DA Photo

So when you get promoted to Staff Sergeant, your orders tell you that you have to have a DA photo taken within 30 days. I was in Egypt when I got promoted, so I got a pass on the 30 days. But I should have taken the picture as soon as I got back. Well now it's been 17 months since I got promoted and I FINALLY got around to having the picture taken. 

A DA photo is a Department of the Army official photo. The DA Photo is used to quickly determine a Soldier’s professionalism and military bearing while conducting a promotion board or in a situation where the Solider is not physically present. This picture is supposed to represent how awesome I am without me being there to wow a crowd with my stunning personality. 

And to see if the Soldier is fat. I think that might be the reason the DA photo is most used. 

I had one of my best Army girlfriends help me put together my uniform the night before. If you've ever put all the badges and ribbons onto a female's uniform, you know how time consuming it can be. It's always best to have someone helping you. I think she did a fabulous job making sure my ribbons are placed exactly where they need to be. 

The photo process was quick and easy. And I think it turned out phenomenal. I don't know why I waited as long as I did. Actually, I do know why I waited. I wanted those Air Assault wings in my picture!

Picasso's Birthday!

Today was Picasso's birthday!

He's a grown up 5 years old now! It's hard to believe he's gotten so old! It seems like I just picked him up from Drain, Oregon when he cried the whole ride home. That drive sort of made me reconsider getting a puppy. I'm glad I didn't run away screaming, because he turned out to be my special little guy. Even if he does have a lot of social issues. 

Picasso had wet dog food for his birthday dinner. It was some awful chicken dish that also eerily reminded me of an MRE. (What the hell does the Army feed us!?) We took a long walk, where he peed on everything, as he usually does. There are a couple marigold plants in the neighborhood that I have no doubt belong to him.

Happy birthday, Picasso Destroyer of Worlds! My special, most favorite little boy!

Gertie's Birthday!

Happy birthday, Gertie! My little girl turned 1 year old today!

 

 

All day long I have been telling her she is a big girl now. Its time to cut out all the puppy crap. She has yet to take my advise/warning to heart since she ate cat diarrhea and vomited it in the house twice today. That is not big girl behavior.

 

Her birthday was uneventful. Which is fine, because she is a dog. It rained most of the day so we didn't get to go for a walk. But she did get wet dog food for dinner (yummy) and it smelled like a beef MRE (not so yummy). I also gave her a bright pink dog crate! I assume it's still politically correct to give gender associated toys and accessories to animals, right?

 

Happy birthday Gertrude The Impaler! Mommy loves you!

Batman

I have a new pet. Well, he's not really a pet, I guess. But he's a critter and he lives in my yard so I am taking ownership.

 

I have a bat! A little brown bat. He's taken up residency in the sycamore tree in the backyard. I noticed him for the first time yesterday. I was standing around under the tree waiting for Picasso to do his business. I looked up into the tree and there was a brown blob hanging from one of the branches. It looked like a kiwi. The fruit. I'm pretty confident sycamore trees don't produce kiwis, so the next logical explanation was that it was a little bat.

 

 

He wasn't doing anything but hanging upside down. It was dusk, so I was encouraging him to go fly around and eat bugs. He just kept sleeping. So I have a lazy bat. That's fitting. James poked him with a stick and he irrupted into frenzied flight. That didn't scare him off, though, because he's back in the sycamore tree again today. Hanging upside down, being lazy.

 

I'm going to call him Batman. I hope he sticks around because he's really cute.

Kitchen Back Splash

I am no professional. The combination of YouTube videos and my past experience remodeling a doll house, I managed to put up a new backsplash in the kitchen. By no means does it look like I paid someone to do it. But it looks a whole hell of a lot better than the crap I had on the wall before! 



 

 



 

The particle board fake blue tiles that were on the wall were so gross. I can't believe I lived with them as long as I did. It was extremely satisfying ripping it off the walls. It came off very easily, too, like it knew it was hideous and deserved to go into the garbage.

 

The grout job I did is a little sketchy because I let it harden too much before wiping the wall down. Now I know, lesson learned. Also, the tiles are a bit wonky around the switch plates. So I just won't look too closely at that. All and all, I am impressed with my $250 upgrade. My kitchen is a much prettier place.

 

And I feel like the awful blue countertops are a bit less hideous now.

2 Years

 

James and I had our 2 year wedding anniversary today. Although we haven't spent much of those 2 years physically together, or much of the 4 years we have been together total for that matter, it's been a good time. I love you, James.

No Jobs Means Home Improvements

I've been looking for a new job in the Army. It's harder than I thought it would be. When I was a little lower ranking it was easy. Everyone needs a medic; I could go virtually anywhere. But now I have to look for a specific slot to fill. Staff Sergeant medics aren't needed virtually everywhere since not as many are needed in units.

 

I'm also in my reenlistment window. So I've been harassing my retention NCO to help me find a job almost daily. I want to be on orders. But I do not want to be on orders to the places that are available right now. My choices include Fort Stewart, Georgia and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Korea isn't even available right now! And no one wants Korea! I'm holding out a while longer before I make a decision. Something decent has to show up on the availability list.

 

So in the mean time, I am going to be at Fort Campbell a bit longer and living in my house a bit longer. All the remodeling I have been doing to sell my house, is now going to be for me to enjoy. So I redid my hallway bathroom this weekend.

 

 

The popcorn ceilings came down in both bathrooms. Thank God, I HATE popcorn ceilings. I painted the newly flattened ceilings white. And then I completely overhauled the guest bathroom. My attempt to match the walls to the existing shower curtain was a complete success. I wasn't sure if I liked the brightness of the new color at first. Once I added all the bathroom accessories I knew I had made a good choice.

 

Gertie sat in the room and watched the whole thing. Under her watchful eye, I completed everything in just a few hours. I don't know what I would have done without her supervision.

 

Maybe the master bathroom (which is the size of a closet) will be next. I am about to go on leave for 3 weeks, so I can add another project to my list. The big project while I am on leave is to put up a backsplash in my kitchen. I've never done anything like it before, so wish me luck.

 

I need to find a job before I go broke remodeling.