Practice makes better??

I got to spend pretty much the whole day in the practice room today. This morning’s session was not fun. I just could not play. After lunch it was a little bit better, but I still ended the day frustrated. At least I finally have a set time for my audition with my commander, thanks to my new Platoon Sergeant. My audition will be at 0800 Monday morning, 5 December. 1SG let us go home early today, providing we didn’t have anything else to do. So I left a little before 3:30, and that was nice to be able to pick Robbie up from day care a little early! We had a nice evening at home, after a dinner of spaghetti. Robbie got a bath and bedtime love and cuddles, and then I got to crochet while we watched TV.

PFT

Yesterday was a day of much practicing and that was very nice! And then I had a Mommy/Son evening as Ryan had bowling. Robbie was kind of fussy, though, as he had hit his chin on a curb while playing on Sunday and he’s cutting a new tooth (why do they call it cutting? It’s coming in, he’s not cutting anything). We still had fun, though, and he’s getting pretty good at throwing his ball!

This morning I spent the whole time shopping for the hams and turkeys for our Christmas Party this Saturday. I ended up at 3 different stores to get everything, but I got it all. Of course, I didn’t get to practice, and then I didn’t get to this afternoon either as I had some training stuff to take care of right after lunch, and then I had my appointment for my Pulmonary Functions Test. I had to sit in this tiny cubicle (Rick, I hope you never have to do this) and then I was given a plastic nose clamp and I had to breathe through my mouth into a tube. It was hooked to a computer and it measured stuff (what? I don’t know. I’ll find out on Friday when I see my doctor again). It took all of maybe 10 minutes. Let’s hope the doctors can figure something out.
We had a nice evening at home with the 3 of us – macaroni & cheese and pigs in a blanket for dinner and then playtime! That’s my favorite time of day – playing with Robbie. And after he went to bed, I got some crocheting done – finished one project and started another.

Sunday again

I slept in until after 9 this morning thanks to my wonderful guys. Robbie woke me up – that’s always fun! I made some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Ryan made out the menu and the grocery list for the week – that was nice of him, I think! Thanks sweetie! We went out and got a few things at Target before heading to the grocery store and then it was home for naptime. While Robbie was napping, I got a few Christmas presents wrapped and under our tree and then I stitched some. After his nap we played for a while and then went to O’Charley’s for dinner. Robbie ate the whole child’s portion of mac & cheese, and a roll and a half and a whole cup of milk. I just had soup and salad, but it was really good! We stopped at Bath & Body Works on our way home so I could get some more Antibacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap. It’s normally $5 each, but they were having a sale 5 for $10!!! I got 5 and save $15 (and only spent $5 more than I had planned on). When we got home, Robbie and I played and Ryan got our lights put up outside. We need about 15 feet more of icicle lights to finish, but it looks good so far! I’ll share some pictures of the outside and our tree inside in a few days. After he went to bed, I got more stitching done and Ryan read his current book.

No catchy subject today. . .

My brain is just blah right now – maybe from actually being able to pretty much relax for the past couple of days. Yesterday and today we got to sleep in again. Yesterday we ventured out around mid-morning, but only to the Post Office and the cleaners (had to bring some uniforms and pick up others). Then we stopped by where Ryan works for about 10 minutes – he just had to check with the boss on something. We ate pizza buffet at Pizza Hut on our way home. Robbie sure liked the veggie pizza (I did too). During Robbie’s nap we put up and decorated our Christmas tree and got a few other things up around the house, too. As the story goes, the stocking are hung by the chimney with care! After Robbie woke up, the fun of teaching him to look but not touch began. He’s not doing too bad considering. . . We went out to post to get some uniform stuff I’ll need for BNCOC and just to wander around the PX. There weren’t too many people in there anymore. Ryan got a haircut at the PX Barber Shop – didn’t have to wait in line at all. After we got home, we played for a while before bath and bedtime.
Today was picture day at Walmart. We got our family picture done and some of Robbie. He was a really good boy through all of it! Ryan had to go in to work after that was done, so we headed home and he changed and left and so did we. I had to go to the Post Office to mail something I forgot yesterday. Then we got to play the rest of the day minus Robbie’s 3 hour nap. During that time I read some newspapers, did some laundry, and stitched some. When he woke up, we went outside and played until Ryan got home from work – walked all over our little neighborhood, chatted with some of the neighbors, begged for food, etc. Lucy, a black lab, that resides with Mr. Bass, always gets treats from Miss Ruth. Well, Robbie saw Lucy get treats and he held his hand out for some, too. Being the nice Grandma she is, Ruth went in her house and got him a little Nutter Butter cookie. We thanked her, of course! Then we left Ruth’s driveway and started walking back toward our house and Jim was outside (he’s our neighbor Wanda’s fiance). So we stopped to talk to him for a while, and Wanda came out and offered Robbie a banana. He ate the whole thing standing there in the driveway. We thanked them, too. Ryan finally got home and we walked and got the mail and then made dinner. We had leftover turkey. While I was getting everything ready, Ryan and Robbie colored! Robbie had a great time eating the mashed potatoes with his spoon, but he was a mess afterwards. Into the bathtub he went after the dinner dishes were cleared away. Ryan gave him his bath tonight, and they sure had a fun time in there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all took a moment today to think about all the things you are thankful for. I am thankful for my family, friends, good health, and lots of other things.

We slept in this morning, and when I got up about 8:15, I got the turkey breast in the crockpot with some potatoes. When my guys got up, we all had cereal for breakfast and then went and started watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The TV station didn’t show much of the parade, and hardly anything of the marching bands, and we weren’t really enjoying it. We had a bit of grocery shopping to do, so we went and did that instead. We got some corn, pumpkin pie & cool whip, milk, and a few other things. When we got home we played outside with Robbie for a while and then it was his naptime.

While he was sleeping, I started getting my uniforms/equipment together for BNCOC, crocheted for a while, and then got the table ready for dinner and started making final preparations. Robbie woke up about 4, and we ate about 4:30 or so. We had turkey, potatoes, corn, rolls, salad, cranberry sauce (Robbie loved it!), pickles, and milk. When we were done eating and had everything cleaned up and the leftovers in the fridge, we went out to Grovetown to go see a Christmas light display Ryan had seen in the newspaper. It’s on 106 acres and you get a hayride to see everything. Because of the rain we had the other day they were a little behind schedule and all the lights weren’t on yet. But we still got to go around, and we didn’t have to pay this time. We’ll definitely go back probably next week – it will be well-worth the $7 to get in. The hayride (tractor, not horses) was lots of fun and Robbie had a great time, too.
When we got home, we all had pumpkin pie, and then Robbie went to bed. I called Mom & Dad and worked on my crochet project and watched TV.

Brrrr!!

It was WINDY today. After formation, I went and ran (or tried to as one case was) a few errands and then went back and finished getting the BNCOC packets together. I got 1SG’s signature where it was needed and then brought it up for our Garrison Command Sergeant Major to sign. Hopefully we get it back from him tomorrow or early next week. Gavin and I start school 2 weeks from tomorrow.
After lunch we had a short rehearsal and then were released until this evening’s job. Before coming home, I took care of vehicle inspections (mandatory for every 4-day weekend) for my squad and we also did our cleaning details. Once home, I chatted with a friend (more – we chatted at lunch, too) and then I took a nice, long, hot shower! That sure was nice. I got to crochet for about 45 minutes before I had to leave. We played at the Augusta Christmas tree lighting downtown. There were about 200 people there! It was cold sitting on the stage playing, but the crowd made it well worth it.
Last night’s low – 40
Today’s high – 51
Currently it is 41 with a wind chill of 34.

A busy day, but a good one

It was a good day today and it rained – we really need the rain right now. I got Robbie off to daycare on my way to work this morning, and after formation was done, I headed off to the hospital to have my chest x-ray done. I didn’t really have to wait long at all – maybe 20 minutes which isn’t bad for a walk-in. They took a couple of x-rays and I waited maybe about 10-15 minutes until they released me (they make sure the x-rays come out right before sending the patient on their way). After that was done, I went to the bank to deposit some Family Readiness Group money and then to the Post Office to mail a few things. Then it was back to the band hall to practice for the rest of the morning. Of course, before hitting the practice room, I decided to walk over to the Starbucks that’s about a block away. It really looked like it was going to rain, but I thought maybe I’d get lucky and it would hold off until I got back. WRONG!! Just as I got there it started raining, and by the time I had my White Chocolate Mocha, it was really coming down. So I got a little wet walking back to the band hall. Oh well – my Mocha was fine! I spent the rest of the morning practicing and my scales are really starting to be comfortable. I also played through my solo and worked on a few spots. I’d say it was a productive practice session. After lunch, I met up with Gavin and we went to the Testing & Evaluation Center to take the TABE Test (Tests of Adult Basic Education). It’s a requirement for our BNCOC packets. We were given 50 minutes for the first part and I took about 25 of that and then took a nap. The second part was 39 minutes and it took me 14. We got our scores about 20 minutes after time was up (so a LONG time for me) and I got 96% average on the 2 parts. I have no idea what score we actually need, but I’m sure I’m well above whatever it is. Then it was back to TMC 4 (the health clinic I’m seen at) to have my turberculosis test read. It was 0 mm, which is what I expected. Nothing there. And then to end my day, it was back to the training office to finish putting our packets together. Gavin needs one more form and he will have it tomorrow morning before formation, so shortly after formation I can get them to 1SG so she can get them to the Command Sergeant Major to sign.
I picked Robbie up from day care and he was having lots of fun playing when I got there. Got him home and we played for a while before dinner, and boy he sure ate a lot for dinner! Then we played some more. Or rather, he ran around and around and around the chair in our living room and I watched the news. Every other lap or so, he’d come in for a “pit stop” and get a hug from me. He’s so much fun! Diapering and clothes changing have been moved from the living room to his bedroom now that he’s getting to be a big boy. And it will help keep our recliner cleaned off (no diapers or clothes on it now) so he can rock if he wants to! After he was in bed, I got caught up on some of my Tivo shows (Ryan was at bowling) and got some crocheting done.

Sunday

Yup, it was Sunday today. We didn’t get to church again. We did our weekly grocery shopping and made a quick trip to Walmart for a couple of things. After Robbie’s nap (during which I worked on updating our wish lists for Christmas and got some stitching done), we went out to the PX on post to get a few more things. After we got home, we had lots of fun playing with Robbie while watching the NASCAR race – last race of the season. After Robbie went to bed, I sat down to stitch and I called my parents. We talked for an hour – WOW! Off to bed now, but I have clothes to fold and have to make the bed first.
Last night’s low – 48
Today’s high – 57
Currently it is 52 and raining.

Fun day!

My guys let me sleep in this morning and that sure was nice! I always like sleeping past 7. Once I was up and had checked my e-mail and the guys got dressed, we went to Golden Corral for their breakfast buffet. Robbie had 5 little pancakes and some pears and some of Ryan’s eggs and a little bit of my donut. I also had an omelet (cheese, fake crab meat, jalapenos, tomatoes, and mushrooms!) and some sausage and some pears. Ryan had lots of food. Then we headed downtown to the Civic Center to go to Christmas Made in the South, a huge arts & crafts show they have every year. We bought a couple of things – one for Ryan and one a Christmas present. After we had looked at everything, we came home for Robbie’s naptime. He slept for an hour and a half before I woke him up so we could leave to go to the Baby Shower for Julie Lawyer. Her beautiful little girl Sarah Naomi was born on 4 Oct. Her husband is a fellow trombone player in the band. This baby shower was attended by other band families – baby showers in the band are for the whole family. The men went out and smoked the “It’s a Girl” cigars and drank beer (Ryan said it was gross) and us ladies talked about our babies/kids and watched Julie open her presents. There was also lots of wonderful food and we all ate our share. We were there for close to 3 hours, and Robbie decided it was time to go home. He was starting to get fussy because he was sleepy. Of course, once we got home, he played until his normal bedtime – wasn’t sleepy when we got home. We always have so much fun playing with him in our living room!
It’s late now, and past my bedtime, so I’ll say good night.
Last night’s low – 29
Today’s high – 58 with a sunny blue sky

PT Test again

As you may have noticed, I’ve been taking a PT test every month since I found out I was going to BNCOC. Well, I had my last monthly test before school this afternoon and I did very well on it! I did 50 pushups for 100%, 75 situps for 92% (3 more than last month), and ran my 2 miles in 17:13 for 87% (40 seconds faster than last month). My total score was 279 out of 300, up 8 points from last month!! Even 1SG said she was proud of me and my friend Gavin who took the test and will be going to BNCOC with me.

Other than the PT test this afternoon, we had a ceremony this morning and I played on that. Then I ran a few errands for reenlistment. After lunch I had a doctor’s appointment for my cough that is still here. Doctor couldn’t figure anything out from listening to my lungs and heart and looking at what he could look at, but he sent me to the lab to have blood drawn to test for all kinds of different things and I also have to go on Monday morning to get a chest x-ray done. That ought to be fun. . . He did give me an inhaler to try to see if that helps clear things up. We’ll see. . .
Oh, I got my orders today, so it’s REALLY official now that I’m going to Ft. Drum!! Now I can request a sponsor and start getting the ball rolling on a place to live and a daycare center.
I’m tired from a long & busy day, so I’m off to bed.