Attitude

I've realized that my attitude is directly influenced by who I spend time with. (Shocking, it is not.). So when I try to spend time with people who will build me up, they blow me off.  So, in order to have a good attitude, I must??? 

Sorry...  This day has been weird, and this doesn't make any sense.  I just needed to vent a bit... Not that it did any good.  

Bleh.

Chapstick

I have become someone that HAS to have something on their lips 24/7 since I was a senior in high school, or thereabouts.  About 2-3 years ago I finally found the PERFECT chapstick, and have faithfully been using it ever since.  I mean, I have a tube in my purse, night stand, and a drawer in my living room.  And I use it all the way down to the bottom of the tube- when there is nothing more to get out.  

Maybelline Baby Lips. 

Seriously.  

I would but a few tubes at a time- just to keep stocked up.  I hate running out. 

Recently, I was down to none, so I put it on my list for target.

It was $4.99 a stick.

No.

When I first started buying it, it was $2.99.  Last fall it was $3.99, and I still bought maybe two...  But now?

No.  

So. 

Maybelline- if you want a spokesperson, I would love to be your girl.  

But I can't justify paying that much.  If my paycheck tripled...  Maybe. 

But no.  

As someone who uses your product mutiple times, DAILY-  it's just too much to pay.

I was going to tweet about this, but them I realized that 140 characters were not going to be enough.

I ♥️ chapstick.

Sooo

I have had this urge to write for the last 4 months or so.  I have chosen to ignore that urge, and I am sad that I ignored it.

So much of my life has changed-  I don't even know where to begin.

So, I will post a picture for the time being.

That's about it.

In lieu of writing an actual post, I will just post this picture that I took a screen shot of- and then wrote the words in and sent to my friends.  

Because I'm cool like that.  Also because I figured out how to use the cool apps on my phone for that.  

I started watching through The Office again, but this time like it is a documentary of actual people, not hollywood actors. 

It's bananas.

Fighting

There is so much shit going on.  But there are good things too.  I find myself focusing on the bad, and not the good.  Maybe someday I will be more upbeat-  I don't think today is that day though.
I am enjoying summer.  But at the same time I am kicking myself for other reasons.  It's dumb.
That's really all today.

gasp

I'm post two days in a row.  Whatevs.

Autumn heard from Nick in the wee morning hours and he said he was ok.

I have so much going through my head.

I am so relieved that he is confirmed safe.

I am so very heartbroken for the families that missing one person.

This deployment has hit so very close to my heart.

I don't quite know how to express how I feel quite yet.

Hug your loved ones extra tight.

You don't know how blessed you are to have them close to you.

Radio Silence

There has been silence from this computer for some time.  I won't apologize for it.  Life is busy.

Right now though I need to let something out.

My sil came over yesterday to my 2nd house (aka my best friends house ((I'm babysitting while she is away on business))).  As soon as she came in the door I could tell something was wrong.  Her mom had literally just called her to say that there had been a Stryker that hit an IED  in the Kandahar Provence of Afghanistan.    This is where my brother, her husband, is currently deployed to and what is job is.  He drives a Stryker.  What was worse was there was a blackout of all communication with family so Autumn hasn't heard anything.  We had talked to my mom yesterday and didn't say anything about what was going on over there, but I talked to Autumn and told her we needed to let her know that all was not well.  And knowing that Autumn would have a break down if she tried to tell my mom something might be wrong, I was the one that had to call.

At this point it has been over 24 hours so we would have heard if my brother was one of the casualties.  There is the continuing communication blackout for all the soldiers so we will continue to be out of the loop.
But no news is good news.

As my mom said today, "I am relieved that we didn't get any visitors today with bad news, but but entire body hurts for those who have just gotten the visit that we are trying to avoid."

And that is exactly it.  We have made it through the waiting period, wondering if my brother was in that Stryker, but I don't want to rejoice too much because someone else's brother, son, husband, father was in there and has gotten a horrible visit from Army officials that will forever change their lives.

Please keep them in your thoughts, and if you pray, your prayers.

This is one of the only pictures we have gotten of my brother... he is the one in the middle and the Stryker is behind him.