Muscle Milk Mania

My confession for today is that every time since the last blog entry, when I honestly think about sitting down and typing out another, I am overcome with a sudden realization that I need to do something else. I like to think this is something like the school mania where everything other than homework suddenly sounds like a great idea, even cleaning! Now don't mistake me, writing my blog is far more enjoyable than doing homework ever was, but I have been suffering the same sort of syndrome. And to that end I think it is because I have issues with finding acceptable amounts of time to do the blog justice. I want my entries to be fun and entertaining, and that somehow equates in my mind to hours of dedicated typing, when in reality it only means a short bit of time and concentrated effort. Maybe I should blame the Eller ADHD syndrome. Maybe I should blame Ritter for getting into stuff whenever I am not looking. Maybe I should blame Dereck for doing the same thing as the puppy (ok- not really, but he does know how to leave Army stuff in every corner of the house!). Call it what you will, but I have a blog issue and the only cure is more....(cowbell, you know you want to say it)....blogging sessions, getting back on the horse, etc.

Most of my time lately has been occupied with work stuff and the continuing stream of marketing tasks that are picking up. Most of Dereck's time has been occupied with Army work stuff- he is still on the 4.5 days on and 3.5 days at home schedule. No complaining on this side though, I am enjoying the random weekdays he spends at home, and since the days change each week, it means that each week looks a little different. And I am blessed enough to be in a job where I can request random days off when needed. Did I mention Ritter also gets free doggie daycare? As silly as the concept sounds, it is awesome for days when I am gone more than six or seven hours at a time. When he gets older I might not feel as guilty leaving him alone for long time periods, but right now he is a pup and should be treated like one. Especially when he does things like break into a Muscle Milk drink from Dereck's backpack. In the time it took me to find the Muscle Milk, put it on the ground next to bag, talk to Dereck about where he got it from (I'm inquisitive!), and realize it was too quiet, Ritter managed to bite holes into the top portion and drink the Muscle Milk while it spilled onto my white carpets. That's right, Ritter bit holes where the straw normally goes- think of juice boxes- and then enjoyed some delicious CHOCOLATE Muscle Milk. It took me two days to get most of stain out, and while Dereck claims he was simply trying to bulk up , I have yet to see Ritter gain any big muscles from the treat.

Other big news from the Pacific Coast include Dereck's sister Lesli getting to visit us for a long weekend visit. When she graduated last LDAC last week we still didn't know whether she would be "released" to us, so we had to go to the ceremony ready for anything. Luckily, Lesli was able to be checked out from Warrior Forge after graduation, and we then promptly dragged her to our house. We then changed her ticket for flying home, and Lesli and I made a grocery trip to stock up for the weekend- having the Kennedy siblings in the house means lots of milk consumption. Overall, I think we consumed almost four gallons in four days, and I only use milk for cereal! Friday morning Lesli and I headed to Gig Harbor, a quaint port town across the Tacoma Narrows from, you guessed it: Tacoma. We had a great time walking around with our Pacific NW coffee fix while visiting knick-knack stores and checking out all the boats and seagulls in the bay. We then drove from Gig Harbor to Steilacoom, another fantastic little town on the water; and I want to say it is the oldest incorporated one in Washington State. By our late lunch the clouds finally broke up and the sun came out to visit, something of a common occurrence here where it starts out in the 50s in the mornings only to hit the 80s in the afternoon. Psychotic. Finally, to wrap up our day we drove down to Olympia so Lesli could get a great view of hippies up close and personal. Except sometimes the homeless and hippies blend together, so it's hard to say whether I showed her hobos or hippies, but either way I like to chalk it up to a cultural experience. And to add to this fun, we took Lesli to my favorite cupcake shop in Tacoma before introducing her to IKEA on Saturday. Just like her brother, she fell in love with the crazy Sweedish store and all its amazing deals on furniture, and so we spent a good bit of time simply wandering around. IKEA has to be the perfect Saturday location for doing just that. Sunday we hit church and then caught the ferry into downtown Seattle to visit the market and shopping district. Dereck didn't even mind how long we spent in H&M when he saw the Niketown across the street and went to investigate. Monday Dereck and Lesli hiked Mt. Rainier while I hung out with the puppy at home. Have I mentioned how much it stinks to have a gimpy knee at my age? Tuesday morning we sadly had to say goodbye to Lesli and put her on a plane back to Alabama, and all I could wish was that we could stay in family visit mode a little bit longer. It was fantastic to have someone on my side in epic house battles, like Dereck's need to clean the bathroom more often, and to simply tease him. Someone has to keep the LT humble ;)

The rest of the week has been filled with work at the office and a unit function that we just returned from. We got to visit the big "LTC" quarters on the other side of post and eat BBQ with our friends, helping me to realize all the moreso just how young we are in the Army game. I feel like a baby at some of these events, and I have had people tell me I look like one too (although I am just going to say this means cute and young rather saying I look like a teenager). I am sure it will be no time until I am the "crusty" Colonel wife giving parties at my house for young whipper-snappers, and who knows, maybe I will make it BBQ too! So long as Ritter stands by the buffet and uses his drink-opening skills....