It's hard to believe isn't it???
I am glad to see 2008 come and go........It was a "rough one"...
Ritzy's deployment, & having to handle things on the homefront while missing him was not easy, but I somehow made it thru......
It wasn't all bad tho. There were 2 new babies born into the clan. A great-nephew and a great-neice. They are sooooooo cute!!!!!! Will spend 2009 spoiling them ;-)
I am ready for 2009, hoping it brings well being , peace of mind and success to all my family and friends.
Don't have too much planned for New Years' Eve. Just go to the parents house to "meet and eat".... Heck, I don't even know if Ritzy and I will still be awake to ring in the new year, hahaha!!!!
This year brought about changes to all of us. Ritzy and I - because of his deployment.
His parents are not nearly as independent as they were last year. Will be some hard decisions made in the very near future about that. We never look forward to our parents growing old, but all we can do is be there for them the way they have always been there for us. I know that is part of the reason Ritzy is going thru the emotions and feelings he is having right now. We live 800 miles away from them and that doesn't help either.
Ritzy will be retiring from the National Guard in a couple of months. I can hardly wait!!!!!!
I am so proud of him for serving his country and have supported him all these years, but honestly, I will be elated when he retires........
I finally get him to myself......and won't have to spend "that one weekend a month & 2 weeks a year"........yeah right........ without him ever again......
Well this is where my thoughts have taken me tonite. I hope everyone has a safe New Years' Eve. For New Years' Day, don't forget those black-eyed peas for good luck ;-)
Ritzywife out.................

Well this 2008 Christmas holiday is just a memory. A good one though........The whole family had a great time at Granny and Papa's. We met and opened gifts, watched the grandkids and great-grandkids being funny. Then came the wonderful Christmas meal.......mmmmmm.........
The only thing that could have made the day better would have been to see some snow, but that was just not going to happen here in Oklahoma this year. Oh well, maybe next year.......
I picked up a nasty cold somewhere, that didn't help either.....don't know who was nice enough to pass that around ;-)
I was going to town to get groceries and supplies today, but I just don't feel like it. Things will just have to be ok till I get to feeling better.......
Now, we can all look forward to the new year and wonder what it will be bringing us. I hope it brings prosperity and good health to all!!!!!!!!!
That's about all Ritzywife has for now. I am outta here........

Yippee!!!!!!!
I finally did it.....a new layout...I saw this and loved it.....
I thought I was never going to get this done....
I will be the first to admit, I am not very computer literate. You have to understand- when I was in high school the closest thing we had to a computer was an electric typewriter, hahaha!!!
My kids just roll their eyes and give me a hard time when I ask for help so I have learned to just stick with it and eventually I figure out what I am doing. Spent most of yesterday evening and today getting this done ;-)
I will figure out what else I want on here later.......
This has taken it's toll on Ritzywife's poor little brain......(((ouch))))!!!!
I am outta here for now!!!!!

It is just a week away. I am as bad as a little kid when it comes to Christmas. I love it!!!!
I have everything done and I am ready........come on Santa!!!!
Now all I have to do is wait, wait, wait........Speaking of Santa, I asked that great-nephew if he has written Santa his letter yet and that kid said there was no Santa........I told him -I guess since he doesn't believe in Santa then Santa doesn't have to bring him any presents........
I also let him know that Ritzywife still believes in Santa!!!!!!!!
Maybe Santa can bring me some snow, haha. Ritzy thinks I am crazy, but I love the snow. He is from Wisconsin and came to Oklahoma to get away from the snow. I told him that he did not get far enough south, hahaha!!!!!
It has been cold and a little icy here the past few days. Ritzy did not go to work til today. He cannot sit still, so he was about to go a little "'stir crazy" here in the house. I told him to go find something to keep him busy ;-) He went outside to burn some scrap firewood and to split some wood that he had cut earlier. Kept him out of Ritzywife's hair, for a little while at least. Don't get me wrong, I love having Ritzy around but he won't sit still and it makes me nervous just watching him sometimes......;-0
I haven't been anywhere since Sunday, sure saves on the gas....... I saw today that the price has come back up..........((((grrrrrrr))).
I guess this is all I have for today. Been pretty boring around here. Ritzywife is out for now.

Mom and I spent the whole day shopping for Christmas decorations for our church. After spending all that time shopping we decorated the church. This all started around 10:30 this morning and at 4:30 this afternoon I walked in my door at home.
I was NOT going to cook supper so..........Pizza Hut cooked our dinner tonite....Yea!!!!!!!
Ritzy and the daughter went after it.
Our ladies' Sunday School class' Christmas party is this Saturday........I am 90% prepared ;-)
Gotta get the games together........
This next 2 weeks are going to be busy. Ritzywife is gonna be draggin' her tail by the end of the month..............
The daughter's boyfriend came in tonite to tell the daughter 'hi', but said he was leaving to go Christmas shopping for the daughter. He didn't even stay for supper. That's ok cause I saved him some pizza...........
We are watching the weather. Looks interesting for the beginning of next week. On the anniversary of last year's ice storm we got a little ice. Ritzy came home early that day. Our electric was blinking on and off all afternoon and evening. The wind was blowing hard and probably blowing the electric lines together. After losing electric for a couple of hours it finally came back on. Ritzy spent the time "pacing" the floor. That drives Ritzywife NUTS!!!!!!!!!
I told Ritzy that he would not have survived the storm last year, hahahah!!!!!!!
Ritzy, the kids and I are all in the house together tonite.......they are watching tv and I am in the next room on the computer.............Ritzywife likes it...........
I have some more work to do before bedtime tonight so I guess I had better be out for now.....

That's right, ever since Ritzy and I returned from Wisconsin we have been trying to get the yard, house and everything else ready for winter. Trying to catch up on chores sure is fun,,,,,,,,not!!!!!!
I have been visiting that new great-neice. She is a doll!!!!!! She is only 2 weeks old......
Today I finished ALL my Christmas shopping and gift-wrapping, who-hoo!!!!!!!!!
Come-on Christmas!!!!!!!
Some sad news to report here in this area. Heard about a body found in a rock quarry yesterday in our area. That quarry is only 1 mile from our house. It seems this case is almost 5 years old. Glad it is finally getting solved. I was just telling Ritzy tonite that we never know who or what is driving by our house to the lake or what their intentions are. Kind of unsettling.......
Back to better things.
Ritzy is still trying to get used to being home and Ritzywife is trying to do everything she can to help.
That December 2008 Ice Storm anniversary is fast approaching and I often find myself thinking about what happened last year and wondering what this winter holds for us.
I love this time of year..........Ritzy is a bit of a Scrooge. He doesn't care for all the "stuff" that comes with the Christmas season. Don't know if I will ever win him over on this, haha!!!!!
Ritzy and I have a Christmas dinner to attend tomorrow nite, gonna be nice.........
That's about all I have for now. Ritzywife is out for now.........

Another addition to the CLAN.
She finally arrived late Saturday night. She is a doll........
My mom (Granny) and I went to see her and her mamma and daddy today. Hopefully they will get to bring her home tomorrow.
Ritzy and I have been trying to get back in the routine of being a family. It's been interesting. While he was gone, I never got any sleep and now that he is home, he isn't sleeping and I am getting a little more sleep. I told him it could be that he is concerned about his parents.....
Don't know what the heck got into me this week, but I have my Christmas decorations up and the daughter and her boyfriend put up the tree tonite. I already have everyone's gifts and all I have to do is wrap, wrap, wrap.............
I only put up old-fashioned or handmade decorations this year. I also spread the decorating out over 3 days instead of trying to do it all at once. All we have to do now is put up the outside lights.
I love Christmastime, especially this year since Ritzy is back from this deployment!!!!!!!
Gee, it isn't even Thanksgiving and I am already talking Christmas!!!!!
This Thanksgiving is very special to me....., I remember how it was last year without Ritzy and it makes me realize how grateful I am for his safe return from the war.
If we all really think about it we have so much to be thankful for........
Our church had the Thanksgiving Dinner today, so we did not have church tonite. We won't have it Wednesday nite either because of members travelling or trying to get thier own thanksgiving dinner prepared.
We will go to Mom & Dad's for Thanksgiving dinner, then go back for leftovers that nite, that is if anyone is hungry, hahaha!!!!!!!
I love spending time with family, especially the little ones. They are so funny to watch........
I recon that is enough thinking for this evening, better not overwork the poor little brain.......
Ritzywife is out for tonite.......

It has been one thing after another since Ritzy's return. He stayed home a couple of days before he had to report to his unit. After reporting that morning, we left for Wisconsin to visit his parents and the rest of his family. We found them in fair health. Mom was ok I guess, but Dad had hurt his toe and it was not healing so they were looking at the possibility of surgery. Dad had to spend all his time sitting or getting around in a wheelchair. It is so hard watching your parents get older. Anyways it came time for Ritzy and I to leave. After leaving we find out Dad has to have his foot amputated. We come home and stay for a week, after finding out Ritzy had more time off than we thought, we headed back to Wisconsin last Saturday and after arriving Sunday we go straight to the hospital to visit Dad. All during the week Ritzy spent time at the hospital with Dad while I stayed home with Mom......later in the week we find out the surgery wound is not healing so they are going to have to go above the knee with Dad's amputation. I stayed home with Mom ( who can't get out) during the surgery while Ritzy and his brother's and one of his sister's were at the hospital with Dad. Friday Ritzy and I visited Dad before we were to leave Saturday and as we were leaving Dad asked that we come by and see him Saturday as we are leaving. So we went by to see Dad yesterday morning, he seemed to be doing ok as we said our good-byes. Today as we are going thru Springfield, Missouri we get a call from Ritzy's brother who told us that Dad had a stroke about midnight Saturday/Sunday.....he is not able to speak or move his right side, which is the side of the amputated leg........I turned to Ritzy and said "what do we do?" ----- We want to be there for his parents, but we also have responsibility here. It has just been a roller coaster of emotions for Ritzy and I since he returned. Like I stated before, it is HARD watching your parents get older.
We are just going to keep in close touch with his brother and if needed we will head back to Wisconsin. Ritzy has been back in Oklahoma from this deployment for a month now but actually home for only 9 days. He starts work this coming Tuesday. He loves his parents very much and I know it is hard being away from them at this point in time. Ritzywife loves Ritzy very much and is going to support whatever decision he makes.
Ritzywife is out for now.........to get some much needed rest............

Ritzy is still at the hospital waiting for his father's surgery to be over. You see last week his dad had to have part of his leg amputated. It seems that it was not healing so they are back in surgery tonight amputating above his knee. Ritzy has been spending all his time at the hospital with his dad this week. We have to be leaving in a couple of days so he is spending that "quality time" with his dad. Hopefully the surgery and healing will go as expected.
The weather is supposed to be kind of "iffy" here in Wisconsin Saturday (snow possible). We could possibly stay til Sunday. All depends on Ritzy. I have spent the day here at the parent's home with his mom. She is not able to get out.
I miss Ritzy but I understand that he needs to spend this time with his dad.
Things have been kind of busy around here. We went to the store this afternoon and I bought some curlers and fixed mom's hair for her. It looked good.
Just checking in to let everyone know what is going on.
Ritzywife is out for now!

Ritzy and I made it back to Wisconsin yesterday afternoon. I am at his parent's house and he is at the hospital spending time with his Dad.
It sure is "cool-cold" here, but what do you expect in Wisconsin in November???????
Having a look back home it looks like it is pouring down rain there...
We will be here only a week this time. Ritzy has to return to work "for real" on November 18th.
Had a good night's sleep last nite. Traveling always makes a person tired, I guess.......
The daughter called this morning and we had a good long talk about how things are going in her life. Had a few laughs too.
The son called yesterday while we were on our way up here and informed me he was "cleaning" out a cabinet in the kitchen.....YIKES!!!!!!!!!! I just told him to throw away whatever he wanted and to NOT tell me about it ;-)
Ritzywife sure is enjoying having Ritzy home!!!!!!!!!
That's about all I have for now, I will catch you later.

After being home only a week, Ritzy and I are headed back to Wisconsin in the morning (11-8-08). His dad had an amputation surgery and we are headed back up there to see how he is doing and to give his family some support. He really wants to be up there anyways. I was just getting used to being home. Oh well, that's ok. I still have to put clothes in dryer and take care of dishwasher.
It has been a while since I have posted, but I have been really busy, so I figured it was time to "think out loud" ;-)
I am feelin pretty tired now and I guess it's time to rest up for that trip, so Ritzywife is out of here for the night.
See you in Wisconsin.............................

Ritzy and I finally made it back to Oklahoma......we are glad to be back home. Although we found out tonight that Ritzy's dad had to be taken to the hospital at 3:30 this morning. He will probably be there for a while. His mom will need someone to stay with her because of her own health reasons. It seems we could have stayed longer, but oh well if needed we will go right back up there. Ritzy has been busy piddling around the house. He went into work for a little while today. He cannot start til next week because of active duty orders. They are having something for him tomorrow so we will go back. We have to buy groceries (OH JOY)..........i hate doing that......I spent today getting my house back in order. I still have to fix the church report before Wednesday. Looks like I am gonna be busy the next couple of days .......
We are having really beautiful weather right now, but something tells me we better enjoy it while it lasts.
Finally!!!!!!..................the election is tomorrow. NO MORE POLITICAL ADS !!!!!!!!!! (for a little while anyways)
Ritzywife is gonna go try and get rested up for another busy day .........catch you later.........

I know it has been a while, but I am still here. Ritzy and I are still in Wisconsin visiting family. He and a sister and their Dad are at the hospital right now because his father has to have an ateriogram this morning. It will tell the doctors which action or choices are available for "dad's" foot or leg. The foot doesn't look very good and is causing Dad a LOT of pain. I just hope they come up with a solution fast!!!!
This test starts at 10, although he had to be there at 8am and will take 8 hours counting recovery time. Ritzy drove the truck so he could leave if he wanted. During Dad's recovery time (4-6 hours) there isn't much Ritzy can do, so he may be back here at the house.
I am staying with "Mom".......not much to do except wait......
I told dad last nite to tell those doctors if they didn't do something fast ---- "heads were gonna roll" ;-)
It is going to be hard for Ritzy to leave for home in a couple of days. Not sure if we will know by then what is going to take place with Dad's health. Oh well, we have decided that if we are needed that we will just head back to Wisconsin. That's about all we can do at the moment.
The kids are holding down the homefront, anyways that's what they tell me, hahaha. I hear from at least one of them every day.
Well, Ritzywife is gonna have another cup of coffee and try to wait patiently on news from Ritzy. Out for now........

Yeah, I know it has been a while. Ritzy and I are still in Wisconsin enjoying our visit with his family.
The visit has taken some unexpected turns and kept Ritzy busy, but he is enjoying being able to help his parents. Also, I am so glad we are here to help out.
We all (brothers & sisters) met the other night and had dinner. This is the first time in 24 years that Ritzy and ALL of his brothers and sisters have been together. That's kind of sad, but you know everyone gets their own schedule and life and it's hard sometimes to get together. I will just say we had a wonderful time catching up while enjoying a wonderful dinner.
I guess we have another week to stay here before we head back to Oklahoma. It is supposed to "cool off" tomorrow. In Wisconsin terms its gonna be kind of cold when factoring in the wind chill.........I think the wind is only supposed to be blowing 40 mph ;-)
I haven't been doing much, just helping out when I can and cooking which I love to do.
Sure hope them kids are keeping the homefront going........they better be!!!!!!!!!
I sit here looking out the dining room and the leaves sure have been falling. This time of year always makes me a little sad. I love to see everything in full bloom and all leafed out. Although Fall is a very pretty season, it still reminds us that Winter is not far behind.
Ritzywife is going to have another cup of coffee and think about what the day holds...Out for now....

I am sitting in my husband's parent's dining room right now. Which means that Ritzy and I made it to Wisconsin. YEA!!!!!!! It was a long trip, but a good one. The traffic wasn't too bad and we had great traveling weather. I found out that Ritzy's youngest sister from Tennessee is going to be here this week. That is great news since it has been 25 years since we last saw her. Her timing and ours could never work out. Not this time, tho. Looking forward to the visit...
I am so happy to be with Ritzy and his family. We do not get to see them often so we are going to have a wonderful time this year.
The leaves are falling off the trees, which always makes me a little sad. I don't like the bare trees and everything that goes with cooler weather. I love the cool part, tho......Guess I better make up my mind, huh???? ;-)
Time to take a deep breath and start relaxing.......Ritzy is home to stay, we had a safe trip and we are up here getting ready to have a wonderful visit, & our home is in the capable hands of our grown kids.......
Ritzywife is about ready to start a much deserved vacation. ;-)
Catch up with you later........

Ritzy and I had to get up way too early this morning so he could get the last of his paperwork turned in to his unit. After that was finished, we set out for Wisconsin. We are now somewhere east of Des Moines, Iowa. It has been a long day and we have about another 6 hours of driving before we reach our destination tomorrow.
It has been fun so far. We kid each other, talk, and of course the one not driving tries to take a nap. I sit here writing this and Ritzy has crawled into one of the beds in our hotel room. I am pretty tired too, but it is a "good" tired. Since Ritzy has been back I have slept all the way thru the night. That is something I have not done for a long time. It feels wonderful to get uninterruped sleep.
We have left our home in the capable hands of our kids. Let's just say, I told them what I expected out of them while we were gone and they know that Mom means business ;-)
I better get off here and get some rest. Tomorrow will be here before I know it.
Ritzywife is out for now.

I have waited a long time to be able to post this message. Ritzy returned home last nite. The family was all there to welcome him. After a few miutes everyone left. It was hard to believe it but he was finally home. I kept trying to tell myself this was not a dream but it was really happening. We had some running around to do today and it sure was a whole lot more fun doing it with Ritzy than having to do all that running by myself.

Looks like we got to hang around here for a couple of days before we can start that trip to Wisconsin.

Our church is having a party for him tonight. That ought to be fun. After all the running was finished and we returned home, he has been outside the rest of the time piddling, and just doing what he wants.

It will be time for him to come in to get ready for church soon. I already told both kids if they want anything to eat tonite they had better come to the church, or they were on their own for supper ;-)

How else can I say it except to say that :"Ritzywife is happy and so thankful to have Ritzy back home!!!!!"

Yes, that's how long it will be before I get to lay my eyes on Ritzy after not seeing him since January 2nd. I am anxious, nervous, excited, etc......
Anxious and excited to see Ritzy, and nervous about the drive, hoping I will find the place without any problems.
Even tho it will be late when we return home, the family will be in the yard with the welcome home banner, flags, signs, lights, & fireworks.....
They are anxious to see Ritzy too, expecially that great-nephew. He has really missed his buddy (ritzy).
I was afraid it was going to be raining, but it looks like the rain is staying in western Oklahoma today. Thank you Lord!!!!!!
I am just about ready to leave and begin my trip to Ok City. It takes about 3 hours. I still have to stop and fill the truck up with gas, and wash it. Last nite while talking to Ritzy, I asked if he could still drive after little or no driving this past year, and he said he guessed he could. I told him that I would take the chance and let him drive that new truck home if he wanted. We'll see how that goes later.
Mom just called and asked if I wanted to use the GPS , she is bringing it down here so I can see if I want it or not.
Ritzywife is outta here for now on her way to pick up Ritzy who she has missed dearly during this deployment.

This morning my cell phone rang, I looked at the number and saw that it was a number that I was not familiar with, so I thought....... YES!!!!!!!
It was Ritzy. He was telling me that the phones were down and that he could not call. He was calling on a DSN phone. He was also able to confirm when he would be leaving for Oklahoma....
After waiting all these months I will finally get to see Ritzy next Tuesday.
This is going to be the longest weekend ever!!!!!!! I am so looking forward to seeing my "honey". I was telling my sister about when the ceremony is and I informed her that it would be 10pm or after when we would arrive at home. Since that was the case I mentioned that I don't know when I would be able to put up the "WELCOME HOME" banner that I had made cause he could not see it. She told me not to worry cause her hubby and son-in-law have these REALLY bright spotlights and some fireworks just waiting on Ritzy's homecoming. I said "Go for it!" The neighbors might not appreciate it, but this time they can just get over it ;-)
I have a feeling the whole darn family will be in our yard waiting on us next Tuesday when we come around that last corner........
I guess the soldiers should be finished with all the required "stuff" and now for the next 3 days they are just passing time waiting for their flights back to Oklahoma......
Ritzywife is going to try and wait patiently these last few days on Ritzy's return........

That about sums it up for the day.. I still have not heard from Ritzy since 3pm Tuesday when he informed me that they had landed in the U.S. I thought " Ok he will be able to call me each day and night if he wants and we can keep up on what is going on." It sure looks like I was wrong.
I know they are probably busy with paperwork and meetings and stuff, but, geez this is crazy.
I got information today online from our FRG (Family Readiness Group) about when some of the units are to FINALLY fly to Oklahoma. But.......I won't believe anything I see until I hear the information from Ritzy with my own 2 ears!!!!!!
I sure hope he calls soon, this waiting is not fun........it's not that I am worried, I just want to hear Ritzy's voice and tell him how much I love and miss him......
Ritzywife is thru with thinking for the day and out of here for now..........(your mind takes you to strange places when you let it think too much) I am thru wondering what the heck is going on for the night. Tomorrow is the same story, different chapter all over again........

After Ritzy's call telling me he was in the United States yesterday I was so happy. I am still happy that he is here, but..........I have not heard from him since and that was at 3 yesterday afternoon. I am wondering "what the heck?".........I thought when he returned that he would be able to call. I know they are busy, but there should be time to make a call. I know my hubby and he would be calling if he were able. So, today I have been kind of anxious for the phone to ring and him be on the other end. The phone has rung all right, but of all those calls, he was not there. I still don't know exactly when he will be flying to Oklahoma.......I would appreciate a little 'information'........
I have been in contact with other Oklahoma National Guard wives and hopefully between all of us we can contribute enough info that we can "kind of " figure out what is goin on.
All I know for certain is the fact that we are ready to have our husbands back home!!!!!!!
This is about all Ritzywife has thought about for the day, all day!!!

YEA !!!!!!! I was on my way home from town today and my phone rang, I have a radio/cd player that has bluetooth so instead of grabbing my phone I just talk thru the radio. Don't ask me to explain it....I just do it.......
Anyways, there is no caller id on the radio so I never know who is calling. When I "answered" it was Ritzy's sweet voice. He was letting me know that they had landed in Maine and would be taking off for Ft. Bliss in the next hour. I was ectstatic!!!!!! I got home and looked up his flight and sat and worked around my computer for 4 hours tracking that flight. It just helped knowing where he was and that he was on his way to being able to come home.....
I got very little sleep last nite, wondering what was happening.
My mom was with me when I got the call and she and I were very happy. We had stopped earlier to see that brand new great-nephew. Oh My Gosh....... He is a doll!!!!!! SO CUTE!!!!!!! I even got to hold him. Forgot my camera, tho.........That is definitely one kid that is going to get spoiled.
Now all I have to do is wait til I hear when I can go to Oklahoma City to get Ritzy and bring him home!!!!!! This deployment is winding down, FINALLY. I never thought the day would get here. I can hardly wait to see my hubby, I miss him so much. We should be able to talk more now at least, that is if he can find a phone......His cell phone "died" in Iraq. He didn't use it there, he was just plugging it in to see if it still worked after all these months and it would not come on. I have already bought him a new one, but he did not want me to send it so he will be using those AT&T calling cards. I went online and purchased a lot of minutes for him to use, so we should be ok.
Thinking about our soldiers and how the weather change is going to affect them. Going from 120 degree heat to barely in the 70's, they are going to "freeze"........
I hope to get some better sleep tonite, unless I am too excited. Geez, if it ain't one thing- it's another.
Let's get some NORMAL going on here ;-)
That's about all I have for the night.
Ritzywife is out of here!

Here it is after midnight and I am still up. Why, a person might ask. Well, Ritzy is supposed to leave Kuwait the 7th of October ((((today))))... I didn't hear from him today so I am assuming that he is either on his way back to the United States or he will be shortly. There is an 8-hour time difference between Kuwait and Oklahoma. My poor little mind won't stop thinking about him and that trip home. I am so anxious for him to be back.......

I miss Ritzy a lot!!!! This deployment has just about come to an end and I think all the emotions are ganging up on me. I broke down and cried like a baby this morning when I read about the first wave of Oklahoma troops landing in Ft. Bliss, TX.........I guess it's just relief knowing this is about over.

One thing I know for certain is that I had better carry a LOT of Kleenex's when I go to pick Ritzy up. My family has not said anything about going. So I don't know if I am going alone or not. The place where I am supposed to go for the "short" (um-hmm) ceremony is about 175 miles away.

It is going to be so hard waiting after he lands in the U.S.!!!!!!!! He will only be 800 or so miles away. That seems like nothing after his being thousands of miles away for these last several months....

I have to do some running around tomorrow, so I am really hoping to get some sleep tonite. Guess I had better go at least try.
Ritzywife is outta here for now, hoping to be rested by the morning, oh wait........it is morning....oh well...........

I flushed the toilet last nite, came in here to get online for about an hour, then checked everything before going to bed, and I hear something that sounds like water running. You guessed it!!!!!!!!! It was the toilet. It seems there was something wrong with the "Fluidmaster" and it wasn't letting water in the tank. I thought "wonderful, it's 1am and I am NOT going to deal with this now!!" First thing this morning I changed it out and fixed it. Luckily I had an extra one on hand. For those of you who know what I am talking about, good for you.. For those who don't have any idea.................."google it" ;-)
Ritzy called today and he will be flying out of Kuwait very soon. He told me there is a very good chance that I will not hear from him until he actually gets to Ft. Bliss. ;-(
I know why, but that doesn't mean I have to like it........I was on the phone the other day "recharging" a calling card so he would have plenty of minutes to call home while in Kuwait and when he gets to Ft. Bliss. Looks like I have 1 more full week and part of another to go on this deployment before I see "my honey"...........
Can hardly wait til he gets home and we can head to Wisconsin, leaving the kids, family and Oklahoma behind (for a little while at least).......
I have a new great-nephew being born today, yea!!!!! Another one to spoil rotten!!!!!!!!
I told his mamma that I sure hoped she had that baby before Ritzy and I left. Baby's grandma called last nite and told me that he was going to be born today. This is my brother's grandson.
Geez, here I am the oldest of 4 kids and 2 of them are already grandparents..........c'mon kids of mine------get with it..........in the right order of course ;-)
Guess that's all I got for now. Ritzywife is out for now.......................

I got a phone call this morning from Ritzy informing me that he had safely arrived in Kuwait. YEA!!!!!! Now, at least he is officially on his way home. Who knows how long it will take....The army sure does not get in a hurry about anything.. He has to use the AT&T international phone cards so our time on the phone was limited to only 10 minutes. He has 2 cards that I had sent to him, but we were trying to save the minutes since each card only carries 20 minutes. A person would think these calls would be free for our soldiers........
Hopefully he is out of there and on his way back to the United States before those cards run out. If needed, the USO hands out free cards also, and this armywife sure appreciates that......
I think these days seem to be going by even slower that all the rest from the past year.
I visited my sister (Nana) tonite. "Sissy" was down there. I went early enough so she and I could spend some time outside. She had fun running around chasing the cats and dogs. I showed her something pretty gross tho. One of the cats was eating something and I realized it was a frog. There was just a leg and part of it's body left. I told her to look and she made a funny face and said eeww!!!! She just about picked it up when I stopped her. This child is a tomboy for sure ;-)
It started getting dark and the mosquitos started eating on me so it was time to go inside. Big brother asked if I wanted to watch a movie with him and since it was only 7pm I said sure. So "Bubba", Sissy, and I watched "Fantastic 4". A pretty good movie. I believe it was the 2nd one.
I had not seen it yet. After the movie I decided it was time to go. This was the boy's night to spend the night with Nana, so I dropped "Sissy" off at her house. The first thing she said when she got in the truck was " "wanna go to your house?"........ I told her I didn't think so........not used to having a 3 year old around the house.....anyway I am not sure she would stay long before she said either "momma's house or Nana's house"........
I already sent Ritzy an email, although I am not sure if he will be able to access the internet while in Kuwait. I have some business to take care of tomorrow, so I had better call it a day.
Ritzywife is out, til later..........

That is what I am asking tonite. For the past few days Ritzy was supposed to fly out of Iraq,,,finally!!!!!! But every time his flight was cancelled. I would be so heartbroken when I would receive a call on the cell phone and it would be that all familiar number that I have seen for the past 9 months while he has been in Iraq. These past few days have been an emotional roller coaster for me, and I would bet Ritzy feels the same........
He called this morning and said he was due to fly out in a couple of hours. I told him to call if he didn't. It is now late at night and I haven't heard from him, which I am taking as a good "sign" that he is now in Kuwait ready to begin his trip back home.
Don't know if I will be able to sleep tonite..........
Earlier today while running around "sissy" called and said- "will you come get me??". It was sooooo cute. Well, I was busy during the day, but this evening I loaded the dishwasher after supper then went down to my sister's ( Nana's) and got sissy. Brother was playing with a cousin.... Me and Sissy went to the convenience store across from my house and I let her get whatever she wanted for bubba, the cousin and her. She had fun. It was funny, she walked in and said she wanted a fishing pole, I told her not this time ;-)
This time, I told her she could get something to eat and drink. She picked "Mountain Dew" for her and brother's drink.......hope they don't keep mom and dad up, hahahaha!!!!!!
It was dark about that time and she wanted to come to my house. I think she just likes to go...... Typical girl ;-)
Cooler weather is supposed to move in here in Oklahoma. It is going to be just wonderful fall weather for a while. We better enjoy it while it lasts.
I don't know if he will be able to access a computer, but I am going to leave here and send Ritzy his nightly email. Ritzywife is out for now........

They are priceless. I spent most of the day at a friend's house. She asked last nite if I could come over cause she and her husband were painting the living room and she wanted some "guidance" on how to paint it. They were using 2 different colors. We looked and decided how it should be done. She and I were chatting away, while her hubby was working. Isn't that the way it is supposed to work ;-) I guess he had taken a few days off work and I asked him how in the world he got talked into painting when deer season opens up the 1st of October. She said shhhhhh!!!! He was wondering the same thing I think, hahahaha!!!!!
Anyways, they got the job done and it turned out really pretty. I stayed for supper and enjoyed a good meal with good friends. What more can you ask for. The only thing that was missing was Ritzy. We talked about how we all need to get together after Ritzy and I return from our trip to Wisconsin when this deployment is over... That is if he ever makes it home from this deployment.
Just today I learned his fly out date from Iraq was pushed back another day ;-(
He should be home in less than 2 weeks. This waiting is for the birds!!!!! Although I am not sure they would like it either.......
The daughter and boyfriend, & my neice & my sister and her hubby went to Tulsa tonite to a Rascal Flatts concert. Hope they had fun ;-)
It's about time to check my email to see if Ritzy has answered, so Ritzywife will catch you later........

You have all heard it...if you don't like it, stick around a while, it's guaranteed to change.
Ritzy was supposed to leave Iraq today and go to Kuwait to wait on the rest of the soldiers in his company til after the 1st of October . Well, his leaving has been pushed back a few days, and now the whole company can all leave together a little sooner. That is better I am assuming, because the sooner they all get to Kuwait the sooner they get to head back to the states......
The son and I had fun this evening......NOT!!!!!! We had to replace the drive belt on the Grasshopper mower. What would have probably taken Ritzy a few minutes took me, the son, and the daughter's boyfriend a couple of hours, but---- WE DID IT!!!!!!
He finished mowing the lawn, thank goodness.
I am really missing Ritzy, and am anxious for his return. I am still confused as to how that is going to play out too. I have heard or seen about 2 or 3 different scenarios about when and exactly where that return is going to happen. Won't know til the last minute, I bet. They better get with it, there is not much time left ;-)
All I know is that when I get the call that he is on his flight to Oklahoma, I am dropping everything and jumping in that new truck and going to meet him!!!!!!!!
They had better look out for that red Ford and the woman behind the wheel, hahahaha!!!!!
Just warning ya!!!
I should be in bed, but like I have stated before, this deployment has me keeping strange hours.
I don't have any running around to do tomorrow, so I guess I can stay up a little later.
I am also waiting on some clothes to dry, and I think I just heard the buzzer ;-)
I am getting ready to check and see if Ritzy has emailed me yet. I sent his earlier. So, Ritzywife will catch you later........

It has been a couple of days since my last post. Thought I better let ya know that I'm still "kickin' ;-)
I was sad to learn of the loss of some of our Oklahoma and Texas soldiers in that helicopter crash in Iraq a couple days ago. Makes me realize Ritzy isn't "safe" until I can see him with my own eyes. He only has a couple of days til he flies out of Iraq and believe me I am gonna be praying that whole time.
I just returned from my sister's house where my niece just cut and colored my hair. It feels wonderful..........ah!!!!!!!
Didn't want any of that gray showing when Ritzy returned ;-)
Not much to report from here lately. Only that the weather has been perfect - cool nights and warm days. I just wish I could open up the house and enjoy it, but because of that wonderful little plant here in Oklahoma called "ragweed" it is impossible for me to do that. I am allergic to it and it gives me fits.
A few years ago I was having a terrible problem around this time of year and my doctor told me to never open up the house this time of year again. I thought I was never going to recover from that attack.
I have another baby shower to attend tomorrow. A cousin and his wife are expecting their first baby......(they don't have a clue as to what they have gotten themselves into, hahaha!!!!)
All I can say is that when I am in a store shopping and I hear those little ones crying and whining I just chuckle to myself and thank God that I am thru with all that!!!!!!!!
I think it is about time for me to go take my bath and get ready for sleep. I still have to email Ritzy. He called this morning and asked what I was doing and I told him I had just gotten out of bed. Wouldn't have been so bad if it had not been after 10:00am. He said "WHAT!?!" I said I know, but I didn't get to bed till 2am. He asked why and I keep telling him that since last October when he left for this deployment, my hours are all mixed up and have not been anything near "normal", whatever that is anymore........ I hope to go to sleep earlier tonite, but who knows???? Anyways Ritzywife is out of here for the night...........hopefully to get some decent rest!

Although it is actually not Fall yet, you can sure feel it in the air here in Oklahoma. It feels wonderful ;-)
We have had clear skies, cool nights and warm to cool days. I love it!!!!!!! Better enjoy it while it lasts tho, you know how fast things can change here in the Sooner State...........
I bought some Fall decorations for my lawn and patio. Haven't had time to put them out yet. Went to town with Mom today. We had to buy baby shower gifts for a cousin. Boy them babies sure are plentiful this year, hahaha!!!!. I know about half a dozen young couples expecting their "little bundles of joy". All I can say to them is enjoy those kiddos before they get old enough to start getting sassy and thinking they know more than you ;-) The time goes way too fast......
Speaking of time. It's a funny thing, it goes way too fast raising your family, but when you have someone gone it seems to drag by. Ritzy's being gone has seemed like an eternity for me. It is just about over tho. He only has a few days left in Iraq, and a couple to three weeks before he should be on the last leg of his trip back home...........I will be elated when I get that phone call that tells me it's time to go pick him up.
I went down to my sister's (Nana's) tonite to see the kids. I never evenmade it in the house before "Sissy" caught me at the door and said: "outside?" I said, sure. That child ran like it was the first time she had ever been outside in her life. She was all over the place. I just let her run that energy out. We stayed out until the mosquitos started having us for dinner. I was leaving and she came to the door and said she was coming home with me and I told her that I didn't think so ;-)
I am about ready to send Ritzy his daily email so I am gonna end the thoughts right here for today..............

Let's see, how do I describe it???? Blah, boring, yuk........yup that will work.......Here in Oklahoma we are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. It was dark, cloudy and rainy all day......What a way to spend a Saturday.....I was so bored I took a nap from 2-5pm. Don't let Ritzy know........Oh yeah, earlier he told me he did the same thing, so he better not say a word ;-)
Right now the son and the future son-in law are in the living room playing Call of Duty.....Just wonderful.....instead of being on the same team they are fighting each other.......and it sounds like they are liking it.....
Looks to be "soupy" tomorrow too. This has been a crazy weather year here in this part of the state. I am almost afraid to see what winter is going to bring.
Ritzy is almost finished with this deployment and ready to begin his trip home. We sure do miss him. I just want to take a moment and thank all of our soldiers and especially our Oklahoma National Guard. We have prayed and thought about you always this past year. Have a safe trip home!!!!!!!
This being Saturday night means I still have to study my Sunday School lesson for tomorrow. I still have to send Ritzy his "daily report"...although there ain't much to report from here today......
Oh, well I guess everybody needs a slow day like this once in a while.
Unless I think of something "wonderful" to write, Ritzywife is out for now ;-)

It's actually early morning. The daughter and I are still up at 1am. She came in here cause she could not get comfortable in her bed. She is still recovering from her surgery. Who knows why I am still up....... It's been this way for the last year, with Ritzy gone on this deployment.
I was making her birthday card when she came in here. I told her she was supposed to be asleep. Well I got the card finished anyways. Her birthday is today September 9.
I was getting kind of hungry but was not going to do anything about it til she said she wanted a piece of key lime pie. I thought that sounded pretty good. So, here we are at 1am in the morning eating pie together. It sure is good.
It is so hard to believe she is 22 years old today. Where did the time go????
Then, I sit here waiting on the end of Ritzy's deployment and time can't go by fast enough......What's with that?????
I sure hope I get to feeling sleepy soon. ( I am sure that pie is not helping , haha!!) I have already emailed Ritzy. I just checked to see if he had answered and I guess he has not had time to email me back.
The weather is supposed to cool off here for tomorrow. Sure can start to feel Fall in the air.........
This year, to me Fall means Ritzy returns home, yea!!!!!!!!!
I really need to get off here and get some rest. Ritzywife will catch you later...........................

The daughter did ok today. She is still in pain from the gas that was pumped in to make it easier for the Dr. to see. I had mom stop and get her some Gas-X . I saw online that it could help, but I was kind of skeptical of it until my sister-in-law called and asked how she was doing and I told her. Her son had the same problem and she said the Gas-X worked for him, so I got off the phone and called mom before she left the grocery store. Her boyfriend just arrived here from working all day. They are now watching the University of Miami and the Florida Gators play football. You see, he is from Florida.........he can't help it ;-) We will let that slide,,, I guess........ He is a pretty good guy.........

Talked to Ritzy today. The time for him to leave Iraq is slowly getting here. Not much longer at all. Just a couple of weeks. Still not sure when they will actually be back in the states, tho.... I don't care, I just want him out of there.......We were talking about our upcoming trip to Wisconsin and how much we are going to enjoy that time together.

This is Saturday nite and that means studying my Sunday School lesson so I will be ready to teach tomorrow. Emailing Ritzy and filling him in on things happening on the homefront. Still have to take that bath, too. I have some paperwork to do for the church business meeting Wednesday nite. I don't know if I will do it tonite or Monday. Sooooooo, Ritzywife is out til next time.................

Today was the day that the daughter had her gall bladder surgery at Tulsa. Had to have her down there at 9:30. Everything went well. The Dr. told me that she is going to feel a LOT better now that that thing is gone. I guess it was inflamed. I told him she had been having trouble for the last 4-5 years. He said he believed me by the way it looked. After returning home, her boyfriend watched her while I had to go to Vinita to get her some pain pills, and a few things for her to eat while she is recuperating.......
She is laying on the couch watching tv right now.
Ritzy called while she was in surgery. He had some good news. He gets to leave Iraq a little sooner than we expected. YIPPEE!!!!!!! I know he still has to wait in Kuwait, but at least he is out of Iraq........
I am going to REST tomorrow!!!! Gonna try anyways, we will see how that goes. The daughter's boyfriend is spending the night and taking care of her, which I think is so sweet. But......he has to work tomorrow and with him gone guess who gets to attend to her "needs". You guessed it.......Mama!!!!!!!!
It was a beautiful day here in NE Oklahoma. It started out pretty foggy tho. Sure was fun driving to Tulsa in that stuff ;-) But by noon it was clear and sunny with a cool breeze. Sumthin' tells me Fall is not too far away!!!
I still have a few things to take care of tonight, like doing a load of laundry, emailing Ritzy, etc....So I am gone for now...................

The remnants of Hurricane Gustav decided to visit the Sooner State today. Made for a soupy day outside. Cooler temperatures too!!!
I was telling the daughter's boyfriend that the change in our weather right now is ususally what Ritzy and I experience when we go visit his family in Wisconsin this time of year.
My sister and I went to Tulsa with Mom. She had a Dr's appointment. After that we ate lunch at Pizza Hut, then we went to the hospital to visit our cousin. He seemed to be doing ok. We left there and were on our way home.
On Wednesday's I ususally don't fix supper because there isn't time to clean up the kitchen before church. But............the daughter asked if I had the "stuff" for chili. I said I would look. Somehow I ended up making a pot of chili before church. Didn't even eat any myself. The kids said it was good tho.......
I am sitting here eating cheese and crackers for my supper ;-)
Ritzy called just as we were pulling into the Pizza Hut parking lot. I went into the building talking on the phone. I filled my salad bowl while talking. Told the waitress I wanted tea, while talking......Mom explained to her that I was on the phone with my hubby who is in Iraq. The waitress was so nice, she brought me tea without me asking, a to-go cup and a box to take home some food because mom and the sister were finished by the time I got off the phone. They told me to go ahead and finish my lunch, so I did. I grabbed my ticket and mom was looking for it, I told her I had it and she told me to give it up..........almost 50 and still gotta obey the parents. guess you never outgrow that, huh???
Anyway as we were at the counter, that waitress told me they were thankful for our soldiers, she also told me that when Ritzy gets home that we could come in there and the meal would be free. That just made my day. It is so good to see people recognize and appreciate what our military families are going thru.
I have one more day of "rest" before the daughters gall bladder surgery Friday. I better enjoy the peace and quiet tomorrow, hahaha!!!!!!!
I still have to send Ritzy his daily "report" , so Ritzywife is out for now.............

Ritzy sent me 4 letters today. This was in one of them. You see, some of the friends and relatives have sent him something to do to "de-stress" him. This picture is especially cute in the fact that he loves to cut wood, and I am sure he can hardly wait to get back and hear the hummmmmm of his chainsaws again.

I was needing a smile today because I was thinking that this being the 2nd of September means that it has been 8 months since I last saw Ritzy. I said good-bye to him on January 2nd, after his 10 day break from training. It was an unusual good-bye. Had to take him to Tulsa at 7am to catch a bus, They were all hurried into a place and I didn't see him again. I didn't even know which bus he left on. Let's just say that was NOT a good day....... It still makes me cry to think about it......He has one more month left of this deployment. I sit and wonder every day how in the world I am going to make it and can't really tell you how I have made it this long. It has not got any easier. I have just shut the feelings down I guess, because sometimes now I just don't or can't feel the way I normally would about different circumstances... To some I may sound weak. Maybe I am, who knows, but I am not going to say everything's been rosy when it hasn't.

Ritzy has had a hard time getting his sleep for some reason, and that has been on my mind a lot too.

I left earlier and just about forgot to finish ;-)

I have sent Ritzy his email, tho I might check to see if he has answered. You see his day is just starting as mine is ending. Dealing with the time difference is not easy to get used to.

I fixed Dorito Casserole tonite, the daughter and her boyfriend were just fine with it, but that son just had to ask what was in it. I told him and he about had a fit when he learned there was cream of mushroom soup in it. Guess he doesn't like the mushrooms. Well he can pick them out or fix his own supper!!!! I think he ate them anyways. One of these days he will move away and realize he had it made with "Mama's" home cookin'..........................

I have to get up fairly early in the morning, I have some running around with my Mom and Sister to do. Better get the hair fixed and the "face paint" on so I don't scare anyone with the natural "beauty"! hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

I am outta here.........for now

I hope everyone had a good Labor Day. My mom and dad had a cookout at their house like we always do. It was the last one of the summer. Tho, sometimes we get to craving barbecue later in the fall. Ritzy called just before it was time to eat. It was good to hear his voice. I sure do miss him, especially during a holiday like today. I sit and think about what we would be doing and it makes me sad that he isn't here to enjoy the day with the rest of the family. I guess I was so melancholy today that I had my mom worried. She called later this afternoon and asked if something was wrong because I did not eat in the house with everyone else. (Me, my dad, a nephew and "Sissy" ate outside). To me if you are eating barbecue, you need to be outside ;-)
Anyways, I told her nothing was wrong in particular, I was just missing Ritzy, plus I was outside so Sissy could have someone watching her as she played. The whole day has just been so-so.
I came home around 2 and laid on my bed till 5, mainly cause I was bored.
I got up and went up to mom and dad's to get a fan and chair I had left up there and to help mom clean up the carport. Afterward I asked her if she wanted to go to the sister's with me. We went down there to play with the little ones for a while and left around 7:30.
The daughter is in here now cooking mexican food. It sure smells good, I may have to try it out.........hope she fixed enough ;-)
Gee, I am looking out the window and it is already dark at 8:12pm. I like the long summer days, usually, but this summer I have just been waiting for them to end so Fall could get her and the time would finally come for our Oklahoma troops to return from their deployment.
I don't have much to do this week.
I hope I can get some sleep tonite after doing all that "resting" this afternoon.
I think I am gonna get off here and try some of the daughter's cooking.
Ritzywife is outta here for now.

Sorry there is no picture. The kids ate it up as fast as I could get it out of the oven. The son, daughter, daughter's boyfriend, and neice were here tonite for supper. I have been telling the daughter's boyfriend that I could actually make homemade lasagna, so today I bought the ingredients so I could make it tonite. It sure was good..........Sure beats Stouffer's ;-)
I have had a pretty busy day. Had to run to Vinita to do some business, came home and started supper. But, before going to town I waited on Ritzy's call so I would not be distracted when talking to him. I sure do miss him, and this waiting is so hard.
Tonight after supper I had some business to take care of for the church, then get all my bills paid for the month. That is a job in itself.........
I have to go buy groceries tomorrow,,oh joy!!!!! NOT!!!!!
I think that is my least favorite housekeeping job, ranks right up (or down) there with cleaning the toilets ;-)
The son mowed the lawns tonight, they look good.......Boy, this week the heat has returned to Oklahoma.........As far as I am concerned it can just go back to where it came from. I am ready for some cooler weather...........
All my friends can't believe it when I tell them that I keep it at around 65 degrees in the house all the time. I say: What's the use of having an air conditioner if you aren't going to use it????
I think I about freeze the kid's friends and cousins out of here.....................which could be my plan in the first place...I'll never tell ;-)
I can finally count on one hand the number of weeks Ritzy has left in Iraq. I guess that should make me feel better, but, sometimes I still think that this is never going to end.
I still haven't emailed him yet, so I guess it's time to depart here and email my husband and fill him in on what happened in this part of the world today.
I'm outta here for now........

I finally had time to take a picture of that cover we put on my truck. It was fairly easy. Only took about an hour. I emailed this picture to Ritzy so he could see it also.

Had a pretty busy day today. A friend asked me to tag along while she did some running around in Bartlesville. We ate at at mexican cafe for lunch. The daughter's "boyfriend" joined us. I told him that I had to hand it to him wanting to eat lunch with two old women ;-) He works just across the road from where we were eating.

After eating we had to do some more running around and then stopped at the grocery store ( which had a Starbucks in it). I tried one of the blended frappucinos. Wow!!! It sure was good......

I finally got home around 4:45 pm. I fixed bacon, eggs and pancakes for supper. It was just me and the son. The daughter had to work late. Her boyfriend came out and I fixed him the same thing to eat..........The daughter just got home (10:30pm) and we are eating some Key Lime Pie...Yumm!!!!!!! Hope I am able to fall asleep ;-)

Ritzy called today while I was running around, he didn't sound too good. I asked what was wrong and he said that he has not been able to sleep during the night. It is really a stressful situation over there for all our soldiers. I just keep counting down the days until he and the rest of our Oklahoma National Guard soldiers are able to leave Iraq.......I miss him so much!!!!!

Speaking of Ritzy, I better leave here so I can send him that daily message from home. After all that running today I am about ready to "hit the sack"..............

Ritzywife is out for now............................................

The day started out ok I guess. Ritzy called and we were talking, I told him that me and the son were going to go outside and work on the drain for the washing machine line.
He was talking and said: "By the way, on those pictures you sent of your truck I noticed the trash cans in the garage were a little full." Leave it to Ritzy to notice the trash cans instead of the new truck!!!!!! ;-)
I told him it was kind of funny he mentioned that because me and the son were going to clean out the garage after fixing the drain line. So, don't worry your poor little head about it, Ritzy, hahaha!!!!
I even took pictures to email Ritzy to "prove" that we cleaned ;-)
We started on the drain around 11 this morning, got that finished, started on the garage which we finished cleaning at 4 pm this afternoon. The only break was about 30 minutes for lunch. I noticed the guy at the store was smoking ribs today so I went over there and bought a rib dinner for each of us. Was pretty good!!!!
We got 4 vehicles in that garage right now and there is probably room for 2 more. It's a big one.
Was a pretty productive Saturday around here, and my poor body is feeling it now. I was so dirty that I washed my hair and took my bath at 6 this evening. It felt soooooo good to get all that junk washed off!!!!
The daughter was inside cooking supper. Lasagna and garlic bread. She did a very good job.
The son is now outside shooting some fireworks we found in the garage, and the daughter and a neice and the daughter's very good friend (I'll put it that way) are in the living room watching NASCAR. ((((B O R I N G !!!!!!!!))))
I have told the daughter's friend that he will never get me interested in racing. hahahaha!!!!!!!
Ritzy is missing out on all this fun stuff happening. I sure miss him when things like this need to be taken care of.....
We have managed to get by so far with his being gone, although it has not been easy. But,,,, I keep telling myself - only a few more weeks to go.
It looks as if I get the pleasure of cleaning the kitchen tonite, don't think I am gonna be able to pry those young adults away from that race.......
I still have to send Ritzy those pictures, clean my kitchen and study my Sunday School Lesson for tomorrow so, Ritzywife is out for now.......

It has been pretty "gloomy" here in this part of Oklahoma the past few days. Toward late afternoon the sun finally showed itself. It's about time. I hate cloudy days......
Yesterday on top of it being cloudy, Ritzy called and before we could end our conversation their phone system went down. That makes for a "sad" feeling the rest of the day when that happens. I do not like not getting to tell Ritzy that I love him and to take care and have a good night......
Thank goodness he was able to call today. He has had some rough days this past week. I always pray for and think about him.
The son got home from work tonite, I just about had supper ready and he said he was going to mow tonight. It is 8:50pm and he just came inside. He had just gotten started, I heard the lawnmower pull up to the back door and he came in . It seems a wasp had just stung him. I mixed up some baking soda and water and put it on the sting, covered it with a bandage and he went back outside. He said gee, it's been a long time since he'd been stung ;-)
I don't care how old a person is, it still hurts !!YEOW!!
That brother-in-law has gotten stung by red wasps and bees this year. The wasps are trying to take up residence on his house and he was in the hayfield when the bees got him. !!!!!OUCH!!!!!!
I guess I had better get some spray and try to show those darn wasps they are not welcome at my house. hahaha!!!!
I got out there and used the weed-eater and leaf blower. I cut some low-hanging limbs so they would not be in the son's way. It wasn't too bad outside. We have had some pretty decent weather the past couple weeks here in Northeast Oklahoma, can't complain..
I feel bad when Ritzy tells me how hot it is over there ;-(
These days waiting for this deployment to be over are going by soooooooooooooo slow!!!!
I miss Ritzy!!!!!!!
I still have to email him so I better go for now.....hope to see more of that sunshine tomorrow........

Today was kind of a rough day. Ritzy's call came a lot later than expected. I was beginning to think the phones were down again. He finally called tho, seems he was having to deal with some problems in his work. It was good to talk to him. I miss him so much.......
When the daughter brought in the mail there were about 8 letters from Ritzy. I opened them and "this" one was the last one I read. Sure brought a smile to my face ;-)
Also in that "bunch" of letters there was one that I had sent to him the middle of July that was returned. I kept asking him if he received it and he kept telling me that he had not. Well, today I found out why. I don't know what the problem was, I used the same address that I have sent all his mail to since he has been gone. Somebody was not doing their job that day. Makes me kind of mad, because these soldiers are waiting on anything they can get from home and to see that the address was correct and it still get sent back is kind of irritating! Well, he got it anyways cause I scanned the envelope and letter and emailed them to him.........
The daughter came home and cooked supper tonight. She is pretty good at it. Her and a friend cooked outside. I told her friend that I'm gonna have to tell Ritzy that I have forgotton how to cook since he has been gone ;-)
If only that would work...........don't think I will get out of it that easy.......
About 6 more weeks of this waiting. Sometimes I get to thinking it will never be over......
That's about it for now, I still have to send Ritzy that email...........................

The daughter bought her a new truck yesterday. Nice, huh??? She had better like it cause she gonna have it for a while. ;-) You will notice Ritzy's "farm truck - 'little red'". He has had that truck since 1996 when he bought it new. I don't think he will ever part with it. He will drive his Ford when he wants but he likes driving the little nissan.
The daughter has hit a deer with it, run it off in the ditch when there were snowy roads and it has still survived.
She told me something interesting today: "you know mom, when you are paying for your own vehicle you look at it different, makes you care about it more" I said, ya think?????"now do you understand why I was concerned about you driving my car these past 3 years. she finally gets it.........

I saw something yesterday on my way home from town and..... No, I don't have a picture of it.....As I was driving home from town yesterday, I noticed an older Ford truck with it's hood up parked beside the highway about 1/2 mile away. There was a car parked behind it. Just as I was getting closer all of a sudden the motor shoots out fire and a big fireball goes to the side toward the ditch and another one shoots out in front of the truck. There were 2 people that I could see get out. I slowed way down and just about the time I got to the truck the smoke was so thick you could not see. It looked as if everyone was ok. I called 911 and asked if anyone called it in and they had not. I did not stick around to see what happened after that. I was sure wishing I had that camera on me. Where is that darn thing when you need it???????? Guess a person needs to carry one all the time. Of course I have the one on my phone, but I am just beginning to know how to use it after having it for nearly a year ;-)

Ritzy called this morning. He has been cut to 8 hour shifts for the remainder of this deployment. I asked if he was going to get bored and he just laughed.....This is to allow the replacements to start learning and doing their job.

I had a LOT of running to do yesterday, which means I am doing NOTHING today......which is fine by me.
Just sitting here watching people come and go at the convenience store across the road. There are a lot of boats being taken to the lake today.
I like watching people, they are fun or funny to watch..........whichever way you want to put it.
I guess that's all for now, I still have to send Ritzy his daily email. Gee, this time waiting for him to finish this deployment is going by so slow!!!!!!!

Here in this part of the state, today was a pretty depressing day. It was either moderately raining or misting ALL day.......I hate days like that. I never even stepped outside today.
I guess I ought to be thankful becuase it is August in Okahoma and most people know that August is our harshest month of the summer. We have had a break in the weather and the highs have stayed below 80 for the past few days. During August our temperature is ususally 100 degrees or above.
The rain sure has made the grass green back up....
Not much to do today. Got a couple of letters from Ritzy. He actually wrote them on our anniversary. It is always so nice to get a letter from Hubby. I love to see his handwriting and know that he took the time to write me a note.
I am now watching his Green Bay Packers on ESPN play a pre-season game. If I stay up til it is over I will email him the score. You see, he grew up about 45 miles south of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He came to Oklahoma when he was about 22 years old. He will always be a Packer Fan even tho he has now spent most of his life in Oklahoma ;-)
Wisconsin is where we are headed as soon as he is released from this deployment. I am so looking forward to that trip...........
I am an Okie girl but I want to get out of here with Ritzy and just spend some time alone, away from everyone, including our own kids. I love them as much as a Mother could, but I want to get away with Ritzy and everything that reminds me of the past 12 months of this deployment!!!!!
I have 2 neices that could deliver babies while I am gone, but they will be here when we return....
Even tho we are staying with Ritzy's parents, I have said before it is like we are alone because they have their own schedule and we just come and go as we please.
Uh-oh I see the other team just scored again and Ritzy's Packers are trailing 20-10.
They better get with it!!
I am going to try to get to bed earlier tonite. I have been actually getting sleepier a lot earlier than I was a few weeks ago. I am thankful for that. It used to be 1 or 2 in the morning before I would even get sleepy.
Early in the morning, before sunrise is the best time to view the Perseid Meteor Shower. I usually go out and look, but it looks like it is going to be too cloudy this year...
Yea, the Packers scored a touchdown & extra point!!!!!!!!!! 20-17
I guess this is all I have for now, til tomorrow.........

This is one weekend I am glad to see come to an end. To start with I had a "Reintegration Meeting" to attend at Tulsa on Saturday. This is for families of returning troops .That went well and it provided a lot of helpful information. I had a birthday party to attend after the meeting, which I did. Had a good time.......
The night went pretty well, had some thunderstorms move thru the area. Only got about 4-5 inches of rain ;-)
After all that, later I noticed the air in the house was not feeling cool, so I go to the air conditioner unit outside and see that it is just buzzing. Keeps tripping breaker too, which is not good.... Wonderful.................
I get the son out there and look at it and we try to figure out what is going on. Can't find the problem, so I call my dad, the heat & air guy, and he tells us that the compressor or capacitor is bad, which means it will be Sunday before it can be fixed. Let's just say I did not sleep very good saturday nite. Sunday after church my brother-in-law finds out there is just a loose wire, thank goodness, and takes less than 5 minutes to fix it. I was so relieved. That air conditioner is working very well tonite. Gonna get some good sleep tonite.......if I ever get to bed, that is.....
I still have to email Ritzy, so I am outta her for now.....................

I just finished my phone call with hubby. It is so hard to think about what you want to say when you know there is a time limit on the call. I wonder- "did I say everything that needed to be said?" Hanging up or ending the call is one of the hardest things I have to deal every time I talk to Ritzy during this deployment. We say our "I Love You's" , "Have a good day/good night".........but I always wonder if I forgot to say something important.......

Like I have already said, this deployment is about to "eat my lunch"!!!!!!

A "very good" friend of the daughers's is having a "port" taken out today. My thoughts are with him also. He found out he had cancer last year before Christmas, but Praise God , after surgery and chemotherapy the cancer is gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The daughter and he are very close, which is fine with me. He is a fine young man.

We treat him like family, which in this family means he gets teased and laughed at...We believe in having fun.................I warned him that we were "crazy" and liked to have fun......He said that was just fine with him. I told him that if he didn't get "ribbed" he should be worried.

He just blends right in ;-)

Our church supper is tonite and I have to start preparing something for that pretty soon.

Guess I need to grab a bite for lunch too.

Well. I got thru the day, went to church. Fixed beans and cornbread. One lady at church said that she liked chocolate cake with her beans, so I fixed a chocolate cake also. She was sitting beside me tonite eating her cake and beans and told me I ought to try it. I told her that it just didn't look right to be eating anything but cornbread with my beans. Maybe another time.......
I don't care for chocolate cake anyways, maybe that's the reason I could not picture eating that with my beans. Who knows????

I have sent Ritzy his daily email and I am about ready to check to see if he has returned a message. After that I am going to bed. I getting tired.
Have a couple of errands to run tomorrow.

The daughter has to be at work at 4 in the morning. YUK!!!!!!! That's still the middle of the night to me. She went to bed early, hope she gets some rest. The good thing is she gets off work at noon.
I do not like getting up before the sun rises. There ought to be some kind of law against that ;-)
I am outta here for now, we'll see what tomorrow brings..........................

Yup, that pretty much describes how I am feeling these days. The countdown is on for the end of Ritzy's deployment. I have about had it. I can't begin to imagine how Ritzy feels....
I just want this to be OVER!!!!!!
I have been pretty busy the past few days... Went to town today to buy "Sissy's" Birthday present. She will be 3 tomorrow, but her party isn't until Saturday at Nana's. She wanted a tent, so of course that's what I got her. Got her a little rocking chair that sits low to the ground so she can sit in it and play that DS that her Nana is getting her. I already warned big brother that his skinny little butt had better stay out of the chair ;-)
I have a "yellow ribbon" reintegration meeting to attend Saturday before the birthday party, so that means my Saturday is pretty well filled. Supposed to be at the meeting at 9 and it is over at 3. Sissy's party starts at 6. Whew!!!!!!!
Back to the way I have been feeling......one minute I'm thinking gee, only a few more weeks til Ritzy leaves Iraq, and the next minute I wonder if the date will ever get here!!!!!! This goes on every day, all day long.......The range of emotions I am going thru is about to wear me out........You would think I would have it under control by now, but I have to say I have never had "it" under control. Only God has gottten me thru this.........plus going to see that great-neice and great-nephew ;-)
I have been trying to get to bed earlier, at least before midnight, and it has worked a couple of times. This hot weather isn't helping anything either.......I almost feel like I don't have the right to complain about the hot weather here in Oklahoma when it is only 120-130 degrees where our soldiers are.
Ritzy was telling me today that he is tired of being hot, and he ready to come home..... I sure do miss him ;-(
It is 10 pm and the daughter is in here cooking brownies.....these kids sure keep strange hours. She even has to go to work in the morning. She and a friend just got thru eating a steak dinner. I would just have to plan on staying up all night if I ate something like that this late at night...hahaha!!!
I must say that those brownies sure are smelling good.......
I went up to my parent's house tonite and Dad was at the door when I came in and told me I needed to take that new truck back to town to get a trailer hitch put on it so it could be used to haul hay...........sorry, Dad......not with my new truck. ....he was laughing when he said it ;-)
The first "job" this truck is going to do is get Ritzy and I to Wisconsin after he returns home. I am so looking forward to that trip.......I love my kids and family, but I can't wait to get away with Ritzy so we can just enjoy one another's company ...............
I still have to send Ritzy that daily "report"...... so I'm outta here.......................

Well, here is a little bit better picture of that truck. I emailed this one to Ritzy earlier. This was taken after I unloaded groceries, (a job which I do not like)...Notice the step......that nephew's dad was too busy so I called my brother today and asked if he could put them on for me. As you can see, he did. I told him it was not going to be fun getting in and out of the truck at church tomorrow without those steps. hummmmmm, maybe short people should not buy trucks???

NOT!!!!! After driving Ritzy's truck for the last year, I knew that's what I wanted. I bought me some of those whistles that are supposed to keep the deer from running in front of you. I guess I will see if they really work. I was driving down to my sister's yesterday evening and a small deer just about jumped in the road. Thank goodness it stayed in the ditch, I was going slow and looking out for them. We see one just about every time we drive down there. The daughter actually hit one a couple of years ago in the middle of the day. It jumped out in front of her while she was driving the 1996 Nissan. Messed up the truck, but we fixed it. Have to really be careful around here........

Gee, it sure was hot today. I was just standing and watching my brother and I was sweating. He had a fan blowing on him, so it was at least bearable.

Ritzy called just as my brother was finishing, the brother said let's go inside cause it was too hot to just be standing out there, so for our 30 minute call I was at least in a cool house........told Ritzy that the humidity here is terrible. We said our good-byes and I left for Vinita to buy my groceries. Did not get home til around 4pm. It's been so busy around here the past few days, I am ready for a little break. The only thing is: that when things slow down, I start thinking about and missing Ritzy more. Wish I could find some "neutral" ground. hahaha!!!! I am beginning to think there is no such thing.

I still have to study my lesson so I am prepared to "teach" my class in the morning. Still have to email Ritzy.

I'm outta here for now!