USO Gals

I found this great site of some wonderful young ladies that work at the USO at the Dallas airport. What a breath of fresh air they seem to be. Way to go ladies...

So I got Memed

Thanks, ASW and Triplee for the meme tag

I had no idea what that was, so I had to look it up. I am so not with the whole blog lingo... I am suppose to reveal 7 things about myself that most people don't know...

1. I dye my hair, it is cut short and people say it looks like Uma Thurman in the movie "Pulp Fiction". I only wish I was as tall as her...( I said hair looks like Uma, not me...)

2. I use to race vintage cars. I had a Triumph Spitfire (Buck it was a 1967)..

3. I am left-handed. Yes I am one of the special people...

4. I love Susie-Q's, you know the hostess snack.. I hide them so no one knows. Sshhh don't tell.

5. I absolutely hate the color pink.

6. I am not ticklish, nope not one bit..

7. I have about 300 pairs of shoes. Yes I am a shoe addict, and no there is not a Shoeaholics Anonymous. I work across the street from DSW, way to easy to get a shoe fix....

Not sure who hasn't been tagged for this, so If you haven't, then I tag you. I know I'm making up my own rules. #8. I don't follow directions very well.

What does a Grenade Launcher and Boneless Buffalo Wings have in common

They were both discussed during my conversation with The Kid the other night. I didn't really think about it until I hung up with him. One minute we are talking about how well he did on the test he just took, and that he improved his 3 mile sand run time, and he went to a movie over the weekend. He then got all excited that he finally had found a Chili's in San Diego, his favorite meal is the boneless buffalo wings, fries and ranch dressing. We then started talking about what he would be doing next week and he said that it was large arms training, and I STUPIDLY asked what kind, his answer "you know Mom, like grenade launchers, and Gatling guns. I have come to the realization that I will no longer be having a normal conversation with him again. I have a feeling it will only get more surreal...

Who am I to Judge Your Life

I have always tried to live by the title to this post. Who am I to judge your life, and for that matter who are you to judge mine. Judging the way I live my life, the way I was raised, what I believe in, religion, politics, I could go on and on but you get the gist. I believe there is a difference between an opinion and a judgement.. It sometimes may not feel that way though. We all have opinion's, and it is a free country and you should be able to voice them, hopefully in a respectable way.. What I don't believe is that you can be judgmental about how people live their lives. Again this is just my opinion.

The reason I have been thinking along these lines is my volunteer work and the choice my son made to join the Navy.

I am working with young teens and their newborns in my volunteer work. None of them are married, 2 are living at home, and 2 are living with their boyfriends. It would be unfair to them if I have already judged them by their circumstances. It wouldn't be helpful if I went in with a closed and judgemental mind. I am not in there shoes, I don't live where they live, I don't have their family life, how could I possibly judge something I have never experienced. Of course I have an opinion, but it is my opinion and I keep it to myself unless asked. What I do is use my experiences to help these young mothers get where they want to go. The only time I use judgement is in the health of both the mother and the child. Sometimes it is a very fine line...

The choice my son made to join the Navy is his choice, not mine. I find it very interesting how people judge him and his family now. Again who are you to judge a decision an individual makes for himself. You don't walk in his boots, think his thoughts, or understand his motives. I am his mother, why would you judge me based on a decision my adult son made.

Who are you to pass judgment?

Catching up on Life

I asked a while back Why do you blog? I never really answered that for myself. I think at first I wanted to find other mothers in the same boat I am. Well I found other mothers with sons and daughters in the military, I even found a mother who's son is training with my son... I have wondered if my son hadn't joined the Navy would I still be blogging? I don't know if I can answer that. I realized that wasn't all I wanted from blogging. I wanted of course to find myself and wasn't really sure how to do that. I do know that after I write I feel a sort of release. I tried forums for Navy Mom's, forums for weight loss... It wasn't right for me. With your own blog you can write what You want, talk about what You want, and when You want to. People that relate will comment, if they don't no harm done... It works for me..

Update on The Kid, he is doing well. Just finished up communications. He has a big test today, please keep him in your thoughts. I think he is ready for some action, I know that weapons training is coming up so he is excited.

Volunteer work.. Well that will be a whole dedicated post.

Body for Life- Doing well, every muscle is aching which is good, only down 1lb this week, total 9lbs, hopefully picking up some muscle. I am absolutely sick of chicken and protein shakes. I need to find another easy source for protein.

Took our first dance lesson, lets just say I have a very swollen left foot and leave it at that.

Have a great week everyone...

Select A Set

We have a radio station that I listen too sometimes that has this great weekend of music, called Select A Set. They let their listeners send in their own 3 song Select A Set, and they play them over the weekend. I have sent mine in the last couple of years and they have been played. Some of the sets are amazing. You can just enter 3 favorite songs, but the best are the creative ones with Themes. They can be about the artist, the lyrics, the title...

My last years list was "Please Take Me Back" songs
1. Breakin Me- Johnny Lang (he is awesome)
2. Always On My Mind- Elvis Presley (The King, nothing else to say)
3. Please Forgive Me- David Gray (very underrated, great voice)

This year I decided to do my set about " Parts of the body I'm attracted to" songs
1. Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison (Ok I like eyes on guys, but it is Van Morrison..So La Te Da..)
2. Smile- Rod Stewart version (I think he's sexy... )
3. I Want To Hold Your Hand- The Beatles (the Geek's favorite, plus I love my husbands hands)


OK NOW IT IS YOUR TURN, THIS IS SHELLY'S SELECT A SET BLOG WEEKEND.. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR SELECT A SET IN THE COMMENTS AND TELL US ABOUT THEM... TELL YOUR FRIENDS... COME ON BE CREATIVE...

Why

Why do we fill the need to use gossip as a form of conversation? Again my motto is if you don't have anything nice to say then please shut your mouth..

I had a very lovely women quit her job due to gossip. I wish people would remember the consequences of those types of actions....

Hugs

This is for some military moms and wife's that are in need of a HUG, ASW, Triplee, Army Mom x3, and Claire. Please visit their sites and spread the support. If you are also in need, here's hugging you...

My new blog friend Sarge Charlie asked if I would add Mel, I went over and read her blog and I agree she needs our support and a hug....

My life lessons

I had to remind myself that my life is a work in progress. It sometimes doesn't feel like it, but I have been learning about myself. Here are a few important lessons that I have learned lately.

1. Remember your job is not your life.
2. Men are not mind readers, tell them EXACTLY what you want and even tell them how you want it done.
3. Your children have their own dreams, let them live them.
4. You are the only one that can make you happy.
5. If someone can prove I get a do-over in this life then I will not make the drastic changes it sometimes takes to get where I want to go.
6. Give back, it is amazing what you get in return..
7. Remember tomorrow is another day, I have messed up many weeks with one bad day..
8. I am a better person when I am exercising and living a healthy lifestyle.
9. Friendship is hard to find, hold on to the good ones and clean out the toxic ones.
10. Smile

Navy Training

My conversations with The Kid are always interesting in that he is learning so much in such a short period of time. I remember the conversations with him while in high school and college and most of them started with, why do I need to know this, I will never use this in real life. He has not said that once concerning the training and classes he is taking for SWCC. He knows everything he is being taught will be used in his job with SWCC. He loves that alot of it is hands on training and learning.

I made him take a CPR course and an sports safety training course during his teen years, and I also taught him to draw blood and put in an IV. I know he was just humoring me when he took these courses. He has been training in combat medical and he had to tell me how much easier it was for him with the training he had already had(no I didn't tell him I told you so). I had to laugh, because last week he was learning about boat engines, my son was not a car-homo(this is what I call anyone who is more interested in what is under the hood) he only cared if the car was cool looking so it was a difficult week for him.

I have always thought that the last couple of years of high school are wasted on most kids. If they are going on to college, then yes let them take advance courses and even college courses. Those that are not planning on college should be given vocational training on what they want to do after high school. Be it a mechanic, hairdresser, IT Tech... It is better then the 2 gym classes, basket weaving 101 that they take to have enough credits to graduate. Then at least most of them would be ready to get a job and be on there own..

The abandoned monkey who has found love with a pigeon

They're an odd couple in every sense but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China.
The 12-week-old macaque - who was abandoned by his mother - was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province.
After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless - until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon.
Scroll down for more...

The macaque nestles his head against his feathered friend

The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary.
Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side, but they aren't the only ones to strike up an unusual friendship.
Earlier this year a pig adopted a tiger cub and raised him along with her piglets because his mother couldn't feed him.
And in 2005 a baby dear named Mi-Lu befriended lurcher Geoffrey at the Knowsley Animal Park in Merseyside after she was rejected by her mother.

I found this article on stumbleupon, not sure where it came from. I love the story and the concept. Love comes in many shapes, sizes and color. We just need to be tolerant enough to accept it and them..

Dancing

My one claim to fame came when I was just 17. I won a dance contest and the prize was a trip to dance on American Bandstand... It was the coolest.. The guest on the show was Lover Boy and they sang Turn Me Loose. I have the tape of the show. Well anyway I LOVE TO DANCE, my problem being I married a lovely man with 2 left feet and no rhythm. He has agreed to take dance lessons, what a guy. We have finally decided on Ballroom. I am so excited, he is not. What you do for love. Wish us luck..

If your bored

Well it all started because of Claire at Knee deep in the hooah, she had a link to bloggerbuster. It is a great site for help in enhancing your blog. You don't have to be a geek, I was able to add a 3rd column to my blog pretty easy. The problem started in reading this blog she recommended to add StumbleUpon. Well I wasn't sure I wanted another toolbar, but I went ahead and enrolled. Ok it is pretty cool. I stumbledupon some great websites like this calorie counter, photo's like this, and, news like this . You can spend all day just hitting the stumble button and it takes you to websites, photos, people, blogs, and new articles based on your preferences you choose. It can be addicting. You should check it out, you know if your bored....

Why

Why does everything you have to log into, and I mean everything need a user id and password. I usually don't have a problem with that, but it seems that they require longer ones, have to change them every 3 months, and at least 2 symbols. It's not bad enough that I have to remember mine, I have them at work, I have to remember My Geek's and The Kid's. Can't they come up with something better. I have a hard enough time remembering my phone number...

A Mother's Confession

My dreams for you were not your dreams
you dreamed of a different kind of team
how hard your worked to make me see
my eyes finally open it's clearer to me

how did I not know what was inside my boy

a silent warrior waiting to escape
the sea and duty calling your fate
combat boots in place of soccer cleats
Honor, Courage, Commitment you now seek

who is this man that replaced my boy

your quiet ambition will take you far
strength has made you who you are
my worries and fear they are very real
I won't let them overshadow the pride I feel

I now see the man who replaced my boy

Military Spouse

As you all know I am a blog whore. I enjoy reading many different blogs. I seem to gravitate more towards the military blogs recently and it seems that most of the women I am reading lately are Military Spouses. (I don't know why there are not more military mom's or dads that have blogs..MMmmm...) I am always interested in how they cope during deployments, R&R, and least we forget the moving. Before The Kid joined the Navy, to be honest I don't think I really gave it much thought, I don't know anyone personally that has a husband deployed. I have my husband at home every night, he takes out the trash, we are able to eat dinner with each other, he is my companion, I depend on him to be there... I can't put myself in their shoes, I really don't know how they do what they do, add in the mix most of them have children, pets, and homes that a large percent of the time they are in charge of by themselves. I want to thank all of you for opening my eyes to what I have, I stop myself when I am irritated at My Geek, and am thankful that he is here physically to irritate me... To all of you military husbands, you are married to a group of women that are very strong, multitasking, flexible, and forgiving wonder women.. You should be thanking your lucky stars....

HBO Special

I wanted to link to the HBO special Alive Day Memories Home From Iraq. Airing September 9th

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq

One mind at a time

So I had an interesting phone call last week.. My son played competitive soccer and his coach for most of it played pro soccer. Out of the blue he called, and was asking about The Kid. He said he had heard a disturbing rumor and wanted the truth.. I asked "What rumor"? He heard that The Kid had enlisted, was it true? I told him yes, and I explained a little bit about what The Kid was doing.. He knew how The Kid had wanted to join the Navy so it shouldn't have been a surprise.. Well he went on to express his disappointment in The Kid's decision, basically saying that his talent is wasted and what a huge mistake he made. It was difficult to listen to someone that both my son and I respected as a person and a coach. I had a hard time controlling my temper, I jumped on my military mom soapbox and let him have it with both barrels. I ended the conversation with the request that if he continued with the same attitude that I would appreciate if he would not call The Kid, and I hung up the phone. Well I received a letter from the coach apologizing, and thanking me for reminding him of the importance of our Military and asked if he could call The Kid and tell him how proud he was of him.. Just goes to show maybe we can change people one mind at a time..

Under the weather

Sorry for not posting. I've been under the weather a bit. I was stung by a bee and had an Anaphylaxis attack.. I look like a swollen cherry... Hopefully I will be better in a day or so...

Life update

The State Fair was very interesting people watching, and where else can you get a pork chop on a stick, a fried twinkie, fried pickles, funnel cake, see a goat, pig races, mutton busting, ride a Ferris wheel, have your fortune told, all within a block. The concert was good, although note to self, bands that get back together without all the members will never sound the same. Doobie Brothers just didn't sound the same. Los Lonely Boys were very good...

My volunteer work started last Friday. It went pretty well. It is going to be challenging. I will be working with 4 teen mothers and their new babies. I will be doing home visits once a month with each of them. I have done similar type of work before. It does become difficult, at least for me to not get personally involved. I will have to see how it works.. I will be visiting with my first mom on Friday.

Well, even with the funnel cake at the state fair, I have lost 2lbs. I was really tired at first, but I think the exercise endorphins are finally kicking in and I feel like I have more energy..

The Kid is doing well, 1st week of QCT is behind him. He had a 3 day weekend so he was able to get some rest. It seems more like school now, they still have PT, but more class room work at the beginning.

Lets see what this week brings..

State Fair

We are off to our State Fair. I haven't been since I was a kid. I remember how much fun we use to have. We are going to the rodeo, but the best part is we are seeing the Doobie Brothers and Los Lonely Boys in concert. I love the Doobie Brothers, it was one of my first concerts, you know the ones where you are finally driving and go with your friends. Great memories....

Labor Day

Everyone have a save and relaxing Labor Day Weekend.