Chapter Eight from Jillian Shaw on Vimeo.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Chapter Eight
Here is Marley's eighth month of life, March 2009. From the looks of the pictures, she was very happy this month and we finally got to spend time outside again!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Chapter Seven
A while back, I was making videos of each month of Marley's life. I fell behind due to all the things we've been doing lately. So, here is one I just made from February of last year. It evidently wasn't a really exciting month because we didn't have a ton of good pictures, like in other months. Enjoy our cute little pumpkin!
Chapter Seven from Jillian Shaw on Vimeo.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
So Many Things To Do
I have a lot going on. But on the other hand I feel like I don't. I heard from Asa for about 5 minutes last Saturday morning. He didn't have very good news. He got in an argument with a guy in his bay who skipped PT that morning. The guy got mad that Asa was telling him what he thought about and punched Asa in the ear, shattering his ear drum. Asa immediately walked away from him and the guy ended up getting a statement in his permanent file. But the whole company is being punished, so they can no longer call us. I did find out though, that the unit he has been assigned to at the moment is a "mobility support" unit instead of an infantry unit. So, evidently there are both kinds of combat engineers and he has been assigned to the safer one! Which is wonderful!
One of the big problems right now is where we are going to live. While we have not officially gotten his orders from the Drill Sargent (There is a guy there being followed by CNN and they are making everyone wait until that one guy's orders come in so they can film everyone's reactions! That completely pisses me off!) we are getting down to about 3 weeks until his graduation! I need a plan at this point for the sake of my sanity! I can't get on the list for housing on post until we get those orders, and once we do get on the list it could take 3 to 5 months to get a two bedroom on post. If I were pregnant, we would qualify for a three bedroom and have a place with a week or two. I do not want to live in temporary housing for 3 to 5 months, so our choices are pretty much get pregnant or live off post. I'm not ready to have another baby yet, so it looks like we are living off post. But then I worry, should I pick something out as soon as we get his orders or do I wait until he graduates and we do it together and live in temporary housing until we find something?
But the most frustrating thing about this whole situation is that I can't just call Asa and find out what he thinks about something or what he wants to do. I have to keep making choices and plans and hope that Asa will agree with me. I know he will understand if it's not exactly what he would have chosen, but it's still hard to decide on anything. I dropped my only in-person class today. It was only on Tuesday nights, but I didn't want to have to worry it anymore.
Ok, so after days of stressing about what to do, I have decided to just wait for now. I have as much of a plan as I possibly can for right now. Asa thinks he will only have 2 or 3 days after graduation before he has to report for duty, so that is not enough time to go home. So, my plan is to drive our car up there and pack Marley and I for at least a week. We will have as much as we need there, staying in the temporary housing, to decide where we want to live. Once we find a place, I will fly home and hopefully move everything over Easter weekend. Since Asa will be working by then, we will be doing it without him, but we can handle it. I will have lots of people to help! We also have to buy Asa a truck, get Kima up to Missouri, and remember to do homework for my other classes int here somewhere.
Hopefully, it all works out the best possible way it can. With only three weeks left in Nacogdoches, Marley and I are going to be busy packing, organizing, visiting people, and finishing all the things on our To Do List (which keeps getting longer and longer). I am still excited though, even with all of these things up in the air! And I can't wait for our little family to be back together!
One of the big problems right now is where we are going to live. While we have not officially gotten his orders from the Drill Sargent (There is a guy there being followed by CNN and they are making everyone wait until that one guy's orders come in so they can film everyone's reactions! That completely pisses me off!) we are getting down to about 3 weeks until his graduation! I need a plan at this point for the sake of my sanity! I can't get on the list for housing on post until we get those orders, and once we do get on the list it could take 3 to 5 months to get a two bedroom on post. If I were pregnant, we would qualify for a three bedroom and have a place with a week or two. I do not want to live in temporary housing for 3 to 5 months, so our choices are pretty much get pregnant or live off post. I'm not ready to have another baby yet, so it looks like we are living off post. But then I worry, should I pick something out as soon as we get his orders or do I wait until he graduates and we do it together and live in temporary housing until we find something?
But the most frustrating thing about this whole situation is that I can't just call Asa and find out what he thinks about something or what he wants to do. I have to keep making choices and plans and hope that Asa will agree with me. I know he will understand if it's not exactly what he would have chosen, but it's still hard to decide on anything. I dropped my only in-person class today. It was only on Tuesday nights, but I didn't want to have to worry it anymore.
Ok, so after days of stressing about what to do, I have decided to just wait for now. I have as much of a plan as I possibly can for right now. Asa thinks he will only have 2 or 3 days after graduation before he has to report for duty, so that is not enough time to go home. So, my plan is to drive our car up there and pack Marley and I for at least a week. We will have as much as we need there, staying in the temporary housing, to decide where we want to live. Once we find a place, I will fly home and hopefully move everything over Easter weekend. Since Asa will be working by then, we will be doing it without him, but we can handle it. I will have lots of people to help! We also have to buy Asa a truck, get Kima up to Missouri, and remember to do homework for my other classes int here somewhere.
Hopefully, it all works out the best possible way it can. With only three weeks left in Nacogdoches, Marley and I are going to be busy packing, organizing, visiting people, and finishing all the things on our To Do List (which keeps getting longer and longer). I am still excited though, even with all of these things up in the air! And I can't wait for our little family to be back together!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Duck Pond
On Friday, my mom and Joel took Marley to the duck pond for her first trip to feed the ducks! I am so glad they went and did that together, because they hardly ever get to do things alone together. Marley looked like she had a lot of fun from the pictures they took.
I think it is really hitting them how soon we are leaving. I am so sad to leave everyone, but at the same time I am excited for our new lives to start. It's such a hard mixture of feelings to have. I don't want our families to miss anything or feel like Marley will forget them. I am so glad that she has gotten to know everyone and she has enough of a memory to remember them all when she sees them again. But this week I am going to buy a webcam so we can figure out how the heck we chat with each other from states away. Because I don't want anyone to feel like they don't remember each other. This blog may turn into an even more detailed account of our daily lives, but it is so worth it to me!
I think it is really hitting them how soon we are leaving. I am so sad to leave everyone, but at the same time I am excited for our new lives to start. It's such a hard mixture of feelings to have. I don't want our families to miss anything or feel like Marley will forget them. I am so glad that she has gotten to know everyone and she has enough of a memory to remember them all when she sees them again. But this week I am going to buy a webcam so we can figure out how the heck we chat with each other from states away. Because I don't want anyone to feel like they don't remember each other. This blog may turn into an even more detailed account of our daily lives, but it is so worth it to me!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Ready for potty training?
Marley has used the potty a few times in the past, but we haven't been practicing recently. It turns out it's a lot of work to take her to the potty all the time, so I just haven't been motivated. But every morning the first thing we do is go to the bathroom, and while I am on the potty she wants to be on her's. So, on Tuesday I got her undressed and put her on and she did it! She even said "Ewwie ewwie?" to let me know she had! So, I taught her the sign for "potty" which is making a fist with your hand a twisting it back and forth in the air. Then I went and got her a candy Valentine's Day heart and told her what a great job she did.
So, does anyone want to guess what I did the entire rest of the day? That's right. Marley would sign "potty". I would take her to the bathroom, and get her completely undressed (she doesn't like to even have her shirt on for some reason). She would sit on the potty for maybe 2 seconds, and then jumped up asking for her candy! I didn't give it to her of course, I explained that she had to actually pee to get the candy. But that didn't stop her from wanting to go back every 30 minutes the rest of the day!
That was pretty exhausting, so I don't think I'm in a hurry to potty train her right now. I will keep doing it when she wants to though. But it makes me wonder if she is ready. Does the fact that she didn't really want to pee she just wanted the candy mean that she is not ready? Or I could take it to mean that she was interested and wanted to keep going in there and "try". Does that mean she is ready? Who knows. For now I'll just keep doing it the way I'm doing it.
So, does anyone want to guess what I did the entire rest of the day? That's right. Marley would sign "potty". I would take her to the bathroom, and get her completely undressed (she doesn't like to even have her shirt on for some reason). She would sit on the potty for maybe 2 seconds, and then jumped up asking for her candy! I didn't give it to her of course, I explained that she had to actually pee to get the candy. But that didn't stop her from wanting to go back every 30 minutes the rest of the day!
That was pretty exhausting, so I don't think I'm in a hurry to potty train her right now. I will keep doing it when she wants to though. But it makes me wonder if she is ready. Does the fact that she didn't really want to pee she just wanted the candy mean that she is not ready? Or I could take it to mean that she was interested and wanted to keep going in there and "try". Does that mean she is ready? Who knows. For now I'll just keep doing it the way I'm doing it.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Missing Blogs
Well, I got a little behind on a few blogs over the past few months. I just finished up a few missing posts, so you can go check those out now if you'd like!
Honeymoon: Day Four
Honeymoon: Day Five
First Time Camping!
Christmas Day
Houston
The Houston Zoo- still working on it
Honeymoon: Day Four
Honeymoon: Day Five
First Time Camping!
Christmas Day
Houston
The Houston Zoo- still working on it
Marley's Fake Burping
Marley thinks it is hilarious when I pretend to burp, so here is a video of her trying to do it with me! It's pretty cute!
Marley's Burping from Jillian Shaw on Vimeo.
Orders!!!
We have orders! Asa was able to access his AKO account and see his orders (for now at least). So, we are going to.... dun dun dun...
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri!
When we were there a week and a half ago, I remember saying that I hoped we didn't get stationed there. It was sad and gloomy and gray. So, it took me a little while to get used to the idea, but now I am really excited! Asa was excited right away, because at least it wasn't Germany or somewhere else impossibly far away. I think it will really be a great place for us. It is close enough that our families won't have a miserable time coming to visit us. And it won't be hard for us to come home for a long weekend. It's a 10 hour drive, so it can be done. And I have been reading up and everyone says that it is a great place to live in the warmer months. There are lakes and rivers all around, and plenty of other outdoor things to do. There are only really small towns near the base, but we will be able to drive about 90 miles to Springfield or 100 to St. Louis and go shopping for anything we want.
So, now the main concern in my head is if we should live on or off post. We originally wanted to live off post so that we could have a yard for Kima. But now I am thinking I want to live on post. Supposedly they have a ton of extra housing at FLW and they pretty much just hand you a key once you graduate if you are staying there. I think it will be easier for me to make friends and for Marley to have play dates if we live close to other families. And from what I have read, it ends up not being any cheaper to do it one way or the other, it's about the same. So, hopefully that is something we can discuss when Asa calls on Sunday.
The only thing that make me hesitant about getting excited about going is that the paper he printed didn't have a date for when he needs to report for duty. So, that makes me wonder if his orders are going to change at all. Until he gets to orders from the Drill Sargent, this is pretty much just a temporary plan. But I will be happy with it if it is where we end up. I am just happy to not be really far away from our families, but yet we still get to see someplace new!
I can't believe we only have four weeks until we go to Asa's graduation! I am getting really excited and hopefully the next 4 weeks will go by quickly! I will probably have a lot going on, a big To Do List. And in 2 weeks, Asa is supposedly getting his phone back for good, so he can call us at night! So, of course I will keep everyone updated on if we find out that this is for real or there is something else in the cards for us!
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri!
When we were there a week and a half ago, I remember saying that I hoped we didn't get stationed there. It was sad and gloomy and gray. So, it took me a little while to get used to the idea, but now I am really excited! Asa was excited right away, because at least it wasn't Germany or somewhere else impossibly far away. I think it will really be a great place for us. It is close enough that our families won't have a miserable time coming to visit us. And it won't be hard for us to come home for a long weekend. It's a 10 hour drive, so it can be done. And I have been reading up and everyone says that it is a great place to live in the warmer months. There are lakes and rivers all around, and plenty of other outdoor things to do. There are only really small towns near the base, but we will be able to drive about 90 miles to Springfield or 100 to St. Louis and go shopping for anything we want.
So, now the main concern in my head is if we should live on or off post. We originally wanted to live off post so that we could have a yard for Kima. But now I am thinking I want to live on post. Supposedly they have a ton of extra housing at FLW and they pretty much just hand you a key once you graduate if you are staying there. I think it will be easier for me to make friends and for Marley to have play dates if we live close to other families. And from what I have read, it ends up not being any cheaper to do it one way or the other, it's about the same. So, hopefully that is something we can discuss when Asa calls on Sunday.
The only thing that make me hesitant about getting excited about going is that the paper he printed didn't have a date for when he needs to report for duty. So, that makes me wonder if his orders are going to change at all. Until he gets to orders from the Drill Sargent, this is pretty much just a temporary plan. But I will be happy with it if it is where we end up. I am just happy to not be really far away from our families, but yet we still get to see someplace new!
I can't believe we only have four weeks until we go to Asa's graduation! I am getting really excited and hopefully the next 4 weeks will go by quickly! I will probably have a lot going on, a big To Do List. And in 2 weeks, Asa is supposedly getting his phone back for good, so he can call us at night! So, of course I will keep everyone updated on if we find out that this is for real or there is something else in the cards for us!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Babysitting Billy
Marley and I got to hang out with Billy today! Donna had a dentist appointment to go to, so she asked me if he could stay with us for a little while.When he first got there, Marley was taking her nap, so it was just the two of us. I couldn't really get him excited about anything or get him to even smile, until Marley woke up! They loved playing together!
It was amazing that the two of them would just play together happily! They shared the toys and goldfish, which surprised me since Marley isn't used to having to share with anyone.
Billy kept taking Marley's hand and walking with her to see different toys around the house. I am so glad they get along so well and can play with each other! On Wednesday mornings, Marley is going to start spending some time with Donna and Billy at Donna's house so that they can get to know each other better and I can have a little break to get some things done! And she will have plenty of play time with her cousin!
Valentine's Day
Today was Valentine's Day! My mom, Marley and I made a late-night trip to Walmart the night before and got Valentine's Day gifts for Marley. There were tons of people in Walmart, looking for last minutes gifts also. We got what we needed and had them all set out and ready to go, so that when my mom finally woke up in the morning, Marley could open them!
She, of course, loved her singing cards from everyone. If anyone ever gets Marley a card for some reason, get her a singing one. She would usually rather have that than a gift!
She got all sorts of cute outfits that we will have to take pictures of in the future. She also got some bubbles and a sweet Valentine's Day bear that she loves already. She has also been really into balloons lately, so I bought her a Valentine's Day balloon.
We had a great day, spent with our family. I really wished Asa was there, because it was our anniversary as well as Valentine's Day. I really didn't think it would bother me that much, because it's just a day really. But once it got here, I wished I had been with Asa. At least I got to talk to him on the phone most of the afternoon though! I will have to do a separate blog detailing everything we found out in our conversations, because it was a lot!
But, Happy Valentine's Day and Fourth Anniversary to us!
She, of course, loved her singing cards from everyone. If anyone ever gets Marley a card for some reason, get her a singing one. She would usually rather have that than a gift! 
She got all sorts of cute outfits that we will have to take pictures of in the future. She also got some bubbles and a sweet Valentine's Day bear that she loves already. She has also been really into balloons lately, so I bought her a Valentine's Day balloon.
We had a great day, spent with our family. I really wished Asa was there, because it was our anniversary as well as Valentine's Day. I really didn't think it would bother me that much, because it's just a day really. But once it got here, I wished I had been with Asa. At least I got to talk to him on the phone most of the afternoon though! I will have to do a separate blog detailing everything we found out in our conversations, because it was a lot!
But, Happy Valentine's Day and Fourth Anniversary to us!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Visiting Asa in Missouri
So, this happened last weekend, but as you can see there was a lot to write about! It took me a while to have the time to sit down and write it! So, here it is, finally!
Thursday (2/4/10)
Today we left Nacogdoches around 1:30 pm and started driving to Tulsa, OK. Luckily Marley fell asleep right away and took a good two hour nap. It was nice to be able to make some progress before we had to really start entertaining her. She woke up for an hour or so and then went back to sleep again. We had to make one stop at a random McDonalds in Oklahoma, but luckily not for long.
When we finally got to Tulsa, we still had a little over an hour before we had to pick up my Mimi at the airport. So, we stopped for some Italian food and to stretch our legs. We got so excited to see snow in the parking lot! We even stopped to let Marley touch it! I'm sure people were looking out the restaurant windows at us like we were crazy people for thinking that block of snow on the side of the parking lot was worth looking at. But, hey, we're from Texas! That doesn't normally happen here!
After our not-so-great dinner, we drove to the airport and found Mimi! She was a much needed new face for Marley! We checked into our hotel and I got Marley ready for bed. Silly me thought that since it was 9:30 at night, she would be ready for bed. So my mom and Mimi left to go eat at Denny's so that I could put her to sleep.
But when they got back she was wide awake, asking for Mimi. I fought her about it as long as I could, but after an hour and a half, I had to decide it wasn't worth it! So, we played around in the hotel room until about midnight, when Marley was finally tired enough to go to sleep!
Friday (2/5/10)
We woke up early, packed our bags, and headed to (our evidently new favorite restaurant) Denny's. After a quick breakfast, we hit the road, with about 4 and a half hours of driving ahead of us. My Mimi did a fanastic job of keeping Marley happy. It was so great for Marley to have someone that would entertain her any way she wanted. Mimi would keep playing the same game over and over and over again, as long as Marley was happy. I am so glad she has someone to do that with her, because it makes her ecstatic.
After a few stops for various reasons, we were finally within an hour of our hotel. About that time, my mom got exhausted and asked me to drive the rest of the way. I got in the driver's seat and at that very moment, it started to snow. I have never driven in snow period, but I have never even stood in snow that was coming down as quickly as this. I was very nervous, but I am proud to say that I got us there safely. And the practice will serve me well later!
Fort Leonard Wood is right outside of a town called St. Robert. But we chose to stay in a hotel about 25 miles away in Rolla. So, we passed FLW and drove right to our hotel. Asa had told me that he might get out on his pass that evening, so we wanted to get everything settled before we came to get him. We had plenty of time, so after we checked into the hotel, we went to lunch at a cute little restaurant they have there, called Panera Bread. It was Marley's first experience with walking in snow and actually being able to see it fall. She thought it was pretty funny, especially to see it sitting in our hair and on our clothes.
I kept my phone out the entire afternoon and evening, waiting for Asa's call. But at a certain point I decided that he wasn't calling. I still kept a little glimmer of hope, but in the back of my mind I knew he wasn't calling. We spent time walking around Walmart and eating dinner at a great little Mexican food place. Then we went to the hotel and watched the snow out our window. I tried everything I could to figure out where he was. I wrote an email to a girl whose husband is with Asa, I called his voice-mail a few times. I knew he didn't have his phone, but for some reason it made me feel better. But no call. I was starting to get really scared he wouldn't call at all.
Saturday (2/6/10)
I robably woke up every two hours all night and checked my phone. Did I accidentally leave it on silent? Did it shut off for some reason? Did he email me for some reason? It was stressful, but at the same time I was thinking that I better get used to it. All morning and afternoon on Friday, we had been telling Marley "You get to see Daddy tonight!" I saw how that ended the day before, so I didn't day it today. I didn't want to get her hopes up.
We had a great breakfast in the hotel, and then tried to decide how we should spend our day. It was frustrating to feel like we couldn't do anything in case Asa wanted to do it when he got out, but at the same time we wondered if we would be waiting all day what were we supposed to do? I decided that we should drive the 25 miles to St. Robert so that if he did call, at least we would be right there to get him quickly.
So, we drove to St. Robert. Marley fell asleep during the drive, which was much needed. We took the scenic route and drove through a few roads in St. Robert. It is definitely not the cutest little town in the world, especially during the winter. We looked at all the hotel options for St. Robert, but decided we had picked out the best hotel for the money. Then I decided we should just go ahead and check out Fort Leonard Wood. I have a military ID, so it wouldn't be a big deal to get on base.
And I was right, the guy at the gate didn't even look in the car to see if the picture on the card matched, he just let us through. We drove down the main road and looked at my first Army base. It was huge! I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it to be that big. As we drove, I tried to figure out what we were going to do if he didn't call at all. I tried to think of all the options for why they could have had their pass taken away, and I wondered if there were other people already out.
And then he called!
"Where are you?????"
Later, he told me that I sounded a little mean, but I was really just wanting to know right away if he was getting his pass or not! I didn't want to mess around with greetings! He was at a pay phone, and decided to tkae a taxi to meet us where we were. I sat in the car in the Burger King parking lot with butterflies in my stomach. I have lost 12 pounds since he left, so I was really excited to see his reaction to that and nervous that he would look different too! Marley was still asleep, and we talked about how wonderful it would be for Asa to wake her up!
We didn't see him at first when he got out of the cab behind us. Mimi saw him first and I jumped out of the car when she saw him! It was so great to have my arms around him! He had on his Class A's and he looked fantastic! He looked so much older and responsible and in charge! He hugged my mom and Mimi, and then got to be the one to wake Marley up!
She was a little confused at first. I mean, she really sleeping really hard! But as soon as she figured out who had her, she was so excited! It was great to watch her face light up when she realized it. We put his stuff in the car and then headed to Walmart. Marley just kept staring at him next to her, like she didn't believe he was there. She would say "Dada" like she wasn't quite sure if it was for real or not. It was so adorable and it made Asa happy to see that she obviously missed him.
One of the first things on Asa's list was that he wanted to buy junk food. So, we went to Walmart and he and Marley and I walked around while he picked out junk food. It was fun to be in the store with him again, like we were shopping just like everyone else. We saw lots of people that he knew from training, and I got to meet a few of his close friends.
One of the things Asa had to get done while he was on pass was to get his hair cut. So, he signed up to have his hair cut while we waited by the door. But Marley didn't want to let him out of her sight. So, as soon as the hairdresser took him away, she started to cry and scream for her Daddy. So, I had to bring her over there and we had to stand and watch him get his hair cut. She just continuously said "Dada" the whole rest of the day. She wanted us to make sure he stayed with her. (Which broke my heart, because I knew she would completely break down when he had to leave the next day.)
We went to lunch at Applebee's with some of Asa's friends and their girlfriends. I loved getting to meet his friends and see that Asa had people to talk to. It put a huge smile on my face to hear how much Asa had been talking about us to his friends. They already knew all of the signs Marley knows and other tricks she can do. It is one thing for Asa to say he is proud of her, but when I know he is telling his friends about her, it means much more.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel. Asa and Marley and I spent some time hanging out in our hotel room. Asa got to finally use the computer, and we just got to act like a normal family lunging around. But a hotel room can only occupy your time for so long, so we got all dressed up and went to play in the snow behind the hotel. It was untouched snow, perfect for us to make our mark. Asa held Marley most of the time since the snow was so thick, and they even threw a snowball at the Mimis' window. She thought that was hilarious. Unfortunately, the wind blowing made it really too cold for us to be outside.
When we got back in , the Mimis volunteered to watch Marley so Asa and I could have some time alone. We decided to drive through Rolla and check out the town beyond the Walmart. They had a wonderful park, a little dog park, a college, and a cute little downtown. We enjoyed just driving around together, planning our lives, checking out our possible future town. but by the time we got back, it was already time to get ready for dinner. Time was going by so quickly!
We all got ready to go to dinner and Asa took some time to call all of his family members. I got out my new dress and even though it was freezing cold outside, I was determined to wear it. We had heard from the hotel staff that there was a really great steakhouse a few miles away, so we headed there. We had to wait for about 20 minutes, but the meal was worth it! The steaks were fantastic! Asa decided during dinner that that is where he wants to go for his graduation dinner when everyone is there. The steaks were perfectly cooked, they definitely knew what they were doing.
On the way back to the hotel, we practically had to beg Marley to stay awake. But as soon as we got the hotel room, she was wide awake and ready to party. She had so much fun playing with Asa on the bed. She rolled around with him, they counted her toes, they danced to our song, they laughed and laughed and laughed. Looking back, that was the best part of the weekend for me. I loved seeing them together and it makes me so happy to know how much they loved that time together. Asa gave Marley her bath and I thought surely she would be exhausted enough to go to sleep. But when I tried to put her to sleep, she popped up every 3 minutes, looking for Asa! "Dada?" It wasn't until Asa came and laid down with us, that she finally calmed down enough to go to sleep.
Sunday (2/7/10)
I tried not to think about Asa leaving in a few hours, but it was hard not to concentrate on. Asa and I woke up a little bit earlier than Marley, because we didn't want to waste our time sleeping. We talked about as many things as we could fit into the 30 minutes before Marley woke up, and then all took showers and packed our bags. The three of us went down to the continental breakfast and had a small meal. We needed to dropping Asa off at the base at noon, so we got out of the hotel by 10.
We went back to Panera bread and had brunch together. It was so nice all weekend to get to walk in to different places with Asa next to me in his uniform. They were required to wear them all weekend, but I didn't mind! After breakfast we took pictures outside and then got in the car and drove back to St. Robert. The whole drive went by a lot faster than I wanted it to, and Marley fell asleep as soon as we got on the highway. We both agreed that it was best for her to go to sleep, because that would make saying goodbye much easier. She would have been distraught to say goodbye to him. But it also made me sad she would not be able to kiss him goodbye.
We pulled into the parking lot of the USO and got all of his belongings out. We all hugged him and told him we loved him. And then he was gone again.
It wasn't as hard to say goodbye as I thought it would be. This is the last leg of this part of the journey. So, with the sadness of saying goodbye also comes excitement that it will be over soon. Before Christmas, we were apart for four weeks. For New Years to now, we were apart 5 weeks. And this time we will be apart for six weeks. So, this is the longest section, but hopefully it will go by the fastest! I know I say this every time I mention him, but I am just so proud of Asa. He is changing so much, but it is all is a good way. He is so much more happy about life, he feels like he has a purpose, and he treasures Marley and I more than ever. I cannot wait to go to his graduation and have him get in the car with us and come home! I can't wait to make him dinner like a normal family! It's the little things like that I really miss... but it will be over soon, and this section of training is when he can really communicate with us more. He can still write letters, but he gets Sundays completely off to call us and use the computers in the USO. So, hopefully a lot more news will be coming our way!
Thursday (2/4/10)
Today we left Nacogdoches around 1:30 pm and started driving to Tulsa, OK. Luckily Marley fell asleep right away and took a good two hour nap. It was nice to be able to make some progress before we had to really start entertaining her. She woke up for an hour or so and then went back to sleep again. We had to make one stop at a random McDonalds in Oklahoma, but luckily not for long.
When we finally got to Tulsa, we still had a little over an hour before we had to pick up my Mimi at the airport. So, we stopped for some Italian food and to stretch our legs. We got so excited to see snow in the parking lot! We even stopped to let Marley touch it! I'm sure people were looking out the restaurant windows at us like we were crazy people for thinking that block of snow on the side of the parking lot was worth looking at. But, hey, we're from Texas! That doesn't normally happen here!
After our not-so-great dinner, we drove to the airport and found Mimi! She was a much needed new face for Marley! We checked into our hotel and I got Marley ready for bed. Silly me thought that since it was 9:30 at night, she would be ready for bed. So my mom and Mimi left to go eat at Denny's so that I could put her to sleep.
But when they got back she was wide awake, asking for Mimi. I fought her about it as long as I could, but after an hour and a half, I had to decide it wasn't worth it! So, we played around in the hotel room until about midnight, when Marley was finally tired enough to go to sleep!
Friday (2/5/10)
We woke up early, packed our bags, and headed to (our evidently new favorite restaurant) Denny's. After a quick breakfast, we hit the road, with about 4 and a half hours of driving ahead of us. My Mimi did a fanastic job of keeping Marley happy. It was so great for Marley to have someone that would entertain her any way she wanted. Mimi would keep playing the same game over and over and over again, as long as Marley was happy. I am so glad she has someone to do that with her, because it makes her ecstatic.
After a few stops for various reasons, we were finally within an hour of our hotel. About that time, my mom got exhausted and asked me to drive the rest of the way. I got in the driver's seat and at that very moment, it started to snow. I have never driven in snow period, but I have never even stood in snow that was coming down as quickly as this. I was very nervous, but I am proud to say that I got us there safely. And the practice will serve me well later!
Fort Leonard Wood is right outside of a town called St. Robert. But we chose to stay in a hotel about 25 miles away in Rolla. So, we passed FLW and drove right to our hotel. Asa had told me that he might get out on his pass that evening, so we wanted to get everything settled before we came to get him. We had plenty of time, so after we checked into the hotel, we went to lunch at a cute little restaurant they have there, called Panera Bread. It was Marley's first experience with walking in snow and actually being able to see it fall. She thought it was pretty funny, especially to see it sitting in our hair and on our clothes.
I kept my phone out the entire afternoon and evening, waiting for Asa's call. But at a certain point I decided that he wasn't calling. I still kept a little glimmer of hope, but in the back of my mind I knew he wasn't calling. We spent time walking around Walmart and eating dinner at a great little Mexican food place. Then we went to the hotel and watched the snow out our window. I tried everything I could to figure out where he was. I wrote an email to a girl whose husband is with Asa, I called his voice-mail a few times. I knew he didn't have his phone, but for some reason it made me feel better. But no call. I was starting to get really scared he wouldn't call at all.
Saturday (2/6/10)
I robably woke up every two hours all night and checked my phone. Did I accidentally leave it on silent? Did it shut off for some reason? Did he email me for some reason? It was stressful, but at the same time I was thinking that I better get used to it. All morning and afternoon on Friday, we had been telling Marley "You get to see Daddy tonight!" I saw how that ended the day before, so I didn't day it today. I didn't want to get her hopes up.
We had a great breakfast in the hotel, and then tried to decide how we should spend our day. It was frustrating to feel like we couldn't do anything in case Asa wanted to do it when he got out, but at the same time we wondered if we would be waiting all day what were we supposed to do? I decided that we should drive the 25 miles to St. Robert so that if he did call, at least we would be right there to get him quickly.
So, we drove to St. Robert. Marley fell asleep during the drive, which was much needed. We took the scenic route and drove through a few roads in St. Robert. It is definitely not the cutest little town in the world, especially during the winter. We looked at all the hotel options for St. Robert, but decided we had picked out the best hotel for the money. Then I decided we should just go ahead and check out Fort Leonard Wood. I have a military ID, so it wouldn't be a big deal to get on base.
And I was right, the guy at the gate didn't even look in the car to see if the picture on the card matched, he just let us through. We drove down the main road and looked at my first Army base. It was huge! I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it to be that big. As we drove, I tried to figure out what we were going to do if he didn't call at all. I tried to think of all the options for why they could have had their pass taken away, and I wondered if there were other people already out.
And then he called!
"Where are you?????"
Later, he told me that I sounded a little mean, but I was really just wanting to know right away if he was getting his pass or not! I didn't want to mess around with greetings! He was at a pay phone, and decided to tkae a taxi to meet us where we were. I sat in the car in the Burger King parking lot with butterflies in my stomach. I have lost 12 pounds since he left, so I was really excited to see his reaction to that and nervous that he would look different too! Marley was still asleep, and we talked about how wonderful it would be for Asa to wake her up!
We didn't see him at first when he got out of the cab behind us. Mimi saw him first and I jumped out of the car when she saw him! It was so great to have my arms around him! He had on his Class A's and he looked fantastic! He looked so much older and responsible and in charge! He hugged my mom and Mimi, and then got to be the one to wake Marley up!
She was a little confused at first. I mean, she really sleeping really hard! But as soon as she figured out who had her, she was so excited! It was great to watch her face light up when she realized it. We put his stuff in the car and then headed to Walmart. Marley just kept staring at him next to her, like she didn't believe he was there. She would say "Dada" like she wasn't quite sure if it was for real or not. It was so adorable and it made Asa happy to see that she obviously missed him.
One of the first things on Asa's list was that he wanted to buy junk food. So, we went to Walmart and he and Marley and I walked around while he picked out junk food. It was fun to be in the store with him again, like we were shopping just like everyone else. We saw lots of people that he knew from training, and I got to meet a few of his close friends.
One of the things Asa had to get done while he was on pass was to get his hair cut. So, he signed up to have his hair cut while we waited by the door. But Marley didn't want to let him out of her sight. So, as soon as the hairdresser took him away, she started to cry and scream for her Daddy. So, I had to bring her over there and we had to stand and watch him get his hair cut. She just continuously said "Dada" the whole rest of the day. She wanted us to make sure he stayed with her. (Which broke my heart, because I knew she would completely break down when he had to leave the next day.)
We went to lunch at Applebee's with some of Asa's friends and their girlfriends. I loved getting to meet his friends and see that Asa had people to talk to. It put a huge smile on my face to hear how much Asa had been talking about us to his friends. They already knew all of the signs Marley knows and other tricks she can do. It is one thing for Asa to say he is proud of her, but when I know he is telling his friends about her, it means much more.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel. Asa and Marley and I spent some time hanging out in our hotel room. Asa got to finally use the computer, and we just got to act like a normal family lunging around. But a hotel room can only occupy your time for so long, so we got all dressed up and went to play in the snow behind the hotel. It was untouched snow, perfect for us to make our mark. Asa held Marley most of the time since the snow was so thick, and they even threw a snowball at the Mimis' window. She thought that was hilarious. Unfortunately, the wind blowing made it really too cold for us to be outside.
When we got back in , the Mimis volunteered to watch Marley so Asa and I could have some time alone. We decided to drive through Rolla and check out the town beyond the Walmart. They had a wonderful park, a little dog park, a college, and a cute little downtown. We enjoyed just driving around together, planning our lives, checking out our possible future town. but by the time we got back, it was already time to get ready for dinner. Time was going by so quickly!
We all got ready to go to dinner and Asa took some time to call all of his family members. I got out my new dress and even though it was freezing cold outside, I was determined to wear it. We had heard from the hotel staff that there was a really great steakhouse a few miles away, so we headed there. We had to wait for about 20 minutes, but the meal was worth it! The steaks were fantastic! Asa decided during dinner that that is where he wants to go for his graduation dinner when everyone is there. The steaks were perfectly cooked, they definitely knew what they were doing.
On the way back to the hotel, we practically had to beg Marley to stay awake. But as soon as we got the hotel room, she was wide awake and ready to party. She had so much fun playing with Asa on the bed. She rolled around with him, they counted her toes, they danced to our song, they laughed and laughed and laughed. Looking back, that was the best part of the weekend for me. I loved seeing them together and it makes me so happy to know how much they loved that time together. Asa gave Marley her bath and I thought surely she would be exhausted enough to go to sleep. But when I tried to put her to sleep, she popped up every 3 minutes, looking for Asa! "Dada?" It wasn't until Asa came and laid down with us, that she finally calmed down enough to go to sleep.
Sunday (2/7/10)
I tried not to think about Asa leaving in a few hours, but it was hard not to concentrate on. Asa and I woke up a little bit earlier than Marley, because we didn't want to waste our time sleeping. We talked about as many things as we could fit into the 30 minutes before Marley woke up, and then all took showers and packed our bags. The three of us went down to the continental breakfast and had a small meal. We needed to dropping Asa off at the base at noon, so we got out of the hotel by 10.
We went back to Panera bread and had brunch together. It was so nice all weekend to get to walk in to different places with Asa next to me in his uniform. They were required to wear them all weekend, but I didn't mind! After breakfast we took pictures outside and then got in the car and drove back to St. Robert. The whole drive went by a lot faster than I wanted it to, and Marley fell asleep as soon as we got on the highway. We both agreed that it was best for her to go to sleep, because that would make saying goodbye much easier. She would have been distraught to say goodbye to him. But it also made me sad she would not be able to kiss him goodbye.
We pulled into the parking lot of the USO and got all of his belongings out. We all hugged him and told him we loved him. And then he was gone again.
It wasn't as hard to say goodbye as I thought it would be. This is the last leg of this part of the journey. So, with the sadness of saying goodbye also comes excitement that it will be over soon. Before Christmas, we were apart for four weeks. For New Years to now, we were apart 5 weeks. And this time we will be apart for six weeks. So, this is the longest section, but hopefully it will go by the fastest! I know I say this every time I mention him, but I am just so proud of Asa. He is changing so much, but it is all is a good way. He is so much more happy about life, he feels like he has a purpose, and he treasures Marley and I more than ever. I cannot wait to go to his graduation and have him get in the car with us and come home! I can't wait to make him dinner like a normal family! It's the little things like that I really miss... but it will be over soon, and this section of training is when he can really communicate with us more. He can still write letters, but he gets Sundays completely off to call us and use the computers in the USO. So, hopefully a lot more news will be coming our way!
Friday, February 12, 2010
SNOW
It snowed so hard last night and this morning! Definitely the most snow I have ever seen in Texas! We were supposed to go to Emily's Regionals swim meet in Houston this morning, but we didn't feel like it was safe enough on the roads to go with Marley. So, we stayed home and had a snow day!
Marley was a littler nervous/scared of it. I really wanted her to like it, but she didn't. So we just held her most of the time while we played in it!
Finger painting!
Marley did her first finger-painting on Wednesday! I got her all set up outside and she tried to enjoy it. She was really a little weirded out by it, but hopefully she will like them the more we do it! She just doesn't really like to be messy. She got that from me!
She kept pointing her finger at me and trying to get me to lick it off.
Don't worry, they are safe!
I can't show the finished product yet, because Asa will be able to check my blog this weekend and we sent it to him as a surprise. So, we have many more finger paintings coming in the future! I want her to be artistic like her Daddy!
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