Loch Ness Connor....

I spent today making the final arrangements for our vacation. We are gradually getting closer, only two and half weeks to go. In case I haven't mentioned it (which I can't imagine), we are meeting Dan in London, and we are then going to Ireland and Scotland. We are so excited, we can't wait. Dan and I both have always wanted to see Ireland, and I can't believe we really are going to! It is definitely a very ambitious travel plan, but there was no way we could go to the United Kingdom without taking Connor to Scotland. You might not know this, but Connor tends to fixate on certain subjects, and once the fascination begins, it tends to last for quite some time. He is a great lover of the usual things little (though he's not so little anymore) boys love; dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and animals, just to name a few. When he was 9, we watched Walking With Prehistoric Beasts, and Raising the Mammoth more times than I can count. He spends many hours reading books on each subject, and he's usually the only kid in his class who prefers non fiction to fiction. So, it came as no shock to us when he became fascinated with the Loch Ness Monster. Of course, this entailed many trips to the library, many documentaries, and even multiple viewings of Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster. All of this has just fueled his desire to go to Loch Ness. Hence our trip to Scotland. We are taking the lad to Loch Ness. He can hardly believe it. Hell, I can hardly believe it. And there is absolutely no doubt in my mind he will "see" the Loch Ness Monster. This is the boy who "saw" a Beluga Whale in the Saint John River, after all. And as luck would have it, there's been a Nessie sighting. An amateur scientist apparently caught Nessie on video. How fortuitous. We are spending an entire weekend in Inverness, the capital of the highlands. And even better, we are staying at the Loch Ness House Hotel. Of course, we are taking a boat cruise on the Loch, that is a must. We can actually take a cruise from Inverness to the ruins of Urquhart Castle, once under the control of Robert the Bruce. So, how long you think it will take Connor to see Nessie? I'd say, faster than Scooby Doo can say Drumnadrochit. But if all else fails, Katty can always act as a stand in. She is a wee monster after all.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/31/britain.lochness.ap/index.html

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”~~Albert Einstein

A Wild And Crazy Saturday...

Wow, we had a wild and crazy day today. Not! Holy heck I'm bored! I swear it is the monotony wearing me down. Have I mentioned I need a vacation? Because, I really, really need a vacation! Actually, we all really need a vacation, Dan and the kids are just as done as I am. It's been a long haul for all of us. Luckily, we all got to talk to Daddy today, and the phone didn't get cut off this time. And you will all be happy to know, his voice sounded just like they remembered it! The kids were all so much happier (temporarily anyway) after talking to him. Good job Daddy, it made their day. After we talked to Daddy, we headed into Pembroke. Wahoo!! Pembroke on a Saturday is as much fun as getting your knee caps shot, but never mind. Connor got his Pokemon cards for his reward, and we had to get pencils and erasers for Elizabeth. She starts the Grade 3 Ontario Testing on Monday, and her teacher sent home a list of specific supplies she needed. Ask me how impressed I was to have to go buy school supplies on the second day of June. You guessed it, not so much. I'm thinking that if she needs these things for Provincial testing, than maybe the province ought to supply them, but that's just me. After we got the cards, and the school supplies, we did go to Home Depot. We really know how to pass a day, don't we?? Unfortunately, my boyfriend Elton wasn't there. Poor old gapher probably thinks I've dumped him, it's been so long. It was okay though, my other buddy Pat was there, so it didn't take very long to get my wood cut at all. After that, it was lunch, and home. All very exciting stuff. Oh, and holy crazy thunderstorms, there was another Severe Thunderstorm Warning tonight. This was the fourth night in a row. Unfortunately, this one didn't amount to anything, just a little rain. No thunder, no lightning, no hail, no nothing. How disappointing is that.


"Disappointments are to the soul what the thunder-storm is to the air.”~~Friedrich von Schiller

It's Finally June....

It's finally June! I never thought it would get here. I must say I am very happy to see the ass end of May. Without a doubt, May was the longest and worst month so far. It felt like it was never going to end. Four months done, three more to go. It didn't help that Dan was extremely busy, and we only got to talk to him twice this month (and the last time the phone got cut off so the girls didn't get to talk to him). The kids are scared they can't remember what Daddy's voice sounds like. How sad is that? Hopefully, he can call this weekend. Did you hear the Daddy?? Finally, today we can say we are going to see Dan this month!! It's about time. This deployment feels like it started in March 2006 when Dan got posted here. It's the deployment that never ends, but never mind. We only have three more weeks to get through until our vacation, which means three more long painful weekends. Oh God help me! The highlight of this weekend is going to Pembroke after swimming lessons tomorrow. Connor got an A on his math test, so we're off to Walmart for a reward, and than I'm going to take them out for lunch. And if we're really feeling adventurous, we'll go see my buddies at Home Depot afterward. How exciting is that?

By the way, today was Pinch and Punch day. Poor John, I got him fair and square this time. There was absolutely no question of the winner. Maybe you'll do better next month Poppa. You'd better write yourself a note in that book of yours, so you won't forget. So for those keeping score, so far this year, I'm ahead 4-2!! Oh, in case you are wondering, we did have more Severe Thunder Storm warnings tonight. No tornado warning, though. How disappointing! Crazy Kids! It did hail up on base, but not here though, which is less than five minutes from the Base. Told you the weather in Petawawa was crazy.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."~~C.S.Lewis

Tornado Warning...

One thing I'll say for Petawawa, it has some pretty interesting storms. Last night we had some wicked thunderstorms while I was out at the Regimental Gathering. We were at the Yacht Club down on the Ottawa River, and there were times the lightning was actually green. And of course, we got completely soaked running to the car. The weather today was much the same as yesterday, hot and muggy (not that I'm complaining, though, Mom). The perfect conditions for more thunder storms. So, we had another Severe Thunderstorm Warning tonight, only this time there was also a tornado warning. Before the rain started pouring down, I went outside to put the umbrella down so it wouldn't knock the table over. While I was doing that, the kids decided that they would enjoy the show. When I cam back in, all three of them were bellied up to the dining room window. They had three chairs lined up under it, and even had snacks and drinks. You'd think they were at the movies or something. By this point in time, the sky was completely black, and the wind was whipping the trees across the street. I had the devils own time convincing them to go to the basement until it was over. They weren't happy about it, as they would not be able to see the funnel cloud. Well, duh! I'm thinking that seeing a funnel cloud that close is not such a good idea, but hey, that's just me. Luckily, there was no funnel cloud, just a lot of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. The kids were must disappointed when it was over, "Is that it?" Obviously it was anti climatic for them, like a disappointing fireworks display. It's going to be hot and muggy again tomorrow, so I'm sure they'll get to see it all over again tomorrow night. Better luck next time.


"Any proverbs about weather are doubly true during a storm."~~Ed Northstrum

Regimental Gathering..

Tonight there was a Gathering for all of the Officers/Senior NCOs from Dan's unit. They had contacted me several times during the planning of it, to make sure I could go, which I thought was really nice. They even had really nice invitations printed for all of the spouses whose husbands were deployed, and had them hand delivered. I went with my friends Charlotte and Ingrid. We figured we'd be Nobby No Mates together. I was quite keen to go, and have a night out with other adults. It's funny though, Ingrid and I were there for about five minutes, and realized we actually felt worse. There is nothing lonelier than going to a mixed function at the Unit without your spouse. It's just not the same, especially when your spouse is Dan, and he is normally the life of the party. I'm sure had he been there, it would have been a much louder and more boisterous affair. Everyone was really sweet, asking me how I was and how Dan was. And than the CO made a speech. All I can say is, he's an interesting little man, but never mind. He had lots of good things to say about Dan and the Battery, which was very nice. And he has decided now he likes the Dragon nickname given to the Battery, two weeks ago he hated it. I've got to say though, the highlight of my night was my discovery of Woody's Grapefruit. Who knew such a thing existed or that I would like it so much. But as Charlotte pointed out, it's really not that surprising as it is a British drink, and I do tend to be a bit of an Anglophile. That was the first drink I've had since Dan left (except for the shot of Bailey's I had when Connor brought home his last report card), and after two Woody's I was a bit mellow. I almost didn't have the second one, but was glad I did when I got home and discovered we'd lost another soldier today, this time in the helicopter crash. I will be so glad when September comes and this is all over.

“I've got everything I need except a man. And I'm not one of those women who thinks a man is the answer to everything, but I'm tired of being alone.”~~Unknown

Advancement Night...

It was a big night for the Bobbitt girls. Tonight was Advancement Night for Guides. Katherine is finished her two years as a Spark, and Elizabeth is finished her two years as a Brownie. Katty is quite keen to move up to Brownies next year. The same can not be said of her sister. Elizabeth has absolutely no interest in becoming a Guide next year. Or as she told me, "I am done with this Girl Guides business." Well, alright then. So you can imagine how happy she was when I informed her she would be taking part in the advancement. That went over like the proverbial lead balloon. I figured if we all had to be there for Katty's ceremony anyway, Libby might as well throw on her Brownie uniform and take part, in case she changes her mind. Not likely, I know. Of course, I was about as keen to go as Elizabeth. I had a rotten day, it was one of those days were I didn't get anything done that I wanted to, but was constantly running all day. The poor kids had barely finished eating their supper and I was dragging them out the door for the advancement. Given the size of the Guide District, I thought this would be a three hour affair, but surprisingly, we were gone less than an hour. Katherine was very proud of herself, she was one of only four Sparks moving up to Brownies. And Elizabeth did advance to Guides, and the smile on her face was genuine. Apparently, it wasn't as bad as she'd imagined it would be. She told me after wards she was glad she'd come, "You didn't tell me they were giving us flowers, or that there would be cake." Who knew? As we got home she informed me that even though she'd had fun, she was still not going to Guides next year, she is not going to change her mind. That's her final decision. Until September, anyway.

"I promise to do my best. To be true to myself, my God, and Canada; I will help other people and keep the Brownie Law."~~Brownie Promise

Pretty in Pink...

So much for my thinking the kids would sleep in this morning after their late night last night. The little buggers were up and at it before 7:30 am. It was a rainy miserable day here in Petawawa, a perfect day to finish up Libby's room. I went and rented some video games to occupy the monsters, and than Arlene and I tackled the last coat of paint. Have I mentioned how much I love her? Seriously, I'd be lost without her (not to mention 30 pounds heavier as I wouldn't be walking as much). When Arlene attacks a project, she does not do it half assed, as I myself tend to do. We have decided we balance each other out. At any rate, if it were up to me, Libby's room would be half finished for another 3 months. Luckily, it didn't come to that, and there is one very happy little girl in the Bobbitt household. She told me her bedroom was like a "dream come true, because she'd been waiting her entire life for a pink bedroom." At 9 she's had a very, very long wait, I'm surprised senility did not set in while she was waiting. Of course now, Arlene's already thinking about what we should do with the downstairs bathroom. It is a disaster, and needs a lot of work, but I've no doubt Arlene will have that all figured out by the end of the week. Have I mentioned I love this woman? Oh, and big relief, Katherine has decided that nice as Libby's room is, she really doesn't want hers painted. As if that was likely to happen anyway.

I so can not be posted unless Arlene is posted with me. And poor Stu, I think he's wishing they had a girl so they could have a pretty pink room.

"Dear friend, I owe a debt to you today,

A debt my hand nor heart can e'er repay;

A debt not paid in gold, were gold in store,

Can but be paid in love by loving more..."~~Colfax Burgoyne Harman