Bunko

 80s Bunko Night.... 

My fav part .... but I also rolled my socks down and put on my Keds....

And

I won 20 bucks!!  (the buy in is 5)

SandBox Salutations Wk 2, My Humble Abode

Hello Everyone, All is fine with me over here.  I have been working a lot of long hours and finally find myself with a day-off.  So, I thought I would run around and snap a few pics of where I will be residing for the next 6 months.

 Enjoy...

 

 This is my dorm that I stay in.  Its actually pretty nice.  It's located in the BPC complex, which all of us higher ranking guys stay at.  We call it the "Better People Complex" because they are nicer than where the airmen stay, and we don't have to go outside to a "Cadillac" (restroom facility), we have our own bathrooms in our rooms.

This is a panaramic view of the local scenery.  It's just desert!

 This is down my hallway, my room is the first door on the left.  It kinda reminds me of the jail cells on the realty tv series on Tru TV.  I know Sean knows what I'm talking about.

 WE have a pool table room.  My roommate and I play as often as we can.

 There is the TV room.  I pass out here when my roommate is sleeping, we are on opposite shifts.

 The laundry room.

 Wlcome to my room, COZY, eh.

 Quite small for two people, but we make do.

and for some reason, they gave us a kitchenette.

So there you have it, a sneak Peak into my Crib.

Stay Tuned for more random pics from my desert vacation.

Oh, one last thing, It only took me an hour or so to find the true enemy here, and I was able to snap a picture of him. (see Below)

Our life...

Things are getting a little better everyday.  Nate has been a bit whiny and confused about where dad is, but hopefully he will get into a good routine soon...

A high point in the deployment, he tries to take care of the bugs for mama...God love 'em 

We watched a storm today... it was nice to get some rain finally.

But when the wind kicked up Nate wanted to come in... He wears my flip flops often.  

After we got home today from running around(finally saw the surgeon, finally got my car back!)  we checked the mail and found ANOTHER care package.  This one from the Maddisons.  Its really heartwarming to have so many people trying to make our life a little nicer during this deployment.  It really makes us feel less lonely.  

Care Package!

 Nate and I received a box in the mail today from Dave's mom!  It was super thoughtful, and was an exciting event for us today.  We both received cards, plus Nate got a cute new shirt and a glow stick pack, and I got a super cute fat quarter of fabric!!  

It was really nice to have something happy come in our door...since its been a bummer around here since Dave left.  

But it doesn't stop there!!  There are an additional 7 weeks worth of little gifts and cards for both of us!!  

Thanks so much Melissa... you don't know how much it meant!

Twitching

seriously this is really bothering me and its been going on for 3 straight days now

craft time

We made this during craft time recently.  Nate loves it.  I think it will be fun for him to write on once the countdown is over!

the races

Graffiti

Be warned, if you come over there are photos of Dave plastered everywhere....

 When you step out of the upstairs bathroom

When you step into the upstairs bathroom

While your heading downstairs 

When you arrive on the landing 

 In the downstairs hallway

And in the downstairs bathroom......

Nate loves them.  I do too.

SandBox Salutations Wk 1

Welcome everyone to my weekly posting of my tour in the sandbox.  Sorry for not having any photos up yet, we have been pretty busy with processing and figuring out our schedules.  Just wanted to send a first post to let everyone know that I made it safely and all is well.  Please stay tuned to more post as the weeks wear on, and if you want to get in touch of me, you can always e-mail my personal box.  If you do not know it, please ask Teresa as I do not want to put anything personal out there.  Take care, and Teresa and Nate, I love you two very much.

-Dave  (aka Dad)

He Takes a Bath!

Jukibird enjoyed a nice dip in his claw foot tub recently.  It made for an exciting event in our house.

I love having Jukibird's birdie chatter throughout the day.    And Nate still gets excited to find Jukibird on the swing every morning.  

Speaking of baths, I grabbed Nate out of the bath last night so he could skype with his Daddy. It made bedtime much smoother.  

I love you

Things are okay

Other than nap and bedtime fights things are okay.  

sometimes you gotta get crafty

the thought of being solely responsible for keeping this little guy entertained for 6 months is a bit daunting to me....He is loads of fun YES, but its still a bit of work to keep up with him... some days we have a lot of fun and after dinner while Dave is wrestling with him or playing cars or a game or whatever it might be, I'm so relieved I wanna weep...Thank heavens Dave comes home to wear out Nate until bedtime.... So you see not having my relief parent here to help is a bit scary.

Here is where my anxiety stricken gathering/hoarding/planning/distraction side kicks in.  For the past few months I have been squirreling crafts and games and little things to do away in this little closet.  Stuff to keep Nate busy, happy, productive, and entertained. (the TB cleaner isn't part of the setup, its just stored in there) 

Wish me luck... if I don't return your call, I'm probably beat, busy, sleeping, or crying.   

Splish Splash

It was 100 degrees today.....

We went to the pool 

It was refreshing 

And it was nice to forget the big D for a few hours, and relax and laugh together 

Nate has been a little tense lately because he knows daddy is going but his concept of time is a bit rough... but today he laughed a lot and smiled a lot and I was so happy he could relax and have fun with his dad.  Hopefully it wont take too long before he is relaxed again after Dave leaves.  I sure am worried about him though...He loves his daddy and is a sensitive little boy.

I don't pretend to think bribes will fix everything, but any effort of distraction is worth a try... this will be a weekly surprise.  Twenty Seven weekly treats.  And maybe this will serve as a time measurement for him.... when the box of presents is empty dad will be coming home!!

Moment of the Week

Preparing

 We are in the thick of it now.  I added a button on the right hand side below the archive...Once Dave's posts start rolling in, the Sandbox Salutations button will bring them up easily.  I just wanted to be sure to get it in and working before Dave leaves, so their wont be any glitches.  

  

I put together a book of photos for Dave.  Mostly pics of Nate.  It made me sad for Dave to think he will not see Nate for six months.  For some reason I have never put myself in Dave's shoes during past deployments...probably because I'm so busy dealing with my uncomfortable shoes during those times.  But the thought of not seeing Nathan for six months would make me completely heartbroken. 

Moment of the Week

 Turning 28...yuck

But it was fun to have family visiting... and the cake was awesome.  Dave was on top of his game this year....

Deadwood Fans

We went to Deadwood today to walk around and see where Al, Seth, Wild Bill and all those other folks used to stir up trouble.  It was really fun.  We ate lunch at the Gem, and then we gambled a bit.  I lost 20 bucks at the Gem.  LOL

Wild Bill's grave 

Nate is having a super fun time hanging around with his Auntie Sandy and Uncle Sean!!