My brain is sleeping

I'm up, I've been up for a while, but I swear my brain is asleep. I've tried to start this post several times over the last few days, but I always end up just staring at the screen. I have nothing witty to say, so I shall just ramble.

Hubby braved the Saturday crowd at Walmart and picked up a tree. We did have a nice artificial one that had prestrung lights on it that we bought five years ago. Unfortunately we couldn't get it pulled apart last year so I just let it stand in the corner of the garage. We brought it in and started to clean it up. There were some things on that tree that neither of us felt comfortable with, so out it went.

Anyway, hubby braves Walmart for me (he's so courageous) and we got it up on Saturday. The thing is extremely crooked. I mean, the trunk of it is, it just grew crooked. So depending on where you stand in the living room it looks like it's falling over. We let it stand overnight with nothing on it to allow the branches to fall and settle. Our dog loves to chew on sticks so we also wanted time to teach her it's off limits before anything electric/breakable got on there. She's learning, thankfully, but she's still not broken of it completely. But that's not what worries me, her tail hitting the thing worries me more. lol Her tale has been nicknamed a lethal weapon, it wags, a lot.

Anyhow, I finally got lights and garland on it today. It's not as lit as our old one was, because it was pre-lighted plus three strands. Now this one just has three strands, but you know, I'm happy with my not quite so bright, very crooked tree. Christmas is not about perfection, if anything it reminds me just how 'crooked' we are, and why Christ came to earth for us.

Anyhow, today is a day of chores, if I can get my headache to go away. I may do my best to sneak a nap in today. I'll need patience and a clear head for putting ornaments on the tree with my kids tonight. :)

The tale of two wildcats

Okay, so my husband's alarm went off at 4:30 this morning. What the heck is the army thinking?!?!? These soldiers just spent 15 months in a desert who's recent weather averaged 75 degrees F. After being home less than a week, they want them to go PT in less than 20 degree weather. Idiots... I swear!

Anyway, so though I try as I might I can't get back to sleep. So after some prayer time I'm on my laptop still in bed :), checking my e-mail. I know I've said it a thousand times over, but I love living in this smaller atmosphere. Back about a month ago, the 1st and 2nd graders had a poster contest for the K-state Basketball season. Johnathan's class won which got them a visit from the K-State mascot, Willie the Wildcat.

Now this isn't going to matter to anyone but me, and those friends of mine that grew up in Arizona. See, my home town, Tucson, Arizona is home to the University of Arizona, which happens to have the wildcat as it's mascot also. So I grew up with one distinct "wildcat" mascot, it's weird to see a different logo and different mascot attached to the "wildcat" name.

Wilbur Wildcat:

Willie the Wildcat:

Honestly, I think the Arizona one is superior, because the wildcat head on a human body just gives me the willies. (pun intended) I mean, yeah, we all know it's a guy in the costume, but at least Arizona tries to mask the fact.

And my friends that are loyal to Tucson may want to throw tomatoes at me for this next comment... I think the superiority stops there.

Where Wilbur is a fun character, great to have around at game time, I don't recall it ever being involved with the community, with younger children outside of sporting events. Willie the Wildcat is. My sons class got to go to the K-State college and see the locker rooms and basketball court and football field first hand. Willie was with them as they took the "secret stairs" that led them outside. Willie signed autographs and if you didn't have something for him to sign, he'd sign your arm for you. (I know... the marker still hasn't come off my sons arm!)

The fact that K-State is involved with the youth at the younger ages outside of sporting events thrills me. My little man came home so psyched up about his visit, he was just bubbling over with excitement. Though this might seem un-important for most, think of the early impact. It is making young kids excited about college really. My son will never forget the day he got to go to the college, he's going to feel that connection, and how he felt important and special, like he belonged there. It's just awesome that's all.

So as I leave this post that I'll be scratching my head about later, wondering where the heck it all came from (I blame the 4:30am alarm clock!!) I shall leave with a picture my son's teacher sent me.



PS Oh, and if you're like me and interested in useless little trivia facts when you have time to kill... According to Wiki, K-State created the costumed wildcat mascot first. Willie is 12 years older than Wilbur.

Back to Normal

Well, it's finally come, a day that goes back to normal. My husband's alarm went off at 5:30 this morning. He went off to work just before the kids wake up. Then it's get them off to school and now it's just myself, my baby girl, and the dog. Laundry is started, e-mail is seen too, dishes are calling my name, and my craft table is screaming to be cleaned. lol Yup, back to normal!

It's below freezing outside, so it looks like my Christmas yard decor isn't making it out today. I usually have the Christmas stuff going up before the Thanksgiving dishes are washed, but with the circumstances this year I haven't gotten to it. With a rowdy pup and my husband's homecoming, it just hasn't happened yet. Hopefully soon. Hopefully.

Okay, so this was a useless post. Guess I just wanted to check in. :) I'm off to get something done. lol

All about hubby

My friend posted this list on her blog, and given my husband's recent return home, I just HAD to snag it!

All about Hubby...
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? An action/adventure movie.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Artichoke Hearts

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? We never go to bars, but if we did, it would be a German Beer.

5. Where did he go to high school? Sunny Side High School, Tucson, Arizona

6. What size shoe does he wear? 9

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Coffee mugs

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Philly Cheese Steak

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Mexican Food

10. What is his favorite cereal? Cocoa Puffs

11. What would he never wear? Pants hanging down low

12. What is his favorite sports team? He doesn't have one, he thinks they all get paid too much.

13. Who did he vote for? McCain

14. Who is his best friend? Me

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Bug him with silly blog questions

16. How many states has he lived in? Five plus Germany and Japan

17. What is his heritage? All mixed... like most Americans

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday what would it be? It would be a cheesecake

19. Did he play sports in high school? Track & Cross Country

20. What could he spend hours doing? Reading, putting up with his wife

21. What's something cool about him? He actually laughs at my jokes. He has a photo memory when it comes to technology. He can list stats of all sorts of gadgets and tell you exactly which one can do what and how much it costs. He can instantly revert to boyhood and play with the kids, but when I need him, he's all grown up. :)

Home

Are those happy kids or what? That was the scene yesterday, and the reason why I may be a little hard to nail down. The ceremony time kept changing, first it was on Sunday, then it was Monday at 11am, then it was Monday at 8:30am, then when we got there we were told it changed to 10. Thankfully though, once it did start, it was super quick. They marched them all in (about 100 guys) and some high ranking guy thanked the men for a job well done, then said let's get these guys released to their loved ones. I was so thankful for that! Finally someone who knew his droning on and on meant little to the soldiers, they just wanted to be with their families.

So for now things are going slow. He has to go back to work full time on Thursday, I'm sure I'll be pestering my blog then. :)