I'm a genius, plain and simple

Wow, did I have a busy day today! But overall it was a pretty great day. I am knocking out so much stuff on my to-do list. I just can't believe how much is going on now and it feels like I am honestly doing two week's worth of stuff right now to make up for being gone for just a week. 


I really do have some awesome co-workers though who are really stepping up and helping out. Thanks guys :) 


Today I found out that someone I work with was trying to pass some blame for a mistake that was made off to me. Luckily, other people knew the whole story and backed me up. That kind of hurts when someone you think you know suddenly pulls out from under you, but I guess it's ok that overall the real truth came out. Still a little frustrating.


Other than that, I had a great day!! I know it sounds completely cheesy, but I just absolutely love where I work and the people I work with.


Tonight I did something so completely genius, I would like to put myself in for the Genius of the Year award for this one:


Ok, so remember the cupcakes I made the other night? And remember how I dropped one of them so I didn't take it to work? Well, of course, I saved it. I was going to figure out a way to eat it. Tonight, I finally remembered to bring my frosting home from work. Since I didn't get home till close to 7 p.m., I was starving and ran straight to the sweet joys of my cupcakes. 


Hmm... when I dropped it, it only landed on its top side. I mean it was like straight-up just sitting upside down on its face so that the rest of the cupcake (in a wrapper) never even touched the floor. So, what did I do? Simple! 


I unwrapped the cupcake, turned it upside down, and frosted the bottom! I ate it upside down and left the top part (now the bottom) that had actually touched the floor!!


Ohhhh cupcake, sweet banana split cupcake, even upside down you were so delicious!! 


See? Genius!! The only part that got wasted was a small section of the top that had hit the floor. The rest is now settling nicely in my belly (or rather, my ever-expanding waistline...)


Now, I need to try to get to bed early. Dad called a little while ago and said he feels like he's getting sick. We're all trying to do our best to get lots of sleep before the trip because I can tell you right now, this trip is going to be whirlwind!!


Thanks for reading!

slow times

Yesterday I went to bed early. As in I was sound asleep before 10 p.m. Good for me. I needed it. As a result I woke up feeling pretty refreshed. 


Today at work I got slightly stressed. I have a ton of stuff to do, and lots of other stuff that keeps popping up. Overall I suppose it was a good day though. I do have some great friends here and I'm very thankful for  that. I also have some awesome co-workers who are really helping me out with stuff.


Tonight I talked to my mom for a while on the phone. We're still nailing down the details of next weeks' trip. I am getting SO excited!!


Well, it's late and I don't have much else to write. Just realized last night as I was laying in bed that I had forgotten to blog so I figured I better get something down tonight. 


Slow times right now but hang with me as soon I'll have some good stuff to write about!


Thanks for reading!

Still awake...

Still awake at almost 11:30 p.m. I swear I must have a sleeping disorder. I mean really, why is it that I can be wide awake this late and in the mornings I am so exhausted I can barely drag myself out of bed. This is not healthy. 


I just wanted to update on the banana split cupcakes. They are amazing! I will consider posting the recipe, but am I allowed to do that since I got it out of a cookbook I purchased? I guess as long as I give credit to the cookbook author it's ok, right? I might have to google the rules on that one. Anyway, this recipe has crushed pineapple, chopped maraschino cherries and sliced bananas and chocolate chips in the batter. Mmm... can you say delicious? I spread some cream cheese frosting on the top (the author said they didn't need frosting but she also includes a recipe for buttercream frosting if you want to try it. I just decided on the store-bought cream cheese frosting because I love it, plain and simple.) Wow! That made them extra sweet. 


Unfortunately, the recipe only makes 12 cupcakes. Not enough for our entire building. Oh and since I ate two of them and dropped a third on the floor, I will only be bringing nine cupcakes to the office. Therefore, I made a batch of my super famous brownies as well, which also turned out pretty darn good. Looks like the magic apron is back!!


Now I must try to get some sleep!


Thanks for reading!

An accomplished weekend

Yeah, so I didn't blog Friday or Saturday. Did anyone actually notice? Probably not.


Friday I went to Baumholder in the afternoon with our commander, SGM, company commander and company 1SG. We were going to see the results of the Best Warrior competition and see if our guys won -- sure enough, we got one! Out of the three competitions, we had a first and two seconds. Not bad! 


Baumholder is absolutely beautiful! I don't really envy the people who live there because it kind of seems to be in the middle of nowhere and the hills would make for a very rough winter. But the scenery - greenery and hills - was beautiful. 


Friday evening I fell asleep on the couch and proceeded to sleep all night. At 7 a.m. the dogs woke me up to go outside. So I went to the bedroom and went to bed in the bed. Leslie had called Friday night to see if I'd go to dinner with them Saturday and go to her soccer game at noon, so I knew I needed to be at her game by noon. Wow. I didn't actually wake up from my bed until 11! My jeans were in the washer still, so I put the dryer on and got ready to go. I got there only about 5 minutes late. 


Then the rains came. Wind, rain, cold. I am not kidding - definitely the coldest, rainiest, windiest day I've seen in a while. Usually when we have days like that I'm snuggled inside my house, dry and warm. Not this time. I braved the weather for an hour and a half. I am sure I'll get sick now from it. After the game (they won 4-1 and Leslie scored on a penalty kick - go Leslie!) she and I went to Burger King and then I headed to the office to send a couple emails. I was so cold and wet still that I just had to go home and warm up. I put on some sweats, made some tea and curled up under two blankets to watch some Reba. At 5:30 I was due at Lira's for dinner.


Once I got there we all decided we were feeling too lazy to actually go out to eat, so we walked to the pasta place around the corner and got some food to go. It was yummy and I'll be having my leftovers for dinner tonight. 


I got home about 9:30 or so and proceeded to talk to my dad, then my mom and then my grandma on the phone. Then I watched some more Reba and fell asleep.


Today, I did my usual Sunday routine so far - Church (sad as this is the last time our chaplain was preaching before he PCSes - I really like him. Mental note to send him an email tomorrow); then the library; then the PX; then the commissary.


Tomorrow we are having our monthly building birthday celebration at work so that means tonight is time to bake! I am going to attempt a new recipe - banana split cupcakes - but also make the old standby brownies. Dog hair hopefully excluded this time :(


This weekend I had been invited to Jen's house in Stuttgart to go to the Oktoberfest with the three Jen's. I actually highly considered going up just for the day Saturday, but decided against it on Friday afternoon when I realized they were going in the evening. I just felt like I needed to be here this weekend and while reading through this blog doesn't actually prove that I accomplished anything this weekend, believe me when I say it was a very productive weekend for me to be at home and prepare for my trip next week. Can't wait!


Ok, time to start baking!
Thanks for reading!

Getting blonder by the day

I was quite productive today at work. I think it's because I realized time is winding down before my upcoming vacation and I realized I have a very large to-do list of stuff to accomplish.


This afternoon I had my weekly update meeting with my commander and deputy. She started the meeting by reading a letter about me that she received in the mail. A retired general and historian were here in June, and I gave them a small tour of parts of our facilities. While they were here they taught me more than I could teach them, but they still wrote a raving note about me to the commander. I thought that was so nice! And my commander was so complimentary and appreciative of the good job I did. That was a nice point of the day.


Later in the afternoon, a friend from down the hall stopped by and said the commander asked him to talk to me about her time capsule. See, we decided to put the time capsule items in a curio cabinet outside one of our clinics to display everything we gathered. Problem is, I couldn't figure out how to get the cabinet open. I reported back to the commander today that the cabinet was broken because the front panel is off-center and I couldn't get it to open at all.


So, my friend and I walked over to take a look at the cabinet because he couldn't figure out which one I was talking about. I explained to him, (we'll call him MAJ V), that it was broken. He's the budget guy and said she wanted him to purchase a new one.


Only problem? It wasn't actually broken. Upon closer inspection, MAJ V waved me aside and proceeded to slide the front panel to the side.


It doesn't open like a door - it slides open. Nice. 


Embarrassing! I promptly turned 12 shades of red and tried to blame my blonde hair. Luckily, MAJ V is a nice guy and replied, "We all have our bad days!" Good news, at least we don't have to buy a new cabinet!


Beyond that, I did a little housework tonight but have a ton of stuff to do still around the house, yard and around town. 


I spoke to Lira for a little while because I think Rita and I may have found a home for Buddy their bird. We're working on it but hopefully it'll pan out. Watched some tv and now getting ready to head to bed - way too late, yet again. No wonder on the weekends I end up crashing for 12 hours at a time!


Thanks for reading!

Nothing for the group

Not a lot to report today! A good day overall. I got a few things accomplished and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I am going to be sad to see the warm weather go. Although I like fall and it reminds me of football season -- it's definitely not the same here. I have been trying to wear my summery outfits one last time before the cooler weather decides to settle in.

I suppose an uneventful day is a good day too.

Oh yeah, YAY TWINS!! Minnesota Twins, AL Central Champions!!

Thanks for reading!

Band-aids and good news

Today, I got to bust out one of the free first aid kits that are normally reserved for give-aways at our outreach events. I know, they are not supposed to go to staff, but I got an injury in the parking lot at the shopping center and needed a band-aid!

An injury in the parking lot...How, you ask?

I had to re-register my car today at the vehicle reg office. Well, of course, I didn't know you had to bring the license plates in with you to get an updated sticker or something. Chelsey was with me because, well, since I was going to the shopping center around lunchtime for errands, she happily tagged along to help out. And eat.

All I can say is, a very nice Major helped us get the back license plate off and showed us how to do it. Then we had to get the front one off ourselves.

Result? Her finger got smashed, mine got sliced open with a blood blister to boot.

I would say that if you could picture the scene of two blondes in the middle of the parking lot, screaming at the license plate and screeching about hurt fingers, you would probably think you were watching a sitcom.

Nope, that's just Kristen and Chelsey up to no good again.

It's funny, every time certain people walk by us at work they ask if we're up to something. And we never are, when they ask. It's all the other times that no one asks when we are actually plotting something! But, I digress.

So, after stuffing our faces with Burger King (side note, customer service was terrible today) we headed back to the office and I found a first aid kit and fixed my gashed finger myself. Good thing I work at a health center and got a tetanus shot last year.

The rest of the day I caught up on work and attended a few meetings.

This morning, however, I had a dermatology appointment so I could be reassured I'm not dying of skin cancer. Check! He looked me over, head to toe, and said nothing looked suspicious, not even the one the family practice doc had actually referred me for. That's great news! Mark that one off the list of possible diseases!

The best news of the day came while I was in a meeting. I had a voicemail waiting for me from the gynecologist -- the colposcopy biopsy results came back, and everything was negative. YAY!!!! This is super, awesome, wonderful, amazingly good news. I am home-free and clear till next year's normal annual exam. Thank the Lord, what a blessing! I told a couple people at work, emailed my parents the wonderful news, and headed home a little early to celebrate. My celebration consisted of a backyard fetch session with the dogs and several episodes of Reba. Life is good :)

Thanks for reading!

Minty fresh breath? Not so much

I started out a beautiful Monday morning by realizing halfway to work that I had forgotten to brush my teeth.

If you know me, this is HUGE.

I am obsessed with brushing my teeth. Gum, mouthwash, floss, breath mints; you name it, I've probably got it in my bag and in my desk at work. I blame it on when I had braces and always having nasty food stuck in them, but also the fact that I get thoroughly repulsed at bad breath.

So, I found a Wisp in my purse (a little mini-disposable toothbrush, of course) and wisped as I drove to work. Then I found my Listerine pump and pumped a few sprays in my mouth. It still didn't feel really clean, but it was better than nothing.

Beyond that, my workday was quite full with ... work, what else? Overall, it was a good day and beautiful weather helped make it even better.

Throughout the day I kept munching on gum and Listerine sprays. Pretty sad that a little thing like forgetting to brush your teeth can really affect you all day. And yes, I too am shocked that I haven't put a toothbrush at work. Oh believe me, I have at least one of everything else in my drawer at work - deodorant, body spray, foot spray, Wisp mini toothbrushes, contact solution, extra contact cases, floss, eye drops .... you get the picture...

Speaking of pictures, I took pictures at an awards ceremony and a change of responsibility ceremony today. I was visited again by my little toddler friend from last week. I accomplished a few things, but yet again have a to-do list that feels untouched and waiting for me tomorrow.

Tonight, I'm watching a few Rick Steves' episodes of his travels through Europe... big trip coming up in a couple weeks, and I can't wait!

Tomorrow, I have a dermatology appointment to check out a suspicious mole. Fingers crossed they don't want to biopsy ... we all know how well that process works out for me!

Thanks for reading!

Umleitung? Was?!

I know, I didn't blog yesterday. For a quick recap, here's how my Saturday went:

Dogs woke me up early, so I got up and burned, I mean made some sweet potato pancakes. Also made some blueberry muffins for later. Watched "Roman Holiday" - very cute! Strange ending though. Decided to do yard work so I weeded, raked, trimmed, tidied. Then moved inside to work on the house a little. Re-arranged a few things in the living room. Had a hair appointment at 2:30 so I headed to PHV. Got my hair highlighted and cut and my eyebrows threaded (ouch!). Stopped at the commissary to grocery shop, swung through the gas station to top off the tank, and headed home to do a little more random work around the house and watch some tv. Went to bed about 9:30ish. Whew.

Today, I got up semi-early to head to Ramstein. I met up with Jen and her other friend Jen for a fun-filled day of bazaar-and-big-PX/BX-shopping! I made really good time and had no issues getting there, even without my GPS.

We went to Macaroni Grill for lunch, which was a good idea, but the waitress said they were out of eggplant parmesan. Nooo! That's about the only decent vegetarian meal they have! I didn't want spaghetti or fetuccini because I make those a lot at home. Finally settled on a margherita pizza (also something I eat a lot of but I just didn't have many other options ok?!)

We headed to the bazaar after lunch and wandered the stands of more than 130 vendors from all over Europe and the world. Very fun!

I came away with spending a grand total of... drumroll please..... $10!!

I got some cute paper and envelopes from Italy and some really yummy Belgian caramel waffles. Besides that, the biggest draws I saw were things like Polish pottery and Murano glass from Italy.

I have to say it, but shopping at a bazaar like this really loses its appeal when you've been to all these places and bought their goods in the cities/countries themselves.

Oh, the hardships of living in Europe! :)

Overall it was just fun to wander. Jen and Jen both came away with some very nice stuff and a few gifts for others. No one really went overboard on our spending. I think overall it was just a fun afternoon with the girls.

We also wandered the PX where I spent a little more on essentials and stuff I can't get here at our PX (the shopping center at Ramstein is the largest in the world; more like a mall).

On our way out, we stopped at Cinnabon and the two Jen's got cherry cokes from Johnny Rockets.

I was a little nervous about the drive back, because on the way there I noticed the A6 (the autobahn I was on) was closed part of the way going back. I don't know any other way back to Heidelberg. Oh and remember, my GPS is broken. Great.

The plan was for me to follow Jen and Jen since they go right by my exit on their way back to Bavaria. They had a working GPS too that we figured could help us through the detour.

That plan was scratched as soon as I saw them get on the autobahn going in the opposite direction from the way I knew I needed to go.

I wasn't sure if their GPS was taking them a different route back to Bavaria (very possible) or if they just took a wrong turn (also possible), but I figured there's two of them and a GPS, so they should be ok to find their way on their own. So, I headed out on my own to find my way back.

I am so excited and proud to say that I made it without one single problem! Go me!! There I was, cruising through the German countryside on a very unfamiliar road, trying to follow road signs in German.

Let me just say this - detours (Or "Umleitung" in German) are nothing like they are in the States. Be prepared to follow a tiny sign, and if you miss it, you're out of luck. Their detours, well this one in particular, literally had me going through neighborhoods of small towns. At one point I was the lead car for a whole line of cars trying to follow the same very few Umleitung signs. I just kept following the blue Autobahn sign that said A6 - Mannheim and figured at some point I'd pop out somewhere familiar.

It took about an extra 30-45 minutes to get home, but I was just so darn proud of myself that I was in a good mood. I took the doggies for a little walk as a reward for having to be alone all day again and being good.

I made a yummy dinner of rice and vegetables in the wok - and then settled in for some football. Too bad the Vikings are losing :( I've been in my Brett Favre t-shirt all day so that's probably why they're losing. Sorry!

One purchase I am excited about is the new Nicholas Sparks book. That's probably the one author that I will always buy his new book when it comes out. I am definitely excited because here, we can buy the paperback international version instead of the hardback that's available in the states. I'd have to pay about $20 but instead I got mine today for $12. Score!

Tomorrow starts another workweek. Here's hoping it's a good one!

Thanks for reading!

p.s. If you're wondering if Jen and Jen made it home, I am wondering the same thing... probably should call and check on them....

It's Friday!

Not a whole lot of exciting stuff happened at work today. I didn't pass out, there were no cute kids around, and I actually worked most of the day.

This morning I was able to call my dad before I left the house, which was pretty neat. He was coming in from a football game as I was leaving for work. This whole time difference thing, even after two years, still amazes me!

Other than that, it was a normal day. I left work about 5:15 p.m., which is great for me. I came straight home and did a little yard work for about 30 minutes. The house was beginning to look abandoned, so I figured I better do something.

Tonight I've watched a couple episodes of Reba, and now I'm watching one of these "America, the story of us" documentaries. Pretty interesting. I have decided that lately I've let myself go a little flat on my knowledge of current events and historical highlights. I guess a little too much pop culture and sports have invaded my routine. I'm working on it.

Thanks for reading!

Cars, bananas, boxes and penguins

Today at work I babysat.

I know -- that is not ever the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks about me. Kristen + kids? No way!

One of our new captains brought his son to work today because his wife was having surgery at Landstuhl, and kids aren't allowed around the surgery area. The little guy is about 20 months and, dare I say it, absolutely adorable.

The captain is going to be out for a while taking care of his wife and kid while she recovers, so I decided to be nice and watch the little man so his dad could get some work done.

We had a blast! Granted, not much work was accomplished most of the afternoon, but that's ok since it was a quiet day and a lot of people are TDY and on leave this week.

We played with cars and trucks and boxes and penguins and bananas and spoons. We made funny noises with our mouths and goofy faces. We flew around the conference room and took a walk to the mailroom. I actually had several people ask if he was mine - heck no! But thanks for thinking I could handle something like that.

I almost hate to admit it, but I really enjoyed spending time with the little guy! By the end of the day, he actually cried when I had to leave! Say what?! I must have done something right!

Not bad considering when his dad first handed him off to me, I warned him that if he doesn't have fur like my kids, I am not really sure how to handle him.

His response? It's ok, just don't take him outside to go potty.

I definitely had help: thanks Jen - her suggestions - give him a stress ball and don't give him a stapler. Great advice! And Chelsey came to the rescue a couple times with a picture book and some wooden spoons and lots of extra time to make funny noises with me.

Overall, nope, I still don't want one of my own, but it was fun to play with him today. I think it's because I knew by the end of the day, he was going home with his daddy, and I was going home to my furry babies.

Thanks for reading!

Time for a flu vaccination!

Tonight after work I attended our Patient Advisory Council meeting, which is a once-a-month meeting for our patient volunteers. This month I was the only regular staffer who could attend.

I forgot that they had agreed to give out the flu vaccinations for the patients at the beginning of the meeting. Let's just say our Preventive Med folks find it funny that I'm a wimp when it comes to needles, and have been joking for weeks about the fact that I have to get one in both arms.

Luckily, there was a new guy there tonight who offered me the FluMist. I decided to try that one this time around. The flu shot doesn't really hurt, but I don't like the heavy bruised feeling it leaves in my arm.

So, he gave the vaccine to me in one nostril, and apparently I didn't breathe in enough, because it came dripping right back out, running down my face and onto my mouth.

I kind of jumped back and started yelling, "Oh, it's dripping, it's dripping, what do I do?" To which this friendly staff sargeant starts yelling, "Don't touch it! Don't touch it whatever you do! Just let it drip!"

My reply, "What?! I already touched it! It's on my lip! What do I do??" as I flail my arms around to keep from wiping it away.

His reply? Laughter.

Thanks, guy. He was just joking about not touching it. He laughed at me some more, and then said, you have one more nostril to go!

So he put it up my other nostril and advised me to go wash my hands since the FluMist is actually the live virus. Then, he reminded me that I may feel sick for the next 48 hours. Uh-oh. Should I have told him about my little episode yesterday? I wonder if that'll affect anything? Sure hope not. Too late now.

In his defense, let me point out that this guy was very nice and professional beyond the little joke he played on me. He wouldn't do that for just any patient, but he already knew who I was and that he could joke with me.

I do advise everyone to get a flu vaccination this year. You can get the shot if you're afraid of getting sick from the mist - the shot is the dead virus. Either way, get vaccinated. It's the safest way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu.

Yes, I am regurgitating one of our command messages for flu season. See? My work is never done!

Thanks for reading!

Me + Biopsy or medical procedure of any type = trouble

Today was one of the most interesting days I've had in a very long time. That's not necessarily a good thing, either.

This morning, I had an appointment at 0800 in the gyn clinic. Yes, I'm going to blog about it, so if you're offended by talk of stirrups and speculums, stop reading now.

Anyway, this is nothing new to me seeing as though my past medical history includes cervical cancer.

So this morning I was a little nervous, but not as much as I have been in the past. After all, I've been through this before.

Ha. Apparently, being able to say "I've been through this before" doesn't mean my body wants to handle it any better this time around!

Let's just say one of my funniest doctor stories is the time I passed out in the stirrups at the gynecology clinic while having a biopsy back in 2004. Flash forward to 2010 - the clinic I'm working at with lots of co-workers actually doing the procedure this time around....

Good news: I'm not still passed out. Bad news: I passed out. Bad. They even got the crash cart and hooked me up to the oxygen machine! Since our hospital became a health clinic, and all OB appointments are referred off post now, I think this is the most excitement the GYN clinic has seen in a very long time! It's called a vasovagal reaction - yes, there is a medical term for it, which I have of course googled and will post at the end of this blog.

I warned them beforehand that this sort of thing happens to me, and we were even joking about it pretty much the whole time. She looked at every thing and then took one sample, and I was fine. Then took a second sample, and I felt it coming. I said, "I'm passing out. Here I go, I feel it!" and then next thing I remember, I woke up and there were four people standing over me, toweling me off with cool cloths. I had no idea who they were or where I was for several minutes. Then they rolled me over and I threw up.

Then they kept toweling me off, hooked me up to the blood pressure monitor and started giving me oxygen. I laid there for probably 30 minutes or so. I have no idea how long it was. I was very weak and naseous. They did a nice job with me though, I will give them all credit. It was two Soldiers, a nurse and the doctor. She even finished the procedure while I was still slightly out! I could hear her saying, "I'm afraid to wait till she wakes up or she'll pass out on me again!" That was weird :)

They tracked my blood pressure for about 30 minutes I think and it was steadily rising. Finally, I made it in to talk with the doctor again. She said it'll take about two weeks to get the results.

So, I made my way back to the office and everyone that knew was so nice! Everyone kept trying to tell me to go home, but I said why would I do that? First, I'd have to drive myself and then be at home alone? If I'm not feeling well, this is definitely the place to be, where people are always checking on me and the health center is just a walk across the street.

I would love to give my co-workers and friends credit today for being absolutely caring and nice to me. So many people who knew about it helped me out; one took my briefing for me, another offered to drive me home, another offered to bring me lunch, one gave me some cancer-fighting tea, another walked with me to a meeting across post. Definitely, I am blessed by where I work.

So that's the story in a nutshell. I made it through the rest of the afternoon by just taking it slow and easy. By the time I got home tonight, I was starving, so that's a good sign! I am going to head to bed soon though because needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted.

Thanks for reading!

Vasovagal reaction: A reflex of the involuntary nervous system that causes the heart to slow down (bradycardia) and that, at the same time, affects the nerves to the blood vessels in the legs permitting those vessels to dilate (widen). As a result the heart puts out less blood, the blood pressure drops, and what blood is circulating tends to go into the legs rather than to the head. The brain is deprived of oxygen and the fainting episode occurs. The vasovagal reaction is also called a vasovagal attack. The resultant fainting is synonymous with situational syncope, vasovagal syncope, vasodepressor syncope, and Gower syndrome which is named for Sir William Richard Gower (1845-1915), a famous English neurologist. (www.medterms.com)

Sunday = church, library, commissary... the usual

Last night, I had to fight to stay awake till 9 p.m. I was literally making myself stay awake because I knew that if I fell asleep too early, I'd be up in the middle of the night, wide awake. I laid down on the couch about 9 to watch some football and promptly fell asleep.

About midnight or so, I woke up and moved to the bed. I almost felt drugged I was so tired! I let the dogs out (that would ensure they wouldn't wake me up early) and climbed into bed. I didn't wake up again till 8 a.m. when the dogs woke me up. And guess what? I still felt exhausted.

My dad called a little after 8 to let me know that his charter flight had just landed safely in Nashville from Dallas. He knew I'd be the only one awake that he could call at that time. I still think it's pretty neat that he can call me sometimes in the middle of the night when he's on the way home from a game, and I'm awake because it's morning for me already.

So, I headed to church to hear the guest pastor, the Rev. Ron Archer. He was a great speaker. Church was packed today - I actually had to park across the street at the theater, and snagged a seat in the very back row of extra chairs lining the wall. Lira showed up and then Dan and Kelli and so we were all squished against the wall. It was a great service and I'm glad I went. He's a dynamic and powerful speaker. His son, Chris, was there. He told us the story of how Chris was once in a football accident and the doctors said he was paralyzed from the neck down and would never walk again.

Guess what. Chris is walking and completely fine today. Dr. Archer said he knew he owed his life back to God after God gave life back to his child. It was awesome, very moving.

After church, I moved along to my usual routine of library (drop off severely late books and movies, check; pick up new ones - yes! They had Reba season three! check!) Next, I went to the car wash to clean up my car. I noticed yesterday that it was looking quite pathetic, so I bought the deluxe wash and now it's looking good (surprise: it's raining out now as I write this... good thing I have a garage!)

Then I headed to the PX to grab a bite to eat and some random items I needed. While there I bought a very cute fall-colored table runner for my dining room table from this adorable old couple set up in the doorway. I think they were Polish.

If you know me and my house, you know that usually the dining room table actually means "place to gather junk." However, with this cute table runner and the very fancy table cloth I bought a couple months ago, I am hoping it'll inspire me to keep the table clean and presentable.

That's why I keep the ironing board permanently set up right next to it now -- that's also a great place to set everything down. Classy, yeah? Ironing board in the dining room?

After the PX, I headed back to the commissary and did my grocery shopping. Then, back to the house to unload. I cleaned up the inside of the car a little bit. The weather today was absolutely beautiful - it had to have gotten up to 80. I even had on shorts and a t-shirt and did quite a bit of yard work, too.

This evening I watched a couple episodes of Reba and then football.

Now, I probably need to make myself go to bed. Can't figure out why I was still so tired when I woke up this morning. I blame it on some random disease that I don't know I have yet. I'll figure it out soon though.

Tomorrow starts another new week and lots of work ahead. Better try to get some sleep I suppose.

Thanks for reading!

9-11 Memorial 5k

Today is Sept. 11. Of course, I must start out with honoring the memory of those who lost their lives 9 years ago today, but also, those who have fought and lost their lives since that day. Obviously, our men and women in the military are heroes to me every day for doing what they do.

I do remember where I was when I heard the news. A freshman in college at Tech, I must have had a later class that morning because I was still asleep when it happened. When my alarm went off, it was set to the radio, and the dj was talking about what had happened.

This morning on post we had a 9-11 Memorial Freedom 5k and 10k. I like to go and walk the 5k's with Scout and Lira and Leslie. This time, Kelli also showed up and brought Marielle, her baby. Leslie actually ran the 5k this time - go Leslie!! - while the rest of us walked. It was fun. I have no idea what our time was though.

After that, I went to work for a little while and did some tidying of my computer and office. Then I came home and cut the grass and cleaned the kitchen. Overall, a pretty productive day! I am feeling pretty exhausted, to say the least!

And now, college football is on my tv. It is absolutely beautiful outside today. I swear, German weather can't ever make up its mind. One day it'll be freezing and the next, sunny and warm. I won't complain though.

Thanks for reading!

An early morning workday

Last night I was in bed before 9 p.m. I probably fell asleep about 9:30. I woke up, wide awake at 3 a.m. but luckily was able to stay in bed another hour before my alarm went off.

Yes, my alarm was set for 4 a.m. this morning. I turned on the tv in time to see the Vikings up in the third quarter. Within five minutes of me turning on the tv, the Saints took the lead, sacked Favre, and I stopped watching. It was all my fault.

And yes, I made it to the fun run - to the surprise of many people there - and headed straight to work by 6 a.m. It was actually quite pleasant being at work so early with no one around. I mean, it was still dark out, and the place was so quiet. I got some actual work done! By 7:30 when others started rolling in, I was peanut-buttering a biscuit from the chow hall and on my second bottle of juice, a story written, a banner hung and my day all laid out.

It was a long day though, to say the least. I came home for a little while during the day, knowing how my Friday evenings usually shape up and knowing I'd be at work at 5 p.m. no matter what. I was. And still at 6 p.m. And still later than that. I did have an accomplished day though, at least I can say that.

I just gave Scouty a bath in preparation for the 5k tomorrow morning. We're going to walk it, of course. No running here since my "injury" so long ago that just unfortunately has kept me away from exercising for so long now. I say "injury" because while I have doctor's proof that I hurt my foot, it was a while ago, and I probably could have been doing some sort of exercising.

I'm not really in a great mood tonight unfortunately though, so I'm going to sign off and head to bed. Up early tomorrow yet again and probably back to work for a little while anyway. I really had no other plans for the weekend anyway besides working around the house. And we all know how easy it is to procrastinate on that!

Thanks for reading!

Almost forgot, Go Vikings!!

Caffeine was such a good friend...

Two days in a row, I've had no caffeine. That must be some sort of record for me. As a result, I'm exhausted.

Could also be that I was running around like crazy all day today. My to-do list was basically not touched because of so many other things going on. It was a good day, but just so busy.

Tomorrow morning, we have a "fun run" for suicide awareness at 0530. I'm already tired just thinking about having to be up and functioning that early. I think I've decided to go to the run, take some pictures, and head straight to work. Then I'll take a super extended lunch and come home during the day, then go back to finish out my day. That's my plan now anyway.

I have a feeling when my alarm goes off in the morning I may regret the decision. I wonder if they'll cancel it if it's raining? Ha! It's the Army, what kind of question is that?

That's about it for tonight. I'm going to head to bed. Thanks for reading!

I can't hear you

Warning, icky medical talk coming up: I just tried one of those at-home ear wax removal kits that I bought at the commissary over the weekend. I've been having trouble hearing lately, so in the hopes of not coming up with some crazy ear disease like my normal hypochondriac self would do, I decided to try this thing. What a weird feeling! It foams up in your ears and tingles! Well, at least it did for me. I am not sure yet how well it worked. I never saw any ear wax come out. And so far I can't really tell if my hearing is better because so far all I hear is some leftover foam popping its way out of my ear.

Hmmm. I wonder if I did it right?

Besides that highly personal issue, I've had on the History Channel tv show "DogFights" in the background this evening. (Yes, of course the aviation show, not the despicable act of brutality that Michael Vick was convicted of.)

It's a good show. The things our military members do, and have done, simply amaze me. Tonight's episodes have been about the Korean War, something I don't know much about. I miss the History Channel!

Work was good today, albeit busy. I have so much going on and I can't seem to actually finish any of it! I'll get there though. This afternoon a mega dose of sleepiness hit me about 4 or so. I realized I had no caffeine today! Good for me. I've been pretty tired all evening too so hopefully, h-o-p-e-f-u-l-l-y, I will get some good sleep tonight. Lately I have been having some issues trying to fall asleep. Hmm. Could it be that I've been up blogging and googling Joe Mauer videos at 11 p.m. each night? Nah.

Thanks for reading!

Take me out to the ball game!

Today was another unbelievably busy day at work. Today I also debuted my new and improved not-so-plain-jane look! I wore a new outfit from this weekend and got some nice compliments. Yay for branching out and busting out of my shell a little bit!

I had a very nice chat with my commander almost first thing this morning, which was a nice way to start the day. She is that perfect mixture of professional and caring - we focus on work, but she's also genuinely interested in our lives outside of work. It's nice when someone asks how your weekend was, and you know they actually mean it and want to hear your response. She and her husband took a family trip to Prague for the weekend, so she told me all about that as well.

The rest of the day was spent playing catch-up from last week. In the game of life, I have realized I was definitely not meant to be a catcher - I stink at playing catch-up.

Hmmm.... Speaking of catchers, check out these super cute videos I found of my favorite catcher! They should appear below. Enjoy :) (then keep reading below the videos)...

Have I mentioned before how much I adore Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins? Well, I do. Joe's a good Minnesota kid. He's only a couple months older than me. Wow...yeah!

But most importantly, for those of you who don't know - the Twins manager, Ron Gardenhire, came to my grandfather's funeral a few years ago. He took time away from spring training and was late to an autograph session so that he and his wife could come to the funeral to pay their respects to my grandpa Bob. That's classy, in my opinion. He certainly didn't have to do that. For that reason alone, I am a forever fan.

Plus, look at Joe Mauer! How could you not love that guy?!

Thanks for reading (and watching!)

Holiday weekend road trip

I just spent a really great weekend in Bavaria with Jen. I'm going to describe the weekend as "successfully relaxing."

It was successful because we got lots of shopping done - and both of us broke out of our usual looks a little bit! It was relaxing because when we weren't shopping, we were watching tv shows or movies, and eating. Doesn't get much better than that.

Truly a wonderful weekend!

I brought the red babies, of course, and they got along pretty well with Layla, who is Jen and Nate's ginormous and sweet chocolate lab. They've all met several times before, but it's been awhile. Scouty showed his mischievous side a little bit and decided to show off his talent of opening doors, but for the most part, they did fine.

The drive itself wasn't all that bad either. It only took about 2 1/2 hours each way with a little traffic. And even though my GPS still isn't working, I made it!

When I got back in town this morning, I had big plans of being productive. Well, I did make it to the commissary right away and re-stocked my empty house. After that, I started thinking about all my new outfits I got, and how incomplete they were... soo... I headed to Speyer (again so excited because I made it all by myself!!). I have a favorite shoe store there, which just happened to have a nice clearance on some super cute shoes that were in my size! I went to a couple other stores and ultimately came away with the shoes and some cute necklaces that also were on clearance. Nice!

When I got home, Scouty and Churro helped me figure out which outfits looked good with which shoes and necklaces, while Noel lounged downstairs. I think my co-workers will be pleasantly surprised when I debut some of my new outfits. They will probably wonder what happened to Kristen and who the new PAO is. haha!

I have to say a big public thanks to Jen for being a great hostess. It's definitely much better and much more fun to have a shopping partner - she and I both tried on stuff we probably never would have picked out by ourselves, and came away with some cute stuff. Go us! As I told her, my weekend would have probably been more of the same old same - me hanging around here - so even though we didn't "do" a lot, it was nice to get away and just hang out with her for a while. We shopped, we cooked, we baked cookies, we chatted. It was fun!

Overall, a great holiday weekend. I know that work is just piled up waiting for me when I get in tomorrow, but sometimes you do just need to unplug and take the weekend like we did.

And.... the Twins stomped the Rangers!! Keep it up, boys!! I'm loving it!

Thanks for reading!