Marine and Mouse are reunited

I'm home.

The Marine has HIS mouse back.

He doesn't know or care where my mouse is. I'm using my finger on the tiny pad to point and click. It stinks.

Good night.

I took the MOUSE

I am sitting in the Las Vegas airport at 0350 waiting for the airline to open up so I can check in for my 0600 flight home. Why?

Because I have some twisted idea that by getting little to no sleep after 3 days in Vegas and flying 7 hours I am some how going to be in any shape to help The Marine as soon as I land in the tiny little village we live in.

It really is a village after all I just saw the past three and a half days.

If I had just stopped trying to pretend like I can do everything I would have been able to sleep in a little longer, but not arrive until 2330 at night, missing the crabby 6 hours I've insured my family will experience once I land.

I am planning now NOT to be crabby. I think the only way to guarantee this is a muscle relaxer, applying whichever oils calm the nervous system and an early bed time.

So that's where I am while writing this post.

When I left home The Marine packed up my computer for me. I apparently had HIS wireless mouse on my laptop. I know it was his mouse because that morning I went into the office and took it off his computer.

THE NEXT day, while in VEGAS on a TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY with the company I work for I received a voice mail from the Marine.

Marine: "Kelli, call me as soon as you get this, couple of things going on here."

Let me interrupt my narrative here by letting you know if you are familiar with Myers-Briggs you need to know my Marine is an ESTJ and I am an ENFP. If you are not familiar with it just know we are complete polar opposites and I break or lose stuff... Alot, and it's usually his.

So I get the voice mail while I am in a limo with the CEO, a member of the content team I'm on, who knows me and two women I've never met until the night before from other projects in our company.

I call my Marine and quietly speak into the phone.

Kelli: "What's up?"

Marine: "Hey, they are delivering J's jeep and I need to get a cashiers check"

Kelli: "Okay, go get it, what's next?"

Marine: "Why did you take my mouse?!"

Seriously? I paused glancing up at MY BOSS PEOPLE.

Kelli: "Um, what?" I knew full well I had it. "I thought it was mine."

Marine: "Where's yours? Why would you go get mine?"

Kelli: "I'm in a limo on a scavenger hunt, I'll call you later."

Click.

We really were on a scavenger hunt in Vegas, in a limo, and we were determined we were going to win. We didn't. However it was crazy fun. Except the burn on my leg.

Back in the Lobby of the Bellagio, (sorry I had to just casually throw it out, my Boss Lady is COOL!) we wrap up the exercise and I step off to call back the Marine whom I've stolen the mouse from AND hung up on him.

Kelli: "Hey, seriously, I couldn't find mine, saw yours and thought it was, they look just alike and besides YOU packed up the computer, didn't you see it?"

The Marine: I can't remember what he said, but it required the following response.

Kelli: "You're right, and I'm sorry, I have to go I burned my leg on the French guy's Harley."

The Marine: mouse forgotten, "WHAT? What were you doing on a Harley and how did you burn your leg??"

Kelli: "I've got to go, I'll call you in thirty minutes and explain everything... Love ya, bye!"

Click.

True story.

I called him back and filled him in, but I have to go now, the Kiosk opened to check in and now it looks like the entire population of a small village has lined up while I was writing this.

VIVA LAS VEGAS BABY!!!!!

Planting with the Marine

The Marine ripped out the front flower beds... About a year ago. He has just about finished replacing them, and I have to say he's done a nice job. I am actually very pleased. The only tough part has been agreeing where to place the shrubs/flowers.

He says I keep putting them in a military formation. Um HELLO!!! I've never not been around the military, but the fact is, he just visualizes in military formations. It was actually a nice lay out.

But I went across the street and drug my neighbor into the fray. With her neutrality we came up with something lovely. I'll take pictures later. Right now I'm annoyed.

In fact I am supposed to be outside with him right now arranging plants in the last bed to be planted. I arranged them how I wanted them and he said it was ok.... but....

I rearranged them.

He made no comment.

I glared at him. He missed the glare.

I waited.

He finally said, "Is this how you want them?"

Are you kidding me???

I said "yes that's why I stuck them this way. I asked you if you liked this and you never said anything."

The marine: "I was thinking."

I finally said something short and terse and came in.

I walked back out a few minutes later and he was beginning to put up the new outside fixtures he bought for outside the garage.

I watched.

I finally said "Do you think you are going to need help with these?"

The Marine: "um, probably."

Me: "I''ll send someone out."

And I came inside and sent out Recruit 4.

Uh oh, the electricity in this room just went off. He either is trying to spook me out or just shut breakers off in the garage to replace the fixtures.

I'm going to bed. It's dark.

Recruit Six: Preschool comes to an end...

I can't believe that in a few short months my youngest little man will enter public school as the last Kindergartner in our family.

He has spent the last year in pre-school and only had a "few" incidents. Here he is at the Mother's Day tea they held.

He will be "graduating" from pre-school next week. He only knocked out one little boy's tooth the whole school year. We were so relieved. Thank goodness the little boy liked going to the dentist and the dentist repaired it at no charge.

We had a talk about using our WORDS to express ourselves. He seemed to do better after that.

He is a funny boy. There have been so many funny things he's said and done and I've missed capturing a lot of them.

Recruit 6 was very disgruntled when all the primary children had to go up on the stand and sing mother's day songs. He frowned the entire time in the very front of all the children and occasionally would look up from under his eyes, glare at the congregation and then look back down again.

Mom: What do you want to be when you grow up.

Recruit 6: A ninja turtle

The Marine: Which one?

Recruit 6: Leonardo.

Mom: What does your dad do for a job?

Recruit 6: um, Marine, he shoots people... um, I don't know, just shoots people.

(runs out of the room)

Mom: Come back, I want to ask more questions...

Recruit 6: NOOOO I don't want to do it!!

My Mother told me too...

I received an email from my Mom today who said she missed my blog posts.
So, I'm blogging. My mom told me to.

I have been so busy and there's been so much to share, yet I just haven't had the time or energy to blog. My crazy middle of the night blogs thank goodness are fewer since I started taking melatonin. However I miss the 0215 inspiration that used to strike!

The big news around here lately is we are getting ready for Recruit 1's graduation from high school and her move several states away to go to school and live with my Mother.

We know she is really ready for the big world out there and to make big girl decisions on her own. And far away where we aren't watching her every move. That is painful!

She and her bestest buddy will be going there separate ways, but I'm sure she'll be fine. This was taken the night of their final stage show at the spring band concert. I promise these are costumes and not an indication of their career choice...

I have no doubt this first born child of mine will go forward and do great things! However, the world may not be ready for her!

Update on the positive position I am taking

So The Marine returns home before heading out to Recruit 4's baseball game. I hug him and tell him I think he is a great dad and husband.


He just says: "I am, aren't I?"

I wanted to smack him.

I didn't.


My quest to strengthen our relationship by acknowledging how much he does and is appreciated may not work here. Alternative directions may have to be taken.

I might actually have to cook dinner sometime, or worse... do laundry. I'll keep you posted.

Trying new things

So I am trying to be a more positive spouse. My Mom bought me this great book by John Bytheway (his real name) when I was home visiting her last week. It's a quick read and I zipped through it on the plane on the way home.

There are no new grand revelations in the book. Just reminders of how criticism only hurts our relationships etc.

I've always told The Marine positive things about him, but perhaps there is always a "but" on the other end, so I decided I would try and only comment on the positive.

I arrived home and told him how much I appreciated his taking over the house and kids while I was gone and what a great job I thought he had done, which was true, he did a great job. He thanked me and gave me a hug.

I told him later I appreciated his support in my job. He paused, thanked me and gave me a hug.

Yesterday, I called him at work and asked him where the trash stickers were and then told him that I really just wanted to tell him I loved him and appreciated who he was. He got very quiet.

Then he asked me, "What are you fixing to tell me?"

I replied, "Nothing, I just wanted to tell you I loved you."

The Marine: "What did you do?"

Kelli: "NOTHING, I just wanted to say how much I appreciated all that you do"

The Marine with an odd laugh, "Okay, but you should just tell me what happened."

Good grief, I can't win! Although, in writing this, it seems to me I may have found a new kind of torture...