Crap

"You look like crap." Yes, that is what my loving husband jokingly told me when I entered our home today after visiting with the doctor this afternoon. And, the sad part is I agree. I not only looked like it; I felt like it.

I went to the doctor this afternoon. I have a sinus infection and who knows what else. Evidently, there is a nasty cold bug going around that is hospitalizing some people. The doctor ordered me to stay home for a few days to recover and I have several prescription medications to take as well. I'm hoping I will have improved by Thursday before we leave to go to Orlando.

Now, I'm going to partake in the cough medication that my doctor prescribed with the codeine in it and I'm hoping for a solid night of rest after getting hardly any the past two nights. I coughed my head off the entire night last night. I'm officially exhausted.

Awards

Anna and Rachel

Anna got "Student of the Week" last week. Her reading skills have grown significantly in the past few months.

I received feedback from Rachel's teacher a couple of weeks ago regarding her performance to date. She is doing exceptionally well at school. She is in the first grade and is reading and comprehending at a 3rd grade level.

We are grateful that both of our children are doing so well in school.

Angela

I don't think I ever posted here that I was promoted last year. I was hired as a GS-12 back in July 2007. I was promoted to a GS-13 last November. The beauty of it is that I'm in a non-supervisory 13. Usually, those only went to engineers. I interviewed for and was selected for a non-supervisory Program Management GS-13. I am now the focal point for software being utilized on an aircraft.

The other good news is that I was nominated and selected as Civilian of the Year (in the GS-11 thru GS-13) category for 2008. I won at the Group level but not at the Wing level. I was just appreciative that I was nominated at all. I've got to go Monday and get an official portrait done for this.

Jeff Is Going To Be Jealous

Meet Christian.

He lives next door.

As I was updating the blog, I heard him yell for me...."Miss Angela, I have something for you." Then he walks up the steps and brings me a little rose from his yard.

Jeff calls him "Eddie." For anyone who ever watched "Leave it to Beaver," you'll understand the humor behind that. He is a precocious little boy. Although, people who work with Jeff also call him "Eddie" too because Jeff is the one in the office who looks so innocent yet causes the most mischief. I guess it's easy for Jeff to recognize his fellow bretheren. :-)

I've been blessed with two daughters who love to pick and bring me flowers too. I used to bring flowers to my Mom all the time when I was a little girl. But, I think it's sweet when Christian does it too. I much prefer him to our last neighbor's teenage son who had a crush on me. Their teenage son said he liked older women. His Mom used to get a good laugh from the whole thing. What can I say, the younger men love me! :-)

Once upon a time, the young girls loved Jeff. I distinctly remember some young girls...maybe 12 or 13....flirting with him at the movie theater when we first started dating. He had that really young look about him back then...still does in many respects. However, one of the neighborhood teenage girls who is friends with our niece saw him riding the skateboard down our driveway recently and she said, "Look at the old man on the skateboard." I didn't think Jeff would ever recover from that. Poor fella. That's OK. At least someone didn't think that a person who is as old as me was his child. That happened to me about a year ago! Talk about crushing..........

September Potpourri

Out of the Mouths of Babes

The topic of the sermon at church this past Sunday was authority. The children's sermon was centered around this too. When the children were asked who they knew that had authority, one responded, "God." Another responded, "Jesus." When asked who had authority in the home, Rachel replied, "our parents." When asked if anyone else could name someone with authority, Anna blurted out, "the banks." With that, the entire congregation laughed. Who knows why she came up with that one....you never know what she'll say.

One Hundred and Twenty-Eight

What is the significance of that number? That is my current weight. I have lost 11 pounds since August. Do you want to know the last time I saw a weight in the 120s? That would be prior to my first pregnancy. I weighed 124 pounds when I became pregnant with Rachel. Since that time, I have not seen anything in the 120-130 range. I finally decided to shed the "pregnancy weight." It has taken being a bit more disciplined with what I eat (minimize the bad carbs) and exercising more. You know, the things we are supposed to do...exercise and eat a balanced, healthy diet. Yes, I've cheated. I've had my share of junk. I just don't over do it anymore. Plus, I have found that I really enjoy riding my bike. So, I do that a few nights a week for about 7 miles per ride. My goal was to get to 125 lbs. I'm quite happy where I'm at though and really think toning up more is my next goal. I don't know that my stomach will ever be the way it was pre-pregnancy after two c-sections, two laproscopys, and two pregnancies where my belly was HUGE back to back. And, things have shifted after pregnancies and due to old age but my primary goal is to be a bit healthier. And, I think I've achieved that much.

People that I see daily don't seem to notice much but people I haven't seen in a while can tell and usually ask if I have lost weight. Although, one of my coworkers was offering me cake to "fatten me up a bit." I think people have gotten used to me having a little bit more meat on me so some think I look too skinny now. I am by no way too skinny but compared to what people are used to seeing, I could see how some might think I look different now. I'm just thrilled to actually fit in a size 4 again. I never thought I'd ever see that day again. Of course, I need new clothes now. Jeff loves that! Of course, he gets a wife who is in better shape than she has been physically in quite some time and he has his pricey hobbies so I don't expect any complaints from him when I shop. :-)

Brisingr

Brisingr is the title of the book I'm currently reading when time allows. It is the third installment in Paolini's books. Some of you may have seen the movie Eragon. It is the third book following Eragon which was the first book.

There are so many things in Paolini's books that remind me of Tolkien's books (Lord of the Rings). But, I find them mildly entertaining so I was looking forward to reading Brisingr which was released earlier this month.

It'll take me a while to read it though. It's not like I have hours to sit around and read a book.

Heading to Alabama

I plan to go to Alabama this coming weekend to visit with my Mom. I figured I'd better do it while I can since we'll be gone or have visitors in our home for the next few weekends after in the month of October. I'll post an update on my Mom when I get back for those wondering about her.

Got Contacts

I've been wearing glasses for years and I finally grew sick of dealing with them. I tried contacts years ago; eight years ago to be exact. They seemed to bother me at that time. But, the ones I have now don't seem to bother me at all. I got them yesterday and have a follow up appointment with my optometrist next week. So far, so good. I love them actually! And, I'm grateful to not have to deal with glasses. Of course, I wanted to smack the optometrist yesterday when we discussed the need to change my prescription since I was "approaching middle age." Well, thanks doc! Like I need to be reminded. GEEEESSH! Oh, and did I mention that someone in church on Sunday mentioned they liked my "Sarah glasses?" I didn't understand what he meant. Then he said, "your glasses look like Sarah Palin's." I guess even beyond the glasses, I do favor her a bit. Kind of funny really when I started thinking about it. That's not the reason I wanted to shed the glasses though. Just thought it was a humorous point to share.

Thirty-Eight and Counting

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”~~Author Unknown

Since it's close to midnight and I was born some time shortly after midnight 38 years ago, I figured I'd go ahead and wish myself a "Happy Birthday" as I'm certainly not going to have the energy to do much else besides have a nice dinner at home (prepared by the loving husband, of course), followed by a nice drink with alcohol in it, and an early bed time Friday night. I've earned it! I can't believe it's been 38 years already! Lordy, where does the time go?

Yep, that little chubster at the top of this post is me as an infant. Why, oh why, can't fat rolls be just as adorable at 38 years of age too? :-)

My 20-Year High School Reunion Is Coming Up in September

There's a big world out there. Bigger than prom, bigger than high school, and it won't matter if you were the prom queen or the quarterback of the football team or the biggest nerd. Find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it. - Author Unknown

I can't believe it's been 20 years since I graduated from high school in 1988. Yep, that's me above with the big hair and blue eye shadow for my senior photo. Oh, there were bigger hair pictures that I might feel brave enough to share some time. But, this photo will have to do for now.

I'm sure anyone who reaches such a milestone as their 20-year high school reunion can't help but reflect on what their life has been like and make some determination of whether they have been successful or not. I guess we all have different things that we use as our yard stick of what makes us a success. For me, it's not about the fancy house or the nice car. It's about being secure with who you are and simply being happy.

But, from the standard yard stick, I guess I've done O.K. too. I've been blessed in many ways in the past 2o years. I've enjoyed good health, the love and support of family and friends, successful military and civilian careers, and even some adventure. I earned both a bachelors and masters degrees. Plus, I've tolerated all of the professional military education that the military thrust upon me. I have two healthy children and a husband that loves me despite my many imperfections and who has done so for 14 years plus (that man deserves a medal!). So, I guess looking back....things have gone quite well overall.

My Mom, Me and Jeff (1994)

I think the biggest surprise for me after all of these years is my profession. I never would've guessed my life would be so closely entertwined with the military. I guess I've always been some what of a tomboy but I never had any desire to be in the military in high school. But, here I am ready for my 20 year high school reunion with only 6 years left to retire from the USAFR. No one that I knew in high school would've ever guessed that one. I don't think I ever planned my career in any fashion. Truly, it just happened. My military career led to my civilian career and then things continued to build from there. I can't say that I've had any regrets professionally. While it would be nice to be retiring with an active duty retirement, I was greatful for the work flexibility that I had with my civilian career. That made it much easier in my children's infancy years. It seems that things in my life seemed to fall into place at the right times for the right reasons. So, as I said before, I've been very blessed in many ways.

Jeff (holding Anna) and Me (holding Rachel) in 2004

I'll take lots of photos at my reunion and share those. I can't wait to see all of my old friends again. As you saw in earlier posts, I visited with some friends last month. It'll be so nice to catch up with the rest at the reunion.