gave me a “baby goodie bag” with ovulation strips, two pregnancy tests and a baby outfit. I did one of the ovulation tests when I got home and the line was faint…I did another one the next day and the line was gone. I figured I had missed the window for the month. (I am pretty sure we conceived over that weekend…so the chance wasn’t missed…but I didn’t know that then.) So June 9^th, for shits and giggles, I peed on a stick from the “goodie bag”. I had peed on several sticks in the past, all negative and I didn’t expect this one to be any different so I didn’t wait the prescribed time. No line. I threw it out.
About an hour later I had to pee again so I was sitting there doing my thing and something in my mind made me fish the test out of the trash can. There was a line. A very faint one but still…..a line. I took a picture, sent it to Kerri (June 9^th is, by the way, Kerri’s birthday) with the caption, “IS THAT A MFNG LINE?!?!?!?” She said it was but when I told her it had been a little over an hour she said it could be an evaporation line and a false positive and to try again in the morning. So I calmly went back into the living room with Adam…didn’t say a word… and continued to watch TV. No big deal. I figured it was gonna be negative in the morning.

5AM rolls around. I wake up and stumble into the bathroom. Take the remaining pee stick from the “goodie bag”, do my thing and let the dogs out while I waited for it to season. Verdict…..line. Not as faint as the one the night before. An actual legit line. So I took a picture at ass crack dawn, sent it to Kerri with the caption, “Okay….now THAT is an mfing line!” and got ready for work. I was still calm. I had expected that when the day came that a pee stick was positive I would be bouncing off the walls but no….call it shock or disbelief or something but I was very much like, “Okay. Cool. I’m pregnant. Where are my work boots?”
I still didn’t tell Adam. I went to work. Went to medical. Had a blood test done. They said they would call me in a couple hours. Went back to work. Peed on a third stick…positive. Got the call and the lady was all, “Okay you need to schedule a pregnancy resource meeting blah blah blah…” I asked her if that meant the blood test was positive. She goes, “Oh! Yes! Congratulations.” I still didn’t freak out. I went home and grabbed the shirt I had made a few months back to tell Adam with (the “Looks like we need to find some stairs” shirt), called him and asked him if he wanted to go to lunch with me, met him in the parking lot of his work and had the shirt on over my uniform. He said, “Oh geez” and gave me a huge hug. (He insists he did not say “oh geez” but I have it on tape :-p) On the way to the BX for lunch I was babbling away and he was silent. I finally asked him if he was okay or if he was freaking out or what was going on in his mind and he said, “This is me emotional.” I glanced at him and he had a big shit eatin’ grin on his face. :-)  He told me later that he knew I was gonna tell him I was pregnant because I had never asked him to go to lunch before. Hahaha.

After work we put on our silly shirts and had Chris take a picture to use as our announcement. Before I posted it we called our parents and I called a couple of Aunts, Uncles and friends that I didn’t want to have find out via FB and get upset. His parents and siblings were excited and happy for us. I don’t know exactly what they said since he made those calls but here are my parents reactions:

My Mom: I told her that Mooshie and Midnight were going to be sad because they were going to have to share Memaw’s love and attention with a human baby. She didn’t freak like I thought she would (like mother like daughter since I didn’t freak like I thought I would either). She said she was happy and congratulated us and was excited. :-)

My Dad: I asked him about the job he was on and where he was headed next. I asked him where he thought he was going to be in February. He said, “Not here.” I told him that wherever he ended up at that time he was gonna have to swing by OKC to meet his Grandbaby. There was a five second pause and he said, “I just might have to do that.” Then he told his buddy I was pregnant and then he goes, “It’s about damn time!” Hahaha.

I have to share Nickie’s reaction too because it was pretty priceless… We have a thing about the movie Juno. She was working and wasn’t answering her phone and finally texted me to get me to stop blowing her pocket up. I told her she needed to call me because I had to tell her something. When she got a moment she called and told me, “You have about five seconds.” So I said, “Yo yo giggity yo. My eggo of preggo and this ain’t no food baby.” She freaked. “ARE YOU F-ING SERIOUS?!??!”  Then the five second rule went out the window and she was in planning mode…talking baby showers and shit. I told her to slow her roll since the kid didn’t even have a face yet. Hahahaha. She cracks me up.

Then we posted this picture on FB and our phones blew up for a few days with notifications, texts and calls. :-)

Most Exciting Moment…
The first ultrasound. Adam went with me and the doc (Dr. Heather Jones at OU is who I chose to be my OB) did her measurements and what not then told Adam to stand by my head. She turned the monitor around so we could see it and there was our baby. A little teeny Squirt chillin’ upside down. We could see it’s little legs and the heartbeat flickering away. We were staring at it, grinning like idiots and suddenly it started wiggling around like it was putting on a show. I don’t think it had really sunk in that there was a smallish child in there until that moment. Seeing it move even though I couldn’t feel it was pretty surreal. It is amazing what a woman’s body can do and how a few cells can become that little wiggle worm. It’s amazing and a little creepy too haha.

Most Challenging Moment…
This damn headache I have had for over a month has created some challenging moments. The worst by far was having Skipper asking what I wanted him to do because my head hurt so much I couldn’t stop crying. That goes down as the most embarrassing moment so far too. I have never had such a terrible headache before. Hopefully it doesn’t get that bad again because that was a little ridiculous.

One Thing I’m Proud Of…
I (so far) haven’t taken pregnancy as meaning an eating free for all. I’ve kept pretty healthy and sensible with my eating. I gained three pounds weeks 4-12 and lost all three during week 13 because it is hard to be hungry when your head is throbbing. I am hoping the hunger kicks in soon so Doc doesn’t kill me for not gaining any weight by my next appointment.

One Thing I Wish Were Different…
The only thing I would change is the headache. I didn’t really want to take any medicine while pregnant and there were times where I literally couldn’t function without it. Sucky.

Cravings
Baked potatoes (potatoes in any form really), orange juice and spicy foods showed up repeatedly during the first trimester. The only one that is still around is potatoes. I love me some spuds!

Aversions
The smell of raw steak or steak cooking. Adam made steak a few times and I sat on the front stoop because I couldn’t stand the smell and I could smell it through the whole house. I also had an aversion to the smell of Chinese food but fortunately that only lasted a week or so.

My Physical State Included…
Boobs of steel...I had two rocks attached to my chest until week 11. Queasy like a beast. Peeing every 15 seconds. Extremely ridiculous nap time sessions. Headache from hell.

Symptoms I [Thankfully] Didn’t Have…
The “sickness” side of morning sickness…got sick a couple of times but not the all day everyday thing you hear about sometimes. Hard core mood swings... I was moody but I am a female soooo…there is that. Skin changes.

One Thing That Surprised Me…
How sweet Adam has been. He is a sweet guy, don’t get me wrong, but he has surprised me a few times going above what I would expect from him. I was in the shower trying to get my throbbing head under control and he drew me a bath, added bubble bath, got a towel to use as a pillow and left me to soak. He even asked me if I wanted him to get me a book to read while I soaked. I love him.

Baby Names and Nicknames
We do have our names picked out but we aren’t advertising them online until we find out the gender (September 22^nd). I have started calling the baby Squirt because my nickname is Turtle and this is the Tiny Turtle and the Tiny Turtle in the mivie ‘Finding Nemo’ is Squirt. “Duuuuude! You totally rock, Squirt!” I also call it My Little Parasite if I am feeling like crap because, by definition, it is a parasite. A cute wittle parasite.

Looking Forward To…
More energy, less headache, a bump instead of a bloat, feeling the baby move, finding out the gender so we know who is in there (ENS or CKS?)

So there ya go. A long winded first trimester recap. Great party!

~Turtle

The post where I discuss how being pregnant has made me even weirder than I already am.....

I got home from the grocery store today with an arm load of bags...

Adam: "What's all this?"
Me: "Food."
Adam: "Since when do you do grocery shopping???"
Me: "Since the alien in my belly told me I had to."

I feel the need to mention that I peed on a stick before I was even late. Why you ask. Because I ordered green peppers on my pizza. I am a pepperoni and ham person. Religiously. Creature of habit. Ham and pepperoni, pepperoni and ham. I ordered a personal pizza for lunch.... ham, pineapple, green pepper and red onion. It was delicious. When I got home from work I told Adam I had Hungry Howies for lunch. He said that sounded good so....for dinner I ordered two larges. One with pepperoni and bacon....the other with ham, green pepper and red onion. Something was up. (That combined with the fact that the chesticles had been screaming "NO TOUCHY" for nearly two weeks kinda made me wonder what the hell was going on.)

Besides the three positive pee sticks and the blood test telling me I am.....here are some of the other ways I am weirder now than I used to be (which is saying something...being normal is highly overrated).

You know you're pregnant when...
*you are standing in the baby section of Walmart and your eyes start leaking.
*you laugh so hard you cry watching a 34 second long video of baby goats (and you watch it repeatedly)
Video found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2_-i_cohMM
*you start to parannoy the SHIT out of yourself (parannoy.....annoyingly paranoid) "Hey, water bottle that I have never had a problem with before....do you have BPA or whatever...are you trying to kill us???? ANSWER ME!!!!!!!!!!"    "Hey, I am gonna wipe down my office.... hello, Clorox wipes that I use like its my job... lets get to work....wipey wipey wipey...wait...there is something about these things that I should be remembering.... OH SHIT BLEACH I AM BREATHING BLEACH FUMES OH MY GOD I AM KILLING THE SMALLISH CHILD SONOFABITCH!!!!!!"
*you randomly gag at the sight of something that, previously, had no effect on you whatsoever.
*you randomly gag at the smell of something that, previously, had no effect on you whatsoever.
*you randomly gag at the thought of something that, previously, had no effect on you whatsoever.
*you randomly gag for absolutely no reason at all whatsoever.
*you are asked by a coworker why you have a stink face on and you reply, "I am trying to not throw up on your boots."
*you catch yourself staring at babies....I mean REALLY staring at babies...and when you realize you are staring at a baby you hope to GOD the parental unit is not staring at you as you stare at their baby.
*you are so damn tired you can hardly stand it.....
*you go to four different stores looking for a certain type of cocoa butter cream because "this one doesn't smell right....that one doesn't smell right either..."
*your "seal has been permanently broken" because you pee ALL THE DAMN TIME
*you are scatterbrained and squirrely enough as it is but you LITERALLY forget the word 'chalkboard' and you have an impromptu game of Taboo with a coworker until they guess 'chalkboard?' and you say "YES! Thank you...good GOD that was ridiculous." They reply with, "Really? Already". You reply back that this might just be normal you......

I swear... I didn't know all the crazy started at 4-5 weeks. How is it that some women don't know they're pregnant until 8 weeks.... 10 weeks..... delivery....

I have gone from normal for me to ridiculous in less than a week. I was normal on Saturday....I ate green pepper infested pizza on Sunday...peed on a stick Monday...peed on two more and got a blood test Tuesday.....today is Thursday and I am weird.

Yep. The next 35ish weeks are gonna be a trip. Literally....they call me Murphy for a reason.....

The post where I talk to my Minions directly regarding grades...

***
Mini background story before I get to the actual post....for those of you that read this and have no idea who "my Minions" are or why their grades are important to me...

I work at NOSC OKC and the Oklahoma City area Sea Cadet program uses our building for their drills. Their drill weekends usually match up with our drill weekends so there are smallish children running around the building in modified Navy uniforms all weekend long. I am the Sea Cadet Liaison at the NOSC which means that I am the buffer between the Sea Cadet program and Big Navy. If they need something they ask me and I take it to my chain of command and try to make it happen.

I call the Cadets my Minions. The Cadets call me their Honey Badger. It works.

In order to have a place in the Sea Cadet program each Minion must keep their grades up. If they don't....they are no longer able to be in the Sea Cadets and therefore....no longer able to be a Minion. I like Minions. Minions help me keep my sanity during drill. The more Minions I have the happier I am and I do not want to lose any because they can't get their grades up.

Mini background story complete..... On to the real purpose of this post.
***

Dear Minions,

You have had numerous people yelling at you, preaching to you and pleading with you about getting your grades up. I am not just talking to those of you with failing grades...I am talking to everyone. (Even if you have a B...that B could be an A.)

I have told you that I will help you with your classes and I mean that. I am not the best in some areas but I know how to use my resources to find someone or something that will help you understand something you can't do well. Some of you have taken me up on that offer and trust me...as good as it makes you feel to finally "get" something....it makes me feel even better knowing that I helped you.

I was number 17 in my class of 146 at the end of my junior year.  I fought with everything in my power to get to the top twenty. I do not have natural brain ninja abilities like some of my friends. Some of my friends didn't have to study or try in school and they came out with straight A's. It was frustrating at times to spend hours studying for an exam and get an 88 when they didn't study at all and got a 98.

In my school district the top 18 girls and top two boys in the junior class were in the Daisy Chain. The Daisy Chain is a tradition where the members pick a billion and a half daisies and attach them to these ancient ropes then carry them into the graduation ceremony of the class ahead of them. My motivation to get to the top 18 girls in my class was the fact I wanted to be on the Daisy Chain. It may be a silly reason to work so hard but that was my reason. College opportunities, job opportunities etc were on my radar too....but that Daisy Chain is the one reason I fought so hard.

As I said before...good grades did not come naturally to me. I was an A student in most of my classes and got Bs in a few others. Math and chemistry were two classes that I just didn't understand. In fifth grade I got a 77 in math on my final report card. That was the only C I ever received and I literally bawled and begged my teacher to tell me how to sign up for summer school. He laughed at me and told me to go enjoy my summer vacation.

I am not saying you all have to be straight A students. I get that for some of you school doesn't come easy. I am saying that you all need to find something that motivates you to do whatever you have to do the best you are able to do. If that means requesting extra help and staying after school.... do it (I did...I spent a month of my 9th grade year going back to my 8th grade math teacher after school because I just didn't understand what the crap my 9th grade teacher was trying to teach). If that means swallowing your pride and asking a friend that understands the material better than you do for help...do it (I did... Admitting to a friend that they are smarter than you might not be easy but it is better in the long run). If that means telling the Honey Badger that you do need her to help you...do it (I might not be able to tell you how to do it because there are plenty of things I don't remember but I will find out how to do it or find someone else that can help you).

Pride is a very strong thing. Even now I can be too proud to admit that I need help. I HATE asking for help but if it is going to help me reach a goal I have I will (reluctantly) swallow my pride, blush six shades of lobster, and admit that I am not able to do it on my own.

My motivation to get into the Daisy Chain helped me in more ways than just getting on the Daisy Chain. I applied to two colleges when I was a senior. Only two. My dream school (Michigan State) and a back up (SUNY Geneseo).... I received a letter from Michigan State roughly three weeks after I sent in my application and it said, "Congratulations! We are happy to offer you a place in our Fall 2004 semester..."

If I hadn't busted my butt to be able to put flowers on a rope I might not have been accepted to MSU.

So.... I have a "motivating offer" for you all... If you can all get your grades up by the end of the school year I will do something for you. Minimum is to get them up to the standards the program says you have to have but if you have a B in a class....strive for a B+ or an A.  Help each other get there. If you are good at math and you know a fellow Minion is failing....help them. If you are good at history find someone that isn't and help them. If you are struggling in a class reach out and see who is doing well and ask them for help.

Be a team....fight for and with each other.


I hate it when I am the center of attention. I hate having eyes on me and I get super embarrassed. I will do just about ANYTHING to ensure I am NOT the center of attention. So here is my offer. You all do whatever it takes to get your grades up and I will gladly put myself into a situation I strive to avoid and I will make sure hundreds of people see me...

I will dress like a total idiot... Bright colors, stupid wig...whatever. I will have a radio blasting crazy music and I will make a sign that says, "I told my Minions I would do this if they got their grades up." I will take my sign, my music and my idiotic attire and I will dance and stroll around the shopping center on 29th street promoting the Sea Cadet Program.

Even the thought of doing that makes me want to throw up a little.... but I am willing to do it if you are willing to work hard to make me do it.

So....tell me.... am I gonna do it?


~Honey Badger

The post where I....whatever....just read it....

This is the first post I am writing directly into the blog without first typing it into a word document and then copying it here. My whole blog description of "Rachelese" really applies here...

When 9/11 happened and the towers came down and the Pentagon was burning and a field in Pennsylvania had plane parts and body parts and luggage with the memories of the people that owned them burning in the grass..... I was in tenth grade. I wrote the following a few weeks after it happened. I was 15...

"America the beautiful. For liberty and justice for all. United we stand. In God we trust. These are all sayings Americans live by, the sayings into which Americans put their faith and hope. After the recent attacks on our nation, these sayings are said with a certain determination. It's as if a few simple words can strengthen the weakened spirits of Americans and fill our hearts with hope.

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon made Americans stumble but we will not fall. The hatred and determination of those responsible are not half as strong as the love and determination Americans have. America is internally divided by racial, social and political issues. It may take a few buildings to fall for us to come together, but when we do, we come together hard. With a force that should intimidate anyone that tries to do anything to America. We have become an angry mob of bees protecting our hive from intruders. We will protect America at all costs, just as bees protect their hive. More lives may be lost, but the people responsible will pay. We will make America free from fear and injustice. The thousands of people that lost their lives in the September 11th attack will be honored.

America. Land of the free and home of the brave."


After 9/11 the country banded together.... I don't think I heard the words "Republican" and "Democrat" until halfway through 2003.

Is it gonna take another attack on American soil for everyone (including the politicians) to wake the hell up and prioritize what is important enough to bicker about????

Seriously. I have friends that I love dearly....I get on Facebook and this person posts this about that and it is way Democrat.... I scroll down and that person posts that about this and it is way Republican....

I am in no way, shape or form knocking the beliefs anyone has.....I myself have strong ideas and values....and some are "Republican" and some are "Democrat". Example..... Marry whomever you want to...if you are a woman and you want to marry a woman...I think you should and I think you should have the same rights to benefits and what not that I have being married to a man....however, if anyone tries to take away my right to have guns in my house we are gonna have some issues.

Do you want to know who I voted for the last election? I didn't. I didn't vote. If I had I probably would have done a write in vote or whatever and voted for Midnight as president with Mooshie as her vice. Their first action as leaders would have been Beggin' Strips for all.

Seriously though....why should I vote when it isn't gonna matter anyway. Before anyone gets all "But Rachel...you are in the military...you shouldn't say these things".... I am not saying anything in this post that is knocking my boss. I am not saying anything about him that can be considered bad. I am not saying anything about anyone specific at all. I am, however, saying that those with the money make the calls and after the electoral votes are counted....we have no real say in what happens in this country. We like to think we do....but we don't.

We are blind. We are sleeping. I choose to be blind and sleeping because it hurts less than being informed but not able to do a damn thing about it. I choose to purposefully be uninformed and ignore the news and ignore what is going on around me because A) if I do...it will piss me off  B) the job I chose to do says I can't speak out or partake in activities against certain things and if I inform myself...I might care too much about some things to keep my mouth shut. C) a combination of A and B ...and D).....if I am ignorant and stay in LaLa Land...somehow that makes me feel better.

Don't judge me for that..... don't judge me for staying in LaLa Land... with all the way left side stuff you see and the way right side stuff you see...how do you even know which is the "right" stuff? How do you know the opinion you have or the things you choose to believe are "correct"?  What makes them "correct" or "right"...because so-n-so said so or this religion said so or you had a soup and a salad at lunch so it has to be true?

Sometimes people at work ask me "What do you think about yadda yadda blah blah overseas whatnots mclalala" and I give them a blank stare and they judge me because I am uniformed and wearing a uniform...

I wear the uniform because of what I wrote when I was 15 years old. I didn't join the military right out of high school like some people did...I didn't join because of 9/11. I joined because I am a damn American and I want to protect my homeland from whatever might threaten us.... But lately it seems that a lot of what threatens us is our own internal division and I can't fix that. It makes me sad.

It makes me very sad.

America. Land of the free and home of the brave....... please?

Keep livin' the American dream,

~Turtle

The post where I talk about beginning my roller derby adventure

Yep. I did it. After more than a year of thinking about it I finally plucked up enough courage to go ahead and go to roller derby new recruit practice.

First of all I will say this: I didn't even know roller derby existed until I saw Whip It. I know that derby girls do not like hearing about that movie so I will been my love of it quiet. Yes, I realize derby is not really like the movie at all and I am okay with that. But....I felt like it should be something I admit too....

The only reason roller derby ever came onto my radar as something I might want to try is because Ellen Page and Drew Berrymore are badass in that movie.

Confession over. Now on to the fun!

Yesterday I went to the skate shop and bought a helmet (a blue one), a mouth guard (also blue) and knee pads (black...I didn't see blue ones...lame). I borrowed elbow pads, wrist guards and I rented skates. Money wise I tend to go all out into a new hobby and I buy a bunch of crap and then I get bored after a few months and then I have a bunch of crap I am never gonna use again. I would love to say that I am gonna wait to see if I truly like it before I go buy the rest of my gear and my skates....but that would be a lie. Rental skates not so great. However...I am gonna buy a cheap pair and not the stupid expensive stuff....and I found out there is a Roller Derby Recyclables page on FB so if I end up having a bin of derby gear in the garage next to my lighting equipment and 9,000 things of yarn for the blankets I am never gonna make I can at least sell this stuff. (Could probably sell the lighting stuff too but I am still interested in photography....just not as full speed ahead as I was before.)

Okay...back to roller derby. Anyone who knows me knows I am probably one of the most accident prone people you will ever meet and I lack common sense (book smarts, yes.....common sense, not so much). I have permanent nerve damage in my right foot because I severely miscalculated how much wet dirt weighs. (Hint....a 3/4 full bin of dry dirt....not all that heavy. It is easily moved by a female with no upper body strength to speak of. However...that same bin full to the brim with wet dirt... Yep...nope. After I had it pin my right leg for roughly ten minutes, went to the ER and then returned sporting some kickass crutches my neighbor and his buddy tipped the bin back up...and struggled with it. Turns out, by their estimate....it weighed roughly 450 lbs. Oops.) That is just one of several examples of the skills that I have. My co-workers call me Murphy..... So, 95% of everyone I told that I was gonna start this adventure thinks I am insane and I am pretty sure bets are being bad as to how long it will be before I break something.

One of my co-workers actually asked me why. Most people laughed and said it was a terrible idea but one person asked me why.

Because. I need to find something here that I enjoy doing that I am the first person in my group to do. I hate being the add on... The person that starts a hobby or something because a friend does it. I want this to be my something. My whole life I have pretty much been the add on and started something because a friend was already doing it. Or...I find something I love doing and I have busted my ass getting good at and then someone I am friends with picks it up and has a natural ability and is way better at it that I am. It is a stupid semi selfish thing to think but just once in my life I want to be the best out of my friends at something. The vast majority of people in the world are never gonna think to give derby a try. Maybe this is finally "my thing".

And I learned tonight that this....like everything else...is not gonna be a natural ability. I SUCKED. With as much flapping as I did I was like a new born giraffe trying to sprout wings and fly. I have muscles that hurt that I didn't know I had. I blushed hard core everytime I fell. I blushed when I had to show a skill and I felt eyes on me. I blushed when people told me I was doing well because I was sure they were saying it to make me feel better.

But you know what... I had FUN. I had FUN sucking. For the first time in my life I actually had it in my head that some of the people there have been doing derby for years. Some people have been going to recruit training a lot longer than I have. Tonight was my first night. As much as I hate not being good at something immediately I actually remembered these facts and I cut myself a bit of slack. (Only a bit though....because that is how I roll.)

We covered T-stops...plow stops...turn around toe stops...barrel rolls... knee drops... 180 knee drops... four point fall... baseball slide......and with all the skills be learned  my biggest accomplishment in my eyes was skating on one foot (and not wiping out) when I took off my right skate because the lace broke...because there were soooooo many eyes watching me and wondering what the hell I was doing.

Go me! Hahaha.

Everyone there was so nice and helpful. I don't know if I will ever be in a bout (nor to I know if I want to just yet....that shit looks crazy and terrifying) but I took that first step...I got over my first bit of fear and made it through the door. The rest will come. I've always been cautious with sports. I was never an aggressive soccer player and I feel like a dork explaining to the kids I coach to "get in there" when I am very aware I never "got in there". But I am "there"....I am no where near "in there" but I am "there".

"There" is better than my couch.

Now, if you will excuse me... I have to go stretch so I can hopefully wobble around work tomorrow.

Keep livin' the dream!

~Turtle

The post where I discuss the flu shot

Vaccinations.

The debate about vaccinations is crazy. Do you get them? What is in them? Do they help? Do they cause Autism? On and on and on and on.

I am not chiming in on baby vaccinations right now. I don't have kids yet and I have time to decide what is best for my non-existent smallish children when the time comes.

This post is all about the flu shot.

Me... I have no choice in the matter. I am in the military and I get told to roll up my sleeve and relax. At boot camp I thought of it as a line of cattle in a gauntlet. Single file line going up the middle of a bunch of Corpsman with needles at the ready. Step forward....shot in both arms. Step forward....shot in both arms. Step forward....you get the idea.

Anyway...flu shot. I get one every year because I don't have a choice. I've never really thought about it much. I don't know when I am going to be done with my Navy career for sure but I never really saw myself as the type of person to go get a flu shot without an HM1 telling me it was time.

Until now.

I have friends that are reading this that are against the flu shot and are probably preparing to throw a list of links and references my way of what is in the shot and why I shouldn't get it and etc etc. Please don't. I have seen it all on Facebook. I have seen the "what is in a flu shot" pictures. I get it. I do. It has a bunch of crap in it that shouldn't be put into a body.

Life is full of crap that shouldn't be put into a body. The air we breathe is full of crap we shouldn't be putting into a body. Alcohol fucks up your liver and yet people that I know that preach against vaccines drink on a regular basis. Tobacco causes cancer and yet people I know that preach against vaccines smoke or dip. The tap water could be contaminated. The air is contaminated. The soil we grow food in might be contaminated. Truthfully....we're already screwed so a flu shot isn't gonna do all that much that living is gonna do in the long run anyway.

You want to know what convinced me to go from "meh" about the shot to "yeah, I'll get one post Navy"? Also something I read about on Facebook....

Post by Tina on January 11th:

Tony was transported last night and is in ICU at U of M . He did well on the trip down and continues to hold his own today. He's not out of the woods, but he's a fighter. He is heavily sedated to keep him still. Blood pressure is good, he's on 85 % oxygen. They did another bronch today to see what's going on. He has had a lot of tests and I spoke to his dr today. Tony is flu patient #15 in this ONE unit. They are all equally sick and some worse. They are ALL ages, male and female. PLEASE PLEASE, GET YOUR FLU SHOTS. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW SICK IT CAN MAKE YOU. I have an amazing support structure of family and friends... I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Post by Morgan on January 12th:

Dad update: spiked a temp of 103 today, they packed him with ice and got him a fan. He is back down to 99 tonight. Had a little drop in his oxygen due to his tube getting plugged with stuff coming out of his lungs but they got him right back up. The plan is to paralyze him tonight so he won't be coughing and hopefully his oxygen wont drop. Please limit calls/texts on updates to my mom because it is a stressful time and she needs to focus on her health to be there for my dad (please continue to send positive thoughts/prayers however, she will continue to read your posts on facebook!!!) feel free to get ahold of me or Meg! We are hoping to get a care page set up soon to refer those looking for updates!

Posts by Tina on January 13th:

It's been a week today that Tony was admitted to the hospital. It's hard to not have had a turnaround yet, but I am thankful every day that he is still with us and fighting. We went 4 steps back yesterday, but he's still alive. I thought I had lost him when his oxygen plummeted. He was feverish off and on last night. This morning his nurse said they were going to try something new. I will update again when they get him situated after rounds. I spent the night here on the couch and they didn't need to wake me, I consider that a blessing. I am optimistic that this will be the day for positive news.....

Tony is the sickest one in the unit where he is....they rolled him over on his stomach today to try and drain his lungs with gravity. They also had to raise his oxygen back to 100%.....he's very critical. I am waiting to discuss with the drs what the next step is. I told him I'm not leaving without him. This flu is so bad that recovery time in ICU is from 2 weeks to 6 months. And you don't want a flu shot why?? Cause you might get a stuffy nose?

Post by Tina on January 14th:

PTL ! Tony had an uneventful night ! They just backed his oxygen to 60% to see how he would tolerate it. Yesterday they proned him (put him on his stomach) to drain his lungs are happy with the progress so far. In about 30 mins they will be flipping him back over and see how it goes. His organs are still doing well, which is in his favor. They still have him paralyzed to help his lungs heal. They told me there was some improvement over yesterday, but this is a slow process. H1N1 is brutal on your lungs. It didn't help having double pneumonia on top of it. Again, I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I wish I could read them all to him. I told them I don't care how slight of an improvement it is, I will take it ! Thank you every one who reported getting flu shots, I passed it on to the nurses, it makes them ecstatic. You don't want to be lying here like this. We are on week two. Just for the record, I tried to get Tony to get a flu shot with me, but he didn't have time....

Posts by Tina on January 15th:

Tony's oxygen was at 60% when I got here. That's a good sign. They turned it up to 100 when they turned him to make sure he doesn't drop. I had to leave while they turned him, so I don't know yet how he tolerated it. I am hoping for some positive changes. He seems a little less unstable today. He is going to freak when he sees how long he's been down. I hope he's resting and not cutting trees in his sedated sleep. He is still medically paralyzed, which along with nitric oxide seems to have helped. The staff here is amazing.

Yay !! Tonys numbers have been holding well all day, blood pressure, etc. He is slowly coming around. They took him off his paralasis drug this afternoon. He is still sedated and on pain meds. Dr says slight improvement, still in the woods and cautious. I hope they can keep him quiet without more sedation, he hates the vent tube. He tries to open his eyes in response. I leaned over and kissed him when I left and he turned towards me and leaned on my face. I wiped a tear sliding down his cheek. Awesome. Thats all I can say.

Posts by Tina on January 16th:

Tony spiked a fever off and on all night, characteristic of H1N1. He's still heavily sedated but they hope to back off some today. I hope he behaves this time, but I doubt it. I'm sure he wants that damn tube out. The drs are happy with progess all tho it has been very slow, also H1N1. But he is MUCH better than when he got here. Chest xray a little better on one side, so they have been moving him around. Started him on percussion, which they couldn't do before because he couldn't tolerate it. I was in there during it and he did fine. A few coughing fits but they don't drop his oxygen like it was, so thats great... I felt good when I heard rounds today. Dr says its always guarded with H1N1 and ICU. We all know that. Dr smiled at me, thats a good sign ! He continues to get awesome care here. Another different nurse today and I have a good feeling about him. This is an amazing group of caring, dedicated staff. And thank you all for your concern about me, I'm fine. I have some Choszczyk family near and am well taken care of. I have gained weight even lol. I looked in the mirror this morning and am starting to look like me again. Positive thoughts !! 

 

Damn you H1N1 !! Tony had a good 10 hrs straight. Tonight he spiked a fever, blood pressure high and he's anxious so they had to sedate him more. I had to leave for a while and hydrate and unhydrate... He tried to open his eyes but just couldn't get them all the way. He did move his arms and legs slowly on command and squeezed my hand finally !!! He turned towards me and tried to open his eyes when I talked to him. I calmed him down and he slept for a good hour at least. Nurse said I had a calming effect on him. Hmmmmm lol. They are happy where his numbers are going. His oxygen is looking better and it takes him less time to recover when they suction him or move him etc.. which means he has a little more reserve. It's been a long day, back and forth, up and down, but I feel good about it. I will bunk here and stay near when he wakes. One of the H1N1 patients ( we friended another family) has been sick since Dec 27th and been on the ECMO machine. Please get your flu shots, this virus is deadly. It makes me wonder where Tony got it. Wash your hands often and cover your cough. I wish no one ever had to go thru this again, these people in ICU are deathly ill. Don't take any chances ! Thanks again for your support !

 

Post by Tina on January 17th:

Tony had an all night battle with fever and blood presssure. He rested anxiously so they had to sedate him a little more. He did try and respond to my voice. I spent a lot of time with him last night and again from 4 to 6am this morning. Nothing eventful, just sat and talked to him and held his hand. I told him I had total control of the remote. I thought that might get him to wake up ! So, not much change last night, but he did tolerate his bath without totally dropping in oxygen, so thats a plus. I will update when I find something out. I wish I had written down some of my thoughts from last night.. I wish I could post a picture so people would see what he is going through and take flu shots seriously. Tony has been hooked up to 13 drips, the ventilator, nitric oxide and he has a picc line and an art line, along with the stuff they are constantly adding to his IV....H1N1 is no joke.

 

Post by Megan on January 17th:

Dad Update:

Dad's blood pressure has been up and down all day. His numbers were really high last night but they fluctuate drastically by the hour. Doctors are saying his organs still look good and his oxygen saturation is at a good level so that is going for him. Many patients diagnosed with H1N1 develop complications with their other systems...dad is very fortunate to be in relatively good health, considering. He is also up and down with a fever, but again, this is characteristic with H1N1.

He hasn't made much progress today, but he hasn't taken steps back so that is good. (In the words of my mom "he didn't lose the ball, he's just not running with it") Still very sick...still fighting for his life...still on life support.

Every nurse here has confirmed that these patients currently fighting H1N1 did not have the flu shot. Each person is on life support and in critical condition. We are fortunate to have gotten dad here when we did, there are waiting lists of people who are just as sick (and sicker) than he is who are trying to get in here. Unfortunately for them, these patients are not leaving quickly; a stay with H1N1 guarantees you aren't going anywhere soon. It is so unreal...***please go get your flu shot***.

I would never wish this on my worst enemy

 

Posts by Tina on January 18th:

Tony has remained about the same, fever up and down but holding his own. No changes to speak of. They are trying to keep his blood pressure down then it goes to low..... They upped his pain meds, his oxygen is on 60% and hopefully we can keep it there. Staying positive !!!

 

I just left Tony's room. He is still heavily sedated. His fever is back down. He has lost about 26 pounds in 2 weeks. Blood pressure was up and down today again, characteristic of H1N1.... We are thankful his organs are still functioning well. There are people in here on dialyasis and other complications. I am thankful he is strong and strong willed. He's a fighter.... the trend continues, not one critical care patient here with H1N1 virus has had a flu shot. There's a pattern here people.

 

And finally....today...January 19th... post by Tina:

I took a much needed fast trip home this morning to regroup and get the mail. I hated to go so far away. He seems to be slowly making baby steps. Not fast, but not backwards either. I will take it. There are many here that haven't been so lucky. I have the utmost respect for the medical profession after seeing what goes on here day and night. ( I can't believe the waste, either We thank you all for your continued prayers. I can't wait until he is well enough to come out of ICU and not be sedated. We have so much to tell him. He will be in for a surprise....... There's no place like home ~ <3

 

 

 

Tony is like an Uncle to me. You don't have to be blood to be family and although we aren't close I still consider him to be my family.Tina's maiden name is Eberly. If you know me you know I have adopted the entire Eberly clan as my own.... and therefore those they marry etc. Tina is my Aunt. Megan and Morgan are my cousins. The Eberly family has been through more than their fair share of heartache and pain. "Seeing" Tony like this kills me on the inside. Knowing I can't do anything to help hurts even more. 

 

But there is one thing I can do....

 

I will get a flu shot every year even after the Navy stops telling me I have to. I do not want to ever be the one in a bed on a ventilator with my family sending out prayer requests on Facebook because I have the flu and am sedated on a ventilator. Nope.

 

I will get the flu shot because I am pretty sure...with everything that has happened and is still happening...my Eberly family will hunt me down and stab me with a needle themselves if I refuse (which...is what is gonna happen to Tony if he ever says he is "too busy" again. :-p)

 

Team Chosczcyk right here. Keep on fighting, Tony the Tree Man!

 

 

 

The post where I write a letter to Navy Reservists that should not be in the Navy Reserves.....

Before I get to my letter I will say one thing and give a bit of a back story...

The one thing: I will not drop any name or rank in this post. If you read this and you think it is about you...then it might be...so stop being "that" person. Stop it. I don't like the fact I can write any of this. It sucks. "These" people make my life stressful. So, just stop, okay? Stop it. Stop being stupid.

The bit of a back story (extremely abbreviated...which is hard for me since I can turn "I saw a cat jump onto a chair" into "I saw this cat... It was white with an orange patch behind its left ear. Anyway...it was chillin' by this blue recliner. I walked by it and it eyeballed me. Seriously. It looked at me like, "Walk by me...I dare you." Etc etc etc...) Since I am trying to do an abbreviated version I am gonna do bullet point sentences... (This is soooooo hard.....)

Adam joined the Navy. I did too after he did. Recruiter said FTS was a good fit for me to be able to follow him around. Recruiter was wrong: Adam in Oklahoma and me in Pennsylvania. Nope. Get married. Adam in Oklahoma and me in Texas. More manageable. VR 59...FTS and SELRES (reservists). Good SELRES. Not so bad being FTS. Transfer to Oklahoma...finally with Adam. AWESOME. Work at NOSC Oklahoma City. Learn that VR 59  SELRES and NOSC SELRES are two different breeds. Not so awesome. Percentage breakdown of my experience with reservists... 50% VR 59 and 50% NOSC... out of the 50% at VR 59 about 45% were awesome and 5% were not. Out of the 50% at NOSC OKC... 25% are awesome and 25% are not. (That is an extremely generous breakdown considering there were roughly 60 SELRES at VR59 and roughly 400 at NOSC OKC...)

This letter is addressed to the extremely generous estimate of the 30% of reservists I have come across in my six and a half years in the military that have no business being a part of the Navy... a part of my Navy and/or those that think the Navy hit the lottery when they signed up.  Go fill out an IRR chit or retire like....yesterday. We don't need you.

Side note: a co worker of mine at one point in my career coined a term to describe the 30% of  the Navy Reservists this post is referring to... that term is: Nasty Reservist.

Like I said above in the "one thing"... if you are reading this and you are offended or think I am talking about you...you are probably who this post is about and you should knock that shit off. If you know someone who is a reservist and you are reading this and thinking to yourself, "I think I know someone she is talking about...." you are probably correct. If you share this with them and they are all upset... then you were right. (This probably doesn't just apply to the Navy either....if you are in another branch and are familiar with reserves...apply this to your world too... hell...you might be able to apply it to active duty military....or if you aren't in the military you can probably change the terms and whatnot and apply it to your workplace... Sad fact, isn't it?)

And I say again...not gonna say names or ranks. I will refer to any specific examples with "Petty Officer Schmuckatelly"  (PO Schmuck as a short version) for everyone. Could be an E3....could be an O4. PO Schmuck period. That way no one can come across this and be all like "PS2 said this about me". Nope. I said it about PO Schmuck and you decided it was about you....which means you are stupid. Stop being stupid.

Dear Nasty Reservist,

Did you know I like to rewrite songs? It is true. I will take a song...keep the melody and rewrite the lyrics. Have you ever heard the song titled "Royals"? It is by Lorde. If not...here is a link so you can educate yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlcIKh6sBtc

After a particularly annoying week at work I rewrote the lyrics to that song.... Consider this an Ode to You...

I've never seen a war zone in real life
I sit on my couch and eat chips with my wife.
But you best believe it's true
On Veterans Day...I'm in the Navy

And every drill I'm like, "Travel claims and where the hell's my base pay?
I need to reschedule my drill day
I'm not there...I've got Bedlam on my big TV."
But then the staff is like, "Nope, don't think so. You are on the DINQ list.
Credit card and you need to get flu mist
Get in here...or you will have an UNSAT year."

I'm a Nasty Reservist.
Don't wanna do one single thing
Only work two weeks a year
Tagged for MOBs my biggest fear
Did you say it's time to muster?
We did that like five hours ago
Oh man this is lame, it's lame, so lame
Rather play a video game.

Got GMTs on NKO
I'll find someone who will do them for me
'Cause everyone who knows me knows
I am lazy....but still want my money

And every drill I'm like, "Hey, RESPAY, why haven't I been paid yet?
Training needs to submit my request chit."
They don't know I shoulda done it like three months ago
But then the staff is like, "Nope, don't think so. You can't go on travel.
You owe us a PRT and eval
To be blunt....go to medical it's your birth month."

I'm a Nasty Reservist.
Never do what I'm supposed to do
No security clearance for me
Got a DUI in 2003
Did you say it's time for sweepers?
You mean I gotta use a broom?
That's not fair, not fair, not fair
Gonna hide out over there.

No, no. No, no noooo no I'm not gonna sweep a thing
You can't make me do one single thing....

No, no. No, no nooooooooo no I don't really even care
So you take that broom over there...

I'm a Nasty Reservist.
Got no military bearing.
Wrinkled uniform that I wear
Can't get me to cut my hair
Did you say that drill is over?
Oh, thank God it is time to go.
I'm so gone, so gone, I'm gone...
Drill Weekend is such a yawn...

I hope you enjoyed my song. When some of you come into my office and ask me the same question for the billionth time and then, after I explain it to you for the billionth time, you have the gall to ask me, "Can you just do it for me?"... I sing that song to myself in my head while I respectfully tell you no. Sometimes I cave....but that isn't because I want to take the time out of my day to do your stuff for you... I cave because you don't stop nagging and I don't want to hear your mouth anymore. I once had PO Schmuck ask me to do a travel claim. I handed them the written instructions (which, by the way, I wrote myself Barney style). PO Schmuck looked at me, looked at the instructions and then back at me and said, "I'm a Seabee...I'm not gonna be able to follow all this...can't you just do it for me?"  I didn't cave on that one but I did appreciate the fact that PO Schmuck essentially called themselves stupid. I calmly told them to give it a try and if they really didn't understand I would help them. It took them about an hour but they came back with the finished product. I said, "That wasn't so bad was it?" They said it was. I rolled my eyes after they left.

Some of you think that you can walk all over the staff and that we were put into the Navy to be your personal assistants. Some of you look at the staff like we are idiots and can't do things right and LORD HELP US if we don't remember a conversation we had three weeks ago verbatim. Yes....because you are the most important person we come across...the ONLY person we talk to EVER. We should kneel and kiss your feet because we are lucky enough to be in your presence. When I see you walk through the door I day dream about the day I am a civilian again and I happen to come across you at some point and I tell you what a shitty person you are. YOU are the reason I am so good at biting my tongue. (Literally...I have literally bit my own flesh to stop myself from saying something I shouldn't.)

Just because some of you are of a higher rank does not mean we can change the INSTRUCTIONS to convenience you....

PO Schmuck: I got my travel claim back but I didn't get my baggage tips reimbursed...
Me: Baggage tips are only reimbursable when you are having official gear moved for official business.
PO Schmuck: Well I had them carry my laptop bag and my briefcase.
Me: That doesn't count. It is for things like gear boxes that were shipped or something like that.
PO Schmuck: Well then why is there even a choice for baggage tips?
Me: For the times that it is official gear. It is in the JFTR
PO Schmuck: Well....can't you just reimburse them this time?
Me: No. It is in the JFTR.

Next travel claim we get we take the baggage tips off again because YOU DON'T LISTEN TO MY WORDS!!!! And then you call AGAIN and we have the SAME DAMN CONVERSATION. News flash....no matter how many times you ask to have us make an exception to something that is clearly written in an instruction...the answer is not gonna change. You are wasting my time. Stop it.

There are some of you that I have initiated an EQIP application on....more than once... I start it. You don't do it. I start it. You don't do it. I start it. You don't do it. Then...when your unit is like, "You need a clearance....why don't you have a clearance?" ... you are soooooo quick to point your finger at me and say I need to start it for you. Um? Excuse me? DO NOT turn around and blame me for something I tried to get you to do on more than one occasion. I regret to inform you that FTS does not mean Full Time Sitter....it means Full Time Support and there is only so much support I can give before I give up.

You signed a statement of understanding that says you understand that you are responsible for the balance on your GOVCC. That means if your travel claim doesn't pay off your card...you have to pay the rest of it. And stop telling me that you will pay it and yet you are still on my damn DINQ report. I am no longer interested in your words. Pay your damn card off before I ADSEP you. I don't care if you have been in the military for over half of my life or you have been in the military since breakfast. I am all done trying to help you out because after a certain point it is no longer your ass on the line.....it is mine. I WILL NOT get in trouble because you're an idiot.

Have I made mistakes before? Yes. I am a human. Sometimes it is hard for me to keep 400 people straight and sometimes I drop something. Do you know how many emails I get per day?  I had almost 400 emails in my inbox when I got back from two and a half weeks of leave. If you email me or call me and I tell you I will do something and a week or so passes and it wasn't done....ask me about it before you go blasting me to my chain of command. Sometimes I have several people asking me for the same thing and I think I did it but I forgot one. Sorry. Seriously....ask me about it. I will be the first one to admit that it was my fault. I, on more than one occasion, have said, "That is totally my fault. I dropped the ball on that. Not gonna lie, I forgot to do it." Don't go straight to Senior Chief or the XO or the CO. Do you know how shitty it is to have to tell the CO you forgot to do something? It is not fun. It isn't fun to tell YOU I forgot something but hell....start at the source of your frustration...don't go tattling. All that makes me do is resent seeing your name in my inbox or your number pop up on my phone.

I may or may not have played "nose goes not it" when you call.

I don't mind the Navy. I don't mind my job. It isn't that difficult. But you make me stressed out. You are the main reason I dread going to work. Which one of you is gonna cause a problem? If I can make it to the end of the day and I haven't had to deal with you....it was a good day. Some of you I would like to cuss out and rant and tell you how fucking stupid and irritating you are. But I can't. And it sucks. STOP BEING THAT PERSON! I would much rather happily answer my phone every time it rings instead of have to prepare myself for whatever entitled and/or ridiculous words come out of your facehole.

There are many other examples I could use. I could rant for days. But instead I am going to tell you who you SHOULD be like...

There are some people that are an absolute joy to work with. They genuinely want to know how to do things so they can teach others. They come to drill and work their asses off and are sorry because they can't do more to help. They hate having to ask questions because they think they are bugging us. They understand that they aren't the only person we come in contact with and they actually care about us. Keeping 400 people straight is not easy. They get that. They are never on my DINQ list. They get upset when they are on ANY list. Some of you honestly don't give a shit what list you're on. You hide from training. You hide from sweepers. You sleep in empty rooms when you are supposed to be at a meeting. I know this...because I have made a couple of you pee yourselves a little when I woke you up. Oh I'm sorry...did I scare you? Shame, really.

This letter could go on...and on and on and on....

Moral of the story: STOP BEING A DOUCHE.

Love,

PS2

P.S. If anyone that has read this and knows it is about them.... you can redeem yourself. Start wearing the uniform with pride and stop thinking you are just playing dress up. You're irritating...but you can stop being irritating and maybe one day you will call and I will smile when I see your number.

The post where I talk about a decade of love...

On January 7th, 2004 a rusted up, shitty Chevy S10 pickup rumbled up the driveway at good ol' 10320 Freeman Rd.  It was the day before my 18th birthday and this guy I liked had come to take me out to dinner and a movie. I had my hair in two braids (more like a seven year old than a seventeen year old but whatever..it was my style), had on a black turtleneck sweater with sewn on patches (very Avril Lavigne), baggy wide leg jeans (I could literally put both legs in one leg on those. I LOVED those pants), my lucky socks (the ones with the frogs on them that I wore under a pair of white socks at every single band competition through high school) and black Vans skater shoes. I was nervous. I had never actually been on a date before. Not a real one anyway. The guy came to the door and asked my Mom how she was and what time I had to be home by and then we were off. I looked at my Mom all wide eyed as I walked out the door. I was going on a date.and it was before I turned 30!! (I was lucky my Dad was away on business...)

 So.who was that fellow with the shoddy truck in need of a new muffler, you ask?

 Adam. 10 years ago today..well this evening anyway. Adam picked me up and took me on our first date for my 18th birthday. I don't remember where we went to dinner (if I pull my diary out of the attic I could tell you.Lord knows I recorded every damn second of the evening as soon as I got home) but I do remember we went to the movies after. We watched Paycheck with Ben Affleck.  I can remember what area of the theater we sat in (although I don't think the theater exists anymore. I am pretty sure we went to the one in the Lockport Mall. RIP Lockport Mall). At some point throughout the evening he asked me to go out with him.

 Pause story.

 The phrase, "Going out" has always been sort of a joke in the Robinson household.  I would fill my parents in on the latest Medina High gossip on a regular basis and whenever I would say something along the lines of, ".and now she is going out with him" I would always get the same response.

 "Going out? Where are they going? They don't have a car. How are they going to get to where they are going?"

 So then I would (every single time) explain that they weren't necessarily going anywhere. They were dating..or as my parents liked to say, "Going steady."

  Resume story.

 When he asked me if I would go out with him my initial thought was, "We are out," but I didn't want to confuse him with my Robinson humor quite yet and I didn't want him to think I didn't understand what he meant.so I smiled and said, "Sure."

 And then.. On January 14th, 2004. I broke up with him.

 Here is a piece of advice if anyone reading this is single or in a new relationship.. Your friends mean well when they run their mouths to you about all the things they have heard about the person you are beginning to date or whatever. But that is all it is.things they have heard. Don't buy into all the rumors and decide to not figure it all out on your own and form your own opinions. Did my friends run their mouths to me about all the things they heard about Adam? You bet your ass they did. Did I listen? Yep.  But luckily I decided maybe he wasn't as bad as they were all saying and maybe I should give him a chance and ignore my friends. Even luckier was that he broke one of his rules when I told him I was sorry and I was dumb and made a mistake.he had a rule that he wouldn't date someone a second time that broke up with him..but he agreed that I was dumb and gave me another chance.

 So.on January 23rd , 2004 we started dating again.

 Now, it would be a lie if some of the rumors my friends told me didn't have a bit of truth to them. One of my friends lit into me about Adam while in the hallway by the cafeteria during period change. The spot we were in was PACKED with people swarming out of the cafeteria and people coming out of both hallways into the lobby. I don't know if it was because of the noise level in that area or the fact she really wanted to get her point across but she was telling me what a bad idea it was for me to date him and I was trying to tell her he wasn't so bad. She stopped walking, turned towards me, grabbed the leg of my bright red pants, gave it a hard shake and yelled, "HE IS ONLY WITH YOU BECAUSE HE WANTS TO GET IN YOUR PANTS!!!" Everyone in the lobby stopped talking and I turned the color of my bright red pants.  That was January 14th. I broke up with him that night.

 The bit of truth to that one is a bit more complicated than a 20 year old man and raging hormones. You see... our entire relationship began on a $10.00 bet.

 I can hear the gears in your head turning as you try to process and understand what I mean. I'll explain it for you.

 One of my closest friends now is Nickie Poler.  Nickie was dating one of Adam's buddies back then and Adam and I were in the "hold hands at the bowling alley but put them under the table so my Mom doesn't see" Fall 2003 stage in our relationship (she saw, by the way..ten years later and she still picks on us for it). Adam was talking to Nickie's boyfriend, Brandon, about how he kinda liked me. Nickie popped into the conversation right quick..

 Nickie: "Rachel? Rachel Robinson? Pfffft..there is no way. She's a prude, dude. There is no way."
Adam: "You don't know that."
Nickie: "Um..yeah. I do.. Ten bucks says you won't be able to nail her."

Adam was all.. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

How romantic. Doesn't that story just make you get all weepy and lovey dovey? :::Eye roll::: I (obviously) did not know about this bet until much, much later. I think we were engaged before I found out our love was born from a ten dollar wager.

I was pretty much a prude. I hadn't done anything except kiss a guy before. And I am not even talking make out kiss.I am talking, "Okay, bye Grandma, see you next Sunday" type smooch.  I always told myself that I wasn't gonna give up my V-card to someone unless I was in love with them.  So Adam had to wait a good long while to win that bet.

 However, we were talking last night and I was teasing him about the bet and I asked him, "When did you know I was more than just a bet?"
He said, "I know the right answer to this question."
I laughed, "You know the right answer, or the real answer?"
"Both.same moment..same answer."

He then told me that there was a night when we were at a party and all these girls kept telling me that Adam had slept with someone else. Just being catty, trouble starting bitches. I asked him about it and said he hadn't done it and I believed him and ignored the catty bitches. He said that was the moment that he realized he wanted to make me more than just the bet because I trusted him enough to ignore the rumors. An added bonus was that this realization came BEFORE the bet was won. He lurved me.

Oh.by the way. Nickie still owes him $10.00.

 That was just the first instance of a long list of things that some of our friends and co-workers think is "strange" about our relationship.  I was told he cheated on me.he told me he didn't.I believed him.  Boom. Done. Trust. If you can't start a relationship built on a solid foundation of trust what the hell are you building it for? While he was stationed in Oklahoma and I was in Texas he had a two bedroom apartment with a friend. That friend's name is Angela. Yes.my husband lived with another woman for the majority of a three year span and I was totally okay with it because I knew and trusted nothing was gonna happen.  There are so soooooo many other things about us that others fine odd. But it works for us..it is us. We trust each other and if that is "strange" then I feel sad for the people that don't have that.

Sometime in February of 2004 Adam said he had to tell me something. He said that he had promised himself when he was younger that he would not say, "I love you" to anyone he was in a relationship until his wedding day. He told me that other girls had broken up with him for it because they would say it and he wouldn't say it back. He said that he had seen a lot of instances throughout his life that made him believe the phrase was used way too liberally and that when he finally did say it he wanted it to have real meaning behind it. I told him I was okay with that because he was explaining it and that I hoped he didn't mind if I said it to him because when I did fall in love with him I wanted him to know and I didn't have the same feelings about when to say it like he did. He said it was fine as long as I didn't expect to hear it back. I told him that he was right, they were just words and if he ended up falling in love with me he could show me instead of tell me.

That is why our song is "More Than Words" by Extreme.

I did say it, eventually. We were standing by my car in the driveway at the Shelby house and I was getting ready to go home. He was leaning against the passenger door and we were talking and I said I wanted to tell him something but I wasn't sure if I should or not. He told me I could tell him anything. So I did. I said, "I love you." He smiled and pulled me too him for a hug, kissed my forehead and said, "I know you do."

There were a few times he said something very close to "that three word phrase". Always very casually in a conversation we were having and I never acknowledged it happened or said, "OMG, what did you just say????" Example (the first time it was said): I said something one day about buying a box of hair dye because it had been a few years since I dyed my hair and I was getting bored with it. He said, "Nahh, don't do that. I love you the way you are." To which I replied, "But the way I am is boring me." (Inside I was soaring.I could have totally had a freak out SQUEEEE moment but I didn't. I didn't want him to think he broke his promise to himself so I was very non-chalant on the outside.)

Adam proposed to me on January 21st, 2006 and he still hadn't said "I love you" directly. Something that people who knew the story just couldn't understand. ("Wait.you said yes to marriage but he hasn't said he loves you yet? Seriously??")  We went to Canada with some friends to celebrate our two year anniversary  and he proposed by Niagara Falls. His proposal was epic and abso-frickin-lutely PERFECT. We were all dressed to go to the club..it was January and really friggin' cold..annnndddd Adam insisted we stop at the Falls first.

Me: "Dude. it is dark out. We won't be able to see the falls."
Adam: "We are stopping at the falls."
Me: "We aren't really dressed to go look at the falls in the middle of January."
Adam: "We are going to the falls."
Me: "But it's cold."
Adam: "We are going. We are. We're going."
Me: "Alright.."

So we get to the falls.. Baba the limo driver parks in a parking lot and the six of us pile out and walk in our skimpy clubbin' clothes to the railing. We could hear the falls but we couldn't see them. Adam said he wanted to give me my anniversary gift before we went to the club. He handed me a pink gift bag. I opened it and pulled out a small cardboard box..the kind that a ring box would be in. My heart started pounding. I looked at my two friends that were standing nearby and they both had identical, "Holy shit" faces on. I looked at Adam and he said, "Well.open it."

So I lifted the lid off and inside the box there was a piece of paper. My first thought was, "Paper! I can handle paper! I like paper!" I pulled the paper out and unfolded it. The first couple of lines said how Christmas had just passed and he didn't have a whole lot of extra cash and he knew I really liked it when he wrote me letters and stuff. Then it said read the rest out loud.

I did. It was a poem and it was awesome.  I read all the way down and the last stanza was missing the last line. I looked up at him and he stared at me for a few seconds, reached his hand back to his cousin Brett who handed him something from his pocket (sneaky sneaky) and knelt down on one knee.

He finished the poem. The missing line was, "Rachel Robinson, will you marry me?"

Let me tell you all something..if you even have a big event happening and you don't have the ability to get a photographer...buy some disposable cameras (you know..the wind and click kind.) and hire Brett Bielak to be your shutterbug. That man can work a wind and click camera like the frickin' paparazzi. Seriously.

 Needless to say...I said yes.

October 27th, 2007. We were both in the Navy at this point. Both in Pensacola for school and a couple of weeks prior we had found out that he was going to go to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City and I was going to go to Willow Grove, Pennsyl-frickin-vania. Um.no thanks. The only way they could get me closer than that was if we were married. We hadn't planned on a courthouse style wedding but I was not going to frickin' Pennsyl-tucky. Nope. I also refused to get married in a court house. So.we got married on the beach. And 27 is my favorite number so I was super happy it fell on a Saturday. (And..by the wonderful invention of the leap year it fell on a Saturday  five years later when we did our big white wedding vow renewal deal. )

 That chilly day in October.standing on the beach at sunset. the pastor we had found to marry us said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife.you may kiss the bride". Adam leaned forward, kissed me, leaned back, smiled and said, "I love you."

Yup. He lurves me. I lurve him back a lottle. Our weirdness compliments each other and our opposite-ness is fantastic. We have our moments where we annoy the shit out of each other and piss each other off. That is when we don't like each other very much. We never say we hate each other when we are mad. My most used phrase at the end of an argument.right before I decide we are getting nowhere and I am gonna walk away before we start repeating our strong opinions over and over at a higher volume level is this: "I love you...but right now I don't like you very much at all." Sometimes I skip all the wordi-ness and go with, "I don't like you right now." To which he responds with, "Yeah, I don't like you right now, either."

You don't gotta like your spouse all the time..but you gotta love them always. I love mine, always.

 Especially on Tuesdays.