Well, hello there!

Yes, I have been cheating. Photos do not really count as blog posts... this I know! And this is me doing better! Aren't you proud of me??? Okay. Fair enough. Nothing to be proud of here... but I digress...

So right now I am watching my 2nd consecutive hour of the Life series on the Discovery Channel. It is AWESOMESAUCE to the third. This stuff totally reminds me how much I love science and biology and ecology and all that super great stuff I learned in college. If you haven't been watching it, DO! If only because the filming is beyond incredible and you learn lots of stuff watching it. LEARNING FROM WATCHING TV? Sign me up! There are so many amazing things on this planet and so, so, SO many things I never learned about in 4 years of intensive study that are showcased on this show- I can't recommend it enough. Sundays 7-9pm Central on Discovery. Watch!

Anyway, today the hubs and I took the pup to a state park about an hour from post... we walked A LOT and saw some pretty amazing things... yuccas in bloom and wildflowers and waterfalls in the middle of nowhere. I'm really enjoying our exploring of this new home state of ours. And how awesome is this shot of Swiss and Fletcher? I couldn't have posed it this great if I had tried. It was great to get out of the house (something we've been less than good at) and get us some nature, let the dog wear himself out and just BE together. Gosh, I am using the Caps Lock a ton. Sorry. Okay- focus: The hiking was good for us, good for the dog and we had a great time. I really, really think we need to do more of this stuff- getting out and doing things togeher. I won't lie... the TV and the computers are sort of the other people in our marriage and it was great to leave them behind for a while. Plus the people you meet hiking are ridiculously nice and friendly and a puppy wearing a pack (like this Ruffwear one, it is fantabulous!) is sure to garner plenty of comments and laughter. I'm thinking there will be a lot more hiking in our future.. and I'm pretty darned stoked about it! (Side Bonus: Hike 5 miles and you are sure to have a blessedly tuckered out dog, as Cesar says: A tired dog is a good dog. We have a VERY good dog right now.)

In other news... Swiss has done a ton of really great work on his resume and applications and has gotten no less than 6 glowing references from all sorts of ridiculously Hooah types, plus a few specific jobs tossed his way. Again, awesomesacue. Can I tell you how much lighter the mood is in the house? We are stoked and happy and excited and feeling totally prepared for all the job hunting ahead of us. Today he applied for a ROTC post someplace 83 kids of awesome and soon his application for a schmancy security position with 40+ locations (about 12 of which I would be GIDDY over). I've got my application ready to go and a few positions of my own scoped out. I'm hopeful because there are at least 4 cities at the moment with job openings for both of us. We are cautiously optimistic and starting to get excited about what the future holds for us post-Army. It is way less scary now and much more anxious hope.

But otherwise, things have been quiet here. The ball was fun- pretty much a dressed up Frat party with a lot of bling (I'm totally going to brag here: My husband was the most decorated soldier there... he had more ribbons than ANYONE and looked like a ridiculously hot badass. Swoon!). We met some great couples and Swiss was very happy that the spouses I clicked with were attached to awesome soldiers. Ha! The food was decent, the wine was tasty but overpriced, the music was terrible and only one guy got hauled out for being insanely drunk. All in all, it was a good time. Though I get a huge FAIL for the abominably low number of photographs I took and the fact that I only got that one blurry head shot of the two of us. Sorry.

Okay- I'm off to snuggle up with the husband and watch River Monsters... a total guilty pleasure and chock full of adventure and culture and scientific awesomeness. I am SUCH A NERD. But a nerd with a cold Heineken, a comfy sofa and a studly husband waiting on her... peace out bean sprouts!

Oh Olympics... how I love thee.

I won't lie- the Tucker and Swiss household is ALL kinds of fired up for the Olympics this winter. There's just something about the wholesomeness of it all; the genuine emotions, the unity, the pride, the celebrations, the unbridled enthusiasm and human experience that makes me feel all warm and gushy about the state of our world and human kind... a pleasant change from the usual sturm und drang.

Anyway, yes, I just wanted to get on here and let the world know that I am STOKED for the Olympics to start. This gal loves her some sports montages set to stirring musical scores... I will even admit to you that a good montage will get me misty (don't even get me started on One Shining Moment). So bring on the Opening Ceremonies, the exuberance, the stories, the glory and the best stage in all of sports. I'm ready to lap it all up...

Oh, and one last thing: Don't forget to give a shout out to our Service men and women who are also Olympians--- Hooah and Oorah!!! Go get 'em!

Mah craw. (aka: Do better ABC)

So tonight while watching meaningless sitcoms, I got something stuck in my craw. Big time.

Now, let me say this, I love Ugly Betty. I find it campy and funny and irreverent and a nice distraction for an hour or so once a week. But this week? I feel oddly insulted and thoroughly annoyed.

Let me set up the plot for y'all: Betty and her boyfriend are talking about a charity that does infrastructure work in Botswana. Her boyfriend is rich and writes a few fat checks to the group... then he visits their headquarters and feels like the money isn't enough so he volunteers to go on a six month trip with the group to do charitable deeds in a teensey town in Africa.

What does Betty do in the face of this news? Melt down. She whines about the status of their relationship during his time away, about how it isn't fair, about how this doesn't fit into her plan for their life together ... all the while she looks utterly crestfallen and on the verge of tears... solemnly and dramatically moping through the streets of New York.

Because her boyfriend is going to volunteer in a perfectly safe place for six months.

SERIOUSLY? This just shows me how utterly out of sync the American public (and media for that matter) is with our military families and way of life. I know I shouldn't be rallying about a silly TV show, but COME ON.

Try putting her boyfriend in ACU's for a change... send him to Iraq or Afghanistan. Try having him gone for a full year (or more), in grave danger, avoiding IEDs, RPGs and suicide bombers. Have him do it over and over again every 12-15 months. Have him loose a leg. Have him miss their first anniversary, have him miss Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years and the 4th of July and her birthday and every other important day in a given year. Have him only get one 15 minute call a day after waiting in line for 2 hours. Have him struggle to help her carry the burden of everything she's taking care of at home solely via e-mail and phone calls. Have them live our life... make him a soldier or a marine (et al)... make him wear the uniform... make her one of us.

That would give her something to cry about and that would be a story worth telling.

But instead we get weepy girlfriends over six month volunteer trips to Africa. Thanks ABC, you really are paying attention.

Military musings.

Ugh. So the surge. THE SURGE. It has already sparked debate in my household... I agree with the plan (this would be the "shitting" portion of my previously held position of "shit or get off the pot") generally speaking... even though I know as well as most of you what this surge means... and I hate the price that we will have to pay for success.

It means extended tours. It means increasing the OpTempo once again. It means tapping into a well that is already running dry. And worst of all, it means that my friends, my military family (and possibly Swiss and I), will have to pay the price... paid with fear, worry, trepidation, loneliness, holidays spent alone, a year without their loved ones, living with the omnipresent cloud of a loved one at war... every day. It will be paid with blood, sweat and tears. It will be paid with lives lost too soon. It will be paid with young widows and children who will never grow up with two parents.

I shudder to think about all of the other families getting ready for this surge. The ones who will leave yet this month... the ones who are getting the calls to ready for deployment. The ones who's hearts sunk when the final word broke today- knowing full well their families would be the ones bearing the burden. The ones who's lives will be put through the ringer (wringer?) in every imaginable way. The ones who will live this next year on the edge of their seats... afraid of the news, the phone ringing, the unfamiliar sedan in front of the house... the ones who will live in fear of the ringing of their doorbell.

But more than anything... watching the CBS News and hearing the reporter say that these troops would be there for "just one year"... my temper flared, my voice rose two octaves and I was using my outside voice inside. JUST ONE YEAR? Just. One. Year. *gasp* I've lived that year. I'm still living it. There is no "just" in one year. That is every holiday spent alone. That is 360-ish nights alone in your large bed meant for two. That is a full year of mowing the lawn, raking every leaf, shoveling every last snowfall alone. That is a full year of involuntary single parenthood. That is countless missed birthdays... missed first steps... missed first anniversaries... missed nights spent like any other normal couple across this country. There is no "just" in a year.

Inevitably, my rant turned into my least favorite (and admittedly touchiest) subject. "They signed up for this." And you know who said it? My parents. My blood began to boil. My rationality went out the window. I KNOW he chose this. But in no way, shape or form does that make this easy or fun or not horrible. And then I was told that "that isn't what I meant, it isn't personal". How could it not be personal? These are real people who have to enact this surge... families torn apart... IT IS, AT IT'S VERY ROOT, PERSONAL. It couldn't not be personal, if for no other reason, because this surge could lead to Swiss's retirement paperwork being denied. Which means he will be part of this surge. Another war. Another deployment. Another round of God Please Just Bring Him Home, every night, every day. How much more personal could it be?

I don't think I will ever get over how disconnected the American public is from this military lifestyle and all it entails. I understand that living it gives one a unique understanding an outsider could never match (Maude knows I didn't get it until I lived it). But I don't see how the general public can be so flippant about it. "Its their job." "Its about time." "They should send more" ... I want to shout that there aren't more to send.... they can't keep this up... this is taking its toll in ways you can't even begin to fathom!!! But I know, no matter how I say it, it will fall on deaf ears... because it isn't their spouse. It isn't their kid. It isn't their sibling. And it isn't their concern. It's just another talking point... another way to grade a President... another game to armchair quarterback. And it isn't personal.

So, to all of you who are or will be touched by this: May your loved ones come home safely, may this conflict end swiftly and without loss, and may your family, friends and whomever you pray to give you the comfort, support, love and reassurance you need. And know that I will be here for you.

And there goes my productivity.

Finally! A no bitching post!!! I will keep this short, but starting on Wednesday I will no longer be as productive as I once was. Why? Because Top Chef starts on Wednesday and Project Runway (!!!!) starts again on Thursday. SO stinking excited! Yes, I do get this excited about these two reality shows. I've been a goner for a long, long time...

I'm just bummed Swiss won't be here to watch and squirm (literally) through every week's Quick Fires and painful eliminations on Top Chef (this is totally how last season went, with me watching it and Swiss pacing in the hallway during the suspenseful parts, or just ignoring it all together until I told him who won- Combat Tested or not, the man does NOT like suspense!). And I'm bummed that I won't be able to force him to sit and watch all the drama and ridiculousness and flamboyance that Project Runway made famous. Le sigh.

But hey, I can think of no better way to spend nights sans Swiss... a little wine, a little drama, and some awesome TV. Yes, this is the life of a deployed spouse... jealous aren't you???