And We're Back

Despite having continued problems with my computer and reaching no resolution yet (don't go to On Call 25/8 in NoVa. Even if their name seems catchy, they are not nice or useful.) I have a computer thanks to my dad who sent me his laptop to use in my laptop's absence. I really appreciate it, being the wife of a deployed Soldier who has no email access has been tough. So having email access back is a big deal.

And what I know is a bigger deal to all of you is what has been happening over at Chris Cooley's blog. I have to say, I underestimated Chris Cooley. His blog is pretty great. My recent favorites are his trash problems - which have been on the NBC4 newscast and noted by the Washington Post - not to mention his Eastern Motors commercials. I think because of Chris Cooley's superior blogging skills, my husband's superior (yet lacking as of late) blogging skills and my interest in both blogs, beer and garlic fries at Gordon Biersch for all involved will be perfect.

I know I have things to catch up on - namely season two of Army Wives. I have mixed feelings on this season and I plan on sharing them. Before my technologically inspired sabatical, a commentor questioned why I cared how Army Wives portrayed Army Wives during deployment. She felt that looking for accurate depictions of Army wives going through deployment on tv was a cry for attention for a position for which I volunteered. While I appreciate any and all comments, I disagree with this commentator. I'm not looking for Army Wives to educate the world on what deployment - or being in the Army - is like. But seeing something that makes me feel that I am less crazy for feeling the way I do through this deployment. . . well that's a nice feeling. Maybe if Lifetime shows it, it means that I'm not the only one who somehow feels that doing the dishes is directly connected to my feelings of my husband's deployment. So, that's all I'm looking for in Army Wives. A truthful depiction of deployment life from the stay home partner point of view to help me feel less alone in all of this.

More on the real Army Wife gossip soon - and get ready for the next season of Project Runway. How did anyone make it through deployment before reality tv???

Happy Birthday Bailey!

Bailey turned 7 years old yesterday. She had her traditional salmon birthday dinner and enjoyed a relaxing day on the couch, sleeping curled up on her favorite blanket.

This is photo is a reenactment of what her birthday celebrations looked like.

Happy Birthday to the best kitty ever!

Sad Computer Face

My computer is in the shop - and I am currently debating with said shop what the repairs should be and what I am willing to pay for these repairs.

Just an update to let you know why I have gone radio silent. Back soon I hope. Real soon I hope because the Riverside computer lab tends to be a little sketch at 10pm.

A Paper Day

Today is my dear husband's and mine first wedding anniversary. It is not how we expected nor how we would have chosen to spend our first year of marriage, but it can only go up from here, right? I am so lucky to not only have the best, most understanding and patient husband in the world, but fabulous friends who did their best to help me enjoy our first anniversary despite my husband's absence.

Also this weekend we celebrated my grandparents'-in-law 60th(!) wedding anniversary. While our day is honored with paper, their's is celebrated with diamonds. I hope we are so lucky to still be so healthy, so active and still so much in love with each other as Nana and Dah clearly are.

Included are some photos - the first a self-indulgent wedding photo from our wedding, June 16, 2007. A photo of a wedding photo of Nana and Dah - using the same saber we used to cut our "wedding cake". Also, a photo of Nana and Dah dancing amongst their families at the party this weekend. So happy paper anniversary, baby, can't wait to drink our wedding wine together next month, and happy diamond anniversary to Nana and Dah, thanks for making it look so easy.

Puppies

We want to get a dog. We spend a lot of time dreaming about what type of dog we should get. It will probably happen within an hour of my husband landing on US soil. It varies day to day what our preferred breed is, but I think this one is pretty darn cute and an excellent contender.

Army Wives

Lifetime's Army Wives came back with its second season on Sunday. There are clearly parts of this show that are completely fabricated and ridiculous and well, you get the picture. But there are parts of that are so true and painful to watch. This was true on Sunday's ep. The plotline with Roxy (the stripper turned Army wife married to the PFC) was very true to life. Her husband was deploying - their first deployment - and she hadn't heard from him as he promised, so she refused to leave the house until she heard from him. She couldn't clean the house, couldn't get dressed. I know what that feels like. I know what waiting for a phone call feels like, I know the feeling that even though it won't change anything, some how hanging out in bed in your pajamas all weekend ignoring chores and phone calls and such seems like it might make it better - even if that just means the laundry still isn't done, the dishes sit in the sink and all of that makes me feel worse too. All that said, I think they did a really good job showing what its like when you are adapting to a new deployment. The scene where she watches the video from her husband made me weep - while I don't have a video of my husband, he's said many of the same words to me as I've cried on the phones throughout this deployment.

Now - as for the plotline of a jealous husband blowing up the bar. Well, this is what I don't get. Being the wife of a deployed Soldier is hard. Just show that. Show that drama. All that drama that Roxy's plotline showed. Or the great plotline with Pamela last season about the middle of a deployment when you can't see your way out and you can't remember what it was like before. It just seems like there has always been a deployment. So show the Army wife drama. Leave the OTH drama to OTH. Where it awesomely belongs.

Chris Cooley, The Cooley Zone and Other Search Terms That Make My Blog More Google Attractive

So Google can tell me what search words lead people to my blog. The overwhelming number one search term that brings people to my blog? Chris Cooley. Yeah. (Note that he has only recently surpassed Lorenzo Lamas. Seriously.) Chris Cooley and Cooley Zone related searches have brought over 38 viewers to my blog - which may not seem like a lot, but its not like I have the readership numbers of the Washington Post.

Anyway, in honor of that, here is a picture from Chris' recent wedding. I don't know how I am not friends with this man. Chris, if you are googling your self, or The Cooley Zone, and happen upon this blog, email me. We can totally hang out. Bring your wife, its cool. I just think we could have fun drinking beer at the Reston Gordon Biersch and watching One Tree Hill. Oh, and dancing only in a tuxedo vest.

Check out Chris Cooley's blog as well - "The Cooley Zone"

This week's Cooley Zone poll asks if they sold Chris Cooley hot pants, would you buy them. I think the better question is, who wouldn't buy them?