Mommy Weekend

I guess, technically, it wasn't a "real" Mommy weekend. I mean, it was a weekend away from being a mommy, which was great for me!

It was actually a birthday weekend. A few months ago, Amy told me that, to celebrate our friend, Connie's 40th birthday, Connie's hubby, Shane, had invited Amy and me to surprise her when they went on vacation to Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Connie's family was also asked to come for the surprise. After asking just once and checking airfare, Jasen said yes. Have I mentioned how much I love him? But I digress.... Here is a picture of Connie opening the door to a surprise that was Amy and me! You know me, always with the camera ready!


As if anyone needs more background on my friends, I am going to give it to you! First off, my first best friend. Now, I know we all think our relationships with our siblings are special, but I have to tell you, mine with my big sister really is special. All my life, I have heard the story about how Amy held me all the way home from the hospital in Lubbock to our home in Morton, right after I was born. That was and is only the tip of the iceberg. My sister has been so many things to me: adviser, protector, confidant, you name it. But the one thing she has ALWAYS been to me was a friend. I can't imagine how many times she wanted to tell me to "Scram, get lost" but she never did. Never. I can't remember one time she told me to leave. I do remember a couple of secrets that she let me in on. Do you want to make your seven years younger sibling feel special? Tell them a secret!

The background on Connie: if she wasn't Amy's first friend at A&M, then she was in the first 5 friends Amy made there. And definitely the most enduring friendships Amy has from there. They are best friends. I remember the first time I met Connie. She came to the 'ville with Amy from Aggieland for Valentine's Day. They picked me up from my basketball practice at the Rec Hall. When I saw them in the entry, I went running off the court to greet my big sister. I do remember Amy being slightly embarrased (this was the first time Connie had met us, of course) as I mobbed her. I also seem to remember Amy and Connie making cookies that weekend.

That was the first time I met Connie and she's been in my life since that time. In the beginning, it was sporadic. We saw each other at Amy's wedding, perhaps a baby shower, etc. Connie fast became a Thomas family favorite. My grandad always loved her and my dad does, too. In fact the whole Thomas family knows her! My kids call her Aunt Connie and I consider her a bonus sister. She sure has been good to me and mine.

When Jasen and I were at Ft. Sill, OK, we knew he would be leaving for Korea about six months after we got there. I spent a lot of that time worrying. Worrying about what this meant to our marriage, how I would survive, where I would live, etc. I knew two things: I wasn't going to Korea and I didn't want to go back to the 'ville! The Christmas after we were married, we went to Kingwood, to see Amy, Jeff, Randall, and brand-new baby Reagan. Connie was there for the tail end of our visit. When we were in TX that Christmas/New Year's of 1998, Connie told me I should apply at State Farm. They had a newly created position at the Farm called a claims processor and Connie said I was qualified for it. I went to Dallas, interviewed and got the position. I owe my short time in insurance to Connie!

During the time I lived in Dallas, Connie and I were together quite a bit. It was like having an additional sister just two miles up the road. Because Shane hunts and fishes a lot, that meant Connie was free to do the things I was able to do because Jasen was in Korea. I really believe her presence kept me out of trouble and out of the loony bin. I had someone to hang with when times were tough (Jasen was gone that year, but also my uncle was terribly ill and passed away, my grandmother died, and my mom had a cancer recurrence) and Connie has always been up to that task. AND she introduced me to Brighton and Vera Bradley. Gotta love a friend who can cry with you and shop!

Since that time, I have been blessed to call Connie my friend. And blessed that I have sister who will share her best friend with me.

Me and a couple of the best friends God has blessed me with!

Here are Shane and Connie, before Connie opened up her presents!

Connie modeling her Pandora charm bracelet that so many of her family/friends made complete for her. She certainly is loved and for good reason!
Earlier in the day, we donned our "Team Connie" t-shirts. Those were the brain-child of Connie's sister, Lisa, who is in the front. I was glad to meet Lisa for the first time. She's a lot like Connie. Those are Connie's parents on the ends and they are such good paople. Oh, and the t-shirts had the number 40 on the back! Too funny! Aren't they obnoxious? I'll be wearing mine again and again!

Labor Day

This past Labor Day weekend, our friends, Chris, Ellin, and Natalie Heidgerken and Pete and Mary Charbonneau came to visit. Let me provide the background, again!

After Jasen and I got married, we moved to Fort Sill, OK. Once we got there, there were three groups of new lieutenants: ROTC alum, West Pointers, and OCS grads. Because Jasen had gone to OCS, we naturally fell into that group. Newly married and green to the Army, I had a lot to learn from those ladies, who had been Army wives and just plain wives for a little bit longer than me! Truly, Chris Heidgerken, Mary Charbonneau, Sarah Kyle, and Maeve Dougherty were the first Army wives I had ever known and taught me a lot in our six short months together. One of the things I learned is to have a tougher skin! Another thing I learned is that the older you get, the better it is to be the youngest in the group. :) The BEST thing I learned is that, despite the miles or the years, my first Army friends will always be around. NEVER in my life did I think I would be friends with a schoolteacher from Iowa, a naturalist/animal lover from Seattle, a book editor from Philly nor a Maeve from Ireland!

Once we all left Fort Sill, we were scattered to the four winds. Jasen went to Korea, as did Shawn Kyle and Bill Dougherty. Those three wives (me, included!) went to be nearer to family. Sean Heidgerken went to Ranger school, then he and Chris went to the end of the earth, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Pete and Mary Charbonneau stayed at Fort Sill. I can't tell you how many letters/cards/notes I received from Chris in the time Jasen was gone. I know she was pregnant, without Sean and bored quite a bit of that time, but she wrote me at least twice a month, sometimes more. I can't tell you what those correspondences meant to me.

From that time, we've been blessed to cross paths, some more than others. Between the five of us Army OCS/OBC families, we've had ten kids (Anna and Liam were already here then), been through at least 8 deployments between the five families, and moved countless times. It truly is a miracle we've been able to keep up with each other! Thank you, God, for email!

On the Friday before Labor Day, the 'Gerk girls and the Charbs arrived. Sean, sadly, had already left for his third deployment. But we were glad to provide his girls some distractions! The two families rented a house on Kiawah Island and we spent most of our time with them that weekend. We went to the beach two times, the pool three times and ate all of our meals, minus breakfast, together. It was a fabulous reunion, only incomplete with Sean's and the Kyles/Doughertys absence. Once we were together, it was like no time had passed. There's just something about "old" friends, the ones who know your junk, know who you really are, and fall right into that friendship despite the time you have spent apart!

Here are Pete and Mary. Can you see the rainbow over Mary's shoulder? It was so pretty!


Ellin, Chris, and Natalie Heidgerken. Just missing their man/soldier/hubby/dad!Me and my buds!


The 'Gerk girls and Graham kids

Aren't they bathing beauties??
Poor Pete got suckered into helping the kids dig a canal to a "tidal pool." By the time we left, water was finally starting to seep in. Pete was Uncle Pete all weekend. It's part of the role you play as a man with kids whose Dad is deployed! And I am thankful for all the men who are willing to step up and take on that role, if only for a weekend!

Davis' First Day

So, our boy started 3 year old preschool yesterday. After the ruckus he's been throwing about going to school, you'd think he'd be all excited and bouncy, right? Well, that's not our boy's personality. He was Mr. Calm, Cool and Collected. I don't know where he gets that. Maybe from Jasen, because I don't think I was ever like that.

I tried not to be annoyed because he wasn't excited. We got to his class and his teacher, Mrs. Clendaniel, had set out Play-Do for everyone to play with. YEA, right? Not for Davis. He told me calmly he didn't want to play Play-Do. I informed him he had to do what Mrs. Clendaniel wanted him to do, so he flopped himself down in his chair (yes, I did say "flopped") and started to play. You can imagine my dismay to see that his idea of playing was the Play-Do was to put it back in the jar. UGH!! What is up with that? I decided I needed to leave then!

After school, he was glad to see me but more concerned because he hadn't gotten the blocks strung on the shoelace like he was working on. I helped him do a couple, he finished the rest, and we were off. He said he had a good time. Like all good mommies, I then treated him to a first-day meal at Mickey D's. He played for a bit, then we came home.

The Goings-On

Yesterday, Davis FINALLY got to go to his school for Meet The Teacher. I really like his teacher this year, Mrs. Clendaniel. Davis seemed excited too, if for nothing else, but to play on the playground! His friend, Ryan, will be in his class again this year, as will Sophia and Emma Ruth from last year. I am glad he'll know a couple of people in his class, as he doesn't get why he has a different teacher, classroom, and new kids in his class. He's not upset about all of that, just extra curious. I hope he won't ever be upset about that. It's the life he's going to lead!

Grace was named 2-4's Citizen of the Month for displaying the trait for September, wisdom. I asked her what she did to show wisdom and she couldn't remember. We've been very diligent about homework in these first three weeks. Practice spelling tests, math flash cards, you name it. When Grace brought home a low B on a grammar worksheet, we practiced that. Sadly, she has her mommy's desire to finish stuff like that QUICK. So I am trying to help her slow down. Oh, and yes, I know I make grammatical/spelling errors on here all the time. I really do proofread, I promise!

One area she is not fast is on her math flashcards. It's hard not to get frustrated because I'll show her 5 + 1 and she has to think about it. I've been assured by my older sister that they will become second nature with time and practice, but it's hard not to get worried! I believe Grace is smarter than the average kid (does everyone feel that way? Really?), but I have to remember that not everyone picks stuff up quick and I've been doing this simple addition stuff for, oh, 27 years. I need to give her a little time.

I've been fighting a combo sinus/chest congestion. I am currently not talking above a whisper and it's really annoying. Davis has said over and over, "Mom, you don't have to whisper." Poor guy doesn't get that Mommy's voice is pretty much gone!

I am really looking forward to this weekend. We are having a mini-OCS/OBC reunion at Kiawah Island! For those of you who don't know what that means, OCS is how Jasen got commissioned in the Army. That's why he was gone the summer before we got married. Then after we got married we went to Fort Sill for Jasen's Officer Basic Course (OBC), where we fell into the group of OCS'ers and their wives. They are literally the first Army friends I ever had.

Anyway, we had wanted ALL of us to get together, but alas, it's only the Grahams, Charbonneaus, and Heidgerkens, minus their soldier who is deployed. The Kyles and Doughertys couldn't make it. We'll miss them, but I am uber excited about the two families who ARE coming. It'll be a good time.