08.31.08
Five year plan
We sat down today and planned out our “Five year Plan” (hubby VERY fond of plans and lists, preferably color-coded).
My husband is a very restless person, and would love to travel all over the world all the time, not staying in one place more than 6 months. This, I keep telling him, is not very practical. It’s also very expensive. The reason why he is like this, I believe, is because when he was in the Marine Corps, he traveled all the time. Anyways, he’s been going nuts and bored, and want to go somewhere, so we decided to sit down and map out what could be possible and moreover, reasonable.
This is what we came up with: Sometime in February, we will go to Maine (why Maine? I ask the same question…. but he was so happy when I put him in charge of domestic travels, that I really don’t want to dishearten him by asking…..) and during Spring Break, he will take D to Disney World in Florida. He wanted to be able to do something special just the two of them, and I don’t mind. I’ll skate a lot that week and practically live with Catie (Sarah is going with Catherine to Disney World, she’s such a kid…), and besides, someone need to look after the cats. That’s what’s going on short term.
Now, hubby has been talking about going on a exchange program again, but we feel we can’t leave D for a long time without us. But he’s been very adamant about this whole exchange-thing, he really want to. So a couple a days ago, he found something that might work. He found a summer-exchange program that allows you to bring your family in Oxford, UK. Since he is still a British citizen, he should be able to do it a lot cheaper than other exchange students. I like the idea, since I’ve always wanted to be able to go to the UK. So he’s been emailing them to see what he needs to do, and we are waiting for a response.
If this all work, we would spend 12 weeks in Europe in the summer of 2010 (we’ll need that long to save up for all this, studying abroad costs a lot of money, and we are NOT taking from the house-fund). We will have to get D a passport, but since hubby is British, she will also be able to get a British passport, so no hassle with a visa. While hubby will be studying all the time, I’ll probably only take one class/6 weeks. So this will give me a lot of free time, and me and D will spend some time in Sweden. I don’t know how much, that all depends how nice prices Ryanair will have, but I hope we can do at least some time there. This gives me almost two years to teach D some more Swedish.
Now, after this, the next goal will be the summer of 2012, when I expect to be able to graduate, along with hubby. Sure, he’ll have his Doctorate Degree and me a BA, but still. That’s also the summer when we plan to buy a house. We’ll probably start looking around the Christmas prior, to give us plenty of time to find the perfect house. 4 bedrooms (or 3 + an office), 2+ full baths, up to 200k, 2000 sq feet+, over 4 acres, I also have the counties written down. I know, this would be my dream home, I’m rather particular. But since hubby will be freelancing, he will need a good home office, so we will need something on the larger scale.
My husband is very happy now. He has a nice plan, with a time-line, with specifics that include travel. He’s too cute sometimes.
08.28.08
I am bored!
I am bored, so bored, so incredibly bored! No one is posting anything in my class, and no one from back in Sweden is out on the internet. I have read everything I can read, we’e already eaten, I don’t feel like baking, there’s nothing on TV (isn’t it amazing that no matter how many chanels you have, there’s never anything on?), and hubby is doing school work. I’ve already spent two hours at the gym, and I can’t really go back. Sarah and Catie are still in school, and when they get out, they’ll head straight to work. I’ve checked everything I could possibly check on the internet, read the newspapers, twice! The house is fairly clean, we did all the shopping Tuesday and everything is in order. There is NOTHING to do! I’ve done all the school work I can (was really good and went up early this morning to finish off everything), so now I am done. I am bored, and it’s driving me nuts.
I’m usually never bored, but today it hit me and it hit me hard. I am restless and incredible bored. Why can’t someone log on to Skype so that I can spend a hour talking to them? And you know what sucks the most? I have about 7 hours until I usually go to sleep. 7! That is oh yes, 7 hours, which is 420 minutes. My husband told me to do something productive. Oh joy (the sarcasm is dripping)…
I could take a bath or something, but I have a tendency to almost pass out when I do that, and drowning doesn’t sound like fun. I could also cut music for Becky’s next program (we are talking the one at least a year from now…), but I already have two suggestions already cut, and I’m not very inspired.
ARGH! BORED!
08.27.08
Mamma Mia!
Here they are, Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo talking Mamma Mia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61UolzFTVPI
It’s fab.
08.26.08
First day of school and base behaviour
Today we got up at five to be able to get D to her first day of school in time. Yesterday we went to the hairdresser and got her her done, and she turned out super-cute. She loves it, but is afraid that her mother is going to flip. I really don’t care, her hair desperately needed trimming and was completely ruined (hairdresser said she should have taken over about 6 cm off, we got away with doing only 2). D finally looks like a girl and classy, not like she just stepped out of the poorhouse. BM can flip on us if she wants.
So we got up, and I fixed her hair so that it would look nice (avoiding a panic-attack since her hair had gotten rather frizzy overnight. Hello hairspray and cob!), got her dressed in her new nice clothes we got, and then fixed her lunch. We managed to leave at 6, and surprisingly enough, everyone was cheery. We got to school in time (7:50), and D was very excited, and I was too, it being my first “First day of school” as a step-mom. Last year wasn’t really the same thing.
Then we went to the base to do some shopping and we went to the gym too. They have a very nice gym and we did cardio and some weight training. I’m not very comfortable on base, not yet. There are so many rules and it’s a whole different world there. Then I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing bombs being dropped nearby or hearing gunshot-practice. It spooks me out.
Hubby gets a little funny on base too. He has shorter temper, eyes keep flicking around and he walks different. More… macho. Sort of, chest out, head up, walk fast, swing your arms, and speak louder. It’s a little odd seeing him like that, and I know he isn’t very comfortable on base. It gets to his head, he says. But I get it, I mean he was in for 12 years, and you never quite stop being a Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine.
08.24.08
I am ANGRY!
I am angry. Very angry. Our little girl’s mother went out of the country to go to her father’s funeral, so we got in charge of taking her to her first day of school (meaning we have to get up at like five in the morning to leave at six to be at her school by eight, which is a whole different issue….). This is fine, I guess. But she also deliberately did not buy any of the school supplies, leaving us to get everything at the last minute. She gets over $600 a month from the government since D lives with her (and the whole veteran thing…), but she refuses to buy the girl ANYTHING. No toys, no clothes (all the kid got for Christmas from he mother last year was a bathrobe, that’s it), and now, no school supplies. BM (birth mother, something I picked up from CSM) makes a more money than we do, period. So this whole money issue is always frustrating. Hubby is out right now at Walmart, getting all the last things. All this however is not what makes me pissed.
When D came over here Thursday, she had her new schoolbag with her (which we specially ordered, it’s Naruto, Toy’s R Us were out of them), and in it, a folder with different forms that BM had filled out. D told me not to touch said folder, and that her mother had fixed it. I took a look after all. Turns out, nothing was filled out concerning us. Hubby’s name and cellphone number was in there, and that was it. Consulting these papers, we weren’t even allowed to pick her up from school (which we drive 4 hours in total every Friday to do!). But, fine, I just filled it out. Address, phone number, hubby’s email on at least three different form. But what really got me pissed (here it comes….) was the fact that on the child information and emergency contact sheet, there are spaces to fill in step-parents information, and here, in VERY large and bold letters had BM filled out “N/A” (not applicable). EXCUSE ME???????????? What the hell?! I have been in that childs’ life for over a year now, and that picture on the refrigerator that she drew of her family, who’s holding her hand? It aint her mother, or hubby, it’s me! I am a member of the family, I have been married to her X-husband for almost a year now (Sept 5, in fact…).
Anyways, I am pissed as hell, but I have very neatly filled in my information and put my name on the pick up list. God, I can’t stand BM sometimes. She’s a lot older than hubby, and there’s a slight suspicion that she got pregnant on purpose to get the military benefits, as many women do, and to get out of her country (hubby was young, and gullible, still is very gullible and with little common sense….). She doesn’t respect me, and I most definitely do not respect her. She told D that daddy would go to hell because he doesn’t believe in God. What kind of thing is that to tell a 9 year old? She cried for days! ARGH!
Sorry, just had to ventilate. BM is frustrating.
08.23.08
School
My classwork has just started out, and so far, it’s very interesting. I’m almost done with my assignments for the week, but I do need someone else to post something intelligent so that I can post back and with that have finished my post-count for the week.
Unfortunately, the intelligent part might be a problem. One of my classmates just posted something in where he insulted not only the book we are reading (and thus the teacher for chosing the book), but also its authors. He then went on to insulting mankind for not being quicker in desovering the art of making pottery. Real smooth….
Next week it’s Hebrew civilization on the schedule. I’m going to try to start on the reading tomorrow, to get a head start.
08.20.08
BBC 5 live
I just rediscovered Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s movie reviews from BBC 5 live. I was practically in tears five minutes after downloading. They are hilarious! They have a weekly podcast that you can easily download from Itunes, and trust me, it’s worth it. It’s worth every minute of listening. The show is usually just over a half an hour and they talk about the movies that are out in the theatres, new releases and sometimes have guests (like actors, producers, directors etc…). I love it! It’s just brilliant. Mark is so sarcastic and Simon is funny too. Take my word for it and go and download it right now!
History 151
It is a little annoying when half the terms we are supposed to know for this class doesn’t appear in the expected reading (Chapter 1 up to page 20), but are explained starting from page 27. And since our teacher has told us to ONLY use the expected reading when referencing, it’s kind of…. annoying. I’m supposed to know it, but I am technically not allowed to read about it? Okay….
08.10.08
Hospital
One of my best friends’ baby boy stopped breathing today. They managed to revive him, but are now at the hospital. He’s only three months old. I feel so sorry for him and his mother. He’s had about all the illnesses newborns get. And today I don’t think Catherine’s boyfriend was at home either. I’m on my way to the hospital soon, as soon as Sarah calls. We’ll take dinner over there, since neither of them has eaten all day, only been worring about the baby. I hope he’ll okay. Poor Catherine’s got to be a wreck by now.
08.09.08
Please DO stop the music…
My husband and little girl just had a dance-off in the bedroom. I realized that my hubby dances like a gay guy and D has absolutely no rythm. Now I know why a lot of people thought hubby was gay….
