MOVED TO WORDPRESS!!!!

I'm not sure if this will work or not....hopefully you all will get this.

If you do, big news! Well, not really, but humor me. I've moved the blog to WordPress. Same address, except instead of .blogspot.com, it's .wordpress.com.

So, without further ado, please visit the new Semper Gumby Adventures!

Sitter in a Pinch

This week have had the most miserable stomach bug thing. It reminds me a lot of when I got norovirus at UVA, in fact, I think that's what it may be because it's so similar. Caroline had it last weekend, then Greg, and while I've felt a little weird all week it finally hit me in full force today.

Because of this, I've pretty much been out of commission today. It's consisted of sitting on the couch and mildly playing with Caroline in between her naps. Since our sitter is out of town (and I'm in the process for looking for a couple of backup sitters), it's just us. Enter Sesame Street.

I generally have a rule for myself (especially when I'm home alone) to not watching TV during daylight hours. Kind of a strange rule, but I find it makes me feel less pathetic. I've therefore been keeping the same rule for Caroline, but today, Sesame Street seemed to be the perfect alternative to her bouncing on my stomach or crawling on top of me. And she seemed to like it too....

Thank you, Jim Henson, for helping me out in a pinch!

Cracking herself up

If you haven't figured it out already, Caroline is your typical attention-loving people person. She loves watching other babies and kids, and her favorite person to watch is herself (in the mirror).

Last night Greg showed her the video I posted last week (not the one of her waking up, but the one of  her laughing and standing next to the couch), and she of course thought it was so entertaining. It's neat to see how she can understand that she's watching another baby through the window of a tiny phone (even if she may not get that she's watching herself on video)....

Sarah Smiley - Great Column

Sarah Smiley is a military wife who is a fantastic writer. She has, as she writes, been a military dependent for her entire life (daughter of and wife to Navy pilots). In fact, the only time she has not had a military ID in her wallet were the six weeks between her college graduation (when children are no longer technically dependents) and her wedding.

I stumbled across this column today in a newsletter I receive and love it! She is just so honest, and perfectly describes the lifestyle. Even though there are so many variations in military life (she never moved growing up, for example, and her husband has only been on 2 deployments in their 10+ years of marriage....two very different experiences than most military brats/Marine wives I know), there are so many commonalities. On top of what all spouses do share (and what they often hide from others for fear of being misunderstood), I like Sarah Smiley because she married a Navy grad (like me), and was born during her Dad's deployment (like C) so I feel even more connected to her.

I'll stop rambling. Hope you like Sarah S!

Sarah Smiley | July 12, 2010

 

 

 

 

I have a love-hate relationship with the military. After 34 years as a dependent (I was born while my dad was on a seven-month deployment), this seems reasonable to me. Not everyone agrees. Military wives (forget the politically correct "spouse"; I'm a wife) should be selfless, upbeat and totally devoted to their husband's career. Wearing flag-motif socks and earrings is extra credit. It's the old "atta-girl" mentality. Complaining about military life is as socially unacceptable (perhaps even more so) than openly declaring that you didn't vote for Obama.

But,the truth is that more often than not, being a military wife involves hard work and sacrifice, and very few rewards (the tangible, selfish kind). Worst of all, being a modern-day woman and married to a military man is becoming increasingly difficult. 

Gone are the days when a military wife's job was to throw fantastic parties and make her husband look good. In its place is the expectation that a military wife throw fantastic parties, make her husband look good, and have a career, raise children (possibly home school them), further her own education, be well informed, and never (not ever) complain. We are 21st-Century women trapped within the confines of a 1950s mentality. When your husband moves, you move with him. When your husband has goals, you support them. When you have goals of your own, you shut up and smile. 

And yet, most military wives tell you that they love the military and its lifestyle. They aren't lying. Enter the love-hate relationship. In 2005, New York Times magazine ran a feature about me titled, "Confessions of a Military Wife." In it, the reporter nailed my complex feelings about the military when she wrote this:

"Somewhere between [Smiley's] enforced military cheer and the recurring urge to smash it, Smiley retains a child's wish, as strong and steady as a heartbeat that the military, in which she grew up, knows best. She wrestles with her fervent hopes that it will protect her and her family, even as she suspects it may not. Although she is not in the military, she is of it; it represents her entire life's experience, and she defends it as fiercely as she doubts it."

I have given many years to the military. I've moved for it, planned a wedding around it, put my career on hold for it, and even planned childbirth around it. My entire life -- from where I shop to which doctor I see to the zip code on my mailing address -- has been coordinated by the military. 

However, last year I started on a path all my own. I went back to school to pursue my master's degree and doctorate. It was a dangerous decision. "What if Dustin is transferred?" people asked. "Will you quit school to move with him?" This was always said with a subtle, incredulous tone that read between the lines, "Of course you'll move with him because you're a good military wife." 

I ignored the question as doggedly as I avoided any conversation with Dustin that included the words "transfer," "move," or "our next assignment." My eyes were on my own prize and I couldn't be sidetracked by my husband's commitment to the military. If that sounds selfish, consider that for 11 years, my husband pursued his dream without being distracted by mine. 

For more than a decade, I submitted to the military and its plans for us without thinking because there was no other choice. Dustin was committed for a predetermined number of years to payback the government for his education at the U.S. Naval Academy and, later, flight school in Pensacola, Fla. That commitment has come to an end. There's nothing holding Dustin to the military now except for his own personal commitment to our country. (Being within six years of retirement doesn't hurt either.) 

Next year, Dustin's tour in Bangor, Maine, will come to an end. Uncle Sam will move him to a new assignment in a different city and state, and I've chosen to stay behind until he gets out or retires and joins us in Maine again.

This is unthinkable to many civilians, and indeed, a good amount of military wives, too, all of whom will believe I'm putting Dustin in an impossible situation, that I am, in some way, doing something to him. Yet, I haven't asked Dustin to get out of the military. Nor have I asked him to give up on his personal commitment. In fact, I require nothing of him at all. I can't ask Dustin to abandon his plans any more than he should ask me to forfeit mine. Still, as far as I know, no one has said to him, "A good husband would stay behind with his wife."

Waking Up

Well, there are about 7 of you who actually read/enjoy this (and let me know that, thank you). Although it's somewhat depressing that there aren't more, I think I can handle not being the most popular blog on the internet. After all, blog writing helps me avoid making a million 1-hour phone calls each week to catch up with each and every one of my East Coast family members and friends.


Anyway, I'm still just tickled by the video recorder on my iPhone. Caroline seemed to be in an REM cycle this morning when I walked in, because she was flinching and smiling. It was adorable. Then she woke up and was drowsy and a bit disoriented - I do the same. Thought you'd enjoy!

Update

I know, I know....haven't written in a while. The truth is, I'm kind of losing steam for this blog. I think I might take a blog vacation, or maybe just write as the spirit moves me. I'm not even really sure who reads this blog, so it's silly to feel like I'm posting pictures/stories/thoughts to a ghost audience. I know that's part of the package with blogs, but I'm not feeling it now, so I might not be posting as often as I have been. Or maybe I'll feel rejuvenated in a few weeks. Who knows!

That being said....I thought I'd share this sweet video yesterday from my new (and awesome, I don't care what they say about reception issues because I haven't experienced any at all) iPhone 4. Caroline is over 9 months old now, is "cruising", eating real food, and is her usual bubbly self. Her favorite thing to do now is to hang out around the couch, which is where Greg and I spend most of our time when we're at home. Hope you like it!

Great Q&A

One of the websites I frequent is an awesome blog called Faith Deployed. It was started by Jocelyn Green, after her book "Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragemet for Military Wives" was a huge hit among military spouses. I bought this book while Greg was deployed (I believe after I stumbled upon it during a Google search for "coping with deployments" in the depths of winter), and love it! I love her site even more, because she updates it daily and, like the book, has many guest writers (both military members and spouses write).

Yesterday there was a great Q&A with a Marine wife, Catherine Fitzgerald. She leads small groups within military spouse circles, and she shared some of her experiences for how she copes with deployments.

One of the things I struggle with is trying to describe the struggles of the military lifestyle with my family and friends. It's hard, especially coming from a wife's perspective, because very few of my family and friends have grown up in the military or been Marine wives. Well, good news - this woman has done what I have been trying to do for years! Her answers perfectly describe how I deal with deployments, Greg being gone, having a baby without him, and how, in the midst of the hardest times in both Greg's and my lives, we grew in our faith so much. Hopefully these excerpts will give a nice window into, at the very least, the take-aways I've had in this life. Enjoy...


What are some recurring challenges you face as a military wife? How do you deal with those?
"I think the biggest challenge is accepting that while most people get married so they will never have to be apart from their best friend, my life is one where I am alone sometimes more than I am with him. The way I’ve learned to handle that is to pursue the interests I have, whether it be trying new recipes I know he wouldn’t eat, focusing on my writing, or learning something new. Embracing the time apart instead of fighting it is so important. There is no way to change it so I need to make the best of it!
 The other major challenge is single parenting. We have a beautiful, energetic three-year-old and I have not recovered from my lack of energy since the day she was born. Having to do everything on my own for half of every year is daunting and can sometimes make me feel bitter or angry. I try to keep focused on why it is so hard when he is gone. He is just such an amazing father that when he is home, my burden is lifted as I have so much help from him. What a blessed little girl who is getting an amazing image of her heavenly father through her earthly one. This can make that time when I am a single parent a time to reflect on the blessing my husband is."


 What are some of the biggest joys related to being a military wife?
 "The greatest joys are the women I have met along the way. They are some of the most incredible people I know and they have taught and blessed me in so many ways. There is an instant bond between us military wives that is not comprehended by those outside this lifestyle. I also think a great joy is learning the art of sacrifice. This life brings me closer to understanding Jesus, whether I like it or not. Every day is a day where I am forced to lay my own desires and interests down for others. It is a hard, hard lesson to learn, but it shows me a glimpse of how difficult that sacrifice must have been for Christ. It draws me closer to Him as I realize I cannot do this on my own."

 When you have a really down day, what do you do to get back up again?
"I let myself cry. I let myself eat the ice cream. I let myself have a day to lay on the couch and watch tv all day, but after that time, it is time to get back up and keep going. It’s important to give ourselves a few liberties, but it is also important to not allow it to turn into a drawn out period of self-pitying. Our life is undoubtedly difficult, but there are lives much more difficult than mine and I have to keep focused on all the blessings I’ve been given."

What role does faith play in your daily life- in the little things, and in the big things (like deployments)?
The past two years, I have faced some of the greatest struggles I have ever dealt with and my natural self is an anxious person. I prayed for years for God to take my anxiety away and the way He did that was through me turning every fear, every emotion, every thought into a prayer. As I am dealing with loneliness that comes from deployments, I’ve learned to pray to God what I am feeling or thinking and get to know Him more intimately through His word. My faith has really evolved in the past couple of years, especially since being a military wife, from being a compartmentalized piece of my life to being my life. I’ve learned that even in the hardest, most difficult, gut wrenching circumstances, I can get through things with God that I never thought I could. The things I thought would have just corroded my faith, have become the things that have made it stronger."

 Do you have a favorite verse that helps get you through tough times?
 ”Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 reminds me to take each day one at a time. Looking into the future of a deployment or upcoming difficulty will overwhelm sometimes. But, just remembering to take the day God has given you and do what He wants in this present moment is so much easier than trying to deal with all the future worries that may or may not come to be."

Vegas!

Last week Greg's unit had its make-up Birthday Ball in Las Vegas. As some of you may know, the USMC Birthday is a HUGE deal in the Marine Corps, and every year there is a big ball to celebrate it. The 234th Birthday was November 10, 2009, and while the Marines celebrated it in Afghanistan (they make sure that even the most remote places receive some form of "fancy food" to celebrate), the actual ball never happened. Because of this, 3/4 decided to create a "make-up ball" - bigger and better - in Las Vegas upon the unit's return. And boy, was it fun!

Let me start by saying that I am not really a Vegas person. I'm not a huge partier, I don't gamble (except for a few $20s every once in awhile in a slot machine, but only when I got o Vegas), and I don't really like to stay out late. Plus, I think the tackiness of the place is bizarre, and have long been a believer that pretty much any town in the Mojave Desert could become the next Las Vegas if a bunch of fancy hotels, casinos, and restaurants decided to plop down. But there was something about this trip that made all of my negative thoughts about Vegas go out the window. Greg and I think it was a combination of being baby-free (THANK YOU Auntie Katherine and Uncle Jake for babysitting Caroline!!), being there with a bunch of friends, and just doing things on the spur of the moment. It was really fun.

I don't want to make this post too long, but a short list of what we did included the Ball (dinner/dancing/ceremony), going to the nightclubs at the Palms Casino, Cirque du Soleil, seeing the Bellagio water show, window shopping at Caesar's Forum, going to an Irish Pub with an Irish band (as in, actually from Ireland) and an Irish dancer, eating excellent sushi, and eating warm homemade cookies at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant at 3:30 AM on our last night. All things we don't normally do and would never be able to do with Caroline with us, so it was great to really let loose for a few nights. Don't get me wrong - it was SO great to get back home and we both missed Caroline and Rocky like crazy, but it was fun nonetheless.

So that was our weekend! Now we are trying to rest up before another big trip this weekend, to Virginia Beach for Catherine Brown and Nate McFarland's wedding. More updates on that later. For now, enjoy the pics!

View from the Palms

Ready for the Ball!

Greg never misses a first dance...especially when it's the Righteous Brothers

Some of you may remember this from my wedding ...

a true sign that "Uncle Frank" is in rare form is when he brings out the flips on the dance floor

My friends/fellow deployment survivors enjoying our baby-free night!

...the night eventually led to dancing above tables at a club, while the Marines received free drinks

the result of $5 that Greg put in the first slot machine he saw the morning after the Ball

Dinner at Shibuya in MGM Grand

I love Irish dancing!

Greg and Frank - buddies since 2003

Our latest adventures

Now that we are back in Yucca and Greg is back at work, and now that I am on summer vacation from B-school, Caroline's daily adventures have consisted of the usual shenanigans (which consist of forcing C to try on various adorable clothes at stores), USMC functions (C loves to flirt with the 3/4 officers) and playing with friends. Other than that, not much else is going on, so I thought I'd just post up some pics. The pace pics up in the next few weeks with Katherine and Jacob visiting next week, a baby-free trip to Vegas for the Birthday Ball (SO excited!), a trip to Virginia Beach for Catherine Brown's wedding (can't wait!), and a trip to Santa Barbara for the 4th. Lots of fun things to look forward to, and I'm sure, more blog posts to come. ...

 Cowboy Corral, my fave store in Yucca - trying on her new sheriff's hat

With Uncle Frank @ the BBQ with all the Lt's in 3/4 - 

check out all the high and tights in the background!

Chasing her friend Kaitlyn (who is almost 1) at the Hail & Farewell for 3/4 Officers

Having a Friday Ladies' Luncheon with her friend 

Rylie at Tommy Bahamas' in Palm Desert - they had a blast!

Playtime at home with Rylie

And after a long week of activity, calming down by reading Go, Dog, Go! with Daddy

Top 10 Best-Paying Jobs for College Grads

 Forbes: Top 10 Best-Paying Jobs for College Grads

Because if you're a college grad (or recent college grad) you'll be interested, and if you're not, you'll still be interested, because everyone is perpetually obsessed with any ranking associated with colleges.

Really interesting! I also found it interesting that the military makes it into the top 10....even though the pay for officers isn't through the roof, when you add tax benefits for being deployed (ie, you don't pay taxes while in a combat zone) and stipends for separation (from your family) pay, health insurance, rent, dependents, and other payments, it's not a bad gig! Side note: be prepared to be away more than you're home. But hey, it has one of the highest levels of job security in the country, assuming you don't do something stupid :)

Daisy C. Gehring

Sweet Caroline today in the awesome towel that Catherine Brown gave her...

PS - On a completely different note, my Dad (who receives my blog posts - and therefore comments - via email rather than going on the blog... we're bridging the technological/generational gap together!) commented on my last post saying he wasn't convinced about my pulled BBQ chicken sandwich, and asked me, "Are you sure that's not from Roy Rodgers?" Obviously he was kidding, but it made me smile. Even though you can't see the comments he posts, I've discovered that his witty, dry (and occasionally cheesy) sense of humor comes out wonderfully through his blog post comments!

Yummy (and healthy) dinner recipe

Last night we had a delicious meal, which included an old favorite recipe of mine, as well as two new successes. We try new recipes quite a bit, but this one was a winner because it required hardly any tweaking going forward (I say this because two weeks ago we made chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce that tasted exactly like a bottle of Skippy, leading us to decide we needed non-name brand peanut butter next time!). Better yet, this meal combined my love of Southern food with my desire to eat healthfully.

I'm sharing this with you all because I am more often than not stuck in a rut as to what to have for dinner, and I was excited with how easy and delicious this one was.

Here was the menu: Ellie Krieger's (a nutritionist/chef on the Food Network, who is great) BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Cole Slaw, and Ina Garten's Mac and Cheese (an instant classic - this is the BEST Mac and Cheese recipe!). The BBQ is great because it uses a rotisserie chicken, and can be ready in 30 minutes. The coleslaw takes less than 5 to make, and while the Mac and Cheese takes a while to prepare (probably 25 minutes to prep and 30 to cook), you can prep it before hand and stick it in the fridge until it's time to cook.

Here are the links to the recipes - enjoy!


Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches - Ellie Krieger


Classic Coleslaw with Caraway - Ellie Krieger (note: I omitted the caraway and it was fine)


Mac and Cheese - Ina Garten 


Photos....

Yummy, healthy BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Ina's Mac and Cheese

New Friend

One of my good friends had a daughter last summer, almost exactly 6 weeks before Caroline was born. Now that Rylie and Caroline are both out of their lie on their backs and not really acknowledge anyone else stage, it's really fun for them to play! We went over to Lacy (Rylie's mom)'s house today, where the two girls had a blast:

Last Day of Leave

Today is Greg's last day of leave. We are both so sad to see it end. But, the three things Greg pointed out about this vacation were that 1) it's the first time in over two years that he's had 30 consecutive days without going to the field, ie, the first time in a long, long time that we have been together for 30 days straight, and it was wonderful. 2) It's the first time ever that he's spent 30 full days with Caroline, which have been so important (and now they are two peas in a pod), and 3) when he goes back to work tomorrow, he will be home tomorrow night. A novel idea, seeing that the last time he "went back to work" after a vacation he took the next flight to Afghanistan for 7 months. So while we're sad, we're still happy that things will be normal for just a little while longer.

Today we didn't do much but hang out. This photo pretty much sums it up, especially since we've all been spending a lot of time on the floor recently (C is now crawling and pulling herself up on coffee tables/couches/any elevated surface!). Tomorrow - back to the daily grind!

Maui

We are back from Maui (returned on Monday night), and had a BLAST! The island is amazing, and absolutely gorgeous - completely lives up to all the hype, in my opinion. We had a fabulous time, and definitely want to go back at some point. Lots of fun times, which I thought would best be explained with some pictures.....

Our first night - after a long 5.5 hour flight, finally there!

The ladies by the pool, before...

...we were offered a Pack & Play by the pool attendants. Drinks in hand and babe playing in a Pack & Play? Genius!! Yes, please (look closely, you can see Caroline smiling at Greg).

Trouble began when we discovered that the resort's game room had Guitar Hero...and we ended up carving time out of the nightly babysitting sessions to jam to Tom Petty - best game ever!

One day we rented a car and drove from the sunny beach up to the Iao Valley, where there is over 400 inches of rain a year. It was gorgeous!

We didn't exactly dress properly for this...it was very chilly and windy. Our windblown family pic. Caroline's face doesn't lie.

Her sweet mohawk

Back at the resort - we want to go back!

Playtime Pics

Here are some recent photos of Caroline enjoying the sun and water in Arizona, and of her increasingly tight knit relationship with her big brother Rocky. Enjoy....we are off to Maui today for some fun in the sun - now to pack!

In Defense of Lacrosse

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the story that has been capturing the national headlines and in turn, horrifying girls, students, and parents everywhere for the past two weeks has been the slaying of Yeardley Love, a fourth-year student on the U.Va. women's lacrosse team. When I first found out about it the morning that she died, I was shocked. I was shocked for the obvious reasons - that I am a girl, who realizes more and more the lull of comfort that many college students sink in to (leaving apartment doors unlocked, like she did and many other do), and that this could happen to anyone. Yeardley was a girl, who went to my college, who lived very close to where I lived two of my four years at U.Va., and frankly seemed very similar to me. She was from Maryland, loved lacrosse (and I'm sure, the Orioles, Old Bay, and steamed crabs), and just looked from her pictures like we would have been good friends. My thoughts were repeated when I went to my parents' house the day after I found out about this crime. The story was on the cover of The Baltimore Sun, and as soon as I saw my dad he commented that the pictures of her and her friends look exactly like similar ones I have of me and my friends - on the beach, on the Lawn for a football tailgate, at a lacrosse game. Whenever horrific crimes hit close to home, the seriousness of them is just magnified a million times.

My second struggle, once the shock and horror of the crime started to sink in, was the backlash that would inevitably hit not only the sport of lacrosse, but also more specifically, the men's lacrosse team at U.Va. George Huguely obviously had problems - serious, awful, uncontrollable problems that should have been stopped and probably could have in retrospect. However, anyone who thinks about this situation rationally can realize that it is an isolated incident, and cannot be applied to every men's athlete or lacrosse player. People magazine did just the opposite of this last week, by completely insulting the lacrosse culture and the men's lacrosse team at U.Va.

In Maryland, lacrosse is not just another sport - it is an integral part of the culture. It goes hand and hand with beautiful sunsets, seafood, and the Chesapeake Bay. Meeting a fellow Marylander who plays lacrosse in college isn't like meeting someone else who happens to play soccer or baseball - it's meeting someone who most likely has grown up watching Cal Ripken and Brady Anderson hit home runs for Johnny Oates and who remembers Annapolis before the Annapolis Mall was built. It's a common bond that extends (most of the time, because the heartbeat of lacrosse is centered in Maryland) beyond just a sport. This description hopefully can explain the tight-knit lacrosse community in the college sports teams. They are kids, just like every student, who have left home and band together with people who they have a lot in common with, to help adjust. Yes, many of the top lacrosse programs in the nation are private schools with high tuitions. But other top schools are also Catholic and public schools. While many of the kids may have a privileged background, I wouldn't say that's a generalization you can apply to every player. Most of them in my experience come from upper middle class families, and most of them do not have a roman numeral of V or greater after their name.

Now, finally, to the real point of my post. Some of you may know that for a season and a half at UVa I was the manager of the mens' lacrosse team. I started spring of my freshman year and worked day in day out with those 40 boys, Coach Starsia, and Coach Van Arsdale for the 2004 season (including spending spring break in Cville), 2004 summer camp season, and 2004 fall ball. I went to every practice, traveled on buses and planes with them, ate meals with them, was happy after wins and was sad after losses with them. This time together resulted in an incredibly strong bond. We hung out on weekends and after games, sat together in classes, and in the midst of it all, I became a second sister to them and they became brothers to me. Never once did any of them treat me with anything less than respect; in fact, when I started dating "a guy from Navy" many of them made a point of meeting Greg to make sure he was up to par. These boys were and are wonderful. Sophomore year on my 19th birthday my roommates called them up, asking them to come surprise me. And they came. The night before my wedding one of them went and got me a hairbrush when I had left mine at home. I only keep in touch with a handful of them as we have all spread out, but just a short time with them left an indelible mark on my time at U.Va. This was so much more than giving out Gatorade and balls. Side note: Coach Starsia and Van Arsdale are the kindest, wisest coaches you will ever meet. They are revered in the sport of lacrosse, because they have more integrity than any coaches I have ever met. Everybody - without exception - on that team respects them and strives for their approval.

A few pics from my experience: 

I hope my single story of my experience with the U.Va. lacrosse family (I also became good friends with many of the girls, and they are classy, smart, funny, and wonderful too) can provide another perspective. Yeardley's death is horrifying, and what George Huguely did is frightening. How can a boy with such a background do something like this? I can't imagine (I never knew George, by the way - he was a freshman my senior year). But while I'm trying to make sense of this all, I do know that the issues at hand here can't be applied just to the women's or men's lacrosse teams at U.Va. - and those two wonderful teams don't deserve to be picked apart due to one isolated incident. Instead, safety and awareness needs to be taught to all students, regardless of whether they are on a team or play lacrosse.

Update

The past few weeks have been incredibly hectic, with busy week on the East Coast (which included catching up with family and friends, visiting schools, and Caroline's baptism), a quick turnaround in California after an epic 7 hour plane ride back to LAX (crazy headwinds), and a trip to Arizona for the weekend. We head back from AZ today (I'm in Wickenburg typing this now), and we will head to Hawaii on Wednesday until the following Monday. Phew! But it's been so great to have this time together. Here are some picture highlights....

We made the front page of the local paper! At Paul V. Fly Elem. School in Norristown, PA

 More pics 

Caroline and her Daddy by the Chester River

Lunch with Grammy! 

Playing on the lawn with her new bear

Baptism - getting ready to be dunked

All done!

East Coast

After spending the night in LA and an early morning flight, we made it to Blue Bell in one piece! Caroline's 5th cross-country flight was another success, with only two minor breakdowns, each followed by a nap. Up next? Spending the next two days in Blue Bell (tomorrow is packed with two classroom visits to classes who wrote Greg letters, plus baptism class), then three nights in Chestertown/Annapolis, then the weekend back in Blue Bell to see friends, family, and take Caroline to get baptized. Busy!

Pic from the plane, post breakdown #2:

Supreme Court comes to the Desert

Remember in U.S. History in high school when you'd study important Supreme Court cases and they would always start in some random town in the middle of nowhere? Today an important decision was announced by the Supreme Court after years of controversy, and it started here, in the Mojave Desert!  Moreover, it will most likely be a benchmark case that is referred to in the future when the issue of the separation of church and state arises.

Today the Supreme Court ruled that the Mojave Cross, a 6-foot cross erected in 1934 by the VFW to commemorate war casualties, can remain standing. The issue at hand was that the cross is now located in the Mojave National Preserve - government land. Unless you live in 29 Palms you've probably never seen this cross, but it's in the Preserve, which surrounds the desolate, two lane road to Vegas . The argument against the cross was obviously that it supported only Christian troops and did not support other religions, and that it was also a violation of the separation of church and state. The argument for, as was ruled, was that "The Constitution does not oblige government to avoid any public acknowledgment of religion's role in society." It's been a huge topic of conversation around here and the cross has been covered up for several months, but now gets to be uncovered.

Kind of a random post, I know, but it made me think about a few things. First, we live in the Mojave. And no one pretty much ever comes out here. So the fact that a case about something that seemed so obscure made it all the way to the Supreme Court - and on top of that made it to the front of the news today - is a big deal. Second, I was interested that the reports on this case didn't mention its cultural context - thousands of Marines who move out here in the middle of the desert and still fight for their lives every day in combat zones (and have been, since the cross was put up). For some reason (even though I don't think it should be the case, but it is), war memorials are more tolerated in areas near military bases, and I'm just surprised no reporter brought that up. Third, also from a military standpoint, crosses have historically simply been signs of respect and remembrance for fallen soldiers, regardless of religion. This is especially the case in remembrance of earlier wars - think the Normandy cemetery. When you couple that with the fact that this cross was erected in 1934, it seems clear to me that the cross was NOT put up to offend any non-Christian troops (nor as a violation of church and state, since the Mojave Preserve didn't exist then). And finally, on the topic of the military/religion relationship, I have a huge amount of respect for military chaplains, who, regardless of their religious background, travel back and forth across the front lines to provide spiritual support and counseling for soldiers, sailors, and Marines. Regardless of their religion, I feel that they provide integral support for every person out there. And yes, many (most actually) of them wear crosses. But that is not a rebuff to anyone else.  And while it could be argued that is somehow blending church and state, I think you would be hard pressed to find a deployed troop who'd say that they'd rather their unit not to have a chaplain with them.

I'll get off my soapbox now. Just thought I'd share this case with you, because it hits close to home, quite literally!

And one more...dog park fun

I didn't realize until a friend reminded me that I didn't mention how thrilled Rocky is to have his daddy home! He is so, so excited. No more depressed dog around here. I'm also excited, because Greg loves to run around the house with Rocky, which isn't really my thing (I'm the pet once he's exhausted kind of dog parent!). It is interesting though, because having Greg back has really shown the difference in the roles we each play in Rocky's life. I never really believed the whole dog pack theory (that dogs equate humans to different roles that would traditionally be in a pack) until now!

Basically, Greg is the fun one. He comes home, Rocky is excited, runs around with him, knows he is going to have the best play session ever, is crazy, etc. But Rocky also thinks that he can get away with murder with Greg. He'll bark right in Greg's face, he won't sit immediately if Greg asks him too, he only goes to Greg at the dinner table because he knows that's where he'll get food, and just in general is more aggressive with Greg. Greg calls it some "manly connection" that I don't have the capability of getting. On the other hand, while Rocky is always happy to see me, he's never as exuberant as he is around Greg. However, he knows that he can't get an inch with me. So he'll sit, lie down, listen when I say no (even when his jaw is open and heading towards a pillow), and will quietly sit by the sliding glass door while I feed Caroline for his turn to come in (compared to bombarding the door to see his favorite playmate in the whole wide world, Greg).

This weekend, we took him to the dog park, and I was so proud to show Greg how Rocky loves to flawlessly jump in and out of the Tahoe. Well. I am not kidding when I say that that boy remembered the fact that Greg would always lift all 75 pounds of Rocky into the Tahoe before he left, and wouldn't you know it, Rocky wouldn't jump in when Greg was around! It was crazy. That dog is so smart. So Greg lifted him in, and he was happy. But Rocky knew there was no way I could've handled that during a deployment.

It's all very interesting. On one hand, Greg's relationship is great because Rocky is always so fanatically excited about seeing him. On the other hand, I like mine because he minds what I say (and is still excited to see me - labs being mildly excited is the equivalent to being psycho exuberant for any other breed, so I don't feel short changed when I see him). I think we have the best of both worlds, and Rocky is glad he has Greg to balance out his life now.

Here is a pic of Caroline and Rocky from the dog park last weekend. No matter how many dogs are there he loves to circle back to us and say hi every so often!