Planning...

It is almost time for our annual trip with the airplane. That's right, folks... We are going to the Arlington Fly-in again this year. It should be a lot of fun...

So, we have a few days this month to get everything ready while Aaron is home. Then, we need to solve the problem of what to do with our fur-kids. Unfortunately, we cannot take them with us unless we get a campsite away from the airplane and we kennel them over there... Not fun for the puppies. Especially since Aaron LOVES to go from plane to plane and drool. Yep, he's a typical pilot who can be lost for hours in a sea of aircraft. Last year, we had friend that were here and they house-sat for us and took care of Noni. They live in Mississippi now. Our options at this point are to board them, but we'll be gone for about 5 days so it will not be cheap...

In the mean time, we'll be getting the camping gear dusted off and plan our shopping list. I can't wait. I really enjoyed myself last time, mostly because I got to sit by the plane as much as I wanted, didn't get dragged around the whole site, and got to take naps when I wanted... It was AWESOME! This year, I'll be representing the Pilot Wives Club as well, so hopefully I see some other members there. Less than a month to go! Sweet!

My Girls (in a rare moment)

When is a King Size not really a King Size?

When you have a German Shepherd...

Aaron lucked out in getting us a king-sized bed when we moved to Hawaii. He got one cheaper than the queens that were on sale, so he got it... We vowed never to go back to a Queen Size...

When it was just the two of us and Noni, it was perfect. But, then, Noni is small. There was always plenty of room, with Noni curling up in some random corner of the bed. Ah... those were the days...

Now, with Lijha, there is no more room at the inn... Sure, we all fit on the bed, but not comfortably. Realistically, there can only be 2 large bodies and one small body on the bed at any given time for anyone to be comfortable. I have woken up in pain every morning this past week... This morning was worse than the others... Twice this week, I swear she was trying to push me out of bed... She knows just how to work it too... She'll sleep on the floor in front of the door until we go to sleep... Then she inserts herself between us and pushes against one or the other until she is taking up half the bed... Of course, we don't notice until we wake up just what positions she has put us in...

I wonder if we can purchase anything larger than a King... Like, maybe an entire padded room for the times when all four of us are home... Yeah, that could work!

Have you ever hit the wall?

It's funny how we tend to block out the "bad" times in our lives? Like, how we block out the pain of childbirth after we hold our children for the first time (or so I hear, I've never actually had that experience) or we forget how bad puppies were after they hit adulthood? Or how the really stressful and exhausting time at work that comes around the same time every year really wipes you out? Accountants know what I'm talking about... We are currently in the "busy" time of work at the moment and I come home exhausted every night. Sitting and staring at a computer screen for 8+ hours a day straight is extremely fatiguing... So much so that I could not keep my eyes open when I got home yesterday. I went straight to bed and took a 2 hour nap. Woke up for dinner and time with the hubby since he is home at the moment, then back to sleep for another 8. I am still tired today, but no where near as tired as I was yesterday. Yeah, I hit that wall hard!

Whistle Whining and Other Frustrations...

Three weeks ago, Lijha broke her outside toe on her back left leg. I know, it hurts... I know, you can't go run around like a freak right now... I know you want to go for a walk... I know you are frustrated... Please, for the love of God and for the sake of my sanity, find a different outlet for your frustrations... Whistle whining makes me want do things that are not acceptable in normal society...

Before she broke her foot, she would do the typical German Shepherd whistle whine at inopportune times... It made me want to say "If you keep whining, I'll give you something to whine about"...

And, no, I wasn't the one who broke her foot...

Common courtesy request: If you are sick, stay home... I don't need to be sick (again)... Just because you don't want to take a sick day, even when you accumulate 2 days a month, that doesn't mean that you should get everyone else sick. BTW, telling me that you are going to stay in your office to keep everyone else from getting sick doesn't mean squat when you have to pass by my desk to go to the bathroom or enter/exit the building (my desk is in the entrance to the building)... If you "can't" take a sick day because of your work load, that is when technology comes into play... Log in to GoToMyPC and transfer your desk phone to your cell - With everything in our office going paperless, problem solved.

When you stay home when sick, you give your body time to rest so you can get over the illness faster and you keep from contaminating your co-workers... Just FYI...

(cough, cough, sneeze, hack, snort) - Yeah, that's thanks to my lovely co-workers who don't want to take a sick day... Thanks guys... Just what a chronic bronchitis/asthma/allergy patient needs... I'm not feeling well, and I can't tell if it is because of everyone else or I'm having an asthma attack or if my bronchitis is coming back...

Too bad my boss won't let me work from home (apparently, my job doesn't allow me to work remotely)... I could isolate myself from all the other sickies and keep myself from getting it.

Remembering Grandma...

I have been busy today working on homework and cleaning my house and dealing with the vet (grrr...). I happened to look at my e-mail just a few minutes ago and I saw an email that made me cry. Not because of the content, it was a very simple e-mail that I get many of throughout the year. It was a birthday reminder that I have sent to me a week before a birthday so I will remember to send a card or something to someone (or at least call them). Today, I got the reminder for my Grandmother's birthday on May 1st. She passed away last year...

So, I sit here thinking about how she taught me to crochet and how to shuffle cards. I am remembering how she always let me have french toast for breakfast when I came to visit, and how with every dinner, she would steam a big bowl of broccoli just for me... Well, I tell myself it was just for me, but I had to share with everyone at the table. I look over at my couch and see my afghan that she made for me, with the words "I Love You" raised on the front... I remember so many great things about my Grandma and I miss her very much. I wish I could call her and tell her about my day like I used to. I know what she would tell me when I ask her about her day... She would say "Oh, I've just been here rocking my Samson and Delilah" (my aunt's dog and cat, respectively). My grandma loved to sit in her recliner with the dog and cat in her lap and look outside at the mountains while she rocked... I miss hearing her say that. I also miss her smell... You know, the smell that says "grandma"... Whenever she would come to visit my family growing up, she would sleep in my bed. I loved how my bed and pillows smelled like Grandma for weeks after she left. I'm sad that I'll never get to have that reminder again.

So, I'm going to have my little cry and remember my grandma...

Poor Lijha

Lijha got what Aaron calls "the zoomies" in the house a little before I was supposed to go pick him up from the airport. Basically, she went into "spaz mode" and frantically ran around the house. She slipped and hit her foot on something (not sure if it was the couch or the bookcase) then came back to lay down. She started whimpering and yelping like she hurt herself. I looked at her leg, felt all over it to see where she was hurt, and noticed that her outside toe on her back left leg was sticking out a bit. She started limping and that's when I decided I would take her to the vet.

But, I first had to go get Aaron. I wouldn't have enough time to go to the vet before I picked him up. So, I waited at the airport. I heard the plane land, then I heard the announcement on the loudspeakers that the flight had arrived. I started calling his cell phone and after a couple of disconnects (because it was off for the flight) he answered. I told him to come straight to the car and we would pick up his baggage later. We went straight to the vet where she was examined. After xrays were taken, it was clear that she broke her toe. The one that was sticking out to be precise. It was a very obvious break too. Poor baby. She is now in a splint and is hobbling everywhere. She has to go back every 10 days to get it checked out (and probably rebandaged). If she happens to chew on her bandages, she has to go back in and have them replaced. She will be in the splint for a month. She can't run, and if we take her for a walk, it must be short and we must protect her splint.

Hopefully, this will be her "no zoomies in the house" experience and she'll be calm when inside.

And, of course, this happens just as she was able to return to normal activity after her surgery last week. (sigh)