Photos Dec 20-Dec 31

Again...falling behind and catching up!

12.20 Stephen in the fancy chair. He sent this to me. He's so cute.

12.21 - Christmas post card. Merry Christmas from Iraq and Kansas!

12.22 - Christmas tree. FREE from Trees for Troops!

12.23 - Stephen made this Christmas card. He found it hilarious. Too bad I'd already sent out the others.

12.24 - White Elephant gifts and black and white kitty. Who wants to trade?

12.25 - Christmas with the family

12.26 God Bless - My friend, Joy gave me this ornament/window decor and I just love it.

12.27 Brutha - My brother chillin on my couch. I love him.

12.28 WDB! I know this is hard to see. Just know it means I'm in the running to win the Frenchie Rules Football League World Domination Bowl! :)

12.29 End Call Button - I took this picture after having to hang up the phone with Stephen. It was actually taken a few weeks ago, and I was on the fence about sharing it. This is as raw as it gets. Luckily the last one of this post makes up for it!

12.30 Peek a Boo Kitty Boo Beasley

12.31 Sunny Day! Last day of 2010, the sun was shining and it was SO warm and cozy!

See you next year! :)

Dec 13 through Dec 19

There are a couple of borrowed photos in here. :)

12.13-Fire at the Cracker Barrel

12.14-Sunset leaving work

12.15-Kitty chewing the Christmas tree

12.16-Borrowed from Amy, taken at the Zilker Christmas Tree

12.17-Fancy Carribean Chicken Salad

12.18-Over 500 bags with Soldiers names. Christmas Luminaries honoring deployed Soldiers.

12.19-Stephen in front of the Perfume Palace in Bagdad

Photos-First Couple Weeks of December

Dec 1 - Fond memories...Oh NO! Mr. Biiiilllll!

Dec 2 - My favorite fabric of all time. Denim.

Dec 3 - Birds on a wire

Dec 4 - Birds, wire, moon

Dec 5 - Ice shavings left when window goes down in the morning

Dec 6 - Sweet Sign

Dec 7 - My all time favorite sculpture. The Kiss, by Auguste Rodin (photo courtesy of my brother. Thank you, Wade!)

Dec 8 - Birthday Boy! - with a mustache!

Dec 9 - Frozen water. I left my 1/4 full glass (or is that 3/4 empty?) of water in the car over night. When I got in the car to leave for work the next morning, I picked up the glass, in turn-in-over-like-a-blizzard-at-Dairy-Queen style.

Dec 10 - Frozen water faucet

Dec 11 - Ice Skate. I've done this before, it was much easier then. I'm claiming "skates too loose."

Dec 12 - Deprived.

What a CROCK!

So...I said this a while back. When I was talking about all what I was going to be doing while Stephen was gone:

"But I don't just want to pass the time; I don't want to just lose a year. It's a year without my husband, but it's still a year of my life. So along with regular routine stuff, I'm trying to add in things that I don't or won't do when he is here. Like movies he'd have no interest in seeing, eating chinese food and seafood and that type of thing."

I have had some Chinese food and some seafood. I've seen a couple of movies he wouldn't care to see. But yeah, I'd be happy for this year to go ahead and be done.

Thinking of Quitting

the photo a day project. It's been 9 weeks. I'm thinking there just aren't that many exciting/photoworthy things going on around here. While I ponder the decision, here are the 11/21-11/30 shots:

11/30 - Peanut shells on the table at the steakhouse

11/29 - Sun, Sand, Surf, Seagulls. aaaahhh!
11/28 - Friends for 25-30 yrs.

11/27 - Tampa Sunrise from top of pking lot at airport

11/26 - "You talkin' to me?" Tampa Zoo

11/25- mmmm, haaaammm.

11/24- Soaking up the sun

11/23- "Lay Flat to Dry". Should also say, "Do not let kitty jump and run across!"

11/22 - Eyelash Extensions

11/21- NOT the Christmas Card

Hate the End Call Button

About once a week or 10 days I get to talk to Stephen on Skype. We spend a few minutes getting organized, he hooks up the microphone and camera, I make sure my hair isn't a mess. He calls at the prearranged time (give or take an hour). Times are prearranged by instant messages to one another over Skype that aren't really instant at all. They are actually a serious of post its left for one another when the other is at work or asleep or doing something other than sitting at the computer. Every few days we have a real time instant message back and forth for a few minutes. But these Skpe chats are what I am so thankful for. I know that those who've gone before him didn't have this luxury and I truly am grateful that we do.

We laugh, we talk, he gets the pleasure of seeing me yell at the cat for getting into things and then biting me when I make her stop. (She has some attention issues. It happens to a lot of children when one parent deploys and the one remaining gives them extra attention and then takes it back when the deployed parent is back in the picture.) Anyway, we talk about work and life and people and things. We say things that we're familiar with that make us "us". Little inside jokes and stuff. It's really nice. And I do fine.

And then it happens. I see him look down at the bottom of the screen. I know he's looking at the computer clock. I know the "okay...well" that comes next. He usually starts a few minutes before he REALLY has to go so that there is time for "oh, one more thing. Forgot to tell you. Did you get that email?" last minute things.

Then a lot of I love yous, I miss yous and "mwah!"s. Then it's time. One of us has to click the End Call button. It's usually me because he's having some kind of computer issue, but tonight it was him. Once the clicker of the dreaded button is determined, he or I put the mouse on it and make it obvious this is the last couple of exchanges and then it's clicked. The Skype End Call Sound is made. Boo-a-woop.

And then I cry.

Touchy, Touchy!

Usually when I feel strongly about something, but I know where I stand and don't need agreement from anyone else, I'll just keep to myself about it. I'd rather you think what you think while I think what I think and have all that messy confrontation business avoided. I don't need to try to make you think the way I do because what you think doesn't concern me.

However, when someone's different thinking is going to have a direct impact on my life, I'm going to have to say something. So, here it is...

If you want to "opt out", go ahead. DRIVE YOURSELF or don't travel by air. Don't be holding up my security line because you are afraid the TSA agent is looking at your boobs on the screen or going to touch your crotch in an allegedly inappropriate manner. Or worse, you are trying to make a statement. Make your statement by NOT using the airlines at all. That only punishes the airlines, not the other customers.

I just went on a trip that involved 4 flights one way, and 3 the other. At one of the checkpoints I had to "endure" the pat down. I wasn't wearing another shirt under my hooded sweatshirt, so there wasn't the option of removing it, so the security agent asked if I'd consent to a pat down. Sure, whatever, as long as it doesn't make me miss my flight.

She explained in great detail EXACTLY what she was going to do with the BACKS of her hands, and repeated it on her way. Seriously. I've been groped far more inappropriately by someone who was falling and reached out to steady herself. Maybe she was doing it wrong. Maybe she should have been much more invasive and maybe someone has been and that's what all the ruckus is about. I don't know.

I just know that when you live in the middle of nowhere and you need to get outta town, the last thing you need is someone holding up the line trying to change the world back to "what it use to be". Do that on your own time, please.

Besides, that's more action than I've gotten in, oh...about 7 weeks otherwise! ;) (kidding, babe!)

Caught up to 11/20!

11/15. Kitty watches the sunrise in the morning.

11/16. I know you can't really see it, but this is the first snow I've seen this year. It flurried for a couple of hours, but didn't stick.

11/17. Old photo. This is why we don't have plants in the house.

11/18. self explanatory

11/19. All of a sudden, Beasley thinks anytime the laundryroom door is open she must jump into this laundry basket.

Saturday, 11/20, CAB FRG stuffed 160 stockings for our Soldiers downrange.

Still Catching Up on Photo-a-Day

and up through Nov 14:

Me and my uncle Dale. (taken Christmas 2009), he passed away 11/1.

11/2

11/3 Flying out of Manhattan, KS

11/4 - Me and Baby Kenzie

11/5 Snicker Doodle. At the Baptist Temple church after Uncle Dale's funeral.

11/5 - Also at the church lunch. I love these signs.

11/6 My Aunt Paulette and her friends Judy and Sharron. I took a lot of these, and this one cuts off Sharron's head, but I LOVE that my Aunt Paulette is laughing it up like one can only do with her nearests and dearests.

11/7 Sweet, sweet baby Kenzie!

11/8 Cousin Fun!

11/9 - Photo found of preteen hottie! :)

11/10 Tell tale sign of the valley, the trademark palm tree.

11/11 - Trying on some freaky shoes at the mall.
11/12 - 3 dragonflies

11/13 - Texas Tea at Red Door Airstream night out with the girls!
11/14 - Beer booth at the airport? I can't say I've ever seen that!