I'm All Finished....

Today was my last day at the store. My temporary job that was only supposed to go until Christmas got extended by a month. Actually, they asked me to stay on, but they needed me to work every Thursday night, Friday night, all day Sunday, and all day Monday. I really had no desire to work those kind of hours. Not that it's hard work, but it's a pain in the ass when Dan's not home. Connor's not ready to be left alone with his sisters for that long. And even when Dan is home it's a hassle. We only have one car, and the job doesn't pay enough to warrant getting a second car, and frankly I don't want to be working every weekend. I'm too old for that shit really. We are very lucky that I don't have to work outside the home. Not that we couldn't use the extra money, who couldn't. But sometimes, the money just isn't worth the hassle. Honestly, I admire women so much who work full time or part time or who go to school, while looking after a family. I don't know how you do it without losing your minds. Just the few hours a week I worked was enough to send us into a tail spin. Oh well, it was a learning curve. And now I know it's not something I want to do again anytime soon. Especially with Dan's crazy schedule, and him being gone so much. It's nice for the kids to have one parent who is always around. The kids were thrilled I was all finished, and if I'd had any doubts at all, their reaction would have erased them. Besides, I didn't want to commit to the store as we still don't know if we're moving this summer. Dan had his oral french placement test today. Apparently the career manager wants him to take the french course in Ottawa as he will come out with a higher language profile. He tried to dumb down the oral test, but obviously he wasn't dumb enough. He now has to do a written placement test and another verbal one. He needs to get an A on the written one before he can do the verbal one. It's all very confusing (like most things in the military tend to be), but in the military an A in french is opposite from what an A is in every other course. An A means he has a basic knowledge of french, and a C would be functionally bilingual, an X is exempt, and a P would mean you are professionally bilingual. If he fails the written test, then he won't even have to do the verbal test. The good news is they are running a course here for the year, and he would do the course here. Now he just has to fail the test. Dan doesn't figure that will be a problem. I just know if he passes the test, I am not going to be a happy camper. Go figure.


“I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong”~~Benjamin Franklin

Two Days In A Row...

The buses were cancelled today, for the second day in a row. The kids were thrilled, me not so much. We had a freezing rain warning, and a flash freeze warning this morning. The roads were slippery when Dan went to PT but were fine when he came back. The temperature has dropped quite a bit this afternoon, but I'm not sure they were bad enough to cancel the buses for the day. And to add insult to injury, they kids have a PD day this Friday. I swear to God this school district is being run by sadists. I have no idea why, but the three of them were cranky as all get out this morning. You'd think they'd be thrilled to have a two day school week. If any one has a reason to be cranky, it's me, I'm the one who has been trapped home with them for the last two days. They were bickering so much at one point this morning, I threatened to get Daddy to come home and drive them to school, and ever since, they've been great. Funny that. Of course, Ryan came too play with Connor, and Katty went next door to play with the evil one, so that has helped considerably. And come hell or high water, bus cancellations or not, they are off to school tomorrow. Enough is enough. I have managed to get very little done for the last two days. I had big plans to get some things accomplished after I finished my sign order last weekend. Needless to say, that never happened. Hard to believe I got nothing done with three children underfoot, but tis true. The best laid plans of mice and men. I did manage to dig out the fabric for Libby's quilt. I've only had it since we lived in Ottawa two years ago. I'm determined to get it finished before the end of February. I think it is going to be very cute and very girly, shades of pink to match those pink walls of hers. I've decided to make her a simple patchwork quilt. I've finally got all of the blocks cut out, now to dust off the sewing machine. Hopefully, I can remember how to turn it on. I sure hope the instruction manual is with it, otherwise, I might be in serious trouble.

“The best plans of men and mice often go awry”~~Robert Burns

It's Cold Out There..

So, according to a British professor, January 21 is the most depressing day of the year. Given the weather here in Pet today, it's little wonder. It's freezing. Not that we should be shocked, after all it is Canada, and it is January. Winter happens, oddly enough. Of course, that doesn't stop us from whining about it. It was -37 here this morning with the windchill. Poor Dan left bright and early for exercise for the week. They were walking out to the field, 20 kms. Don't know who's brilliant idea that was, oh wait yes I do. It would be the same man who thought running in a snowstorm was a good idea. Too give him credit, when they organized the exercise, it was during a warm spell, and they were actually worried they wouldn't have enough snow. Luckily, it has warmed up throughout the day, and we are supposed to get snow tonight. Dan came in for another O group this afternoon, and was so cold he kept his coat on the whole time. Poor baby.


The kids were half frozen waiting for the bus. As was to be expected on the coldest morning of the year, their bus was late. It wouldn't start, again. Seriously, there are loads of new buses in the school district, but ours has to be older than me (not that that's old, mind you). I had to bring them in a couple of times to warm up. At one point in time I opened the door to discover they were playing a game. No Cowboys and Indians (oops, make that Native Americans) for them. No, make that Soldiers and Talibans. It seems Connor was a Canadian Soldier, and his sisters were the Taliban. Funny how he's the good guy and they're the bad guys. Apparently with their scarves pulled up and their hats on they resembled terrorists. Not such a stretch for Katty really. Oddly enough, I have little difficulty picturing her as a terrorist. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the Taliban would never let girls "join" their organization. Seriously, can you imagine me telling Katty she can't be a terrorist if she wants to be? Hell no, I'm not that stupid. Or that brave come to think of it.


"Man is a make-believe animal: he is never so truly himself as when he is acting a part"~~William Hazlitt

Running In The Snow...

Running in a snowstorm is a bad idea. I know it, and you know it, but unfortunately, my beloved husband is not as wise as you and I. Shocking isn't it? You wouldn't think it would take a rocket scientist to figure this out. In fact it didn't. As soon as Dan told me he was going out for a run in a snowstorm, I told him he was an idiot. In fact, I may have even used the word stupid, I can't be sure. But what do I know? I'm hardly a rocket scientist, after all. I even suggested he might consider going to the gym for a run. This suggestion was met with an eye roll (so that's were Katty gets it from) and the assurance that he would be careful. As soon as he said that, I knew this run would not end well, there was no way Mr Oops could go for a run in a snowstorm without disaster befalling him some how. Low and behold, who do you suppose came limping into the house 30 minutes later. Yes, that's right, Mr Careful. Seems running in a snowstorm is not such a good idea after all. No shit Sherlock. Oh the irony of it all. The same man who came home from work, laughing because one of the other BC's had smashed his car into his Sergeant Major's car that morning. It seems there was a sheet of ice under the snow and it was treacherous out. Great day to go for a run outside. The rest of my day was spent fetching frozen corn and ibuprofen, and researching sprains and ankle breaks online. Seems Dan heard a cracking noise when he twisted his ankle. That can't be good, and most likely accounts for the bruising and swelling in his foot. I knew it must have been hurting a lot, because he decided to go to the MIR (medical clinic) to have it checked out. Of course, this couldn't have happened at a worse time, not that there is ever a good time to have a broken ankle really. He's going on a camping trip with his brother this weekend (now there's a blog for you) and is in the field on exercise all next week, and is off to Texas next month for 6 weeks. Fortunately for him, it's only a bad sprain. He is on light duties for the rest of the week, and they gave him a brace for it. A really nice brace, apparently, as he's showed it to me 5 times already. It's lovely dear, really. After he went to the MIR, he had an O group (a fancy way of saying meeting) with the CO. It seems last week, the CO warned all of the officers to be careful when they were out running or driving. Imagine how pleased he was when he discovered one of the Majors had had a car accident, and another one had had a running accident. Our friend Stu is the unit Safety officer, and he made Dan tell all of the other officers what I had told him before he went for his run, "She said I was stupid." I'm sure you can guess how happy Dan was when the CO replied, "She's right, you are stupid." Ya think? Occasionally, not very often mind you, but every once and a while, I do know what I'm talking about. It's called Common Sense. Like I said, it ain't rocket science, but it might as well be.

"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward."~~Bill Davidsen

Fifteen Days....

I love to read. Even as a kid, I loved to read, a gift from my parents who are both avid readers. Thankfully, all three of our kids love to read as well, though Katty struggled at first. As a result of changing provinces and curriculums, she had to learn to read in English and French at the same time, which caused her great frustration. Luckily, we got her into a literacy program, and she is now reading above grade level, and can switch back and forth from French to English quite easily, as do her brother and sister. When we lived in Gagetown, some friends and I started a book club, and it was fabulous. We had such a great time, and read some fantastic books; Memoirs of A Geisha, The Poisonwood Bible, just to name a few. I've missed my book club since we moved, but have still carried on reading, when I've been able to find the time. Two of my favourite books are The Kite Runner and a Thousand Splendid Suns, both by the same author, Khaled Hosseini. I read The Kite Runner right before we found out Dan would be going to Afghanistan, and I read A Thousand Splendid Suns in London last summer when I couldn't sleep do to jet lag. Both books were set in Afghanistan and I had a hard timing putting both down. I haven't read a book since that captivated me as much as they both did. Until this week. The book is Fifteen Days by reporter Christie Blatchford. Strangely enough, it's another book about Afghanistan (though not so strangely really, as Afghanistan is still a large part of our lives, and always will be, I suppose). The book is a collection of stories from and about Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan, 15 different days she had been in Afghanistan. She wrote down the days as they came to her, not in chronological order. As she says in the introduction, "Some of the dates really are significant, certainly in terms of who was lost and sometimes because of what was learned but all of the days matter to me because they speak to the character of the Canadian soldier." I found myself unable to put the book down, not because it is particularly well written, because its not. But I think that is part of the appeal of the book. These stories are raw and gritty and choppy, much as I suspect, life is in Afghanistan. She does not gloss over the stories with fancy words, nor does she try to paint a pretty picture, she just tells the stories as they were, and often through the voices of the actual soldiers themselves. Are they an honest depiction of life in Afghanistan? I think so. Does she have all of the military aspects of it correct? Your guess is as good as mine, though I have discussed parts of the book with Dan, and from what he has read so far, it seems to be an accurate portrayal. Many things struck me as I read this book, first and foremost, was that we could have easily been one of those days. April 11,2007 could have been the date on our chapter, the date Dan's vehicle was hit by a VIED (suicide bomber). I might point out, Dan can't remember the exact date, which struck me as ironic, you'd think you'd remember the day you almost died more clearly, but I guess after many near misses, the days all blend in together. And while he couldn't remember the exact date, he did know it was the same day the two Dragoons died. Dates may be forgotten, but events never are. But for chance, or the grace of God, I could have been one of the wives interviewed. Luckily for me, I was not. Somebody else was. And although, I will always be thankful, I will also always feel guilty because we were lucky, and others weren't. That's a common reaction with military spouses. First the feeling of overwhelming relief it wasn't your husband, followed quickly by a feeling of guilt for being so happy, when someone else is suffering so much. The other thing that struck me as I read this book, was just how many of the people in it I knew, either directly, or indirectly through Dan or someone else. One chapter follows a platoon commander form Edmonton, whom we had met in Gagetown, through mutual friends (our neighbours). I had been at his wife's baby shower. He was injured, but some of his soldiers died. Then there was Nichola, whom I had never met, but Dan had taught her to be a FOO, the job she was doing the day she died. A friend of hers was interviewed in the book, he sat at our table this New Years Eve, and I know many other of her friends. Then there was the company commander who had been injured in the friendly fire in September, 2006. He lived behind us, and Libby played with his daughter. Ian Hope, the PPCLI CO, began his career in the West Nova Scotia Regiment, the same regiment where Dan first began his career. And of course, we both know the BC who was interviewed, he happens to be our buddy Stu's identical twin brother. The same Stu who was my lifeline many times while Dan was gone. In a small army, there are no six degrees of separation, more like 1 or 2. This certainly wasn't an easy book to read. I cried through much of it, but it is one I think all Canadians should read, especially the politicians. If the soldiers in these stories, after everything they have gone through and seen, can still say they believe in this mission, than we should all believe in this mission. They certainly understand far more than Stephane Dion or Jack Layton ever can the full cost of this war. I wonder if either of them has ever believed in anything enough to risk their lives for it, over and over again. Somehow, I don't think so.

As I was finishing this entry up, I heard the news that another soldier had been lost in Afghanistan, another significant day. Then again, I can't help but think every day we have been in Afghanistan has been significant for one reason or another.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Fifteen-Days-Stories-Bravery-Friendship-Christie-Blatchford/9780385664660-item.html?ref=Books%3aBooks+Features%3aCT0%3aspot9

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Kite-Runner-Khaled-Hosseini/9780385660075-item.html

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Thousand-Splendid-Suns-Khaled-Hosseini/9780670064915-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527Khaled+Hosseini%2527

"They swung aboard at once, they sat to the oars in ranks. And in rhythm turned the water white with stroke on stroke. And from there we sailed on, glad to escape our death, yet sick at heart for the comrades we had lost."~~Odysseus, from Homer's Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles.

Happy Birthday Katty...

Our baby is 8 today. Hard to believe, but here we are 8 years later, with our sanity still somewhat intact. Katty was only a little excited this morning, so excited she had a bit of a tummy ache. She got to open a present before she went to school this morning. Not surprisingly, she chose Ann Marie's, which actually was two gifts. There are no flies on Katty, and she knew, odds were one of them might be a new outfit that she could wear too school. Ann Marie takes great pleasure in making sure both girls have the latest in diva wear, too the point I'm running out of space to put it all. Seriously woman, I'm thinking an intervention might be needed. After Katty opened the first part of the gift, she gleefully told me she "just knew it would be a new outfit" I asked her how she knew, "I just knew because I had my suPISSicions." Sometimes that kid cracks me up. She went off to school, happy as Larry, carting 24 cupcakes to share with her friends. Rainbow bits, with rainbow bit frosting, in case you're interested. I swear, the bloody Tupperware container was bigger than she was, but somehow she managed. After school, she was positively bouncing when she got off the bus, and her first words were "Is it suppertime yet?" She was not impressed when I informed her she would have to wait as it was only 3:35 pm. That got me a sigh and an eye roll. FINALLY, Daddy made it home, and she was able to open the rest of her presents. The waiting was just horrid, too much for one little girl to bear. She was thrilled with all of her gifts. The irony of us giving her a Trouble game was lost on her, of course. She was most pleased she finally got her very own Canada doll, even though Libby got hers 5 days earlier, "Libby always gets everything for her birthday before me, its not fair." Um, yeah, that's because her birthday is 5 days before yours, you nut bar. The only gift that wasn't a surprise was her birthday collectible doll. "It's the number 8 girl, you know." I never would have guessed. How ever did she know? Another eye roll. "Duh mommy, I had my suPISSicions, Nana gets us one every year." God help us and those suPISSicions of hers, I have a feeling they might come back and bite us on the ass sometime soon, she's far to suPISSicious for her own good.

“Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world.”~~Unknown

A Winter Wonderland Party....

God help us, today was Katherine's Snowman/Winter Wonderland party. Have I mentioned I really hate birthday parties? Because I do. Really. They drive me. But never mind. We spent the morning decorating and finishing up the cake. I was pleased with how the cake turned out. Actually, the whole party turned out awesome, thanks to Ann Marie, who went above and beyond as usual. In fact, we have enough stuff left over for 5 more parties. Katty invited 8 girls, but only 6 could come, hallelujah!! We started off doing the snowman crafts, which the girls enjoyed thoroughly, me not so much. They then had a wild game of pin the carrot nose on the snowman, followed by a draw the snowman on the balloon game. In case you're wondering, Dan does the party games. He has far more patience for them then I do, plus I suspect, he actually enjoys them. He really is a sad strange little man. After the games, it was time for cake and presents. Katty got lots of loot, and was most pleased to be the centre of attention. Hard to believe I know. It was quite amusing watching all 6 little girls trying to climb on her lap as she was opening her gifts. Man, they were taking their lives in their own hands, I thought for sure she was going to snap, but she was surprisingly patient for her. Dan and I were both worn out at the end of the party, and for the first time in a year, I was actually pleased to hear the door bell ring.

"I have just returned from a children's party. I'm one of the survivors."~~Percy French

There's No Life Like It...

Well, it looks like Dan is going on a year long French course starting this August. I say looks like because he doesn't have a posting message yet, and even if he did have a posting message, it could still change. He met with the career mangler, I mean manager this week, who told him the plan was for him to go on the French course this summer, and then to Toronto for Staff College the following summer. They are hoping to get him on the French course here, as they do not want to move us 3 years in a row (the course in Toronto is also a year long course). We don't know when we will find out where he will be taking the French course. Your guess is as good as ours. They need a minimum of 8 students to run the course here. So far, we know there are two because it looks like our good friend Derek will be taking the course with him, which Dan is thrilled about. If he doesn't get the course here, it means a move to Ottawa, which we are not keen on. We love Ottawa, we just don't want to move there. And we certainly don't want to move three years in a row. Of course, the irony is not lost on us. The last time we were posted to Pet, I couldn't wait to get out of here. Now, I just want to stay. If Dan does go to Toronto, he will go by himself, and the kids and I will stay here, or Ottawa, wherever the case may be. We aren't allowed to buy a house in Toronto, not that we could afford one anyway. Hell, we could barely afford to buy a house here in Pet. Apparently, the PMQs are not in a very good neighbourhood. The kind of neighbourhood where you can't go outside after dark and kids Connor's age are being stabbed in school. Not where we want to live. Of course, there is also a possibility Dan will be sent to a Foreign Staff college. A remote possibility, but a possibility none the less. The choices for this are Britain, Australia, Kansas, Virginia, and Quetta, Pakistan. We're not so keen on Pakistan. There are a lot of Taliban in Quetta. I'm thinking Dan's seen enough Taliban in the last year, and I've seen them enough on TV, I don't feel the need to see them up close in person. If he is offered Pakistan, he will obviously turn it down. Odds are we won't get the foreign posting, but one can always dream (not about Pakistan though, that would be more like a nightmare, but never mind). At any rate, we won't find out until the fall sometime. For now, we are just waiting to see where we will be living this summer. We don't expect the answer to this anytime soon. This is the military we are dealing with, after all. Hurry up and wait. There is really no life like it. Not that that is always a bad thing. Much as it may drive me crazy sometimes, I really can't imagine living any other way.

"There's no life like it & I won't regret the day, when I chose to live the Forces way. There's no life like it, There's no life like it, Yes there's no life like it!"~~Canadian Forces recruiting slogan

Happy New Year...

Finally, 2007 is over. I have never been so happy to see the ass end of a year, as I am this one. It definitely was a long stressful year, and hopefully we won't have another one like it anytime soon. When I look back over the last year, it is of course, tainted by Afghanistan. How could it not be? It consumed our lives for a long time. It wasn't all bad however, there were some good times. The highlight of the year was Dan's safe return from Afghanistan (obviously) at the end of August. After 7 months of constant worry and stress, it was wonderful to have him home safe and sound. It seemed so strange to have him here, and not to have to worry anymore. Worrying definitely becomes a habit, but it was one bad habit that I was very happy to break. The second highlight of the year was our trip to the United Kingdom in the summer. I had always wanted to go to England, so it was the trip of a lifetime. Everything I'd imagined, and then some. We had such a wonderful vacation, it was definitely an amazing trip! We had a fantastic time and all want to go back, now!! 2007 also saw us reunited with our friends the Armstrong's. We hadn't seen them for 5 years, but it was like we'd never been a part. Of course, I'm still so jealous that Dan got to see Emma and Martyn again in October, but never mind, I'll get over it, eventually. In September, we finally got our hardwood floors put in. And yes, this would be a big highlight of my year. I was delighted to rip up that blasted carpet. We also had a wonderful weekend away in Vermont, without the kids. Looking back, there were definitely some good times in 2007, but I'm still glad it is over. Lets hope 2008 has many more good times, but with far less worry. I could use a longer break from the worry. Dan's not going to Afghanistan this year, so I'm thinking, it's already shaping up to be a great year.

"For last year's words belong to last year's language, And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."~~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"