Blonde vs the machines

The story normally goes that when the guy is gone, the house falls apart and everything in the house breaks. That means that I wasn't exactly surprised then when I couldn't start the lawnmower. Now, I've started lawnmowers before, and mowed lawns a number of times, so I'm not an idiot right? I call up my dad to see if he has any thoughts and he asks the typical "got gas in it? you press the little pump button?" of course i answer yes and even check the oil, but still cant get the damn thing to start. My brother comes over, walks up to the lawnmower, and wouldnt you know it? it starts! "jenn, hold in the clutch!" oops, machines:01 blonde:00!

Now since I'm already on a roll, I'm also having problems with the car. For some reason it doesn't want to turn well, especially in reverse. It reminds me of when you have the e-brake on and it will move, but not well. So i make an appt with the hummer dealership and figured since i should get my oil changed soon i could get it all looked at, but its going to be Monday before i can take it in. By the time i come home this evening (given i drove maybe 40 or so miles all day, so not too bad) i notice that there are skid marks on the driveway. I got real concerned and called my neighbor to come watch as i backed up to see if any of the tires were not spinning. I start backing up for him and he follows the car and then looks over at me and asks, "umm, jenn, do you have it locked in 4wd?" I look over at it, and sure enough, it was locked in 4-high. Since its 4wd all the time, i never really need it in anything else, so i don't even think of checking to see if the kids messed with it. Funny, works fine now! Wore down the tires but barely and no other damage, damn I'm glad i own a hummer! Final score: machines:02 blonde:00!

And for my 2nd rant of the day...Greed doesnt pay

Love my brother to death, but his wife and i don't exactly see eye to eye all the time. A couple years ago they both quit their jobs, sold their house, moved in with my parents and took over the house when my parents moved, mooching off them. Now i will give them credit for now trying to pick themselves back up and everything, but one must be careful about getting too greedy. Again, like my last rant, more to the story, but we'll keep to the basics.

When my parents moved, their new house was furnished and with how busy they were, they didn't fully move out of their other house. My brother told everyone to take their stuff and as i was still in my apartment, i didn't have room to take everything. My parents didn't exactly get on the ball and so 1 1/2 years later my brother has thousands and thousands of dollars worth of furniture and stuff my parents never took. My mom and dad feel responsible that they didn't take everything right away, so they have let them keep it. I'll admit i was irked that they got to keep so much when no one else received anything. Had i known my rents weren't taking stuff, i would have, but whatever. A year ago i told my brother i wanted my standing mirror back and after getting a lecture on how i should have taken it earlier, they said they were now keeping it. After mentioning it every couple months and then again a couple weeks ago, I got fed up and today when i was over i took it out of their room (standing next to ANOTHER standing mirror) and brought it home. I end up with a phone call from my brother who was all upset that i took MY property back. Of all the stuff my parents have given them and all the bills my parents have paid of theirs, they tweak out over a damn $100 mirror that was already mine? whats wrong with this picture? Bri and tree, careful how greedy u get, cause that stuff is still mom and dad's, and they CAN take it back...

My boy is gone

Jas left early Thursday morning for Ft Dix. If I'm lucky, we'll get to meet up with him in Germany for a few days about 7-8 months from now if he gets leave, but not before then. I'm a wreck, the kids are a wreck, this is gonna be a hell of a long year. I know I'm gonna make it, but i honestly don't know how. I just want this to end, i want my husband home. I have so much i should be doing, yet i don't have the energy to do any of it. When i dropped justin off for his last day of school today, julia out of the blue just started sobbing and i couldn't calm her down all because she was missing her daddy, felt helpless knowing there was nothing i could do that would truly make it better. Even justin starts crying at times wanting his daddy. It's tough not being able to hear from jason even barely. i got a couple text messages and a phone call today and i know thats the most i will be hearing from him, if even that from here on out. All i can tell myself is that each day is a day closer to seeing him, however many days that may be. God keep my husband safe and move this deployment quickly. I'll make it, but cant promise any sanity will be left.

Lieutenant van Mourik?

Its been over a year now since i talked to the recruiters and took my ASVAB. Originally both the army and the navy offered me everything I could ask. Both offered me my brass, the navy offered me a job flying jets, and the army offered me military intelligence as a foreign interrogator. I know I've definitely been one to complain about the military, but its pretty much over stupid people, and you find those in any work environment. Those that have known me for many years know that it is something I've talked about doing for a long time, but have let myself get talked out of (primarily by my rents) over and over. And here I am years later still feeling the urge to do it.

A year ago it was so hard to tell SSG mccreery (my recruiter) that timing wasn't right, but that definitely didn't end the discussion between jas and I. It also wasn't the first time I had to walk away from a dream. I know I want my commission and I know I want military intelligence. I know there are a few things I need to do before making it happen, but I'm thinking that's what i want. It opens up so many doors to so many things for me. I love being a mom, i love my family, but I also have felt an urge to go make a difference and I feel this could do that. I won't lie and say I'm totally content with my life right now, cause I know I'm not. I feel that by the time jas gets back from this deployment, i will be ready. I don't know if i want active or national guard (kinda leaning towards going active) but I'm thinking this could be a wonderful thing even if it will cause world war 3 with my parents. Justin is going off to school and Julianna isn't far behind. I'm not one of those mom's that spends her life simply taking kids to soccer practice, reading chic magazines, and playing sally homemaker. Leaving college for Justin was one of the hardest things I had to do and I'm glad I did, but maybe it will be time for me to finally do something that puts me ahead.

My dog the goat

I have a curious problem with my dog, i think she's a goat. We had a problem when we first got her with her eating socks, and it has simply progressed past that. She no long simply finds dirty socks off the floor, she snags the clean ones. When socks aren't readily available, she will jump over our couch into our office and eat telephone wires, candy wrappers and the like. On the days she doesn't feel like raiding the office, she will settle for standing on her hind legs and seeing if there is anything good in the sink, stealing ziploc bags off the counter, eating the screen door, justin's legos, or magnets off the fridge. Most recently she even ate a small cotton bag. Now one would suggest i dont feed my dog enough, yet i feed her the max amount the breeder told me to, and she is so lazy, if i feed her much more she will be 150 lbs or more, thats MUCH dog! So what does one do with a dog that is a goat? I'm up for any suggestions...

Stupid people!

Time for one of those jenn rants we love right? I do a lot of accounting for an LLC my parents are involved in and only recently started making the paychecks, as the computer i use didnt have what i needed. Now as it was the end of the month, I sent their secretary an email about how i needed her timecard since i was in charge of it (she kept sending it to my mom and the CPA, but not me). After the month of may starting and hearing nothing, i finally received an email she sent to the partners and to me about how she was uncomfortable about my email, that she had no idea the cpa wasnt making her paycheck, etc. Now of course all the partners are out of town and the CPA is mia, so i decided to try to calmy deal with her and emailed her back informing her that i was sorry she didnt know, but yes, i have been the one making her paycheck for a few months. She curtly replied that she sees that yes i do have "access to april paychecks" and to send her my report blah blah blah. Now while i do have her total hours, i do not have her timecard and refuse to make her paycheck until i have it, im not stupid. Its not my fault she was too much of a dork to realize my name was on the return label on her paystubs. Of course i'm stuck with this dumbass of a secretary who i would've fired awhile ago for other asinine stunts and dealing with her paycheck that i refuse to cut until i have a timecard she wont send me. I originally was going to email her back, but there is already a little fire started and i would prefer to talk to the partners before making it bigger. I was already annoyed with her for questioning the partners regarding expenses on one of the yearly reports she got ahold of. none of her business! Oh well, not my problem she wont get paid until she gets the stick out of her ass and i get her timecard. I really dont care. Maybe thats why they have me dealing with their accounts....