Cheese Orgasm

That’s the only way I can describe today. For today only, calories don’t count, just remind me to tell the scale about this tomorrow. Hy-Vee just upgraded their cheese department and HOLY COW! I spent about 45 minutes sifting through wedges, looking for the perfect pieces to take home and try. This afternoon was spent lounging on the sofa with 6 different picks, which I had to share with our oldest cat, Garrett (who is also a cheese lover, he’s never turned down a sample, even eating blu and other pungent types!). Sadly, the goat’s milk gouda I bought was a bit of a letdown, as it was quite bitter. I’m not sure if that was the intended taste, or it’s gone a bit bad. I had a wonderful goat’s milk gouda in Denver last year, I can still taste it now… Best thing I’ve ever eaten! As I ate I poured over a book LT Fromage had sent to me last week, “Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge” by Goron Edgar (Who’s nickname, I love this, is “Gordonzola”! If I wasn’t already married… Just kidding. Sort of.) Awesome book! Thank you, LT Fromage!

Cheese and cows. Is there anything more one could want in life? Yes, country music.

(Front row for Eric Church at Country Stampede)

Although I could have done nothing else, I’ve been up to more than binging on cheese! Last weekend Country Stampede was back in town, which marks my 3^rd (and final! We won’t be in the Little Apple next summer) year attending. I didn’t make it out for the full 4 days this time around, but scored free tickets to the first and final days. I missed the Nitty Gritty Dirt band, but was able to see Eric Church, Sawyer Brown, Joey + Rory and Collin Raye. Eric Church was okay, but frankly reminded me more of a rock concert that country, and Joey + Rory were just alright. I like a fair amount of new country music, but my favorites will always be the artists I grew up listening to, so I was excited to see Collin Raye, and catch Sawyer Brown for a second time (they put on a great show, if you ever get the chance to see them, go!).

LT Fromage is missing out on good music and yummy cheese, among other things. I promise I’ll update what’s going on at some point, but right now everything is changing so often it feels pointless to even bother sharing. Although nothing is ever to be counted on in the Army, he is expecting to be told a return date in the next few weeks. I’ll believe it when I see it. Has it really been almost 5 months since he left? I hope the rest of this deployment goes as quickly!

How Much Longer 'til This Deployment is Over?

LT Fromage has been gone more than 4 months now. Sadly, he’s already lost a very good friend, among the soldiers he’s known that have been injured or given their lives.

When there is a death or injury, in order to make sure the families are the first to be notified, the soldiers are put on “blackout”, which means all forms of communication are cut off.

Blackouts suck. I hate not hearing from LT Fromage for days, and it’s heartbreaking to know why he hasn’t been able to get in touch. The first few times it happened, I was a wreck. I kept waiting for that car to pull up in my driveway, coming to tell me I’d lost my husband. Of course, that hasn’t happened (and I pray it never does), and as time goes on, I’ve learned to worry less.

Before you start hating on me, remember that letting go is really the only thing I can do. Being in a constant state of fear doesn’t help anybody, and it’s rather depressing. It’s a harsh reality that he may not come home, and we’ve had to make sure things are in order, should that fate be ours, but I have faith in his abilities and even more faith in God. It’s always in the back of my mind, but dwelling on it doesn’t make him any safer.

LT Fromage has been on blackout for days, and this morning I got an email with the subject “Casualty Notification”.

Of course I knew this would not be the chosen way to notify the family of such news, but I had never received an email like this, I didn't even want to imagine what it said. My heart stopped, the hairs on my arms stood up and tears welled in my eyes. I had never felt so afraid in my entire life.

It was not my husband. I don’t know why, for the first time, they sent out a mass email to the families of the unit, but they did. While I breathed easier knowing LT Fromage is fine, my heart hurts for those not as lucky.

I know one man with short hair and combat boots looks just like the next (or, they do to me), but each one is eveything to somebody. Now they are called “casualties”, but before that they were known as fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, wives, daughters, mothers and friends. Please keep our them in your thoughts and prayers (especially the family who is suffering right now).

Patience... And also brownies.

Mmmkay. So if you read my post about LT Fromage’s request for a job transfer, you know that we’ve been waiting for a simple email. “Congratulations, you’ve been accepted” or “We regret to inform you”

(Remember, this is so much more than just a job transfer. This is like, HUGE. That’s what she said!)

The thing is we originally should have known one way or the other about a month ago. Then, we had an official notification date of April 24^th, which then became the 26^th. Today is now the 28^th and we still haven’t heard a peep.

The thing is I wouldn’t be so upset except for the fact that SOMEONE ACTUALLY KNOWS THE DECESION AND JUST HASN’T PUBLISHED IT YET.

Did you notice I was screaming there? Forgive me, but I haven’t slept in 4 nights now because I’m lying right by my laptop and getting up EVERY FREAKIN’ TIME I GET A MESSAGE hoping it’s the one with the decision.

So far, no emails from the Army but I have gotten a lot of messages about “Hot Asian Singles” in my area. Unless they know whether or not my husband has word on a potentially life changing decision, I’m not interested.

I took a home pregnancy test once and it was like, the longest 3 minutes (or whatever it was) of my life. That is, until now. It’s kind of like I peed on the stick in October and I’m still waiting for the results.

Oh yeah, and I really want a brownie.

So I’ll just be waiting here, tired, and with no dessert.

If you haven’t noticed: Patience is not a virtue I possess. But I do have a mega sweet tooth.

Deployment Sucks

We’re finally more than 2 months in. Is that it? It feels like a lot longer. I’ve decided there must be a slump somewhere around 9 weeks, because I’ve sure hit one. It seems like reality has finally set it (“Wow… It’s Easter and I’m alone” or “Yikes, he spent the day sorting photos of casualties.”) Oddly, I’ve spend more time in tears the last week or so than I did when he left.

But, what do you do? There are two options: Get through it, or die. And I’m still kickin’, albeit just barely some days.

For those of you following: We’re (surprise!) still waiting to hear about LT Fromage’s transfer.

Lessons I’ve Learned About The Army: Don’t ever count on anything. Ever. Not even “official release dates” for information.

On a lighter note, I took and passed my concealed carry class. The instructor, who’s had more than 200 students, told me after my live fire portion, “Well, I won’t say you’re the very best I’ve ever seen… but I’d put you in the top 25.” NBD.

Intruders beware: The husband may be away, but it’s the wife you really need to be worried about.

Something in the Water?

There must be something going around because now instead of just one unplanned litter of rodents, we have 3 litters and one more on the way, bringing our current rat/mouse tally to a whopping 40. Yes. 40.

It’s as if every time I enter my office, my once place of solitude, someone else is nursing new babies. Thank God Petco already took back “Bianca” who turned out to be “Brian” and they’ll soon be receiving all of his offspring (the moment they’re weaned). Homes are being lined up for some of the 22 baby rats and I’m fairly confident that we have now separated our sexes. God, I hope so.

Apologies for the lack of funny/snarky/embarrassing posts as of late; I’m still adjusting to being geographically single. Which, for those of you who haven’t done it, means random breakdowns (usually somewhere inconvenient, like the grocery store, where you realize I’m only shopping for one now), crying at all the wrong times and showering becomes the most monumental thing I accomplish some days. Sounds fun, right? On the bright side, I don’t have to shave my legs if I don’t feel like it and cheese and crackers can constitute a meal if I don’t want to cook, so there are some perks. Plus “deployed LT Fromage” (There is a regular and deployed version of every Military husband) is even more thoughtful than usual (and he was already so sweet he could make your teeth hurt), so I’ve been getting romantic cards in the mail, flowers delivered and heartfelt messages on my facebook wall every time I log on. Best of all, with the man around the house gone, I know I won’t catch this baby bug that seems to have hit all the other female residents of the Fromage Palace!

Only… Eff. I don’t even want to think about how much more we have left to go on this deployment. Thank God for girls’ nights and tequila in the meantime.

Tech Savvy

I did it. I bought an Iphone. Only because my best NSAW friend has one and can skype her deployed husband with one of her… apps. (Oh no, I said it… I’m becoming one of them!). Come to find out, where LT Fromage will be stationed we won’t be able to do that. D@MN. At least I can play Farmville from my phone now anyway.

I promise I’m not going to become a video blogger, but I do want to share this Best Buy commercial (you may have seen it if you watched the Super Bowl... which I didn't), because it’s hella funny and to be frank, even as the owner of a few bits of new technology (we also recently purchased a new camera and lap top! This deployment preparation is getting pricy!), I’m still not sure what exactly a G is…. Or a Beiber, for that matter ;-)

Enjoy!




(Hey, Best Buy, do I get any kind of, ehm, you know, hook up, for this advertising? Huh? Hook a girl up!)