18.4%!!!! Wow!!!

One more week to go before I leave here to go home for 15 days!  I cannot wait!!  We really don’t have a lot of set in stone plans.  We are going to Omaha to see family over Valentine’s Day weekend and Kevin and Haylie’s teachers were kind enough to set up a parent/teacher conference 2 weeks ahead of schedule.  I have no idea what they have been up to in school.  Every time I ask them what they are learning they say nothing.  I highly doubt that but I can’t force them to give me an answer, especially since what they do learn is probably gradual and not thrust upon them all at once.  Haylie received her MileyWorld subscription.  She was really excited to get it….at least I think she was.  Kevin starts guitar lessons on Tuesday February 3^rd.  He seems excited about that.  He got a new guitar for Christmas and these lessons are free since I’m deployed.

 

We are having a BBQ tomorrow after work.  Every so often we will have one and invite people from our company that we hardly ever see.  It’s a fun relaxing way to get to see people and catch up.  I did ok on my PT test yesterday.  I passed all the events even though I’m not supposed to do the sit ups or the run.  I wanted to see where I stood since it’s my goal to get off of this permanent profile when I get back to Riley.  We had a weigh in when the test was over.  I got taped just so I could see where I was at.  I have some old measurements from when I was at Gordon.  I’ve lost quite a few inches since then.  My measurements from March 2008 were:  Neck – 15”, Hips – 42”, Waist – 33” and Weight – 179lbs.  My measurements from January 2009 are:  Neck – 13”, Hips – 40”, Waist – 29” and Weight – 146lbs.  33 pounds!  Biggest Loser style that’s an 18.4% weight loss!  When I lose the last 20 that I want to it will be a total of a 29.6% weight loss.  That’s a lot of weight!  Never again!!!

 

Ok, it’s bedtime.  Love and hugs to everyone.

Memory Lane

My mom has been putting up some really old pictures on her FaceBook.  She has an entire album for just me and my sister.   Here are a few:

My sister and I really did like each other at one point.  :P  Today was my half day.  I had every intention of getting my hair trimmed and my eyebrows done but I saw Cory online so we started talking.  I'm definitely going to do that stuff next Saturday since I go on leave that next Wednesday.  I'm really looking forward to it and the days are creeping by.  

I'm down to 150lbs!!!  A 25 pound loss since I started counting at 175!  I've actually been up to 180.  I cannot believe I let myself go like that.  NEVER AGAIN!!!!!  I feel much better about myself now that I'm losing the weight.

That's about it for now.  I need to start getting ready for work.  Love and hugs to everyone!  

Sergeant Livingston!!!

The list for promotion came out yesterday.  I didn't expect to see my name since points had gone up the previous month and I wasn't anywhere near 600.  When I saw my name I started screaming!!  I was Skyping with Cory at the time and he thought something bad had happened.  :) I am so excited!!!  February 1st I'll be a Sergeant!!  OH....AND I can fit back into my skinny jeans!!!  YAY!!!

Can't wait till February 4th!!!

I've been doing a lot of research/reading on Asperger's Syndrome.  The book I'm reading now might as well be called Haylie Livingston.  I'd say that about 75% of what I've read so far we have already experienced.  The other 25% we get to have the pleasure of experiencing in Junior High and High School.  It’s really helping me understand Haylie.  I just hope I can put into practice what I’m learning here, at home. 

I bought Haylie a year long membership to a website called MileyWorld.com.  It looks like a cute site and she’s still really big into Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus. 

Work recently has been kinda sucky.  There is a warrant officer I work with who has been very bithcy recently.  She bitches about the stupidest things and then turns around and does the very same thing she was just bitching about 10 minutes earlier.  I hate hypocrites!  Work has been busy too.  We were down for a day and half and we are still playing catch up.  Usually I’ll have time to get online at work and check my email or something.  I haven’t been able to in the past two days.

So, I found out today when I finally get to go on my mid tour leave.  I leave here on the 4^th of February.  I still don’t know EXACTLY when I’ll reach the states but I’m pretty sure it will be before my husband’s birthday on the 9^th.  I wanted to surprise him but it got too hard trying to coordinate with neighbors and trying to get a ride from the airport.  I told him about a week or so ago.  The kids still don’t know so I can at least surprise someone.  We’ll be heading up to Omaha Valentine’s Day weekend to see family and friends.  I think my mother in law is going to try to come down from Minnesota that weekend too.  We’ll only be up there for 3 or 4 days so I hope I can see everyone within that time frame.  I can’t wait to get home.  I’ve lost quite a bit of weight here and I’m really looking forward to taking some awesome photos with Cory and the kids.  Of course some will be of just me and Cory.  I don’t have any lovey, sweet romantic photos and I’d like some.  Cory and the kids are going to have to suffer through a photo shoot of sorts while I’m home.  

Kevin in his Halloween costume.  I never thought I'd see the Joker playing RockBand!!

Kevin and Haylie messing around on a weapon.  This sits at the top of a huge hill just off of Fort Riley.

He's a bit shorter than I thought he would be.  He did a USO tour on my first deployment.  Very very funny!!

The round is as big as she is!!

I miss home!!  Our house on Fort Riley!

Well, I think that's about it for now.  Love and hugs to everyone!!

Boink.....I gotta get outta this CHU!!

Well, I'm back from my 4 day break.  It was very relaxing.  They had a bunch of activities planned for everyone and I didn't partake in a single one.  I just wanted to do nothing but relax. I think I succeeded.  

So, I came back to some disturbing news.  The person that picked me up said that I might want to wash my sheets and fumigate my CHU.  I was very confused and then he told me that my neighbor heard my roommate getting it on with her boyfriend!  Ugh!!!  Oh, and get this....the next morning she has the nerve to knock on our neighbor's door and ask them to be quiet!  HA! She wasn't concerned with how loud she was the night prior so in my book she lost the right to ask the neighbors to keep their voices down.  One more reason why I can't wait to move outta the CHU.  If she tries to bring him in here again while I'm in here I'm telling her no!  Members of the opposite sex aren't even supposed to be in our rooms after 2100 anyways.

Kevin and Haylie have been slacking big time on their chores and their basic responsibilities at home.  They aren't picking up after themselves and they aren't completing their chores all the way.  Cory confessed and said that he's been letting them get away with certain things like leaving their cereal containers out on the counter and I know he's not having them clean their rooms like I used to have them do.  Don't get me wrong he's still having them pick up stuff but I can guarantee things aren't put back where they belong.  They used to try to shove things in corners and under beds.  If Cory were doing the checking then they would probably get away with that, but if I were doing the checking those would be the first places I would look.  Cory's ADHD allows for a lot of leeway when it comes to things like that.  Anyways, I talked with them and told them that if they can't start helping Daddy out while I'm gone then when I come home for my leave in February (kids think it's June....ssshhhh) we will have ourselves a little cleaning party.  They did NOT like the sound of that!  Hopefully that gave them the kickstart they needed.  I'm not doggin on you, Cory.  I love you!!

I discovered the special effects buttons for my webcam.  I got bored one evening on my R&R and decided to check it out....

Way too much time on my hands.  LOL!!!  Love and hugs to everyone!!

Freedom Rest

So, I found out last night that I was going on Freedom Rest. It's basically a 4 day pass spent here in Baghdad. As it turns out, it's the exact same place I did Freedom Rest 5 years ago! It hasn't changed a bit. I haven't done much of anything today. The only time I left my room was to eat lunch and dinner. I took TWO naps today! I didn't realize how exhausted I really was. I'll venture out more tomorrow. The convoy here was the first time that I went outside the wire....for you non military folk that means leave the post. It was nice to actually get to see more of Baghdad.

Haylie had to go to the emergency room this past Saturday. She had yet another one of her UTIs. This time it spread to her bladder as well so she had a bladder infection too. This comes a day or two after she had an appointment with the urologist where Cory said she hasn't had one and seems to be doing fine. Cory had to carry her into the hospital and Haylie was screaming bloody murder! We are at a loss with what to do to prevent these. I suggested that Cory go buy some very gentle body wash...like the stuff that can be used on babies...and have Haylie wash her body on a daily basis. We don't know if this will help but it's better than what we have been doing. If this had to happen I'm glad it happened on her break from school and on a weekend. I can picture her getting one while she's at school. She's sitting at her desk reading and all of a sudden she starts screaming and the teacher can't get her calmed down. Not a pretty picture. I used to be able to tell when she had a mild one. Lately she seems to go from extremely mild to screaming and not being able to walk in a single day. It completely takes you by surprise. Poor thing, I hope this doesn't mess her up down there.

Cory sent me a couple pictures of them by the Christmas tree. I wish I could have been in the pictures with them. Next year for sure. Love and hugs to everyone.

Kitty is about as big as Haylie is. :P

It's done!!!!!!

FINALLY!!!!  The promotion board is done!!  I rocked it too!  I went in and after I said my bio the Sergeant Major had me recite the NCO Creed.  Not a problem, knocked it out of the park!  The she had me sing the 1st Infantry Division song and the Army song and then she dismissed me!  No one even asked me any questions!  I'm told this happens if you do awesome on the creed.  I'm so relieved it's finally over.  By the time I get back to Fort Riley I'll be an E5!  Then, in April of 2010 I can start looking into re-enlisting.  I really want to go back to Germany!!  I think the fam would LOVE it!  Haylie especially.  She's still into princesses and stuff like that so I think she'd get a kick out of the castles there.

I don't really have all that much to say today.  I'm exhausted from having to get up so early this morning for the board.  I've been studying like crazy so it's been difficult getting to sleep at night. I wasn't able to shut my brain off.  Especially last night.  I'm hoping to get a really good nights sleep tonight.  My half day is tomorrow so I'm sure I'll be able to.  

Cory took a really cute picture of me a few days ago while we were Skyping....see below.

Well, I think that's about it for today.  Happy New Year and love and hugs to everyone!!