Family Photos

We had these pictures taken a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share them. These are some of my favorites!

It was about 30 degrees outside. A frosty (literally) Saturday morning. The kids were so cold...snuggling here! But such great sports!

This is another of my absolute favorites. My oldest and youngest. What a size difference!!! They were both the same size at birth...if you can imagine!

My kids. I think it's funny that they are ranked by age AND tallest to shortest. Even the twins...Connor is 8 minutes older and just an inch taller! They are both taller than me now, Sammi is well on her way!

Here's Cass...he does smile, I promise. In fact, I had him laughing hard but he covers his face and won't let the camera catch it. Still, this is a great picture of him!Now Connor. Connor will be 14 in February. Such a handsome kid! Seriously in need of a haircut, though!Keegan looks like a model here! You can't tell in this picture but it was so cold that Keegan's nose was like Rudolph! He put his jacket on because it was cold and I think it looked pretty good!I posted this picture of Samantha on my Facebook site and everyone that commented on it said she looks just like me! I'm not sure that's a compliment for her, but it sure is one for me!

Cecilia will be 9 at the end of January. Such a pretty girl!

And here's the family! It was an awesome day and we got some awesome photos!!!

Presidential Visit!

President George W. Bush visited Fort Campbell on Tuesday, November 25, 2008. I was lucky enough to get to go!!! My friend, Merideth, and I were able to work our way right up to the front barriers and a female soldier said that they weren't allowing any 'civilians' in the area, only soldiers. Well, anyone who knows me knows that one of my soapbox issues is that without supportive families taking care of things at home, soldiers wouldn't be able to focus on their jobs. We are just as much a part of the Army as the soldiers! I turned to Merideth and said that if they came to ask us to move I would not go quietly so if she didn't want to get in trouble she might just want to walk away! We moved back to about the third row of soldiers, still in great view of the President's podium, but not so high profile. Nobody bothered us.

The President talked about the great things the Screaming Eagles have done and commented that the thing he'd miss the most as he left office was his visits with the troops. It really was very cool! I've posted pics here...the last one is Air Force 1!!!

Woo Hoo!!!!

Hooray! We finally have John home!! He arrived yesterday morning (Nov 18) at about 9:00 AM. We waited for them to get into formation and be marched into the hangar. A General spoke for about 2 minutes (honestly can't tell you one word he said!) and then we got to see John for about 20 minutes.

Funny thing, I really thought I was cool with this. I mean, I was excited but thought I was ok. As soon as he started coming up those bleachers towards me, I lost it! I started crying and just couldn't stop. The emotion of the whole thing can just be seriously overwhelming.

Anyway, after we got to see him for aminute we had to let him go again. We went to the dining facility for about 2 hours and waited for him to finish what he had to do with the company. He called at 12:15 to say he was ready and FINALLY we got him back!!!

I can imagine he is probably overwhelmed. For 14 months he hasn't heard little kids talking and then one day he comes home and they all want to tell him everything that's happened while he's been gone. Plus, he had a fever yesterday and has the flu or some other bug. He fell asleep at 7 or so and then woke up at midnight. We stayed up talking until 1:30 and then went back to sleep. I had to be up early to take Keegan to Vanderbilt for an endoscopy but John was up before me!

There will be some adjustment period as everyone falls back into their roles, but we are sooooo happy to have him back with us again!!!

Thanks to everyone for their love and prayers and well wishes while he's been away!

John!!!!!

FINALLY!!! They have actually posted a manifest for flights! Of course, this can (and if anything like the last week, will) change at any time. But, for now, I actually have something in PRINT that says he'll be here at 8:40 on Tuesday morning. This changed from yesterday when we were expecting them on Monday. I'm tired of the changes but think it will finally be over soon!



I took the Jeep to get it detailed today. Yeah, no detailing shops are open today. Must be Sunday or something?? So, I went to the $3 car wash with free vacuums. I paid for the big'un! $10!!! Went to vacuum and the angle of the nozzle makes it impossible to get into the nooks and crannies. The hose isn't long enough to reach the back. AND the ENTIRE back of the Jeep looks like I drove down a muddy gravel road going 40 MPH in 4-wheel drive yesterday...cuz I did...but still, shoulda cleaned it, right? Nope. The window is even still smeared with mud! But we got it vacuumed a bit and now when I take it tomorrow to get it detailed they won't think I am a complete pig because I got the bulk of the french fries and MCDonald's evidence out!



My friend from work, Brandy, went with me. We worked so hard yesterday that we decided we needed a treat. So we went to get pedicures after we got the Jeep partially washed. She was laughing saying that the parts that were clean were really really clean...ha ha...but the pedi's were MUCH needed after running yesterday for 14 hours. Then we went to the PX to do some shopping. Then we went to the mall to return some stuff and to Rafferty's to eat. I had a filet called the Jackson Hole filet! How cool is that! I actually said, after taking a bite, that it really tastes like Jackson Hole!



Meanwhile, you have to know that today, while it was cold, it was still about 10 degrees warmer, not windy, and very sunny. Of course it was. The day AFTER I needed nice weather...argh!



This video is from when they introduced me and the others in the office at the ceremony yesterday. I only post this because I think I don't look horrid and fat in this particular video and when that happens I have to share it. It's the only time anyone gets to see photos or videos of me!

Ribbon Cutting!

Saturday was the Ribbon Cutting and grand opening concert for the Viceroy Performing Arts Center. This is the new amphitheater that was built by Oak Grove Tourism. I spent months planning this event and trying to make sure everythin was perfect. I had plaques made for several of our supporters: Fort Campbell, the City of Oak Grove, Christian County, and the architect, Brad Martin. I had 3 opening acts play who were all really fantastic. And the headliner was one of my favorite, favorite artists! Aaron Tippin!!!

I left the house just before 7 AM to go get some portable heaters and pick up a van I had rented to carry around Aaron's band as needed. Then to the park by about 8:30 to start working. Meanwhile, we had all been at the park from noon until 5 on Friday setting up tents and getting things prepared. The bands started arriving at about 8:45, first Tippin's bus and then about noon the openers showed up to do sound checks. We had a VIP tent set up, catering brought in, food vendors and a beer tent. We also had inflatables (like a moon walk) set up for the kids. The whole project cost my budget just over $40K. It was fantastic. Well organized and executed. The problem was, the weather decided that after being in the 60's and even 70's for the past weeks, it was going to drop to the mid-40's, rain all day, and have 25-30 mph winds blowing. It was a miserable day!!

As you can imagine, the stage is newly constructed so we have new baby grass growing in lots of places, some places have straw covering the ground and some places just have dirt. Well, yesterday it was like a 4-wheeler's dream. I had mud up to the middle of my shins just from running around yesterday. I went from one side of the park to the other in a constant sprint. The only down time we took was when Aaron was on stage. Then, we stood on the stairs next to the stage and watched a few of his songs. We didn't get to stay long, the guys showed up to take down the VIP tent and we had to get the rope lighting and hors d'oeurves out that we had set up.

I have learned that there are things I cannot control. The weather is obviously one of them. I can do a lot of things. I can plan an event so that it is executed perfectly, I can make sure all the right people are invited, I can squeeze and maneuver my budget so everything works, and I can bust my butt to make sure it all goes smoothly (or bumps get addressed quickly) on the day of the event. However, 40-degree weather keeps people home. No matter what their intentions, no matter how much they wanted to come or planned to come, when it's freezing outside they stay home. We had expected about 45 in our VIP tent. We might have had 20. We had phone call after phone call about the concert, from Louisville even! We expected 2-3,000 to show. It was, after all, FREE to the public and was a welcome home concert to the soldiers as they are returning home from lengthy deployments. We had 100 people there...maybe 200 for Aaron's show, but that's a stretch. For the openers there might have been 20. It was awful. I felt so bad. But, again, I can't make people come and I can't change the weather.

Next summer...get ready for some great shows and WARM weather!

The video here is me singing the National Anthem during the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. COL Swope, Garrison Commander, Fort Campbell, actually gave me a coin for it! Enjoy!

Lazy days and Tuesdays always get me down...

Oh, wait, that's not what I meant to say! It's rainy days and Mondays, right? Well, today is Tuesday, it's raining, and I have been COMPLETELY lazy. I woke up 3 hours ago and only got out of bed to let the dogs out. Pathetic. My darling is coming home to me soon and I have to get up and get the house in shape. I wish I could drag my arse out of bed!!

Funny thing, I work better under pressure. If I wait until the last minute then I will panic and get my house the cleanest it's ever been. The problem is, I have this big concert that I have been planning coming up on Saturday. I will be working from 7 AM until probably 10 PM. And...I think John may be coming in on Sunday. Nothing official yet, but according to the new timelines I think that's a distinct possibility. So...figure this...I have to work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I have the big event (Aaron Tippin!!!!!) on Saturday. All day is an understatement. And then John home Sunday. If I do not clean today, when will I be able to? All that working under pressure needs to start today because this is my LAST DAY!!

Freaking out.

Meanwhile I got a fabulous new purse after much lengthy searching. That may not be a big deal to many but I am uber picky...I got one from HSN and sent it back immediately. I peruse them at the malls and the discount stores. I hunt on eBay. This process has been going on for about 2 months now while I have looked for a new one. The one I got is from HSN and is a pebbled leather hobo. I had to watch the video because I have to make sure there aren't any dividers inside (hate that!) and that it opens wide enough. I hate trying to shove stuff into a purse that you can't pry open. I realize these are odd things, but it's how my mind works. Scary, huh?

OK...gotta go find my excedrin and take my zillion pills I have to take. Can you tell I haven't taken my ADD meds today? HAHAHAHA!!

Halloween and Spirit Week

I was a bit delayed because I lost the cord to my new camera about a week after I got it. It's around somewhere but meanwhile Kodak made another $30 off me...

Cecilia had spirit week and the final day they had a read in. They were allowed to dress up as a character from a book. It was the week before Halloween and they weren't allowed to just dress in random costumes...that's all out of the question these days. No more school parties. They are allowed 3 per year. So this is a way of having a party but making it educational sort of.

With Cili's red hair I couldn't help but suggest Pippi Longstocking. She was all for it. Love these pictures of her!!! She's here with her friend Morgan who was Ashley Tisdale. Next, Halloween. Cecilia was Scarlett O'Hara (gee, her mother's influence? never!) and Samantha was a "punk" girl.Cili's friend Morgan was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. It was funny, Cili said, "She's Belle and I'm a Southern Belle!"

Sammi is 12 and some of her friends were dressed in the most seductive trash I have ever seen. I told her that I was happy she didn't ask because I'd have to be dead for her to wear some of that stuff. Check out the pic with her and her friend and you'll see. This friend won't be 12 until next summer...yeah, seriously, 11 years old...what mom would??? It was Sammi's last year trick or treating. We had fun. Cass passed out candy to the kids in his Naruto costume and then put on the Michael Myers costume my neighbor had and made me about pee my pants when he walked out from behind a truck. I was at my friend's house and we watched him all night just standing still and scaring the crap out of people. At one point we heard a herd of kids running and screaming. There were about 12 kids running from the park and here came Cass in the costume just walking through the park. He was slow and he never said a word but it sure had the effect!!! He was truly in his element...kind of scary...

Countdown...and perspective

Wow, I just typed an enormously long blog and somehow deleted the whole thing.

Here's the Reader's Digest Condensed version...

John should be home sometime between the 12th and 16th of November. I have a big concert I am planning at work on the 15th of November. Aaron Tippin (!!!!!) will be the headliner for that. Murphy's Law says that John will be home in the middle of the day on the 15th! I'm hoping for ANY of the days before that!

I was griping about how Burger King shortened their hours when the soldiers left. I guess they somehow forget that there are thousands of families still on post who want to get breakfast...and that led to griping about waiting at the pharmacy and grocery store because soldiers get head of line privileges. No matter how long you've waited. That led to something about how if I am not taking care of myself, can't get medicine, for example, or am not here taking care of the home and family then the soldier who gets that privilege wouldn't be able to do his job as well. My husband couldn't focus on his mission and coming home safely if he was constantly having to worry about all the family business that I take care of. So, while I am grateful for the soldiers and know that if it weren't for the Army we wouldn't be here, living here, at all, I think that sometimes they forget that we are also important.

That said, I have been frustrated with the kids lately and seem to have lost my own perspective. As much as I get overwhelmed by the whole idea of having to do everything on my own, I have forgotten that John has missed it all. I complain about dumb things they do but John hasn't gotten to be here for the good or the bad. He missed Connor pitching for the first time. He missed Sammi making the A/B honor roll for her first quarter of middle school. He has missed Cili moving into the very big girl world of 3rd grade. He has missed Keegan learning new tricks on his skateboard. He has missed Cass starting the 11th grade and his goofy sense of humor. And we miss him, too. So, while I cry for a break from the 24/7 of it all, I need to remember that John aches for just a moment with them...

So, if that was the condensed version, I guess we should be happy I accidentally deleted the whole other blog...ha!

I Like Cookies I Like Milk

I Love you O'Keefe Family-I'll be home for Christmas

Cash or time?

I worked 9 hours on Saturday. Acutally, work is an understatement! I busted my arse! By the time the event was over we were all saying that if it were to last one more hour we'd all pass out. It was truly the very end of my limits. It was hot, windy (thanks, Ike), and a blast!

So...because I worked the hours I get overtime.

My boss is fantastic about letting me either take some time immediately or bank the hours and use them when I need them. Or, I could have taken the overtime. I started thinking that I had to get something for John to the Post Office, Sammi was home sick, the house was a wreck, all that junk. I was weighing the options...money or time??? While it would have been close to $200 I decided that time was worth more. So I took off time yesterday and I'm going in late today to make up the 9 hours. I got my girly a grilled cheese sandwich because she was craving one. I can't do that from work. I got John's boonie cap mailed (only to learn he also needs patrol caps!). I met my friend for lunch. I washed dishes (ugh). I played on the computer. I talked to my husband for almost 2 hours. All of that (besides the dishes which someone should have to pay me to do) is worth way more than the extra money in the paycheck. That stuff that gets put off because you have to be away during the day. Cili had strep last week and I couldn't stay home with her. That was hard for me. It was nice to be able to have yesterday to be available for Sammi.

I found out last week that Troy University has an International Relations graduate program...I'm thinking really hard about that one!! Maybe I'll just find a law school wherever we end up next...

I guess this is the easiest way...

Well I suppose this really is the easiest way to get info out, huh?

Where to start...I had my first event as the event planner for Oak Grove Tourism (http://www.oakgroveky-tourism.com/) on Saturday. The job is awesome! We had a company called Boogie Bodies on site. They do this thing where they put your head on dancing bodies. You pick the song, the music plays, and when you see yourself it's your head on a fabulous dancing bod. Cecilia and her 2 friends were there and we wanted to do this. I made them get in line and told them when they were close to the front I'd join them. I had to work so I couldn't wait for 2 hours in line with them!

Anyway, we got the DVD and I wanted to post it but it's too big to email out so I am hoping to upload it here!

What else?? John's getting anxious to come home. We are just about 60 days away from having him home again. I am so excited! He is eager to return and get back to his family and some normalcy as well. Everyone misses him so much.

John got promoted about 2 weeks ago. He's a Staff Sergeant now. It's been a long time coming. John has worked so hard and is such a great NCO. I am so proud of him!

The kids are good...Cass is a Junior (man, I'm old!) the twins are in 8th grade, Sammi started middle school (6th grade), and Cecilia is in 3rd. I remember the days when I thought they'd be babies forever. Now I can't believe how old they are all getting to be!

I'll try to update this and keep pictures recent...Meanwhile, enjoy the video!