Mama On The Move

 Katie was telling me how much she loves her ballroom dancing group.  She said, "It's like cocaine!" "And how do you know what cocaine is like?" I asked her. "I don't but I've heard it's like french fries!"

We are moving once again and not for the last time either.  This time, we are leaving Virginia to head to Georgia.   Our packers are here and they are an all male crew one of whom is a former soldier.  He and Kerry have been chatting it up as the day has gone on comparing military stories past and present, while a younger mover worked nearby. Since the packer is now out of the military, he was telling Kerry how difficult it is to navigate the military medical system when you are no longer active duty.  He griped a good bit about how long it took him to get a colonoscopy scheduled. The conversation turned shortly to jumping out of airplanes - if you ever get two airborne soldiers near each other, they will quickly figure it out and start comparing stories. The mover recited, "Keep your body in an 'L' position, jump, and try to land with your knees bent and your feet together."  He demonstrated by jumping up, and landing - bent forward at the waist with his f...

Something is blooming that is kicking my allergies into high gear.  It's odd because with all the rain, you'd think any pollen would be washed out of the air and I'd be able to breathe through my nose. I was sitting around with my red nose and puffy eyes, complaining, "Ugh!  My allergies are making me feel terrible!" Katie just pointed at her booted foot. I get no sympathy from the booted one.

Kerry and I went down to NC to work on our house.  The girls stayed in VA by themselves.  I was anxious about leaving them alone for two nights and I texted them regularly to make sure everything was okay. At one point I texted each of their phones, "I love you!" I immediately got a text back from Katie saying, "I love you too!" A minute or so later, Emily texted, "Katie just shouted, 'There can be only one!' and tried to strangle me."

We were heading out to see a movie and we had all gotten a little more spiffed up than usual.  While we were riding along, Emily said, "We are a good looking family!" Kerry responded, "Yep, it's really not fair to all the other families out there." Katie piped up, "But they get to look at us so it all evens out!"

Katie got invited to an ice skating birthday party in Colonial Williamsburg.  She talked her physical therapist into letting her try it.  It's the most strenuous thing she's done with her foot since her accident.  Her physical therapist said she could only skate half as long as everyone else and that she had to hang on to the rail as much as possible.  She was thrilled but I was a bundle of anxiety. It went well, she didn't injure herself and she really had a good time!  It's so nice to see her living a normal life!

We went camping with Katie's scout troop.  Unfortunately, I can't post most of the pictures I took because they have other girls in the troop in them and that's against the rules. Our campsite was right on the edge of a river. There was a tent set up for all the girls to stay in together, but Katie opted to stay in mine and Kerry's tent.  She likes her sleep and she had a feeling the girls would giggle and talk for a long time. Katie and Kerry planned the menu and did most of the cooking for the campout.  Katie was working on her Fire Safety Badge and her Outdoor Cooking Badge. We happened up on a rowing regatta and spent a good bit of time watching the race. All the girls had to carve their own skewers to cook hotdogs. Katie had to start a fire without matches! If you are ever in the market for a tent, get one with a door that opens and closes without having to be zipped every time you go in or out.  It's worth it's wei...