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June 16th, 2009
09:40 pm - It's about time!!
Yay Obama! I'm thrilled to hear that he's finally going to announce insurance benefits for gay and lesbian federal couples. This is the first of MANY changes I hope are made in this administration.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/US_President_And_White_House_Advisers/US_Obama_Gay_Benefits.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
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May 29th, 2009
03:49 pm
Not even two months later our other cat died :(
We had to have her put down. She was Crystal's mom--Holly.
When we got our two kittens we got a grey one and a yellow one in honor of the two kittens of Holly's that we kept. At least through my idiot kittens I can remember. I know I'm getting weepy over a cat AGAIN, but hey, it's what I do.
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April 1st, 2009
04:44 pm
One of my cats from my mom's house died last night. I feel really upset about it, and though I understand that she was just a cat (and not one who I interacted with that much since I went to college), I still am (probably too) sad. I hope that there's a kitty heaven so that Crystal and Little Yeller (don't ask) are running and playing now like they used to when they were newborn kittens. They were born in my mom's sock drawer on Earth Day in 1994, and Little Yeller only lived a few months before getting run over :( We still have their mom, Holly.
I now have a yellow cat and a grey cat. I called the grey one Crystal this morning. He's a boy. Oops.
RIP fatcat Crystal
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August 8th, 2008
July 15th, 2008
05:21 pm - new news!
Well, I was sorta hoping that the military just lost his number, but they didn't, and they called Tim last night. Let's do a quick review of what we've done so far:
1) spent nearly a grand on medical bills to prove that tim has a condition that prevents him from serving capably.
2) got a letter from his school saying he's enrolled and would have to basically start his program over if he took 1.5 years off.
3) got a letter from his old army people saying he was incapable of doing anything while in active duty and therefore would not be a good candidate for deployment.
4) sent a copy of all of his active duty medical records proving that the condition has existed for years.
So last night the guy calls Tim and says "well we're going to need you to prove that you're still in school" (ok, that makes sense, if they're going to delay him they need updated proof) "and also we're going to need proof that the injury still exists."
UM....WHAT? No, it randomly went away on its own, despite its continued existance for years and a doctor's swearing that surgery is needed to make it better. Yeah, it went away. No, I'm not lying.
Moral of the story is, no way are we spending money to have more tests and doctors appointments (insurance doesn't cover it as it is a pre-existing condition). Tim told the guy so, and said he would NOT be paying for the surgery out of pocket, but he also would not accept the military doctors doing it. Needless to say the guy was annoyed.
So Tim's going to re-prove that he's still in school by going tomorrow to get another form that says yes he's still in school and on track and then we'll wait to hear what the dipshits have to say next. This is going to go well into Obama's term, I have a feeling.
Current Mood: army sucks
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June 4th, 2008
05:26 pm
It's been 35 days now and the only thing we've heard is that there is a case manager for Tim's case. He called Tim and asked for his email so that he could send his contact info, but we never got the information, and frankly, we don't want it. Having no way to get in touch is more comforting than the idea that we could call if we wanted to. I'm not expecting to hear anything for at least 5-6 months, and then I'm thoroughly expecting his case to be denied. They're not believing people with medical problems, from what we've heard from those there. However, there are like 4 chances to appeal before drastic action has to be taken, so by that time, Obama will be president, and hopefully he'll agree with John Kerry that we need to end this backdoor draft.
In other ways that the military is taking over my life, my friend from high school is recovering at Walter Reed after being hit with an IED on Mother's Day and losing his left foot and most of his right. Additionally, one of my best friends from Georgetown found out two weeks ago that her husband has to report for his own IRR reactivation on July 7. She's having their first child in two weeks. The cruelty of this war is astonishing. I don't think that the public is really aware of what the military is doing to all of these families and soldiers. Even a couple of my friends who are there because they signed up have told me in the last few weeks how much they hate what they're doing and how horribly they feel that they're being treated. We need a complete overhaul of this war, but at least getting Bush out of office will be a nice start.
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April 27th, 2008
08:59 pm - nothing...
In this case, no news isn't good news...it's just simply no news. We submitted Tim's packet a week ago and all we've heard is that as of Tuesday he has been granted an extension until they decide what's going to happen. Which means that some captain somewhere decided that he has enough of a case for an entire group of captains to look at our evidence and make a decision based on that.
Blah. They said 35-65 days just for a DECISION. Like it takes that long to read a packet and say yes or no. What the hell.
We also discovered that we have 4 appeals. And that doesn't include letters to representatives and senators. Which I'll do as soon as needed. Sigh. Too bad everyone that represents us are war friendly republicans.
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April 23rd, 2008
08:26 pm - battle, but not the war
Well, we won the first battle. He has proven that he has a case. That means that now he doesn't have to report on May 18. Instead, there's a council that is looking at our evidence to decide what, if anything, to grant him. They say it'll take 35-65 days and then they'll let us know what the decision is. Either he'll be ordered to report, he'll be given a delay, or he'll be given an exemption.
We have pretty solid reasons why he shouldn't have to report. First of all, he's a student and only has a year left. If he has to take a year off of school, when he returns, he'll likely have to start all over again because of the requirements in the computer industry to have up to date classes. At the very least his advisor has stated that he'll have to take some classes over again. Which means that he'll use up over his allotment of the GI Bill, and frankly it's not fair that we'd have to pay for the school they promised just because they order him back.
The other thing is the one that scares me. His feet are messed up and it's because of the military that they are. He was on a running restriction for most of the time that I knew him in the army. That means he wasn't allowed to run. What skill you do think is SLIGHTLY necessary in Iraq? RUNNING. So we have a letter from the VA that says "we acknowledge that this injury is caused by military service" and we have a letter from a podiatrist saying "he needs surgery before he can do anything." So what it's going to come down to is: A) them ignoring that. B) Them telling him to get surgery (at which point a fight ensues...they have to pay for it, it was caused by the military) or C) they tell him to forget it. Pray for C.
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April 21st, 2008
08:39 pm - not really sure where I want to go with this...
I guess two Wednesdays ago is as good of a place as any to start with the total falling apart of my life. But before I go there, I got a job for the fall! I haven't accepted it yet so I won't list the school, but I will be teaching 12th grade English at a high school in Gwinnett County.
So yeah, two Wednesdays ago. Worst day of my life. It was spring break from student teaching and I had just walked downstairs to get my computer so that I could work on my case study that was due that Friday. On the way up I heard the doorbell ring, which is really weird since no one ever comes to our door.
So I opened the door and was asked to sign for a package. No problem, I did so. Then I noticed the return address, and my stomach fell, and I knew my life had changed for the worse. The return address was HRC--human resources command, from the Army. Before I even opened up the envelope, I knew what was inside.
I started crying before I opened it-that's how sure I was of what was inside. All other correspondence came through the normal mail, not sign for it military special mail. Essentially, Tim's been ordered back to active duty for 400 (may 18, 2008-june 21, 2009)days. Destination unknown, but you get one guess. Ok, two, because even we haven't managed to narrow it down from there.
Everything we've worked for for the last year, all the struggles to get to where we finally would be (both employed, in school, buying a house, starting our lives) is gone. Basically, he has to put everything on hold for a year to go fight in a war that neither of us believe in or support. I'll be left alone for a year while Tim risks his life for a cause that's dead.
Basically, I spent a solid week crying. We're finally to the point where we can get through an entire day without breaking down, but it's still not easy. I still wake up every morning and remember that it's not a dream and lose a little more of myself. Tim's at the same point, but more hopeful than I am.
We're fighting it. We're fighting it with everything we have. The VA is involved, and every senator that represents us. Hell, I've even started talking to God. Appearantly there are 111,000 soldiers in the IRR (inactive ready reserve, told at enlistment it's a precaution in case of world war 3, but really just pawns the army can play with as they wish) they're calling up 1,000 for this deployment, but no hints as to what the job is. Somehow Tim was lucky enough to win the lottery and be in the less than 1% who got called back...
More tomorrow, I'm upsetting myself.
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April 20th, 2008
08:32 pm - February 18, 2007
In December 2006 and January 2007 we moved to Atlanta. We did it very slowly, over two trips, but all the while we were estactic. We made it--he was DONE. His BDUs got packed up into a box and we swore we'd never look at them again. He got a plaque from his platoon stating that he had performed his 3 years of service. I quit my nannying job and stopped substitute teaching, and we were off.
I don't even remember February 18 of that year. I vaguely remember stating that I knew my insurance was no longer in effect, and that we wouldn't get another paycheck, but really that was the extent of it. After 23 months of looking forward to that date, it sorta just passed us by. We'd already moved on.
Atlanta didn't turn out exactly how we'd imagined it so many times for so many months. We moved in with my parents because we were both going to be full time students--I'd applied to the TEEMS Program at GSU and he'd been admitted to Gwinnett Tech. Since my school didn't start until the summer I got a job in marketing, and that's really why things started going badly. I was at work all day and hated my job. After work I went out to bars a lot with friends from work for happy hour. If Tim wasn't at school he was working in a restaurant. We really never saw each other. Our lives really started to go in separate directions and we didn't even hang out on the weekends since he was working, so I went out with my old friends. Meanwhile, Tim didn't know anyone in the entire city. It was really sad.
We just sort of survived for just under a year. I really can't say we were unhappy, but we weren't necessarily happy either. In that year a lot of my friends from old days moved away, and so things really changed for both of us. By January of 2008, Tim found a job in his field and loved going to work every day. By then I was fully immersed in student teaching and busy most nights working until I passed out in bed. Things really started to look up for us. We started discussing buying a house when I finish school and get a teaching job for the fall, at the very least we know what area we want to live in even if we rent. We're looking forward to getting out of my parents house and finally being us again. We started putting down our school work for 30 minutes a night and just spending time together. We really started to overcome the year of adjustment, and things really looked good for us.
I think that what was really exciting for us about making all these plans is that it's finally our chance to settle down and be married. We won't be looking forward to getting out of the military, or moving to atlanta, or anything else. We want a house, we want careers, we want life to be stable and normal. I'd love to have a baby in the next two years and really just...live my life.
I even had a week off of teaching. Spring break was supposed to be a godsend, a week to catch up and sleep late and not worry for a while. Well, at least, I thought it was supposed to be. It turns out that everything we thought was supposed to be may very well not be at all..........
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/ibrad/bigsmile.gif) hopeful
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April 19th, 2008
06:10 pm - early days
I'm trying to decide what the most important memories are without boring anyone who reads this or overcrowding friends pages. Obviously, after we met, we dated for a while and then got married. Actually, we didn't date for that long. We got married 5 months after we met. We claimed we "knew," which is total bullshit, we didn't know anything and were just assuming.
A lot of my friends gave me a really hard time about it all. I can't really blame them; I'd do the same thing more than likely. But I "knew!" Um, yeah. So we went to the Outer Banks and I put on a dress and he put on his blues and all of the sudden I was a military wife. I hadn't even finished college yet, but there I was. The worst part was meeting all of the 18 and 19 year old wives who'd been married for a year already. While my friends didn't accept me anymore beacuse I was too young, they didn't like me because I was old. It was a really weird year. Between the time that we got married and I graduated, we both grew up a lot. We learned to deal with real money and pay real bills. We figured out who was going to do what around the house. Overall it was a really peaceful year lifewise. I finished school, he hated the military, but it was steady and stable. Nothing was going to have to change.
We did argue a lot, as I imagine that any two people who really didn't know each other that well but swore to love each other forever would. It wasn't by any means perfect, but we were both committed. We knew we had a good thing overall, and we were comfortable. Neither of us wanted anything to change.
It's when I graduated that things got tricky with our lives. All of the sudden I needed a career and had no idea where to find one, especially knowing that we were moving in a few months. The friends that I did have at Georgetown left, and Tim and I stopped hanging out with some other people we'd spent a lot of time with in the past because we finally realized how weird they were. As a result, we really began spending a lot more time just with each other. We got really used to it just being the two of us most of the time, and we were generally happy with it like that.
I ended up substitute teaching and loving it, which led to my decision to become a teacher. We'd had grand plans of our life in Atlanta, but as that 23 month mark getting out of the army day approached, our Atlanta life begame to look nothing like we'd imagined...
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/ibrad/bigwink.gif) contemplative
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April 18th, 2008
09:12 pm - How I met my husband
I think it's time I started using this again, if for no other reason than as therapy. I need to write what I'm going through, just as I've written in here for other events in my life. I need to be able to come back and read this later and remember and never, ever forget.
Tim and I met on St. Patty's Day 2005 at Rhino Pumphouse on M Street in Washington DC. I was at the bar with Kristen, Shannon, and some other girl whose name I've forgotten. I was reeling from a breakup two weeks before, and sadly my goal was to kiss another guy so the old one would be over and done with. I was drinking something pink. I remember this because I very specifically asked the bartender to make me something pink.
A group of army guys walked in and ordered drinks at the bar next to us. I knew they were in the army because one of them was wearing an Army sweatshirt and they all had the same haircut. Kristen and I immediately began gossiping about them. "ew, not that one." "well the cute one has a girlfriend, he's text messaging too much." "what about the other one?" "oh, he's cute too." Mission: the cute guy who didn't appear to have a girlfriend.
We moved 5 feet back to play pool and the guys took the table next to us. I kept making really loud remarks about needing help to learn to play when FINALLY the cute guy without a girlfriend asked me who was winning. Basically, I spent the next twenty minutes being a bitch to him. I refused to tell him my name and made him and his (appearantly retarded) friends guess my name. I said "president during the civil war minus the pork." yay, a riddle. The moron (already wasted, would blow a .29 the next morning) said "washing!" Um, no.
I told him my name and at this point my friends decided we were leaving to go to Tequila Beach. Right. That. Instant. I didnt' even have time to give the guy my number before I was pulled out of the bar. I just screamed "come to Tequila Beach!" over my shoulder.
We got there and they weren't open yet. What the hell. Well, girl whose name I can't remember worked there so we were allowed to go in and wait for it to open. I was pretty upset because, you guessed it, if Army guys came they would see it was closed and leave. I'd lost my shot at the mission. An hour later the doors open and the first person in the door was Tim--yeah, he'd waited an hour in the cold for the place to open so he could chance seeing me there.
He told me that night most of his secrets. Said he wanted to get it all in the open so I could go on and leave if I wantned. I didn't. He told me he was in a non-deployable unit and woudlnt' be sent overseas, and that he was getting out of the Army on February 18, 2007 and would never go back. From the day I met him, I knew that date. I planned for that date for the next 23 months.
He texted me that night and the next day and asked me to hang out the next night. I remember driving onto base that night and him walking out of the barracks and me wondering if he'd still be cute like he had been the night before. He smiled at me, gave me a hug, jumped in a car, and really never left.
To be continued...
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/ibrad/frown.gif) crushed
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December 25th, 2007
08:50 pm - Goodbye, 2007!
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Grad school, teach AP lit, etc. etc.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made any, so I don't know if I could have followed them, but I think for next year I'll make my resolution to stay out of debt *not including student loans, i need those* and to stop being a bitch.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Carol did! Yay Natalee Isabel March 22, 2007.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
...no...thank god.
5. What countries did you visit?
Countries? The only states I visited were GA, FL, and IL.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
more time, less stress, a full time teaching job.
7. What date(s) from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Probably June 11 because I started this whole grad school thing and August 6 because I started to teach.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
does a 4.0 at georgia state count? Probably not.
9. What was your biggest failure?
not getting a 4.0 this summer?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
nope.
11. What was the best money you spent?
every penny spent on clothes. and the beach trip.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
no idea.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
w. the president.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Probably bills, but food would be a close second. We also got a new car, RIP Toyota.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
winter break.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? much happier. I'm home, doing what I love.
ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner
iii. richer or poorer? soooo poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
cooking
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
bitching at tim
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it here at home with my family and Tim. No fights, yay.
22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
nope.
23. How many one-night stands?
zero
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Grey's Anatomy
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I still try not to hate. Though I thoroughly dislike the man who killed the deer the other night.
26. What was the best book you read?
Wuthering Heights
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't know that I made any...I just listen to the radio in the car.
28. What did you want and get?
To move back to Atlanta, start a life here.
29. What did you want and not get?
To win the lottery
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
300
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 23 and I went to a suprise dinner hosted by Heather and then bowling with my best friends. The next day I got a stomach virus.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
a paycheck?
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
work clothes. i love macys. that credit card is almost worn out.
34. What kept you sane?
alcohol?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
none of them...
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
iraq.
37. Who did you miss?
Heather.
38. Who was/were the best new person/people you met?
Hilary, Lesleigh, Angela, Crystal.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
marriage is NOT all fun and games...it's mostly work.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Well all these times
They come and go
Alone don't seem so long
Over 10 years have gone by
We cant rewind
We're locked in time
But you're still mine
Do you remember?
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March 30th, 2007
10:50 pm
"In recent testimony to Congress, Pace said that if the Pentagon doesn't get $100 billion in war funding by April 15, the Army will have to curtail reserve and National Guard training, postpone quality-of-life initiatives such as repairing barracks, and stop repairing equipment." -From Dana Bash, CNN Congressional Correspondent
awesome.
please, please, do stop repairing soldiers equipment. and stop training our already undertrained reserves and national guard.
After watching 300, I've decided that we need a Spartan president. Not only do they speak much more eloquently than our current...um...leader, but they fight with their people rather than against their people. Don't forget who is "the decider."
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March 26th, 2007
09:11 pm - a couple of gems...
My current favorites...no introduction necessary.
"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the--the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice." -Washington, DC; October 28, 2003
"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, why I do things." -Aboard Air Force One; June 4, 2003
"[I'm] occasionally reading, I want you to know, in the second term." -Washington, DC; March 16, 2005
"Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." -CNN online chat; August 30, 2000
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December 29th, 2006
11:02 am - Bye Bye 2006
So here I am again. This is quite literally the only thing I do on livejournal anymore except read my friends posts, but yeah, enjoy this extra special glimpse into my life. Until next year...
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
graduated college, taught an actual class, took the gre, looked up va divorce laws (but did not act on them), made it to the "married one year" mark, decided to go to grad school, went to indiana and ohio (that will be a once in a lifetime experience, as I will never subject myself to such torture again), enrolled in direct deposit...and that, my friends, is the year in a nutshell.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Well, at 2AM on New Years Day my resolution was to not kill Tim. And I didn't, so therefore, I kept my resolution. Go me. New years was fun though, I did manage to tell off his ex. After puking. I won't make resolutions, persay, but I will keep working towards the same goals I am now.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope. Next year though.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Ms. Lewis is the only death of the year. Let's do the math cheer once more in her honor...
5. What countries did you visit?
just the grand ole usa (or at least it will be grand again when Bush finally resigns, gets kicked out, or thank god 2008 comes)
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
TO NOT BE AN ARMY WIFE!!!!!!!!
7. What date(s) from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
This year I learned that events do not matter so much as the results.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
That Latin-only diploma that so nicely graces one wall of my apartment.
9. What was your biggest failure?
The stupid verbal section of the GRE.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not significantly.
11. What was the best money you spent?
Money on food. Because without food, we woulda died. And we didn't, so that's a good thing.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
mine.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
mine.
14. Where did most of your money go?
bills. I hate being grown up.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving home, Tim getting out of the Army, graduation, my Spa Sydell gift certificate, my new diamond wedding band, oh, and my Gucci perfume.
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Get Drunk and be Somebody... not because I wanted to get drunk to be somebody, but because that will remind me of the Toby Keith concert, and that will remind me of Tim being in the military, so close to freedom.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier?? i dunno, ask me on jan 19, 2007.
ii. thinner or fatter? hahahahaha stupid 5 pounds.
iii. richer or poorer? right about the same, except I started my student loan repayments, so probably poorer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
not worry
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
worry
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it AT HOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
thank god.
22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
nah, i was already there.
23. How many one-night stands?
ok this is now officially a stupid question because if you're married you should have none and if you do have any you sure as fuck won't admit to them on livejournal!!
24. What was your favorite TV program?
gilmore girls. still.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
i don't hate.
26. What was the best book you read?
I don't play favorites.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
the bridesmate is a whore song. haha.
28. What did you want and get?
to graduate.
29. What did you want and not get?
to leave this place (va).
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
i fell out of my seat in clerks 2, and then again the second time i saw it.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
i was 22 and tim had just had his wisdom teeth out so I went to emily's the night before and did not drink tequila and then the power went out on the 4th so i sat in the silence while tim slept until kelly called and then the power came back on and i went to outback and got takeout and then tim ate most of my steak and we went to bed. overall, 10000000000 times better then last year.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
tim being free
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
jeans and tshirts.
34. What kept you sane?
reality?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
britney. ha.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
iraq. get the fuck out.
37. Who did you miss?
my friends.
38. Who was/were the best new person/people you met?
jess.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
life goes on. it'll work out.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"these boots were made for walkin'"I have no idea how this sums up my year, I just really liked Dukes of Hazzard and that video. It may mean that I'm a little lesbian, but I'll accept that.
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December 16th, 2005
October 11th, 2005
05:52 pm - couldn't help it
I really liked this, so I did it with ( Jack Johnson )</lj-cut)
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/ibrad/rotate.gif) energetic
Current Music: alan jackson
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August 13th, 2005
11:45 pm - long ass entry... i promise i'll stop talking about getting married after this week
Last night was honestly one of the best of my life...definitely among the top two here in DC. Tim and I went out to Rhino's--the bar that we met on on St. Patty's Day, as sort of a cheesy last date before we make it official. We played pool, had a few drinks, and essentially remembered why we only stayed there for about an hour on St. Patty's Day--it's boring. Not to mention that none of the students have come back yet. Georgetown==dead. We'd run into a new guy in his platoon so we convinced him to come with us to Mr. Smith's, a piano bar that in all the times I've been there has never ceased to be completely freaking crowded. Last night was no exception.
Before I get to the fun part, I have to say this: We walked up to the bar to try to get a drink and a guy was sitting at the bar with a girl. He looked at Tim (who was pretty much leaning over him trying to get the bartender's attention) and asked if he was in the military. Tim said yes and the guy promptly bought us and Tim's platoon buddy guy each a drink. I leaned over to tell him thanks and noticed he had a cane propped up beside him. We kept talking and this guy is in the Marines and just got back from Iraq. He lost his right leg from an IED...if you watch Over There, it's essentially the same injury we saw in the first episode. Later on in the night he was struggling to get through the bar with his cane and prostetic leg--he still looks very much like a Marine--and people were essentially ignoring him. I pushed people out of the way to clear him a path. Granted, I'm slightly biased, being that I'm about to marry a soldier, but this guy struck a total heartstring. I may not agree with some of the reasons we went over to Iraq, but we're there now, and the soliders themselves have nothing to do with the politics of the war--they're there to serve their country and to fight for what we define as freedom. And I honestly think that every one of them who risks their life in Iraq or Afghanistan to fight for me is truely a hero.
I feel sort of cheap continuing my story after that, but we managed to somehow get seats right up at the piano. Tim and I have been there enough times as to where we know John, the pianoman, but we hadn't been since we got engaged. We went in las tnight, he yelled hi, we listened to a few songs, and then Tim leaned over and told him that we're getting married next week. We were promptly introduced to the entire bar and the whole bar sang "going to the chapel" and "my girl" and other cheesy songs directed at us. I sat there, grinning, with my face bright red for probbaly 20 minutes. Eventually he switched back over to normal songs but he kept mentioning us in between songs. People kept congratulating us and when i went to th ebathroom i was pretty much surrounded by a group of giggly girls telling me how lucky I am.
I'm not trying to come across as loving attention in a bar, I think it's just taht I've missed out on so muhc of the traditional bride attention--I didn't have a shower or a million people fussing with me over what floral arrangement to use, that this one night means a lot to me in terms of feeling like I'm actually a bride and actually getting married, because until we actually get to the beach, it still sort of feels like this fantasy we've invented and been counting down the days to. The countdown is almost over though, we're leaving here in 4 days, and in 5 I'll have a new name and a ring on my finger.
And no, that doesn't freak me out at all.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/ibrad/biggrin.gif) excited
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August 10th, 2005
10:13 pm
someone tell me not to freak out yet about this possible hurricane that's scheduled to hit the outer banks...
it would be my luck that my beach wedding turns into a hurrican evacuation.
not freaking out yet...
at least i'm trying not to.
Current Mood: anxious
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