Crimes against nature

Did you know that our government is now trying to sell off acres and acres of national forest? The claim is that they need the money to pay for rural schools. Somehow I can't see how this will solve the problem. There has to be another way to raise money. Once you sell off land it is gone for good and usually replaced by condos, strip malls, or broken up into plots for 20 houses stacked on top of each other. The biologist in me is thinking of the loss of trees, habitat, and beauty. The other part of me is ticked because several of these plots are right on top of our land that we bought on the lake in Missouri (Mark Twain National Forest). The land where we were supposed to build our dream house starting in February. We bought it specifically because it was bordered by national forest that no one could touch! Or so we thought. We are going to battle with the state and national government on this issue. I fear we are going to be stuck in limbo for a long time and in the end, we will probably lose. We will have to sell our property (the only good that can come is a large profit) and find something else we love just as much. That will be quite a challenge, but OUR dream is not to live next to a condo or ten other houses. Partial seclusion was the goal!

Waiting for Spring

Well, we are still waiting for Spring here. It is almost the end of March and it's about 45 degrees outside and not looking better for the next four days. Jack keeps asking me to go outside. I guess I should just bundle him up and let him go. The problem is that me and Molly have to go too! I'm not much on the idea of standing out there freezing while Molly's cheeks get more and more chapped. It doesn't seem to matter how much vaseline I smear on them. They are red and chaffed. Today was my day off from the gym so we went to the library and ran a couple of errands. The kids are napping now and I have some cleaning and painting to do. The realtor is doing a walk-thru on Saturday to make sure the house is up to standard for sale. I can't believe it will be on the market in just six months. I want it to at least look clean when he is here. We are also babysitting an extra tonight. We've been staying pretty busy. With softball starting again next week, it will be even more busy. I don't know why I keep ADDING things to my schedule! I'm not sure the pace will ever slow down. Not for about seventeen years that is. We just keep plugging along.

"This is sooo awesome!"

"This is so AWESOME!" That is what Jack said today when we FINALLY headed to the backyard to play. Sweatpants and shirts, and play shoes was all we needed. The weather was very nice. A little windy but we didn't care. We played in the sandbox, did the slide, rode swings, bikes, and played a little basketball. After all of that, they wanted to go for a ride in the stroller so we took the dogs for a little walk. I am certainly remembering the term "spring fever" right now. I used to experience it every spring when I was in college. I wanted to skip class to lay on the warm benches spread throughout campus. Now it brings a whole new meaning.....taking my kids outside to PLAY!

Tired of goodbyes.

I've decided I am really sick of goodbyes. Don't get me wrong, we are really lucky so far that I'VE had to only really say goodbye to Jeff once (of course that was when I had a baby!). All his other absences were considered TDY (temporary duty) and he wasn't in iminent danger, so I didn't really count those. But I'm really sick of saying goodbye to friends (friends we consider family) as they head off to a war that is getting pointless and out of control (yes, I said it!). We did that again Saturday to a soldier who has done more than his fair share of deployments, missing virtually half of his children's lives. Jeff didn't even laugh at me when I was crying after they left. It may seem silly and I may just be a sap, but I can't help thinking how unfair it really is. I guess that is why we are okay with saying goodbye to the Army. Don't get me wrong, I love the Army and it is scarey to leave it, but I'm ready to cut the tie. The Army has been part of our life since the day we met, so it is hard to admit that. I suppose it's just the first of many changes we may face over the course of our lives so let's hope it's an exciting one.....