Busy week!

It's definitely been a busy week. On the nights I've been home I've crammed a lot in. Earlier in the week we did a big grocery run and got yummy Donatos pizza on the way home for dinner. Wednesday night I came home and we went for a walk around the neighborhood. It's been a really nice fall week here. The weather has been warm enough, but cool enough too- perfect fall temperature. When we got home we FINALLY put our Halloween stuff up. This year we decided to do purple lights around the pillars (candy cane style) on our porch with green skeleton lights across the entry. It looks cool. I then started planning a costume idea for my running group. They do the usual 4 mile run but most people run in costume. I didn't want to spend a lot or go too nuts, so I ended up borrowing some of Greg's pilot stuff and going as Chesley Sullenberger, the US Air Capt that landed in the Hudson. Greg got pretty into it. He got the shirt all decked out and even made me an ID with Sully's picture photo shopped in. Pretty cool. While getting the costume ready, I also made my potato cheese soup for dinner, a fall staple at our house. THEN, we went on to carve pumpkins that night, while keeping our annual tradition of watching Halloween South Park episodes. Our favorite is "Hell on Earth", which came out a couple years ago. It makes fun of those MTV Sweet Sixteen shows where the girls are spoiled brats and demand ridiculous things for their party, except in the South Park episode it's the Devil's Halloween Party, and he's the spoiled brat demanding everything. It's hilarious. I carved a scary face on my pumpkin, which is pretty much what I do every year. Greg only got as far as cutting the top off his pumpkin and scooping out the seeds. He still has yet to actually CARVE it. He usually does something really elaborate, so he's still throwing ideas around. I baked the pumpkin seeds with olive oil butter and salt after extracting them. Yummy!
The Halloween run was fun. I haven't run a lot lately. I'm still kinda off the wagon with running and not where I was a couple weeks ago with consistent longer runs. When I started the run, I quickly discovered two things. 1) I should have left the pilot hat in my car. It was too big and got REALLY hot and uncomfortable. I ended up taking it off and having to run holding it after about 1/2 a mile. 2) I didn't feel like doing all 4 miles last night. The shirt and tie were also getting uncomfortable and I just wanted to do about 3 miles. I had been toying with the idea of doing a short cut on the run for a while on a few of the nights when it felt like 4 would be pushing it, but never mapped it out and didn't want to get lost in the unfamiliar area. Last night I went ahead and took a chance and took a detour feeling like I knew the general direction I wanted to head. It worked out great and I think I shaved about a mile off the run, so I did about 3. Good to know for future nights when I'm feeling lazy! There were some creative costumes donned by my fellow runners. One guy was the most hideously dressed cross dresser I've probably ever seen. He had on some kind of icky sports bra stuffed, a mini skirt, fish nets, and a long black-haired wig with some make up on. Very scary! One guy dressed as the Bubble Boy and did a whole plastic bubble. I think he even ran in it for a while. I would have suffocated. There was one dude dressed as Wendy- as in Wendy's fast food restaurant. Another dude had scratch marks all over him, torn clothes, and like 5 stuffed cats affixed to his outfit- thus he had been attacked by cats. Entertaining stuff. Greg came and met us there. I enjoyed a nice Pumpkin Ale while cooling down. Greg was really excited about my pilot outfit. It was pretty funny :)

Feeling stuck

So Greg likes his van driver job. I think he'd like almost anything after truck driving. He really had no where to go but up from that experience. He was away from home all the time, being asked to do illegal things, living out of a truck, doing really hard labor, getting to shower every couple days if he was lucky. I'm glad he likes the van driving. I'm glad he's home. I'm glad he's not putting himself in danger. I'm just not really psyched about the job though. I just feel like it's beneath him. I felt that way about truck driving too. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, he's just too smart to be doing jobs that require no education or real talent. And the money is an issue too. It pays about minimum wage with tips. I would like him to be bringing home more money and find a more "permanent" job because that will enable us to feel secure enough (financially and otherwise) to have a baby. Until then that plan remains on hold indefinitely. I think about it a lot lately with people we know having babies. The other night we watched "Marley and Me" and one of the things about it that made me really sad (aside from the obvious: the dog dying) was that they had the natural progression of getting married, and after a few years deciding to start trying to have a baby. I am so jealous of people that just decide one day, "hey, let's start trying to have a baby". Like it's any other decision. I would love to be able to just have that moment when we were free to try.
I was telling Greg that I feel guilty that I feel so stuck, sad, angry, and frustrated. I know that in a lot of ways we are lucky. We have a nice house. We have a nice car. Nice things. I have a job that a lot of people envy (I work for the federal government, so I don't want to go into detail about it). I am happy for what I have. I was recently reading a blog written by a widow. Her husband died after they had only been married for 6 months. It sounded AWFUL. I realize I'm lucky that both Greg and I are healthy and alive and have what we have. But I just hate feeling stuck. I like life to take that natural progression and keep moving forward. I want to be promoted at work. I want to have kids. I want to keep taking steps forward. Not treading water in place.
I also feel like nothing in my life has come that easily to me. I went through a lot of years of dating and serious relationships before meeting my husband. Our entire marriage and relationship has been tough. We've gone through more than a lot of people go through in a whole marriage: changing careers (I was a cop and decided it wasn't the right thing for me anymore), moving like 5 times, losing pets, losing my grandma, Greg's dad had heart surgery, Greg's sister got divorced/remarried and is kind of estranged from his parents and we get put in the middle of it a lot, Greg's airlines going under, the furlough, him going through all these jobs since the furlough, and the list goes on... I feel like we deserve for things go smoothly and easily for us after all the crap we've been through. It's enough already.
I look at my brother and feel like everything has come easily to him. He's always gotten the girl he wanted, the jobs he's wanted, the promotions he's asked for, he makes ridiculous amounts of cash at his current job, he travels and stays at fancy hotels. If he wanted a baby right now, he and his wife could just go ahead and have one- money is not an issue at all for them. I just don't know why my life isn't more like that sometimes...
I feel so whiny about it, but seriously, why can't my life be just a little bit easier!?

True wife confessions website.

Just found this the other day. Wow... some interesting stuff posted!

44 Things about me

Taken from my friend's Facebook notes...

1. Do you like blue cheese?
yes

2. Have you ever been out of the country?
yes, but sadly only to Jamaica, Mexico, and Canada. Still badly want to travel more of the world!!

3. Do you own a gun?
Yes, a Glock 27

4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite?
I haven't had Kook Aid in a loooooooooong time, but probably some red colored kind.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
yes

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
I like em every once in a while. I like mine with spicy mustard and relish.

7. Favorite Christmas movie?
I have a bunch: Elf, Christmas Vacation, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon version).

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Green tea or coffee (preferably flavored coffee)

9. Can you do push ups?
eh, not that well...

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
My engagement ring. It's platinum with a round cut diamond and two baguettes on the sides.

11. Favorite hobby?
reading or running with other people.

12. Do you have A.D.D.?
no

13. What's your favorite shoe?
I got these cute peep-toe black snake-skin sling-back heels a couple months ago. I think they are very cute.

14. Middle name?
Lauren

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
1. I have to pee! 2. I wonder if my friend Kerrie is working today (I haven't seen her in a while because she's been out). 3. What do I want for lunch today...

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
coffee, Green Tea, water

17. Current worry/s?
Halloween. What are we doing? Staying home or going out? I need to either get mass amounts of candy to pass out if we stay home, or get a costume if we're going out.

18. Current hate right now?
That Greg is furloughed.

19. What do you wish for in the coming year?
Greg to get called back. To get pregnant if that happens.

20. How did you bring in the New Year?
We went to a friend's house and drank, ate, and played Nintendo Wii

21. Where would you like to go?
Europe

22. who are the people who will complete this?
?

23. Do you own slippers?
yes, my favorite are these navy blue fleece ones. So soft and cozy.

24. What color shirt are you wearing right now?
black cable knit sweater

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
I'm not sure if I ever have...

26. Can you whistle?
yeah, but not that well.

27. Favorite color?
green or blue

28. Would you be a pirate?
um no

29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
I have a shower radio, so sometimes I sing along with that.

30. Favorite girl's Name?
Lauren, Megan, Emerson.

31. Your eyes?
Blue and green with a yellow ring around the pupil.

32. What's in your pocket right now?
nothing

33. Last thing that made you laugh?
co-worker telling me about his experience at the Renaissance Fair this weekend.

34. Best bed sheets as a child?
I can't remember too far back, but I know I had these Ralph Lauren blue pin striped ones I liked in high school.

35. Worst injury you've ever had as a child?
Stitches on my eye brow from falling off my bike when I hit a root in the yard

36. What are your plans for the future?
travel, have children, not sure what else I want to do with my career yet...

37.Do you walk around the house naked?
Well sometimes around my bedroom/bathroom, but not the rest of the house. We have a lot of large windows that aren't covered. I'd be flashing the neighborhood.

38. Who is your loudest friend?
Jen probably

39. How many dogs do you have?
None, I just have three rabbits. Greg wants a dog, but I don't really want one.

40. Does someone have a crush on you?
I don't know.

41. What is your favorite book?
Probably The Time Traveler's Wife.

42. What is your favorite candy?
I like Ghiradeli dark chocolate with rasberry. In general, I like most candy though. Kit Kats, Reeses Pieces/Peanut Butter cups are probably some of my favorites.

43. Favorite Sports Team?
Boston Red Sox. I'm not a good fan though, I usually don't know what their record is or watch a lot of games.

44. What song do you want played at your funeral?
I have no idea.

fall is here

The weekend was pretty good. Saturday morning was one of those lazy hard-rain mornings. I love those. I was cozy in pajamas with a cup of tea catching up on TIVO. I'm really into this show Flash Forward. I think it's my new Lost. Which is good, since the last season of Lost is starting this winter.
Saturday night we went to Jim and Nicks, this awesome BBQ place with our friends Brent and Becky. I had BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and a Carolina Blonde beer. YUM! They brought friends with them, and we were all going to go out somewhere after, but the restaurant isn't near anything and they really wanted to go to a bar with an activity of some sort, either pool, darts, or karaoke. They thought they found one, but then we all went on a GPS wild goose chase trying to find it, and finally gave up and we went home.
Greg was originally scheduled to work yesterday but then ended up being off. I decided I wanted to have a day with him to enjoy fall things. I made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast with pumpkin spice coffee. Then we packed lunch and drove to Crowders Mountain for a hike. It was pretty cool. On the way we stopped and bought pumpkins. We will probably carve them tonight or some night this week. We're trying to get ideas. I think Greg is going to do a punk pumpkin this year. He's very good at carving pumpkins. Last year he did a big pumpkin eating a little pumpkin, and it was very cool. Mine are usually the standard face. I'm not that creative!
Back to the grind...

A few things that made me happy today

I love these spoof Motivational Posters.... SO DAMN FUNNY!
-Today is FRIDAY!
-The hazelnut coffee I had this morning.
-I like the blue top I have on.
-The Damnwells new album is down loadable free and I listened to it all day at work today.
-The Milano cookies I ate this afternoon.
-That I am going to DSW on my way home tonight (I have a pair of shoes I bought that I think are too big and will look for some thing else to exchange them for).
-I finished an annual report at work today that is a huge pain in the butt and won't have to deal with it again til next year.
-My brother emailed me that he and his wife booked their tickets to come here for a weekend in December which will serve as my family's holiday weekend this year- always a great time!

I went to running group last night. It was tough to do 4 miles after not running much for the last 2-3 weeks, but I did it, and I was pretty proud of myself. I was definitely bringing up the tail end of the group this week though. I'd better get back on schedule and run more in between Thursday nights if I want to feel at all competant. The after-run was fun last night. I had some Powerade and a really tall Woodchuck Hard Cider, which I was feeling by the end. Some of us went next door to a bar to hang out for a bit because the UNC/FSU game was on. I ordered cheese fries and water so they could absorb some of the cider. I think I may have canceled out the benefits of the run by doing so, but it was necessary.
Greg has had two days of work at the hotel now. He seems to like it so far. The staff is friendly and he feels like the job is relatively easy. He got a bunch of tips yesterday. They are having him work this weekend during the day on Saturday and Sunday. We're not sure what his long-term schedule will be and I want him to find out if he's working during the holidays or not so we can start planning.
We really need to get out to Chicago and see his fam.
So far the only thing on the agenda for the weekend is to go to dinner with some friends at Jim and Nicks (awesome BBQ) Saturday night. Not sure if we're doing anything else. I'll be on my own during the days I suppose.
I'm wondering what our plan for Halloween is too. A bunch of my friends have brought up doing something, but no one has a concrete plan. If I'm going out to a party and have to dress up I want to know soon so I can start thinking of ideas for a costume. It's been a loooooooooong time since I've dressed up for Halloween and I have NO idea what to dress up as. I also want to get pumpkins and carve them this week. If we are going to decorate at all, we best get to it ASAP...
I've become addicted to reading blogs (mainly pilot wives ones) and my aviation forums. Kind of ironic considering this is the furthest Greg has been from aviation in a while.

Is there anyone out there?

I don't know if anyone is actually reading this or not. So far I have no followers. Just wondering. Comment or something if you are reading this! haha!

Back in the saddle

The cold won yesterday and I ended up staying home to recoup. Monday night I felt generally crappy and unable to breathe properly. Around 4am on Tuesday I woke up and decided to go ahead and call in sick while I was awake. I figured that if I called then, I'd get to back to sleep and not have to wake up at any certain time. I think I made the right call. I didn't feel completely awful yesterday but still pretty bad (hot and cold/stuffy/scratchy throat), and I think I would have definitely been miserable at work. The downtime seems to have helped, because I'm much much better today.
Yesterday was mainly spent watching lots and lots of TV. Caught up on Project Runway, The Practice (I watch the old ones on FX), and random other junk. Greg was home too. His last day off before starting his new job as a hotel van driver today. At one point I noticed that although home together, we really hadn't spent much time actually interacting and suggested we play a board game. A match of Boggle ensued, where I royally kicked his ass. He won about 2 out of 10 games. I am the Boggle-master.
Greg started at 5:45am this morning, meaning he had to leave home at around 5:15am to actually get there on time. Ungodly early!
I am definitely off the wagon with my workout routine. I haven't come close to actually running 4 miles in about 2 weeks now and don't know what I'm going to do about Thursday night running group tomorrow. Can't decide if I'll go and attempt to run 4 miles, go and run less, or not go at all. Getting sick didn't help anything, but I mainly attribute it to laziness due to the fall weather making me want to hibernate. I think I'll try and at least do a walk tonight. Unfortunately my cold didn't affect my appetite at all, so I better get my butt out and run if I want to keep eating all this fall comfort food.

weekend recap

So I think I'm getting sick. I can't breathe through my nose right now. I've taken two different kinds of cold meds, and nothing seems to be working. Rrrrrr. At first I thought it was just allergies, and it still may be, but I kinda feel worse now. Ick!
The weekend was pretty good. We stayed in Friday night. Caught up on some TIVO and watched stuff on TV. Pretty low key night. Saturday we spent allllllll day cleaning the house as we were having some friends over for dinner and the house really needed to be cleaned. Miraculously, we really didn't fight during the cleaning process. My friends arrived at the scheduled time and I finished cooking the herbed turkey, mushroom risotto, sweet potatoes, and green beans with almonds. Everything came out really good, I was psyched. I did feel that I was distracted from hanging out with everyone while cooking, but otherwise it was fun. For dessert we used our chocolate fountain. Gib brought over dippers. It was a big hit. We did our usual entertaining routine of breaking out some South Park DVDs and watching a few episodes after all the food was eaten.

Sunday our only planned event was to visit some friends that recently had a baby. I had gotten them two towels with fishies on them that the registered for, a baby girl outfit that was striped white and purple with a hat and bib, and a book with ideas of how to get your baby to laugh. We went over around 3 and stayed an hour or two. I held the baby (Emma) for quite a while. Wow, she is cute. I want one.
I whipped up some really good turkey tetrazini for dinner last night using the leftover turkey and some mushrooms. Yum! We are also working on a Costco pumpkin pie. Wow, those are so good. I think we went through about 4 of them last year. They are like $6, and so yummy!
In other news, Greg is really enjoying his time off. He's actually hoping he doesn't have to start the van driver job til later this week. Yesterday when I got up I turned on the TV and saw that there was a shooting/murder at the hotel (in the parking lot) where he's supposed to work, on Saturday night. LOVELY! I woke him up to tell him and we ended up pulling up all the news stories about it online. He really knows how to pick jobs...

It's been a rainy week here. I actually like it though. To me, the south is much too hot and sunny all the time. It's not that I don't like hot and sunny weather, but I like some variety. Sometimes you just need a good rainy day to wallow in the melancholy, you know? Plus, I am definitely ready for cooler fall weather. Anyhow, I was on the fence most of the day yesterday trying to decide if I wanted to do the Thursday night run or not. In the end I decided to go, because I missed last week when my mom was here, and because I tracked the weather and saw that it was not supposed to rain during the hours around run time. Plus, I wanted to go for the social aspects. The drinking and hanging out after the run usually makes it worth while. There are a few people I hadn't seen in a week or two that I like catching up with each week. I even convinced Greg to come, although he didn't run. He broke his foot a couple years ago and it never healed right. Being the typical pilot that he is, he refused to go the doctor and try and get the thing really fixed. He also skinned his knee while tarping the truck last week and has a nasty sore scab on his knee, so him running was not going to happen. He did come and meet us post-run for a beer though and I think he had a good time. Greg can take or leave social things. For me it's a necessary thing that fuels my being (I've realized). Greg is happy at home or can be happy out, but sometimes needs coaxing. I ended up staying with my friend Sarah for the run and we really probably only ran about a mile and then walked about two. She is recovering from a cold, and since I haven't run much in week or two, I figured it'd be pushing my luck to successfully do a full 4-mile run this week. It worked good so Sarah and I could talk, but we ended up getting in a lot later than most of the group and Greg, Gibson, and Kelly were standing outside the store waiting for us when we finally rolled in a good 25 minutes after everyone else. Ooops.
So ready for the weekend today. I need to hit the grocery store on my way home today for items for tomorrow night's dinner party. I'm planning on making a turkey breast stuffed with herbs, mushroom risotto, and green beans with almonds. I'm debating about another dish or not. Maybe sweet potatoes. I think we're breaking out the chocolate fondue fountain for dessert. Should be interesting.

Rant

Well, having Greg home has been kind of an adjustment. I kind of expected it. When he first got furloughed a year ago, it was VERY difficult for me to get used him being home all the time. It's just weird when you've been together as long as we have (going on 8 years in December) and you're used to your spouse being away at least a couple days a week. For the most part we have a great marriage. It's like I've said before, we pretty much see eye-to-eye on most things which is important. It makes things a lot easier. Probably the issue we argue the most about is who does more around the house. The problem is kind of alleviated when he is gone most of the time, because if the house isn't clean, it's my own fault and if it's bothering me, I just clean it. When Greg is home, I feel he has a responsibility to help out more with cleaning, and at the very least, to not make it messier. Yesterday, before I left for work, I asked him to please clean the bunny cages (which takes about 5 minutes if you are just doing a quick job). I got home and that wasn't done, and neither were any dishes, or anything else, AND there was a large pile of clothes and other stuff from his truck on the kitchen floor half blocking the entry way. I mean, I know he had his Postal test yesterday, but he was home at least two hours (an hour before the test and an hour after, before I got home) when he could have been doing something to help out. Even if it was JUST the bunny cages, which would have taken all of 5 minutes, and would have prevented me from getting pissed off. I've cleaned them before in full work attire, just before walking out the door, because IT NEEDED TO BE DONE. We're just not on the same page with chores. It's been this way for a long time, and we just can't seem to resolve our differences on it.
This weekend we're having three friends over for dinner and I am already foreseeing our usual arguments when it comes to cleaning. Greg is the master of procrastination. I think he'd be further with his job stuff, house cleaning, and pretty much everything in his life if he'd learn to not procrastinate so much. And this is coming from a person who also considers herself to be a pretty big procrastinator as well (what do you think I'm doing now???). The man can spend HOURS on his computer pissing time away though.
I know I'm being a little hard on him, because he just got done with truck driving and he needs a little down time. But what about MY DOWNTIME?? I mean, I work 40 hours a week every week. I haven't had a real vacation since we went to Hawaii in 2007, and that was only 6 days. It was the only vacay we've had in the whole 8 years we've been together. I don't WANT to come home and clean, but the house is a wreck and it obviously needs to be done. Just help with it. That's all I ask. Just spend an hour doing something, and then you can go to your stupid pilot forums and piss more time away if you need to do that so bad. RRRRR!
So the other thing that pisses me off is that every time we have these sorts of fights, I get painted as the "bad guy" and he's the wounded puppy. He acts like I've wronged him because I got all mad. I think my anger is somewhat justified. He needs to be fair and realize that if I'm stressed about the house being messy, him helping will alleviate my stress and make us both happier. Why is that so difficult for him to understand?
Ugh...
Okay, moving on! So he had his Postal test yesterday. He passed, but we weren't sure he was going to. He called to tell me about it on his way home (to not clean the house- sorry, I just can't let it go). He said that at the beginning there was an instructional screen that said either "Select which address is correct." OR "Select which address is incorrect" Something like that. He couldn't remember which it said and couldn't go back to check, so he ended up taking a guess and filling out all the questions in that section one way or the other. NICE. When he got home he checked the results and it turned out he passed anyway, with like an 86 or something. So it sounds like he made it through that phase. But then he was telling me that he wasn't sure he was that excited about the prospect of the Postal job. He had been talking to his parents and he thought maybe it is a better plan to do the hotel van driver job (at minimum wage) and maybe take some computer classes. Well, I think the Postal job is almost guaranteed to pay better than this van driver job. I think he should almost definitely take it if offered to him unless there's some really crappy part of it that we don't know about yet. The van driver job just seems so lowly to me. Minimum wage....ugh. I mean, we need him to make as much money as he can. We'll see what happens...

Ups and Downs

I had a three day weekend with the Columbus Day holiday, which was much needed. I actually really need an extended vacation, but don't think I'm going to get one anytime soon.
Thursday night with my mom was great. We went to an Asian place in my neighborhood with great food. We split some sushi (more of those Hissho rolls) and my favorite entree there, which is the chicken with mixed vegetables in the white wine sauce. SO GOOD! We ate outside and it was gorgeous out. One of the nearby restaurants had live music outside, so we could hear it a little bit from our location. Lovely evening!I drove my mom to the airport for her flight on my way into work on Friday.
Sunday afternoon I picked her up and we had dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse that night. She stayed over since we were both off yesterday and we did a little shopping before she went back home. Specifically to Babies R' Us for a baby gift, DSW where I did get a cute pair of casual shoes, Kohls (my mom had NEVER been- hello???), and Trader Joes. We also hit Qdoba for lunch, yum!
Greg actually made it home for the first time in quite a few weekends on Friday night. We actually spent Saturday doing pretty much absolutely nothing. We didn't leave the house all day, and it was pretty great. We considered using a gift card we had and going to Olive Garden for dinner Saturday night, but decided to stay in and I made us mushroom ravioli, asparagus cannelloni, and broccoli for dinner instead. I felt like it rivaled what we might have gotten at Olive Garden, minus the salad and breadsticks. We caught up on TIVO, mostly episodes of The Office I had been saving to watch with Greg.
Sunday, he had to go back out on the road, but not until about 6pm, so we still had some time together that day. We had also determined that a US Postal Service job he was in the process for needed him to do an online test and then an in-person test by this Wednesday, so he ended up telling his truck company that his last day would have to be today instead of Thursday. So, today is his last day. I'm going after work to pick him up.
In addition to the Postal test tomorrow, he also got a few other pieces of job related news.
1)Our friend Brad had submitted his resume to his company recruiter for a possible programming job for Greg. The recruiter contacted him yesterday and Greg said he didn't think their conversation went too well. He didn't feel that she thought he had enough experience to work there. So that sucks.
2)Greg finally heard back from the hotel about the van driver job. He starts Thursday. The job is pretty low pay, but it's something. I'm glad he's got something to go to since he's ending the truck driving. We'll see how that goes...

I love my husband

I finally got to see Greg last night! He's gone again though. It worked out that he was driving through Charlotte on his way to somewhere else in NC and timed it so that he could park and get home for the night. Short visit though. I picked up around 9:30pm and then drove him back to the truck before I went to work today. We're not sure if he'll get to come home or not this weekend. At least there's only one week left of this. His last day is a week from today- next Thursday. It was great having him home, even for just a short while though. I look forward to having him home more soon, the house is really lonely with him gone. I enjoy cooking for the two of us and having him right there to tell him something instead of having to pick up the phone to tell him. We think a lot alike and not that this is new to me, but since he's been gone 2 1/2 weeks, I noticed even more this morning when he said something insightful that I agreed with and it validated how right for each other we are. I love that we're on the same page about most things. It makes me happy.

My mom is coming up tonight. She's flying to NJ for her high school reunion tomorrow but is flying out of CLT. I have to figure out what where we should go to dinner tonight. Probably just in my neighborhood to one of the local eateries. We've got a good Asian place and a good pub. She's been to both though, so I'm tempted to take her somewhere new, but that will require driving further out. We'll see. She'll be back Sunday and staying over into Monday too (we both have it off for Columbus Day), so I'll have another chance to do something with her then.

Two people I know had babies this week. My good friend in NH that I went to the baby shower for in August and this guy I work with's wife (Greg and I hang out with them). Busy week for babies! Both are girls too. Makes me a little sad that Greg and I still aren't there yet, but I hold onto hope that the right time will come when he's back on track. *Sigh*

17 Real Flight Attendant Quotes

Aviation people have probably seen these, but I'd thought I'd post for fun... :)

1. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt. If you don’t know how to operate one, you probably should not be out in public unsupervised.
2. As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.
3. There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only four ways out of this airplane.
4. When a plane finally came to a halt, “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.”
5. Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride.
6. As the plane landed and was coming to a stop, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker, “Whoa, big fella. WHOA!”
7. After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms, a flight attendant flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as heck, everything has shifted.”
8. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure margarine cups will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, then pick your favorite.”
9. Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we will try to have them fixed for you before we arrive.
10. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Arrow Airlines.
11. Your seat cushions can be used for flotation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our complements.
12. From a passenger, after a series of noises and shuddering bumps during arrival, “Did we land, or were we shot down?”
13. Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the bag over your own mouth and nose before assisting children or other adults acting like children.
14. Last one off the plane must clean it.
15. And from the pilot during his welcome message, “We are pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!”
16. After a particularly windy and bumpy final approach, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats with your seatbelts fastened while the Captain taxis what’s left of our airplane to the gate!”
17. Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Braveheart and his magnificent crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.

Lifeline, by Mat Kearney

Love this song....

You're watching everything you ever held on to
Slip away from you
And all you're running from well it's catching up to you

Got you looking for a lifeline
Swimming in the high tide
Waiting for the daylight
To bring you home

The world is too big to never ask why
The answers don't fall straight out of the sky
I'm fighting to live and feel alive
But I can't feel a thing without you by my side
Send me out a lifeline

You're watching everyone you ever belonged to
Walk away from you
Maybe all along you've been running from the truth

Got you looking for a lifeline
You're swimming in the high tide
Waiting for the daylight
To bring you home

The world is too big to never ask why
The answers don't fall straight out of the sky
I'm fighting to live and feel alive
But I can't feel a thing without you by my side
Send me out a lifeline

There's nothing I would change, I'd give it all away
For you again and again and over again
Everything I own is in your control

I'm looking for a lifeline
Swimming in the high tide
Waiting for the daylight
To bring me home

The world is too big to never ask why
The answers don't fall straight out of the sky
I'm fighting to live and feel alive
But I can't feel a thing without you by my side
Send me out a lifeline
Send me out a lifeline
Send me out a lifeline

Uncorked and other happenings

I managed to have a good weekend despite Greg not coming home.
The wine festival was so much fun. I think it'll become an annual event. My friends met up at The Original Pancake House for some chow before hand. That was my first time there and I did really like the pancakes. They have a million different kinds, but I just went with the plain to start with. I do want to try some of the others though. I'll have to return with Greg. After brunch we spent a long time at the festival trying out the wines and hanging out. It was all NC wineries so most of the wine was of the sweeter variety and some Mucadines. In general most were not very successful when it came to dry Cabernets and things of that variety. I got a bottle of a really refreshing Green Apple wine to share when Greg if/when he ever comes home.
Yesterday I did a run around my neighborhood with a girl from my running group. I also got my first pumpkin spice latte of the year from Starbucks after. YUM! In the afternoon I made chili and watched some movies and TIVOd stuff (had to catch up on Project Runway!).
Last week a guy in my office brought in a truck load of different hot peppers grown in his garden. I was determined to use them all in my chili. I also used used ground turkey instead of my usual ground beef. I have to say I think the turkey left something to be desired in terms of flavor. I was also making a three bean chili and I'm kinda thinking that the pinto beans muted some of the flavors too, so I think I'll omit them next time and just go with black beans and red beans. Usually my best batches of chili are the ones I try the least hardest to make when I'm just throwing whatever I have in there.
It's been 16 days now since I last saw Greg. He spent the weekend in Indianapolis. It actually worked out pretty good for him because his parents were in Indiana for some reunion/family activities anyway, so a good chunk of his family met up and hung out for some of the weekend. His dad even slept in the truck with him (on the top bunk). I figured it was the next best thing for him than coming home. I'm glad they were there to hang out with him and distract him. Even though he put in his two weeks notice, I imagine that had he been alone all weekend he would have gotten kinda depressed. I'm hoping he finds a better job. A friend of mine (from running group) offered to try and get his resume looked at by his company recently and he was calling Greg to talk to him about it last night, so that could be promising. He also applied for a police dept job a while back and a friend that works there in HR has been helping that along and thought they might start interviewing this week or next. I keep looking for jobs for him to apply for and occasionally find something. I just hope something pans out.
I love this fall weather. It's rainy and only about 60 degrees out today. I like it :)

Still angry

Here's a picture of Greg with his truck.
I'm not having a good day. I feel like all my emotions have come spilling out today. At the beginning of the week Greg told me he probably wouldn't make it home this weekend yet again. Last night we talked and he actually seemed optimistic that he might get to come home if his dispatcher routed him in the direction of home, which got me optimistic too. Then this morning he got yet another impossible assignment that will take him further from home, so he is back to not being able to come home. It just sucks because it took me to higher place to fall from and hearing the news put me into a total depression on everything. I actually cried in my office upon hearing the news and I fear even now that I'm teetering on the border of going into a cry again because I'm in such a low place about everything.
He plans on quitting later today once he has picked up his latest load. Rumor has it that you can't quit this company, they always claim they fired you, so he's trying to handle the situation carefully. He still plans on doing the right thing and giving two weeks notice, but at this point I don't care. I kinda just want him to say "I'm done" and come home now.
I feel like I'm just becoming totally pessimistic about everything. It's been a whole year since the furlough, and we're really just back to square one. He's about to quit this job and we'll be worse off than we were when we started the furlough a year ago, because now he doesn't even have unemployment to fall back on. I'm not overly optimistic that he'll easily find another job when he's been applying for stuff all along that hasn't panned out. I feel like nothing I do really helps either. I find stuff for him to apply for, apply for him myself, pass his resume on to people, be there for him, push him, nothing seems to help because we are back to where we started. I don't think he's going to get called back from furlough anytime soon and I see no way for this to really be resolved. It's just depressing.
My friends keep encouraging me and trying to be constructive with advice, but I just feel like they don't get it. There is no easy fix. It's been over a year. This just sucks, and we have tried everything again and again and nothing is getting resolved. I feel like I deserve to feel defeated and upset about it. Being positive and upbeat is not really helping and all my effort isn't getting us anywhere.
Ugh!