Sometimes it gets crazy around here...

Peer Pressure

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:48:27 -0400

Wow, I was really surprised by how many of you seemed disappointed that I was no longer blogging. Here, this whole time I thought that only the g-parents checked this thing when I would call and say “There’s new pictures of the kids up.” Thanks for making me feel loved /ahhhh.

Alright, enough with the sentimental stuff now, on to business.

Here’s the deal:

1) I’ll “keep blogging” (as in, I’ll do my best to put up some post every now and then, but I’m not making any promises here people. I’m suggesting RSS feed or something of the sort).
2) Not here. I’m sad to see my me.com go, but I’m not going to be renewing my .mac account (I don’t use the services as often as I should, and I can no longer justify spending $10 a month for a web hosting service that I may/may not be using frequently)... so, no more mac hosted web site. This site will still be up - for ever and ever (unless I delete it, which I won’t do).
3) Alright, down to the brass tacks - new web site. Allow me to introduce you to...

Nelson 5.0

So, bookmark it, write it down, commit it to memory, then burn the evidence - I’m not sure what you’ll do with it. But, that’s the new Nelson home. I’m going to go back to my homework now :)

Goodbye

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 14:04:38 -0400

I’ve come to the sad realization that, despite my best efforts, blogging for me isn’t in the cards at this time. It’s been well over a month since my last post, and while I’ve had the best intentions (and at times, time), I just haven't been motivated to keep postings current. Add my lack of motivation with the renewal free for our .mac account quickly approaching, and I’ve made the final decision to no longer blog, on this blog or any other for the present.

If you follow this blog and would like to stay in contact, please email me at forever.nelson@gmail.com and I’ll make sure to send random updates and pictures. I’m also on Facebook so if you have an account and I don’t have you already as a friend, please send me a request.

After blogging for 6 years, this is a bitter sweet end. But, I know it won’t be the last.

Till we meet again...

Soon

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:56:53 -0400

I know it’s been a while. Bear with me for another week - just one more paper to write for school then I’m taking four weeks off.

Adjusting

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 21:45:36 -0400

I think it’s a sad thing when saying good bye has become almost a routine. We have down when to start packing, when to load up, when to leave for the airport, and the max airport-tolerance level of the kids and can tell when it’s time to just say good bye and leave Jonathan at the airport to catch his flight. I hate that we’ve become so good at holding back the tears and being able to live life apart. It’s said that this type of R’n’R with this type of assignment that he is serving - is just enough time to feel like you’re home again and get settled before you have to go back. It breaks my heart for him to go back, but I’m also excited because the end of this assignment is in sight. How sad is it when you tell yourself you’re excited your husband will only be gone for four more months?!?!?!?

We’ve been in the routine of doing things on own own for so long that it hasn’t taken us very long to get back into the swing of things. The daily routine is almost back to what it has been for the past eight months. The biggest change however has been for Elly and Dax.

Elly started to say Papa while Jonathan was home. Now she really knows who his is (and that he’s not just some picture or movie clip). Jonathan and I were able to video chat right after he got back in country. Elly was on my lap and when we said good bye and the screen went blank she kept reaching for it and saying “Papa, Papa”. It was all I could do to hold it together. Even now, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. Now when she sees his picture she reaches for it, points and says his name. But, kids are more resilient than we think, and of all of the kids, this assignment will probably have the least affect on her.

Dax, now he’s having a really hard time adjusting. In December when Jonathan came home, he was only home for 6 days. There was so much going on with trying to do a late Thanksgiving/early Christmas with him while he was home. And just about as soon as he left, my family started to come and we had plenty to keep us busy and preoccupied.

This time though has been much harder. Jonathan and Dax were able to do a lot of bonding while he was home. Dax is older and while he understands more, he doesn’t understand it all and he still doesn’t have a firm grasp on time. Lately he’s taken to acting out, throwing things, and yelling hurtful things to me. I think he thinks that everyone is going to leave him. He gets really upset when Meg goes to school. He doesn’t want to talk to Jonathan on the phone and I think he may blame me for Jonathan being gone.

I know it’s a period of adjustment, amplified by his age and developmental stage; but it still hurts to see him hurting and acting out. I try to be understanding and talk to him about how he feels, but I won’t let him get away with violent behavior - which makes him act out towards me even more. This is new territory for me and I’m struggling to find balance and the tools I need to help him through this. I’ve started doing research online. There are so many websites and resources out there for this sort of thing. I know I’m not alone and I just need to get in contact with the right people and resources to get through this rough time.

The reality of the situation is that we’ll most likely get our footing again, with routines and adjusted to being on our own again - then Jonathan will come home “for good”. The only thing that is certain and constant about a military family - is that there is nothing certain or constant.

Finally!!! and a desk...

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:56:07 -0400

Woo-hoo!!! Jonathan was able to come home for 15 days this month. It was sooooo nice to have him home again. I’m not sure how he did it, but he hit the ground running and really helped me tackle some projects around the house (mainly laundry :P ). Aside from spending just as much time as possible together and with the kids, we also painted Jeremiah and Elly’s bedroom (more on that to come later), painted the loft/den/family room, and built a built-in desk in our nook-ish area upstairs. I’m so happy with the way it all turned out. The space is so much more inviting and aesthetically pleasing that it’s a lot easier to stay motivated about keeping up on all of the “office” type stuff at home.

Here is the one before picture that Jonathan took before taking out the old desk. It was just all wrong for the space, much too deep and not wide enough, it made the space look awkward and small.

I found this picture taken a while ago of Elly climbing on the desk (another problem we had with it). This shows you just how out of control this area had become with things that needed to be filed, books that needed repair, school work, etc...

Construction.

Primed.

Painted.

Beginnings of accessories. I’m still working on this, but it’s coming along nicely and I’ll post a final when I’m happy with the space.

Oh - and in case you missed it... let me point out the most subtle of new “gadgets” we got...

Yup, a 24” iMac. I think it’s a bit obscene - but Jonathan loves it. And I have to admit, it’s growing on me too - playing WoW on this thing is awesome!!! Not to mention the faster processor and video card for photo and movie editing. You wanna hear the really sick part? You can sit across the room on the couch, with the wireless mouse and keyboard, and still see what you’re doing. It’s crazy!!!

If anything though, having a better computer has really got me itching to get back into photography. Now, if I can talk him into the Photoshop Suite and that new Canon I’ve had my eye on, I’d be all set to go...

Good Eats

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:10:52 -0400

Actually, I’ll start off with Elly drinking. She loves Capri-Suns. I’m not sure if it’s the flavor, or drinking like the big kids, but she was having a really good time drinking one while sitting on the counter.

Here she is chowing down on an apple. I think I have pictures of all of the kids eating apples at some point.

Of the three kids, I think Elly is the first who has like peanut butter and jelly sandwiched from the start (I know, what’s wrong with the other two /shrug). Today she thoroughly enjoyed her sandwich and I couldn’t help but document the carnage. She’s just so stinkin’ cute!

Okay, last one. Here she is walking around with her sippy cup. Not really that big of a deal, but she’s wearing a dress my mom had made for Meg and she was too cute in it. Plus, she wouldn’t put the cup down so I could just get a picture of her.

This is what she would do when I tried to take it away from her - and she’d say “Noooo” in her super sweet little voice.

Alright - that’s enough about Elly for now :)

He’s a keeper

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:41:38 -0400

I know, Valentines Day has come and gone, but I had taken some pictures of my V-day “gift” from Jonathan and it’s taken me until now to post them.

Yup, that’s my honey - a card a day leading up till Valentines Day. Once I caught on to what he was doing, I couldn’t wait to check the mail. I’m still trying to figure out how he got the timing down so right, but he managed it. Jonathan and I have never been really big into showing affection through “stuff” (i.e. flowers, presents, cards, etc.), so things like this mean even more to me. It may seem like a small thing but it took a lot of initiative to make sure that I felt loved every day for a week. With him being gone, it really meant a lot to me that he put in so much time and effort to pull it off.

Just looking at these pictures makes me feel loved and appreciated all over again. Thanks sweetie - you’re the best! I love you :)

At play

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:35:14 -0400

Jonathan got in as much time as he could playing with the kids while he was home. He brought back a few things for them. For Meg, he brought back a tea set. I love it because it’s metal and all of the kids can have fun playing with it and I don’t have to worry about it getting broken (well, at least nothing a little JB Weld couldn’t fix at least).

He brought Dax a Mega Man set of action figures. Of course he loved them. And Elly was just happy to play along with everyone.

We set Meg up with her own account on the computer. She now has (limited and with parental oversight) her own email account and can access certain web sites and games. She’s hit or miss with emails, but will get better with time I’m sure. I loved these pictures of all of the kids huddled around the computer while Meg was playing a game. Elly’s expressions were cracking me up.

She does this one type of smile where she sticks her lower jaw out and squints her eyes. This is the best picture I’ve gotten of her doing it. Too funny.

I know, I’m a horrible parent too because I don’t have very many pictures of Meg. It’s not because we didn’t do anything with her, but because whenever I’d go for the camera Jonathan would roll his eyes at me - so I’d put it away and just enjoy the moment. We were each able to take her out one on one. Jonathan took her to see a movie and took her to her science and math night at school. I took her to a paint your own pottery store. It was fun just getting out with her and listening to her talk.

I know the kids all loved having Jonathan home and now we can’t wait for him to be home for good. We’re just counting down the last four months of this assignment and, while we are trying to make the most of our time every day, we still can’t wait for the time to pass.

He’s got a point

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 20:52:54 -0500

I don’t agree with everything Fox News or Glenn Beck says, but, you’ve got to hand it to him, he has a point. And there really is no explanation for it other than the media hated Bush and loves Obama.

Click here to read: Asleep at the Switch

YES!!!

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 20:34:28 -0500

I got my grade in for the monster of a paper I finished on Friday. I over did it and was worried that my professor would baulk at my 5,684 word paper (more than double the requirement). The house suffered for it, I suffered for it, and my kids suffered for it (i.e., Mom pretty much fed them, changed diapers, and put in new movies for a week). In the end, I really learned a lot from all of the work that I put into it, I was very proud of my time management (still room for improvement though), I got great feedback and 100/100 to show for my work. I’m a very happy woman - and very proud of myself :D

If you can stomach it and/or interested in learning about the history of the US intelligence community from Pearl Harbor through 9/11, the mistakes along the way, and the changes to the IC...go ahead...read it...I dare ya :P

Final - Anna Nelson 3113051 - INTL302B001Win09.doc

Oh, and if you want to read the feedback... it’s right here:
final feedback.doc