Collateral Duty?

Most of you know from the tone of my posts the last couple of days that my husband is gone again. I believe our boat has something like a 78% sea to land ratio. In other words, they aren't home very much. I am so looking forward to some down time and shore duty that I can't even tell you!
I know that it's hard to be gone and work as hard as my husband does. That said though, it takes what, like five seconds to write an e-mail? Honestly? I haven't had a single e-mail since he left, which to be honest sadly isn't all that unusual. Still, it occassionally hurts when I hear from my friends who have gotten e-mails and even phone calls. It makes me feel like I'm not important enough for him to take five seconds out of his day.
Usually I am calm and rational enough to realize that this line of thinking is ridiculous, but this week, I have been anything but calm and rational. It's been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster on so many levels. It's been to such a degree that even my previous captain's wife was worried about me and called to check on me. God, I miss her.
Thankfully, I have such good friends on the boat. One of them told her husband to tell my husband to get off his tush and send me a flippin e-mail. ( Thanks Steph, you rock!!! And so does Chad!) So, I finally get an e-mail from my loving husband. He tells me he loves me and thinks of me always, that he's been busy with charts and he ends the e-mail with "I'm off to watch now so that Chad can get another of his collateral duties." When he gets home, he's going to find my floral combat boots up his collateral behind. E-mailing your wife isn't something someone else should need to even mention, let alone request on her behalf. Men! I love mine but he needs to get his priorities straight! I mean, I am much more important than successfully navigating a billion dollar nuclear powered submarine! ( and for those that don't know me, this is totally me poking fun at myself!)

An E-mail Meme, If You are Reading This, Consider Yourself TAGGED!

This is from my friend Jennifer. Most of my friends read my blog and are bloggers themselves, so I thought this is faster sometimes than doing it via e-mail. Jen, hope you don't mind!

WELCOME TO THE 2008 EDITION OF GETTING TO KNOW YOUR FRIENDS.



WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO IS COPY (NOT FORWARD) THIS ENTIRE E-MAIL

AND PASTE IT ONTO A NEW E-MAIL THAT YOU WILL SEND.



CHANGE ALL THE ANSWERS SO THEY APPLY TO YOU, AND THEN SEND THIS TO YOUR

FRIENDS, INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO YOU.



THE THEORY IS THAT YOU WILL LEARN A LOT OF LITTLE THINGS ABOUT YOUR

FRIENDS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN!!!!





1. WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING? 6 am



2. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? diamonds



3. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?

I know you aren't going to believe this, but it was actually the latest Rambo. What can I say?



4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? Anyone that reads this blog already knows the answer - I'm a Heroes fanatic!!! :)



5. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? don't usually do breakfast, if I bother, it's yogurt with fruit.



6. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Lee


7. WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE? lima beans, I refuse to eat them. Jen, how can you possibly hate mushrooms? They are the food of the gods! So yummy on steak!


8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD? Blue Rodeo greatest hits version one



9. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? Hyundai Santa Fe - I LOVE it!



10. FAVORITE SANDWICH? Rueben



11. WHAT CHARACTERISTIC DO YOU DESPISE THE MOST? Ignorance for it's own sake


12. FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING? jeans



13. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? It may sound lame, but I love English history, so I would really love to go to London



14. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM? Coral, celadon and lipstick pink with frogs. ( The last one is my daughters, but actually really cute. I love frogs!)



15. FAVORITE BRAND OF CLOTHING? Don't shop by brand, I go with what I like



16. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO? Annapolis or BUST! Just get me back to Annapolis...

17. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? College football, it's all about the purity of the game baby!



18. FURTHEST PLACE YOU ARE SENDING THIS? Hello? It's the Internet! Anythings possible!



19. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? don't know



20. PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND IT BACK FIRST: not sure



21. FAVORITE SAYING: Variety is the spice of life





22. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? Sept. 29



23. ARE YOU A MORNING OR NIGHT PERSON? Morning!



24. WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE? 7 1/2



25. PETS? Speckles, Minnie and Quest - all fish. But we are getting a puppy this summer!



26. ANY NEW AND EXCITING NEWS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? I lost 7 pounds and counting! I lost one whole size and I'm not stopping there.



27. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? A jockey.



28. WHAT ARE YOU TODAY? Busy



29. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY? Trying not to eat candy



30. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? sunflower



31. WHAT IS A DAY ON THE CALENDAR YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? March 25 - departure day! So long MIL!


32. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? Laurie Lee (Beadling) Schultz



33. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? MIL's inccesant chatter. Ugh.



34. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Yummy - dinner. Cheese, nuts, broiled tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, kilbosa and broccoli.



35. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? Yes!

36. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Celadon


37. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? nice for spring in Connecticut



38. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK? Sprite, when I drink it.



39. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Olive Garden. Love, love, love that place!



40. SIBLINGS? 2 older sisters



41. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? You mean I have to pick just one? I guess March 11th. My anniversary, in spite of it being less than stellar this year....



42. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? My stuffed horse, Wally. I still have him.



43. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall…



44. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses!



45. COFFEE OR TEA? Coffee!! I NEED my coffee!!!!



46. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? chocolate



47. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO E-MAIL YOU BACK? of course



48. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? March 11th.



49. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? Books. They're everywhere!



50. WHO IS THE FRIEND YOU HAVE HAD THE LONGEST? Stevie, we've been bests since I was three!




51. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? Watched an episode of the Tudors and then had some quality time with hubby! :)

52. FAVORITE SMELL? Lilacs



53 WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Spiders, heights and being alone



54. SALTY OR SWEET? Depends on my mood, usually both together



55. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR RING? 3



56. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Saturday. It's family day

57. DO YOU PREFER GOLD OR SILVER? No preference



58. HOW MANY TOWNS HAVE YOU LIVED IN? Towns? Oh God, I was at 8 with STATES!!! Towns is 16. Ugh.



59. DO YOU MAKE FRIENDS EASILY? No, but once you’re a friend you’re a friend for life



60. HOW MANY WILL RESPOND? no clue!!!! but what the heck, it was fun

Respond and let me know that you are doing it so that I can come and read your answers!

Thoughts on Life... For Jen, Kate and Roe

My friend Nikki of Chaos in the Country, knowing that I LOVE doing meme's, tagged me for this one! Seriously, I really do love meme's, I think that they are fun and I always learn something, both about my friends and about myself.

In this meme, Who is Part of My Life, you choose a quote that speaks to your heart and dedicate it to three other bloggers. All of my friends who read this blog can choose to participate. If you do, leave a comment here so I can come and check out your quotes! As I already said, my blog here today is dedicated to Jen, Kate and Roe.

In the true nature of a Libra, I couldn't pick just one. That would have been WAY too easy! And, being the "funky ecclectic" that my friend Jen tells me I am, these quotes all speak about my life, but also to my friends. I hope you guys will enjoy reading them, and I look forward to reading yours! Please take a moment to really think about each one, because I think that each quote reverberates a greater truth, which is what makes them worth repeating in the first place.

" All happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people can not be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain but it's truer said that complaining leads people to be unhappy."

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." James Oppenheim.

"Learn the richness of solitude and quiet. That "still small voice" is yearning to be heard. Susan Jeffers


“We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ unless we ask the same question for every moment of happiness."

If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling but the staying down." Mary Pickford

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward in the same direction". Antione de Saint -Exqupery.

"Once you choose HOPE, anything's possible..." Christopher Reeve

And my favorites, by one of my favorite authors:

"We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, but to always battle on."

" The Time is coming Harry, when we all must choose between what is RIGHT and what is easy..." J. K. Rowling

As I said, each one of these quotes speak about areas of my life, and I hope that they will speak to each one of you.

2007 - the year in Review - I've been Tagged!

This is for my friend Nikki from Chaos in the Country who tagged me to do this Meme. I love doing this kind of thing, and I think Nikki knows that about me! :)
Here goes:

~ Start Copy ~

Rules :
1. Copy from “Start Copy” until “End of Copy”.
2. Before “End of Copy”, share your best memories of 2007 include your name and your URL blog.
3. Share this tag to your friends.

2007 Summed Up

The Improved Me (Not New, that would imply I was never here until now).
This was my one year anniversary from having Ablation surgery and as promised (Damn Doctors and husbands, always gotta be right don't they?) I feel better than I have in seven years. There is something wildly refreshing about having almost 30 years of scar tissue removed from your heart. No my dishes still aren't done and there is a pile of laundry waiting for me daily but now I feel that tackling it won't make me want to sleep for days anymore. Most recently is my desire to take better care of myself. I started a log of my progress (which needs updating) on a Myspace blog (you will have to ask for that information, I'm not giving it out freely). Plus, my mom's own scare with breast cancer and skin cancer has made me become more aware of how well I am taking care of this temple and just how long I need it to last me.

My Growing Boy
Bug moved up to Middle School this fall and it was especially heart wrenching for me because I watched, my first born, a child that I was told I should never have (because of my heart no less), jump into a world where kindness and innocence is on the verge of extinction. It was quite possibly the saddest moment of my life and the happiest because HE needed me to be as happy as he was. In case you missed it, you can read all about that here.

Back to School
For just about all of us it seemed. Bug began Middle School, and Bebe and Shorty carried on at Elementary School without the watchful eyes of their big brother while I went back to school to save what functioning brain cells I still have. All has worked out well as of Christmas break: Bug made Merit Roll, Bebe made Honor Roll, Shorty has had all Green days (a big deal in first grade) and I ended the quarter with a 3.0 GPA.

Cha-Ching
All my blogging and writing has started to pay off with the birth of Mommy Know How and some new writing clients. I've tried to learn all I can and put it to use. From resumes and cover letters to putting my best samples for the job out in front, the process is working.

By Nikki @ Chaos In The Country

2007 in Review:
The year for me was full of ups and downs. I started out New Years Eve last year alone while my husband was half a world away. My daughters and I rang in the New Year with sparkling cider and a party at noon not midnight. I love my daughters, but I enjoy ringing in the new year with my husband, kissing him at midnight and that was just not to be in 2007. It set the tone for the whole year. The girls and I stayed busy through the winter months, we enjoyed sled riding, making snowmen and we had a lot of visitors.
Spring came in April with my eldest daughters birthday and the return ( finally!) of my husband. My MIL came to visit in May - only for 10 days - and we all enjoyed her visit.

Summer is my favorite time of year here in Connecticut because my daughters and I love going to the beach. We have lived in Florida, Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina and I have been to many nice beaches, but my favorite by far are right here in Connecticut! We spend long summer days at the beach - looking for shells, clams, sea stars, playing in the water.... Summer is a magical time.

In Fall, my youngest started five day preschool and that was such an adjustment for me! She loves it, but it is hard to believe that my baby goes to school five days a week now. At first I thought I would just rattle around the house trying to find something to do with myself, but the hours have turned out to be suprisingly easy to fill. My eldest started third grade and I have the honor of volunteering in her classroom every Friday. I have to say that it is my favorite time of the week.

This holiday season has brought more writing opportunities. I have stepped way back from my time on Cafemom, and with the encouragement of friends, started my own personal blog here. I love blogging and I love the great friends that I have met and also those that I am able to keep in touch with this way. This blog has been such an emotional release to me and I appreciate all your comments!
I also started working at Prevention.com as a forum host and I love it! It is a website that focuses on all aspects of our health and I hope that 2008 will be a happier, healthier year for me, my friends and my family!

I am now tagging Kate of Jonathan's Closet, Roe at Roespot - More Coffee Please and Keri at Stripey Cat Production. One more thing - just wanted to wish you all a VERY happy new year and the best of everything in 2008! Love~ Snow at Snowflake Submerged.~End Copy~

For Roe and all my friends....

Sandy, Kim, Peggie, Jenn - you guys have been TAGGED!

1.) Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate... no question.

2.) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps them very nicely at first, and then it becomes a mission to just get the damned things covered in paper of some sort.

3.) Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored!

4.) Do you hang mistletoe? Oh yeah, and I make a point of kissing my husband, under it or not, as often as I can!

5.) When do you put your decorations up? As soon after Thanksgiving as possible; we love having the place decorated as long as possible.

6.) What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love ham, baked pineapple, and my grandmother's special rice!

7.) Favorite Christmas memory as a child? Sled riding with my dad!

8.) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I was a late blooomer; I was about 9. I got an organ for Christmas and I heard "Santa" and his "elves" delivering it!

9.) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nope

10.) How do you decorate your Christmas tree? This won't surprise my friends, but it is very "funky eclectic" as my friend Jennifer would say! I have a little of everything - homemade ornaments from the kids, hallmark ornaments, gifts from friends, each ornament reflects a member of my family and each tells a story. My favorite ornaments hold pictures of those I love...

11.) Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love snow, dread the slush that follows shortly thereafter.

12.) Can you ice skate? Yes, but I'm not as good as my husband. He can even twirl!

13.) Do you remember your favorite gift? I loved my organ and I still have it!

14.) What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being surrounded by family and friends. It's like the one time a year you can tell your friends how much you love them without sounding sappy.

15.) What is your favorite holiday desert? Christmas cookies!!!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Decorating the tree - no question.

17.) What tops your tree? A star

18.) Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving!

19.) What is your favorite Christmas Song? No one does "Oh Night Divine" like Nat King Cole. Love "Holly Jolly Christmas" and of course, "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses and Band-Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", because I'm an '80s gal. I also love "Blue Christmas" by Elvis and "White Christmas" and "I'll be Home fore Christmas" - are you starting to see a theme here?

21.) Favorite Christmas Movie? I love the Grinch.

22.) What do you leave for Santa? It varies from year to year. He always gets cookies. This year it is going to be Rice Crispy Treats because they are my daughters favorite!