Robins, Hope and Spring

I took the dogs for a walk yesterday, and I was pleased to see an old friend:



Not sure exactly when he got back into town, but yesterday was the first day I noticed him. Only fitting for the first full day of spring, I guess.

With spring in Minnesota, there are a lot of feelings of hope and anticipation, I think. A lot of firsts as the world wakes up after the winter. One of my favorite books from my childhood, and still today, is "The Secret Garden". Our friend, the cheeky robin, plays an important role in that story too; although Mistress Mary's robin is not quite the same as my American version.

I'm torn today about feelings of hope. It seems all of nature is conspiring to bring that sense of hope to the world. But I don't want to feel hope, because I have been disappointed again. Dave had seemed so confident that he could come home for Easter, but yesterday he found out that he cannot. So all of the plans that I made with the carefully placed caveats; all need to be revised. Harumph.

How am I supposed to properly say harumph when it is such a nice day outside?

Home?

WARNING: The following post contains whiny and unappreciative content. Viewer discretion advised.

My brain still hasn't fully adjusted to the fact that Dave is "here" instead of "there". I think the thing I notice most is that I can call him, instead of having to wait for him to call me. And it's exciting to look at the calendar and see that Easter is only 2 1/2 weeks away, the next time he may come home. It's an entire hemisphere better than being in Iraq.

But he's not home.

A friend said to me last night, "oh, I'm so happy that he's home now!". She, in fact, repeated that throughout the evening. And actually I've heard that so many times in the last week, I've lost track.

Really? If your spouse or loved one was 1280 miles away from you, would you say he or she was home?

If the only thing that matters is the time that they spend in Iraq, then what was the time spent at Camp Shelby? Didn't we miss our loved ones then? Didn't we feel gaping hole in our hearts then? Camp Shelby was only 1120 miles away. Almost home, right?

Yes, Iraq is a war zone. Yes, Iraq is dangerous. A lot of really bad stuff happens there every day. People are trying to kill our soldiers every day. That is true. And Georgia is better than Iraq. But it's not home.

36 Hours

Dave didn't get back in time to attend the funeral. He arrived at Ft. McCoy on Monday evening. Tuesday morning, he called me and asked if I could come to La Crosse and see him. He thought he would probably have free time Tuesday and Wednesday before he needed to leave. So I made some calls, rearranged my schedule a bit, and headed to Too to pull the items I need for my page kits. Once I finished that, I was totally free until work on Wednesday afternoon. Then I thought, maybe it might be difficult to make it back in time for work, so I started calling around to see if somebody could cover for me at the store.

My phone rang, it was Dave. Change of plans. They approved him, and another guy, Mike, to drive to Georgia. So instead of staying in La Crosse, I was now going to pick him up so that they could drive me back to the cities and then leave for Georgia. It sounded like they had to leave immediately. I was mad.

As I headed to La Crosse, I got a clarification on the plans. Although they were "leaving for Georgia", they actually were going to stay in the Cities for a bit. Whew. We got back to Rosemount at about 9, changed clothes and went to Rudy's. Good stuff. The waitress gave us (Dave)free appetizers when she heard that he had just come back from Iraq.

Wednesday, DH spent a long time (too much time!) fixing my laptop. It's not 100% yet, but it's on the mend. I really appreciate all of the time he put into it. Then we went to Herkimer pub with Scott, Minda & Andrew. We had a really great time. I'm glad it worked out for them to meet each other. After we left the pub, we stopped into a little bike shop a few doors down. Dave got himself a nice hybrid bike. Although he has his truck to take him to school in Georgia, since it's 2 miles between school and home, he's looking forward to taking his bike a lot of the time.

This morning, he packed up his truck and the boat, filled with military gear, civilian clothes, camping equipment, fishing equipment, a bike and golf clubs. I wonder if he will have time to miss me. ;) We said goodbye and he was on his way. He was only home for 36 hours, but it was wonderful.


P.S.
Sincere thank yous to the following people: Leigh B. and Sue T. for the time off, and all of the great people (Susan!) who covered for me; Scott & Minda, thank you for dinner, and Andrew, thank you for the picture and the jealous affection; and Col. Elicerio, thank you for (begrudgingly) sending Dave back.

What to say....

I know a few people have been checking here for news about Dave. But there is not much to say on that front... he's still in Kuwait. And that shouldn't really surprise me, because the original plan was for him to leave Kuwait sometime on Sunday.

But since my last post, Dave's grandpa passed away. We knew that the end was coming, so Dave had asked if the Red Cross would allow him to get a flight to the US sooner to try to attend the funeral. His commander said yes. So I contacted the Red Cross, and waited to hear from Dave. Unfortunately, his commander was incorrect. Grandparents do not qualify for relief flight status.

Before grandpa passed, Dave's dad had called and told me that grandma wanted Dave to be a pallbearer. I thought, that's very nice, but they shouldn't count on Dave getting there. Fast forward a day, and multiple phone calls, now it sounds like Dave will arrive in La Crosse around 9 AM, need to go to Ft. McCoy for processing, and then somehow get to the funeral, 170 miles away. Funeral mass is at Noon. Doesn't sound realistic, does it? Then Dave's dad tells me he's thinking of driving down (3 hours) and back (3 hours) to bring Dave to the funeral. Wow. With that plan, not only is it likely that Dave will miss it, Dave's dad will miss it too. I can only say that he is grieving, and maybe not thinking so clearly.

Yesterday I heard from Dave again, and now his flight is pushed back an additional 18 hours. At this point, they may not even go to Ft. McCoy, they may go directly to Ft. Gordon. He has to be there no later than Friday morning. But he didn't know for certain. (It's the army, there isn't much that is for certain when it comes to making plans.)

This afternoon, I'm riding with Dave's older brother and his wife & kids to the visitation today and the funeral tomorrow. I'm going to stick with them, since I'm going stag.... I'm not all that big on funerals, and I'd never met Dave's grandparents. But oh well. It's family.

Dave met my parents (and my extended family) for the first time at my uncle's funeral... But that's another story.

Finis!

I got this done a couple of days ago, but I remembered today that I hadn't said so on my blog yet... And just in time, too!

NEWS!

OK, Here it is:

Wednesday March 7 at 5 AM Minnesota time, Dave will be leaving Iraq.

He'll spend a few days in Kuwait and then he's off to Georgia by way of Wisconsin for a couple of days. He'll be in Georgia until August. He will finish the deployment at a school at Fort Gordon.

With any luck, I'll be able to see him before he goes to Georgia. Right now, it's one of those many unknown things.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I'm pretty sure in a week I'll know so many things! For now, I'm impatiently waiting. Deployment changes, job changes, friends relocating, tentative vacation plans. Ah, possibilities.



Last night I nearly finished my stepson's album, now known as the little album that could. This will be the third time it's been nearly finished, but each time I have been blessed with more pictures. It has gone from a meagre 40 pages to a much more robust 130 pages. I have to blow up one picture and add a title page, and it will be done.



The majority of people (all 5 of you!) that read my blog live in Minnesota, so this picture probably doesn't impress you. But since there are a few on the eastern hemisphere who have been known to check it out on occasion, here it is: The snow in the front yard is knee deep, with another inch or so predicted today.

They've been having pretty nasty sandstorms in Iraq as we're having snowstorms here in Minnesota. I can definitely say I'll take the snow.

Let it Snow!

During the winter, you learn to be flexible. Pretty much every plan I had this weekend was cancelled. I left the house on Friday morning to go to the grocery store, and again on Sunday morning to go to church. Other than that, I stayed home. Here are the results of Saturday night:





On Saturday night, Minda and I gave each other 3 scrap challenges and then shared them through Yahoo Messenger. It was fun. Last night, when I was talking to Erin, I got an idea that is milling around in my head. Erin called it a "book of possibilities". Here's the page (or mini book!) idea: Scrap a list of things that you WANT TO DO before your next milestone. I'm sure I've seen the idea in a book before (probably Autumn Leaves). But it's an idea worth revisiting. I'm looking forward to seeing what Erin will do. :)

Look, Ma! No Meat!

Today marks my first Lenten Friday as a pre-Catholic. My lenten obligations are going pretty well (I've had two whole days, 38 to go) except for the minor problem of missing mass on Ash Wednesday. I feel bad about that. My fish looked better than it tasted... It was freezer-burned and full of bones. I wish I could have chicken.

This morning I had nice chats with two friends. It really brightened my day. Now I'm waiting to see if the snowstorms forecasted are really going to happen.

8x10 Challenge

Wes threw out a challenge to use LARGER THAN LIFE (8x10) photos. Minda took it one step further and added the stipulation to NOT use vacation or portrait photos.

My first page is from a picture I took of my feet after the Twin Cities 3-Day.


The next page used a picture I have loved for a few years. This dog was actually a very friendly stray. Ok, it's technically a picture taken on vacation, but it's not a vacation picture. :)


When I started thinking about pictures of THINGS, and things I love, I immediately thought of the pictures I have of sushi. (I picked up the habit of photographing my sushi meals from Chie)

This was a fun challenge!

Dinner at the Aunties

Another branch of my "adopted" family is my aunties, Liz & Carol. Last night they invited me over for a marvelous home-cooked meal. They tell wonderful stories and are both very unique characters. They both care deeply about Dave and his situation. I just adore them!

I Just Wanna Fly

Ok, I'm trying something new. When I was leaving Minda's on Saturday night, we got to talking about something called FlyLady.
Yesterday I checked out the site, and I thought, why not try it? It couldn't hurt to have some gentle reminders about keeping my house less cluttered and more organized. The messages are kind but persistant. I had to laugh when I read one of the questions on their "quiz":

1. I can do anything

a. If they pay me enough
b. For chocolate
c. And I will, too, eventually
d. For 15 minutes
e. Better than anybody. That's why I have to do it all.

My answer would naturally be b and c. I think I learned from my mom e and c. Last night I called her and tried to sell her on FlyLady too. Maybe we can be accountability partners.

Well, obviously...

This week has been a little rough. Dave isn't here and that sucks. Listening to people complain and take their spouses for granted sucks. Hearing the Valentines plans of others makes me feel bitter and jealous, and that sucks.

But you know what?
I spent 4 of the last 5 nights with friends. I got a new computer for work. My roommate heard me on a difficult phone call and spontaneously brought me chocolate. I had friends that supported me and offered to trounce nasty people. I haven't had much for headaches this week and my stomach has been pretty good.

You gots to take the good with the bad.

Wanted: New Skin

Where does one get thicker skin? Just when I think that I have perfected a nice, thick skin, and I have all of my armor in place, somebody says thoughtless, stupid things and I'm left emotionally raw and naked.
I'm tired of it. I can't keep people from saying stupid things, or from putting me down to lift themselves up. I can't avoid people either. So it's me. I have to change.

Monday, happy and sad

Yesterday morning, I woke up EARLY and started work. A few hours into it, Erin's DH came online and I took a break to chat with him a bit. He suggested that I take Erin to 1SG Mettille's funeral, so that she had a ride, and didn't have to be there alone. So we went. Personally, I didn't know him, and Dave didn't work directly with him, but it was good to be there. The funeral was at the Cathedral, and it was very formal and beautiful. Some things were hard to look at. It was hard to see the people in uniform.

Later, Erin & I went out to Olive Garden to celebrate her birthday. We talked and laughed and had a good night. The more I get to know her, the more I am impressed by her.

This morning, my boss in Ohio called me to say how excited she was by the package that Dave sent her family. She has a son who is very into military things, and Dave sent him some things that just sent him over the moon. Have I mentioned recently that I love my husband? He is fabulous in so many ways.

The Conspiracy

I've had this blog for a while now, and it occurred to me that I've never explained where the name "The Scrapbook Conspiracy" comes from.

In 2004, my team at work comprised of Peg, Andi, Pam, and I, and our supervisor, Sue (a different Sue). Peg, Andi, Pam and I were scrapbookers, Sue was not. There were times that three or four of us would attend the same scrapbooking retreats. So occasionally all of us would ask for the same random Friday off. In one team meeting, Sue was reviewing our upcoming schedules and if I remember correctly we all had the same Friday off. She looked at us and said,

"Is this one of your Scrapbook Conspiracies?"

Our team of four has gone in four separate directions now, but we all still scrapbook.

The word conspiracy is interesting because in the dictionary, all of its definitions imply nefarious purposes and evil deeds. But to conspire can be positive or negative, taking its origins from a latin word meaning to act in harmony. Scrapbooking has a lot of harmony to it; there is harmony in color and texture, and when I scrapbook I combine the past and the present, and my goal is to preserve the memories for the future.

Another piece of the conspiracy is knowing that, although the scrapbook pages in and of themselves are valuable to their audience, the other secret behind scrapbooking is that I love the social outlet of it. Some people play bunco; other people join clubs; I scrapbook.

Long live the conspiracy.

By Coincidence (Plan A)

I was driving home from work tonight, and thinking I should try to get a picture of this page to put on my blog. Lucky for me, I was able to "borrow" a picture from Minda. The journaling is below:



On my flight home from California, I read the bridal magazine I had thrown into my bag from cover to cover. And no, I'm still not jazzed about the big wedding. It helps knowing that we've postponed it from fall '07 to spring '08, but I still know it's looming in the future, and I SHOULD feel excited about it. Or at least not repelled by it.

If I had a wedding planner who would take on all of the stress and all of the planning, and then offer to pay for it all, then, indeed, I would be all for this undertaking. But I don't really see any fairy wedding planners popping out of the woodwork with any such offer. So, here is my next great idea:

I want to be the groom.

The bride spends a good year looking at magazines, talking to venues, meeting with photographers, trying on dresses, arguing with bridesmaids, adding and subtracting to the guest list, agonizing over stephanotis versus stargazer lilies.

The groom picks four friends and shows up.

I trust Dave, I think he would make a good bride. He would actually be quite efficient, and not one to be reduced to tears. I want to be able to say things like, "your decision sounds good to me" and "whatever makes you happy, dear". I would appreciate all of the work he put into it.

Sounds like a plan.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

Whine, anyone?

I spent my first 24 hours back from California with Minda, Erin, et all, blissfully not thinking about getting back to real life on Monday.
But Mondays show up, ready or not!

Right before I left for California, I took my van in, and found that I had blown the head gasket. Crapola. That, my friends, is not cheap to fix. So I told them I'd be gone until this week and left it at the mechanic's.

This morning, my laptop was acting W-E-I-R-D. Ran checkdisk, found the harddrive is on it's way out. Again, crapola. No computer = no bank accounts, no email, no chatting with my husband. NEED the laptop. No two ways about it. So, over lunch break I hauled up my old desktop pc and got it running. I can limp along on this until I get a new harddrive. The good news is, the laptop is just cooperative enough to let me back up my essential files.

Also this morning, Dave called. He was feeling bummed because he was still holding out on the slim hope that he would be leaving to go to school in Pennsylvania in a few days. No dice. Now, it looks like the school they might send him to is in Georgia, for five months. That would get him home.... Hm, late August. Huh.

So, I did what any self-respecting 31 year-old would do. I called my mommy.

CHA Wrap-up

Well, CHA Winter 2007 has come and gone. It was very fun. I'd consider going again. It was work though. I'm glad I decided to stay in California a few extra days. This afternoon I went with Greta & Jody to Burbank, where we went to NBC studios and got standby tickets for Jay Leno. They were looking for star sightings, but I feel that tv stars are only slightly higher on the scale than scrapbook idols of people I really don't have time to care about. While we were waiting in the standby line, a studio page came up and gave us 3 guaranteed tickets. They have this whole complicated process for getting people into the show, and pretty much you wait around and hope to get lucky enough to get in. We got in, and it was very fun to see the show in person. I especially liked that they had animals from Busch Gardens. They're more amusing than actresses and singers, I guess.

A Quick One: CHA Day 2

Yesterday, the exhibit hall opened, and, Wow.
My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey, Stamping Station, Foo-Fa-La, Fancy Pants, Paper Element, Trace Industries, Cosmo Cricket, and Rusty Pickle all had things that caught my eye. Bird is still the word. (sad...) A lot of people are copying a lot of other people. If they do it well, we forgive them, but if they don't, well...

Here is a picture of the things I made in my classes on Saturday.