HI HO, HI HO, IT'S OFF TO VEGAS WE GO!

{Nicky}

Finally! After a loooooong wait (we've been planning this vacay since January!) and a looooooong day at work, it's time to be on vacation! We've spent the night finishing up with the packing, and are ready to drop the dogs off at the boarder's tomorrow morning, and then head for the airport.

A vacation in which we don't have to drive two days to arrive! Imagine that...!!

Isn't this almost the best part of a good vacation? The night before you go...the anticipation of it all looming ahead of you. I know that tomorrow, once things get going, they'll be fun, but they'll go quickly.

But even knowing that, I so so so cannot wait to see my family again!

Vegas, Baby!!

Big Bad Friday!

{Nicky}

We made it to Friday! And I am happy to report that I can stop kvetching about the CPR class, as it has been postponed...yay for me!

Scott's on his last night of duty before vacation...only a few more "work" days now!

Happy Friday!

Hump Day...

{Nicky}

Oy. Wednesdays. Normally, not feeling so long (and this one's just begun.) But today...well, today it seems very looming. It doesn't help, I suppose, that yesterday I felt like I worked in a zoo versus a preschool. And it doesn't help, I suppose, that this Saturday, instead of packing and getting ready for our trip, I have to go to work for an 8 hour CPR/First Aid class. Which leaves me Sunday. To rest, spend time with Scott getting ready, and recharge mentally to stimulate, challenge, and meet the stimulations and challenges of a class full of 4 year olds!

Wednesday...uff da.
(You can take the girl out of Minnesota...)

Nice to be Heard...

{Nicky}

I feel obliged to mention that after our unfortunate grocery-police-car-and-us incident, Scott wrote a letter of concern to the city. We received a very nice response from the VAB police, and it was nice to feel that our small, indignant cries were heard.

We had a nice weekend. We went to Hampton to check out a church on the Fort Monroe base that we'll be shooting a wedding in a month from now. The base was so...rustic, and dare I say, quaint? I know I judge it from our small time there, not from living there, but it was historically beautiful. To get to the church, you have to cross over a moat. A MOAT. It was so amazing, to step back in time like that! We're looking forward to the wedding. Unfortunately, the base will be closing in 2011, so it will be really nice to have a couple images to preserve from that area.

Not much else new around here. We are itching to go on vacation! Not too long now...Next Wednesday, we'll be Vegas-bound!

Can hardly wait!
(Hmmm...I managed to use the word "nice" about 4 times in this blog. Not bad for an English minor...Creative English, at that! Yikes.)

Accomplishments for the Day

{Nicky}

I love Fridays. Especially when Scott has a whole weekend off...as he does, beginning tomorrow afternoon.

But of course, today is still Thursday.

Here is what I've managed to accomplish today: I got up. I got dressed. I went to work. I stayed late at work. I came home. I played with the dogs. I got changed. I met a friend for window-shopping/dinner. I came home. I took out trash. I spent the last 45 minutes playing on the computer.

I am procrastinating big time. Procrastinating what, you may ask? I don't know. Something. Of relevance.

Can anyone tell Scott has duty tonight?

Oy. As Dad says, I've got to do something, even if it's wrong! Otherwise, this night will slip into time-warp oblivion, and Friday will never come, and I'll never see Scott again!

So on that note, I end this procrastinating blog, and head off to the night's next grand adventure...which, as timing would have it, seems to be changing the laundry over.

Cheers!

to serve and PROTECT?!?

{Nicky}

Tonight, returning home from a leisurely eve at the grocery store, Scott and I were almost t-boned by a marked VA Beach policeman. He was pulling out from a side street as we were traveling straight, and the traffic opposite of us was fairly heavy and stopped, which is, I assume, why he didn't see us. The thing is, he wasn't creeping out to make sure the lane he was turning into (ours) was safe and clear. He was just driving, no intention of slowing down. We saw each other at the same time, he slammed on his brakes and Scott slammed on ours (Sending two bags of fruit flying onto the floor off the backseat) and he merely looked at us, no acknowledgment of anything being wrong, pulled out in front of us (the STOPPED car in the flow of traffic) and drove off.

If Scott had done the same thing, he would have been pulled over and ticketed immediately! I get so frustrated for driving cautiously and carefully to avoid breaking the law (however minor it may be) and meanwhile, see cops doing it every damn day! It's so hypocritical, and makes it very hard to have faith of any kind in the system...

Snail Mail

{Nicky}

I love it. I really do. I love that pleasant surprise of opening the mailbox to discover, buried amongst bills and ads and junk mail, that hand-written, card-shaped envelope that you know will yield something to make you smile. I should send more of it out!

Thank you to those that have brightened our day in that way lately!

84!!!...and now 63??

{Nicky}

Now I realize, Minnesotans, that neither of these temps are anything to complain about. And I'm not going to complain about the temperature so much as the inconsistency of said temps! Friday and Saturday were gorgeous days, Friday it was 84 in our neck of the woods, and yesterday it was also pretty warm (although we did exchange the sun for rain about the time Scott went out to mow.) But today, I woke up chilly, and when I let the pups out, I realized why...it had gotten significantly cooler. And tomorrow, it's supposed to drop 10 more degrees! It's annoying. We have both winter and now summer clothes spilling out of our closets, and it's pretty crowded! I know, I know, we don't have snow, and for that I am very grateful. But then again, at least I'd know what to wake up expecting each morning!

It's been occurring to us lately that we're going to be putting our house on the market, sooner rather than later. A recent news story said that homes in Hampton Roads are averaging 6-9 months to sell, which made me realize that, if I'm going to move back to MN if Scott goes on deployment again, it's time to get cracking on little home improvements we've been putting off. I know we've mentioned to several of you that Scott may also be transferring to South Carolina to teach. Again, if that happens, we still need to sell our home here before buying a new one down there, to avoid paying two mortgage payments, or mortgage here and apartment there, etc. So, we're taking it easy until after we get back from Vegas, but in May, I think we'll be starting to hit all our little tasks pretty hard and steadily. Every day, the list of "To Do" grows longer!

We hope you all are warm and well!

The Count Down is On!

{Nicky}

Our days are falling into a new routine, with me working now. My favorite part of the day is still the moment Scott walks through the door, and it's a whole evening of just us. Which is why duty nights are so disappointing. Ah well.

We're getting excited, though, because April marks the beginning of our vacation count-down! We will be going to Las Vegas at the end of this month for four days. We're meeting the rest of my family out there, to celebrate my folks' 35th(!!) anniversary! (Oh yeah...and your birthday, too, Dad!) It will be so so fun! So, while I know that April Showers Bring May Flowers and all, I can't help but hope that April goes by quickly! We've got some money to win!

Man, I miss Treasure Island!! It was such a nice substitute for getting our gambling fix!