Luke Update:
Just got a quick call from Luke. Today he had his "fight for life" so he knew how anxious I was to hear from him. If you know Luke at all, you know he is not one to brag, but is maddeningly depreciating about himself. So when he called and said "Hey baby, everything is good, I'm fine. I did AWESOME!" You know he must have really, really did well. I have a little over an hour to go before I get all the details of this most difficult and dangerous mock scene. I hope he smoked the guy! Next week he has three tests. Firearms test, classroom test, and a defensive tactics test.
Three weeks! In three weeks I will have my husband home full time (other than the 40 hours he'll be working). I panicked a little when I realized I have developed some bad habits while he has been gone. Habits that will definitely need reversing before he gets home.
1. Shut the door. I must, must remember to shut the bathroom door. Since being the only adult in the house for the past six months, I've developed a "why bother" attitude towards shutting the bathroom door. Besides having it opened allows me to keep an eye on Gwen even though I"m sure she would be fine for the 40 second I'm in there...
2. Wear something nice. I hate to admit this, but sometimes after kickboxing and my shower, I put on sweatpants instead of an actual outfit. This is something I promised myself I would never do (as I'm typing it's only 3:56 pm and I'm in sweats). Luke hates sweatpants and loves jeans and a nice top. If I'm not careful my sweats may end up in the dumpster. Did you know I didn't even own a pair of pajama pants for the first 3 years of our marriage? Which means, I bought my first pair while Luke was away...OOPS!
3. Cook More. I've gotten into the habit of eating two meals a day instead of three. Eating before kickboxing just isn't an option for me and since I don't get home until 10:30 and I have to immediately feed Gwen, put her to bed, and take my shower, it's nearly noon before I've eaten anything. This is super nice for my diet, but my hulk of a husband needs three meals a day!
4. Keep the cupboards and fridge fully stocked. Okay, so sometimes I'm lazy and sometimes I don't want to spend the money. Occasionally if I am out of groceries and I don't want to go to the store and if Gwen is down for the night, I will eat her baby food. Something tells me Luke won't be okay with eating squashed squash after a ten-hour shift.
5. Ease up. I've become very picky about using the same utensils, plate, bowl, ect all week long. This is something I am NOT going to nag him about. Other hills to die on...
6. Put it back on! Something else I'm embarrassed about is the fact I rarely have my wedding ring on or any jewelery at all. I learned the painful way that you should not wear rings or earrings while kickboxing. Since I go every morning it's just become easier to keep it all off. I know...disgusting of me.
Good news is, is that all these habits are reversible. My hope is that Luke will never even know my little secrets. Good thing I don't let him read my blog! Invasion of privacy ya know? Yeah, I could arrest him for that.
Little piece of advice before I leave...
When excitedly telling your husband that you just took off your jeans without unbuttoning them, make sure you aren't on speaker phone...
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Week 14, Day 2 Kickboxing!
Luke Update: One month and 7 days to go until I get him back for good. This will be the longest and hardest month of his life. From here on it it's nothing but tests and mock scenes. Pray for him! Some of the mock scenes can be brutal and during one his partner busted his elbow and had to have surgery. He will be washing out of this class and rejoining another class once his shoulder heals. I'm just praying that Luke stays injury free! Luke's class had their EVOC week a few weeks ago. They drove down to the Troopers Academy and used their drive course. Luke brought along a camera and got some awesome footage of spins, skids, swerves, hydroplaning, ect. Sadly I'm not allowed to share the pictures here. Luke gave me a tour of the academy. It was similar to a college dormitory, but much more stark and bare. I was appalled that he didn't have a single picture of me hanging up in his room, but then realized everyone puts pictures of their family on a bulletin board in one of the classrooms and there he had several of me. :)
After three years of nagging/begging/pleading, Luke got me to sign up for kickboxing! I tried every excuse out there not to do them: To expensive, no babysitter, I don't know anyone, I'm not in good shape ect. He insisted once I started I would love it. So here I am on week two of kickboxing and yes, Luke was right. I love it. He didn't just want me to sign up for the exercise (which is killer), but to also meet more people and just have an outlet for all my energy. Since becoming a mommy my social life had definitely declined and he could tell it was bothering me. Now every morning from 9:00-10:00 I am getting the most amazing workout with some pretty cool people. Most of them have been doing kickboxing for years, but they are patient with me and as long as I try my absolute hardest no one gets annoyed about being stuck with the new girl. :) At the one week mark I was down 3 pounds (silly me was hoping for more, but I know that's just not practical). My friends and family get a HUGE thank-you for splitting the babysitting up so Gwen always has a place to go. I'm planning on taking them all out individually for dinner once Luke is done with academy. If anyone is every interested in joining me for kickboxing, let me know and I'll get you the details. Trust me, you'll love it!
After three years of nagging/begging/pleading, Luke got me to sign up for kickboxing! I tried every excuse out there not to do them: To expensive, no babysitter, I don't know anyone, I'm not in good shape ect. He insisted once I started I would love it. So here I am on week two of kickboxing and yes, Luke was right. I love it. He didn't just want me to sign up for the exercise (which is killer), but to also meet more people and just have an outlet for all my energy. Since becoming a mommy my social life had definitely declined and he could tell it was bothering me. Now every morning from 9:00-10:00 I am getting the most amazing workout with some pretty cool people. Most of them have been doing kickboxing for years, but they are patient with me and as long as I try my absolute hardest no one gets annoyed about being stuck with the new girl. :) At the one week mark I was down 3 pounds (silly me was hoping for more, but I know that's just not practical). My friends and family get a HUGE thank-you for splitting the babysitting up so Gwen always has a place to go. I'm planning on taking them all out individually for dinner once Luke is done with academy. If anyone is every interested in joining me for kickboxing, let me know and I'll get you the details. Trust me, you'll love it!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Week 10, Day 2
Luke Update:
Not much to report. Completed and passed his midterm DT skills test, but we weren't worried about that one since he attends all the extra DT sessions each morning. He is an actor for the senior class during their mock scene finals. Basically he and others will be posing as the bad guys inside of dark buildings and will try to beat up, run from, or just cause trouble to the police officers. He's pretty excited to dress and act like a punk. Thursday he will be sitting down with TAC Officers and will be informed on how they think he is doing. What they say will be relayed to his department whether it's good or bad.
Saturday Luke and I enjoyed a delicious (and expensive) dinner at Anthony's while Kelsey and Annie babysat Gwen. We went all out and purchased happy hour drinks, soup, entrees and dessert. I was pretty nervous about the bill, but throughout dinner Luke kept saying "Go all out". Once he got the bill and saw the amount a big smile spread across his face and he sad:
"There. I made up for taking you to the food court last week". (Note: I asked him to take me to the food court. They make the best Indian food this side of the border)
After dinner we walked along the pier and stumbled across at least two, but maybe three weddings. Back at the car Luke insisted he give me a Field Sobriety Test before driving. I kept giggling which he claimed meant I was guilty about some other crime. He gave me the test three times before he was convinced I could drive. I never did make it through a complete one without laughing, but I did get us home safely.
Sunday morning came and since I was still getting over a cold we went for a walk at Boulevard instead of attending church. Of course the walk led us to Fairhaven, which led us to Skylarks, which led us to a delicious breakfast under the big tree along the cobblestone path. After breakfast we headed back to Boulevard and spent an hour or so barefoot walking along the grass and playing with Gwen. I also told Luke that if I were to die, he needed to remarry as soon as possible for Gwen's sake. I then gave him a list of girls he could marry that I thought would make a good mother to Gwen. He thought the whole conversation was completely ridiculous, but I felt better knowing my baby would always have a Mommy. I also asked him if he had a list for me and this was his reply:
"Yeah, no one I know".
Eventually we left and I quickly made Luke his favorite Blueberry coffeecake to take back with him to the academy. I wish every weekend could be as lovely and simple as this one. Friday can't get here fast enough!
Not much to report. Completed and passed his midterm DT skills test, but we weren't worried about that one since he attends all the extra DT sessions each morning. He is an actor for the senior class during their mock scene finals. Basically he and others will be posing as the bad guys inside of dark buildings and will try to beat up, run from, or just cause trouble to the police officers. He's pretty excited to dress and act like a punk. Thursday he will be sitting down with TAC Officers and will be informed on how they think he is doing. What they say will be relayed to his department whether it's good or bad.
Saturday Luke and I enjoyed a delicious (and expensive) dinner at Anthony's while Kelsey and Annie babysat Gwen. We went all out and purchased happy hour drinks, soup, entrees and dessert. I was pretty nervous about the bill, but throughout dinner Luke kept saying "Go all out". Once he got the bill and saw the amount a big smile spread across his face and he sad:
"There. I made up for taking you to the food court last week". (Note: I asked him to take me to the food court. They make the best Indian food this side of the border)
After dinner we walked along the pier and stumbled across at least two, but maybe three weddings. Back at the car Luke insisted he give me a Field Sobriety Test before driving. I kept giggling which he claimed meant I was guilty about some other crime. He gave me the test three times before he was convinced I could drive. I never did make it through a complete one without laughing, but I did get us home safely.
Sunday morning came and since I was still getting over a cold we went for a walk at Boulevard instead of attending church. Of course the walk led us to Fairhaven, which led us to Skylarks, which led us to a delicious breakfast under the big tree along the cobblestone path. After breakfast we headed back to Boulevard and spent an hour or so barefoot walking along the grass and playing with Gwen. I also told Luke that if I were to die, he needed to remarry as soon as possible for Gwen's sake. I then gave him a list of girls he could marry that I thought would make a good mother to Gwen. He thought the whole conversation was completely ridiculous, but I felt better knowing my baby would always have a Mommy. I also asked him if he had a list for me and this was his reply:
"Yeah, no one I know".
Eventually we left and I quickly made Luke his favorite Blueberry coffeecake to take back with him to the academy. I wish every weekend could be as lovely and simple as this one. Friday can't get here fast enough!
Luke giving Gwen a crawling lesson
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Week 9, Day 2 - Ramblings
Luke Update:
As of this very hour he is halfway done with police academy! From here on out it is downhill (in a good way). He and his class are doing very well and even earned "coffee in the classroom" privileges before the senior class did. He is still regularly attending all the extra DT (defensive tactics) offered by the officers. It's weird that my once chill, nothing could rile him, non-competitive husband is turning into a lethal weapon! Still can't get him to be competitive in basketball though; that will probably never change. He is still being sweet and takes the time to tell me everything he is learning. He even gives me his instruction manuals once they are done with a topic. I have now read everything and anything to do with domestic violence, guns and ammunition, traffic citations, traffic enforcement, gangs ect. It is probably some of the most interesting reading I have ever done. If he is getting behind I will read to him over the phone while he is driving either back home or to the academy. It saves him a lot of time and it makes me feel ever so useful!
Gwen went to her first church campout this past weekend and did great! Other than pooping through every outfit I put her in or puking on everyone who wanted to hold her (sorry guys), she was an angel. It was definitely different camping with a baby and I admit, not as much fun. We will most likely continue to attend each year since I don't want to get in the habit of saying no to something that is so fun for kids just because it is not as fun for me. Also a good friend told Luke it was important to be there and relax in a safe place without having to look over your shoulder constantly.
My little sis Kelsey comes home this week for a brief visit! Since Luke is gone I should be able to see her quite a bit. My number 3 prayer right now is for all my sisters to move back to WA. I want us all to buy houses on the same block and share a HUGE backyard and a HUGE garden. Our kiddos would be safe since we would own the whole block and we would save so much money on produce. Not to mention we would have so, so much fun. There would be a cop, marine, piano teacher, engineer, dental assistant, and three nurses on the block. Ahhh, that would be absolute perfection.
I have a stack of paperwork that I am slowly taking care of. 401k's, wills, retirement, new insurance, IRA's, ect it takes so much thought process to pick out plans that are best for our family. I wish I had paid more attention in my finance classes!
I am finally taking Gwen to the doctor. Her first visit since she was born! I've been putting it off because I didn't want to deal with the whole vaccine issue. I still don't want to deal with it, but I also don't want to be irresponsible. She is happy, healthy, and growing and I'm so scared to mess that up for her. I have exclusively been breastfeeding her in the hopes that will keep away sickness until I make a firm decision. She now grabs and sucks on her little toes and she likes to roll over to her stomach while in her crib. She does this because she knows I will come in and switch her back to her back! Yesterday she got her leg stuck in the crib slats and I couldn't get it out! I almost called the fire department because I could see it was cutting the circulation. Thankfully I was able to pull apart the slats. Poor thing had a red and a little swollen leg for the rest of the day. She barely cried though; that's my tough little girl scout!
Luke and I are discussing our next vacation and we decided on Mexico again. We also decided to always take vacations together instead of separate which is a growing trend among couples. Gwen won't be joining us since she is to young to remember anything at the moment. We are planning a huge Disney World vacation when she is six.
I'm slowly starting to put Luke's graduation party together. I have no idea what to include in a police academy graduation except dancing and cake. It's all a little intimidating to me, but hopefully I'll be able to pull it off!
And that is the end of my rambling; if you stayed with it for this long, wow! Thank-you. :)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Week 7, Day 2 - Should Have Kissed Him
Luke Update:
Got a call Sunday night at around midnight. It was Luke asking me if I new where his ballistics vest was. As I stumbled over our condo looking for it and wondering how on earth does one lose a bullet-proof vest I couldn't help but laugh. I'm up at midnight looking for a bullet-proof vest. Awesome. He eventually found it in a classroom and I still don't know how someone misplaces something that big. We are over a quarter of the way through! I can definitely see the weariness starting to creep into his eyes and he keeps losing weight: 27 pounds so far. He loves the classes that cover anything drug related and he takes full advantage of any additional defensive tactics training. He shot a 475 at the range today. The highest is 500 and passing is 350. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of him. I always wanted to be a cop growing up. I guess I kinda have the best of both worlds. I can live my dream through him and be part of my other dream which is being a stay-at-home Mom.
December 31, 2007, Lynden, WA 11:57 pm
We are standing in the middle of a quiet street. There is a mist floating toward us from the golf course. The street lamps are on and almost make it feel cozy despite the cold. We are next to a white gazebo. Luke turns on his car so he can play the oldies soundtrack. Slowly we dance in the middle of the street, next to the white gazebo, to Frank Sinatra. I was fast falling in love with this man that I had just "met" two week prior. It's midnight. He gives a little smile and says:
"It's tradition to kiss the girl at midnight."
He slowly brings his head down for a kiss and instinctively I look down to avoid it. He pauses a little confused and simply kisses the top of my head instead. He drops me off at 12:30. I lie wide awake in my bed. I should have kissed him.
To this day I wish I kissed him. Especially since we haven't been able to spend New Year's Eve together
since our first one due to shift work. I wonder if I will ever be able to kiss him on New Year's right at midnight, or did I miss my one and only chance.
Got a call Sunday night at around midnight. It was Luke asking me if I new where his ballistics vest was. As I stumbled over our condo looking for it and wondering how on earth does one lose a bullet-proof vest I couldn't help but laugh. I'm up at midnight looking for a bullet-proof vest. Awesome. He eventually found it in a classroom and I still don't know how someone misplaces something that big. We are over a quarter of the way through! I can definitely see the weariness starting to creep into his eyes and he keeps losing weight: 27 pounds so far. He loves the classes that cover anything drug related and he takes full advantage of any additional defensive tactics training. He shot a 475 at the range today. The highest is 500 and passing is 350. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of him. I always wanted to be a cop growing up. I guess I kinda have the best of both worlds. I can live my dream through him and be part of my other dream which is being a stay-at-home Mom.
December 31, 2007, Lynden, WA 11:57 pm
We are standing in the middle of a quiet street. There is a mist floating toward us from the golf course. The street lamps are on and almost make it feel cozy despite the cold. We are next to a white gazebo. Luke turns on his car so he can play the oldies soundtrack. Slowly we dance in the middle of the street, next to the white gazebo, to Frank Sinatra. I was fast falling in love with this man that I had just "met" two week prior. It's midnight. He gives a little smile and says:
"It's tradition to kiss the girl at midnight."
He slowly brings his head down for a kiss and instinctively I look down to avoid it. He pauses a little confused and simply kisses the top of my head instead. He drops me off at 12:30. I lie wide awake in my bed. I should have kissed him.
To this day I wish I kissed him. Especially since we haven't been able to spend New Year's Eve together
since our first one due to shift work. I wonder if I will ever be able to kiss him on New Year's right at midnight, or did I miss my one and only chance.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Week Six, Day Four
My favorite song at the moment- makes me think of Luke and myself:
"(Kissed You) Good Night" - GLORIANA
I dropped you off
Just a little after midnight
Sat in my car
Till you turned off your porch light
I should have kissed you
I should have pushed you up against the wall
I should have kissed you
Just like I wasn’t scared at all
I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch
And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
You couldn’t see me
Watching through the window
Wondering what went wrong
Praying that you wouldn’t go
You should have kissed me
You should have pushed me up against the wall
You should have kissed me
I was right on the edge and ready to fall
So I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch
And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
I turned off the car
ran through the yard
back to your front door
Half scared to death can’t catch my breath
Aren’t these the moments we live for
And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
"(Kissed You) Good Night" - GLORIANA
I dropped you off
Just a little after midnight
Sat in my car
Till you turned off your porch light
I should have kissed you
I should have pushed you up against the wall
I should have kissed you
Just like I wasn’t scared at all
I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch
And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
You couldn’t see me
Watching through the window
Wondering what went wrong
Praying that you wouldn’t go
You should have kissed me
You should have pushed me up against the wall
You should have kissed me
I was right on the edge and ready to fall
So I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch
And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
I turned off the car
ran through the yard
back to your front door
Half scared to death can’t catch my breath
Aren’t these the moments we live for
And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Week 5, Day 4 - Just A Picture
I stole this from his phone. He'll probably make me take it down when he finds out. Even though you can't see his face and it's kinda blurry, I think he makes one good-lookin cop! I can't wait to see him in his full uniform with all his gear. Quarter of the way through!
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