Monday, November 30, 2009

In The Blink Of An Eye

Five days off. ::blink:: Their gone. So fast.

The first two days (Wed & Thurs) where spent chilling out poolside and on the phone with the kid. She thought, just maybe she could get home for Thanksgiving. She was gonna get a ride to Tampa and we could go pick her up there on Thanksgiving Day. For her, 11 hours in the car one way was soooo worth two days at home. Excitement abounded!! We were gonna put off Thanksgiving Dinner until Friday so we could all enjoy it together. This was a small Thanksgiving for us. Just my parents, my brother and I. Christmas is when we're trying to get the majority of the clan together.
I got a call early Thanksgiving morning from her stating that she just couldnt do it. She was sooo sorry and didnt want us to be upset with her. Yeah, she could get the ride, but that wasnt the issue. See, she had duty on Sunday and she thought about blowing it off as the person in charge was her friend and would cover for her. (I didnt know about the duty or the whole idea of a visit would've been squashed at the get go) People blew off duty all the time and got away with it. Her gut was telling her not to do it. As much as I and the family would have loved to have seen her I have to say, Well Done Sailor on making the right decision. You see why I'm proud of this kid?? It seems incidental and such a small decision. But alas, its the right decision and she's getting very good at making the right decisions. Some will say the thought should never have entered her mind knowing she had duty but she is still a kid in some aspects and learning/growing all the time. She'll do well in the Navy and the Navy is lucky to have her.

Third day (Fri) was spent cleaning up around the compound, putting up some Christmas lights outside and trying to decide what to do the rest of the weekend. I watched a couple of movies; Four Christmases (very funny!) and Marley & Me (so sad). I also caught up on some of my series; Dexter and Californication. Also, I need to note here....Do Not Watch Marley & Me if you have a yellow lab or any dog for that matter that you love very much. I had read the book a couple of years ago and bawled thru the last 3 chapters. I've been putting off the movie because I KNEW it was gonna be a bad scene. If I said, blubbering idiot, would that give you a picture of what I looked like at the end of that movie?? Too much. Took me to a place that I avoid in my mind and the thought is there more than not as Jake is almost 9 years old and well, lets just not go there right now.

Forth Day (Sat) I went to Home Depot with my dad. He had to get a few things for some of the stuff he's fixing around my place. I wanted to get some more Christmas lights but they didnt have the kind that I wanted. pffft. Needless to say, Home Depot is like a candy store for my dad. He can spend HOURS in there just wandering the isles making a wish list of toys he wants. Can you say BORING!! Remind me not to go next time he asks me. Anyway, I found my way to the paint area. I love painting. Its actually very relaxing for me and I really dig the whole process. Picking out a color/colors to put in a room is like breathing new life into a place. You can change the whole vibe with a gallon of paint. So I started thinking about my bedroom and what I wanted to do with it. When I moved in it had recently been painted a pale yellow. Boring. Or at least boring to me because it wasnt MY vision. I wanted blue and I wanted a bold blue that made a statement. I'm not so sure this pic gives the true picture of how this room looks, but you'll get the idea.

This blue is actually darker than the picture makes it look but it works well. There is a ton of light in my room via sliding glass doors and two big windows. Plenty of light for a darker color. I also have all white wooden furniture and want to get long white sheer curtains for the slider and shorter sheers for the windows. Prettyness that is very coastal/beachy like I like!

Fifth Day (Sun) was spent painting an old wooden adirondack rocking chair that I aquired when the old tenents moved out. Great chair with a lot of character. (That means weather beaten and old lol) I had picked up the paint the day before.
I didnt take a before picture (I know I should have but forgot) but heres a pic of one sans paint that I found.

And heres my masterpiece! I was going for a nautical look and not so sure I got it but it did come out good and it looks awesome out on the back deck!! I'm pleased.


My plan is to get another one and I want to do it in Navy colors. You know, navy blue and yellow. I think it will look cool!

So that was my long week/end off. Not so eventful and it really did go by in a flash. I'm trying not to get my hopes up for Christmas with my kid but I will anyway. Its inevitable. Oh!! And my brother got some great pics of the boys...I'll post them tomorrow! ;)

I hope you all had a great holiday with your families and are getting in the Christmas Spirit!! Because it is ALL about Christmas!!

4 comments:

Old NFO said...

Glad it was 'productive' :-) And yes, that whole duty thing tends to screw up holidays... I think I went 6 years before making it home for either Thanskgiving or Christmas. Chair looks good too!

Edith Bunker said...

Good kid!! Hope mine will do the same at some point. I had 6 entire days off and it flew by, all I have to show is about 5 extra pounds.

We (Mom, cousin, me) cooked A LOT of food (13 people for 5 days) but I managed to avoid the hardware scene, which is good because Mr. Bunker roaming around with an empty truck can lead to big trouble, particularly if you throw in a "clearance" sign.

You're paint looks fantastic, though the chair looks a little lonely without the beer bottle which was alongside the first pic.
I hope you get your kid for Christmas!

Angelia (Texas) said...

I think it says a lot about how you raised her that she would listen to her gut, and do the right thing (duty). She IS a kid, one that gets homesick, so that was a BIG deal to put her needs and wants aside. I know you are proud of her, as you should be!

I love the CHAIR! That is so cool!

As for Marley & Me, I stared at the ceiling tiles for the last 20mins of the movie in the theater. I could not even WATCH it, and still tears streamed down my cheeks just listening.

I told my mom she was banned from watching it period! I will never watch it again. There is only so much a lab lover can take.

:-) Glad you had a nice weekend.

Unknown said...

Thanks ONFO, I know I get a little whiney about her not bein around. I guess its a mother thing. =)

And Edith you spent 5 Whole Days with the Clan?!?! I'm impressed. We should be gettin some good stories out of that visit I'm thinking! I <3 my chair! The more I look at it the more I like it. ;)

And Angelia your so sweet. Thank you. She makes it easy for me to look good. And after reading your post today, I <3 your mother!!! I want all those dogs! lol