Lost Toy

Picasso's favorite seat in the house is the back of the couch in front of the window. He's pretty much ruined that cushion. It's deflated and kind of stained from constantly having a dog sitting on it.

 

When we got the couch, I had tried to keep him off it, but it was a lost cause. Picasso does what he wants most of the time.

 

Since he's always sitting there, guarding the house, he brings his toys up there. And drops them behind the couch. Every time.

 

Then he cries and carries on until I get so sick of hearing him that I squeeze my arm all the way back there to get the toy out. My arm is about 1 inch too short to reach the carpet, so if the toy lands flat, I can't reach it. That is precisely what happened tonight. Even with a coat hanger, I can't get the toy out.

 

Notice the deflated dog perch cushion.

 

I explained to him he was going to have to forget about the toy, and go to his toy basket and choose a new one. But he refused to understand. Stubborn.

 

He's positive staring down behind the couch and whimpering will bring it back. It's not coming back until James comes home and his longer arms can reach that toy. Sorry, Picasso. You do have other toys, you know.

New Template

I decided to shake things up on my blog and change the template. I had the old one for 3 years. I'm not sure I like this new one, but the old one is lost to cyberspace now. So this is what I've got!

 

I still think a rename of the blog is in order since there isn't really any chance I'll ever be going to Iraq again, thus making it impossible to be dubbed Iraqi Jackie ever again!

 

Maybe being Iraqi Jackie can be retro and I'll just keep it the way it is. (That's lazy speak for, I'm too lazy to change it.)

 

Enjoy this picture of Picasso while you're here:

 

Cheers!

 

1 Year Since...

It has been exactly 1 year since James gave me this beautiful diamond ring and asked me to be his wife.

We set a date before he went to Afghanistan, but since he's been gone, I have been feeling like he's going to be gone for SO LONG and the wedding is SO FAR AWAY... why make solid plans and arrangements?

 

Turns out, he's going to be home in 3 months, and then the wedding happens 3 months after that. 6 months from now, we are going to be in Las Vegas making it legal in front of our friends and family, and all I have is a dress and the venue.

 

Holy crap, I lack the bride gene, I guess, because I should have been in full swing planning mode a while ago!!

Luckily, Planet Hollywood is going to do 80% of all the wedding planning. Getting married in Las Vegas is probably the best way a lazy person can get married and have it be a success! AND it's not nearly as expensive as a traditional wedding, and it will still be classy! I picked a great venue!

But I need to get hot on picking out invitations to send out! August 10, 2013 is coming up faster than I can think!

Valentine's Day Flowers

I worked late on Valentine's Day. Surprise, surprise.

 

When I finally got home, I had a little note on the door from a florist saying they had tried to deliver me flowers but I wasn't home. Lately, I have been running into situations where it is assumed I don't have a job and will be home all day. This is one of the most annoying things about living in a military town-- I am always assumed to be a housewife instead of a Soldier. Irritating.

 

I. Have. A. Job.

 

Anyway, I called the number on the card and this guy answers and says he already brought the flowers back to the florist. He's not delivering anymore. He told me I can go get them myself. I asked him when the florist closes. He says 5pm. It was nearly 6pm when I called him. Who was this idiot I was on the phone with?

 

So the NEXT day, February 15th, I punched the address to the florist into my GPS and HOLY CRAP. This florist had to be the furthest away from my house while still being within the Clarksville city limits as possible. It was a 28 minute drive. Luckily, the flowers were there when I got there, and hadn't been taken back out to be delivered (and not left at the door because I wasn't home).

 

 

The flowers are beautiful and they smell absolutely wonderful. Next year James can give me flowers in person on Valentine's Day. No matter what stupid hours I work.

Mandatory Fun

 

Haha! All the Army peeps out there get this one!

Don't you just love being forced to have fun, fake esprit de corps and watch the clock until you're allowed to disperse? Oh Army, you're so unique. Only you can ruin fun.

Army Combatives

This is sexy Combatives hair-- after being punched repeatedly. :)

 

I volunteered to go to Army Combatives Level 1 this week. It teaches hand to hand combat. Now, if you know anything about me, this is shocking that I volunteered for this class.

 

If there were 2 things I could take out of the Army FOR GOOD, they would be 3 to 5 second rushes and combatives. I loathe those two things.

 

So why would you volunteer to go, you ask? Promotion points. Combatives level 1 is worth 4 points. I thought it would be nice to have 4 more points, so what the heck, I'll go.

 

I'm not going to lie. I've done some things in the Army that have taken every ounce of my strength,  my energy and my will to finish. I have "found my heart" on more than one occasion to push through something so physically awful that tears were close behind. This combatives class is the most physically straining and challenging thing I have ever done in the Army to date. Laugh if you want to, all you giant buff dudes who thought Combatives level 1 was a joke. I am no athlete. I never have claimed such a thing! So this was a big deal for me.

 

My body has been so sore from rolling, getting slapped, punched, being tossed around and doing drills that are otherwise out of the ordinary for me, that I have had to actually yell out while doing basic human movements to get through the pain. Just sitting on the toilet causes my legs so much pain that I don't even want to go. Every time I'd move in my sleep, I'd wake up; my body was in so much pain!

 

The whole time I was being physically torchered in this class, I was convinced this was not worth 4 promotion points and that I was a fool to believe this would be a quick way to earn 4 points. I am not a quitter, and I wanted to quit! 4 points just wasn't worth the physical pain I was going through!

 

I am a very passive person and have never been in a physical fight. Well, this week I found out what it feels like to be slapped across the face as hard as my opponent could. I learned what it's like to be choked out until I passed out. And I learned what it was like to take an uppercut and to be pounded repeatedly in my legs, body and head by gloved fists worn by a 310lb man.

 

ONE of my bruise clusters on my thigh.

 

I am so GLAD this week is over. I graduated successfully. And I got my measly 4 points. But mostly, I'm proud of myself for working through something so physically challenging and not quitting or being so weak that I had to quit. So really, the 4 points are a bonus to the confidence boost I received this week.

 

And I still hate Combatives.

Brr! M16 Range

Today's weather forecast.

Today was day 2 of the M16 range hosted by my company. I totally lucked out yesterday and got to sit in the tower and be the firing line announcer. The tower is heated and cozy. I was busy, but not freezing my ass off like all of the firers.

 

I was a firer freezing my ass off today.

 

Let's start out by pointing out Fort Campbell had a 2 hour late start because of the snow and ice we had gotten last night. Somehow this barely effected the time line for the range and the 2 hour late start did not apply to us. The sand at the zero range was frozen. I had to jump in place in between firing iterations to keep my blood flowing, and still my feet were blocks of ice in my boots. And OF COURSE, wear of the fleece cap was unauthorized. Why would something designed to keep your head and ears warm be allowed to be worn? Craziness, I say!

Kick ass, poncho! Thanks for keeping me dry!

I laid my poncho down on the sand so I wouldn't have to lay in the icy sand. People made fun of me when I took it out the range with me. But they looked at that poncho longingly when they were laying in cold wet sand. Suckers!

 

I qualified like garbage the first time I fired (only 27 out of 40!? I blame the cold weather). But then I got my act together and shot expert like I normally do (36 out of 40-- that's more like it!).

 

This was such a cold range, probably the coldest one we'll have all year. I sure am glad I got to make it a wonderful memory of my time spent on Fort Campbell. And I hope I never get stationed someplace that is actually much colder than this and have to do many more Army tasks in the freezing cold. I'm a cold weather wuss!