Whoa! I learned a lot in......

South Carolina!

Disclaimer............  This blog entry is for me!  I don't mind if anybody reads it because it's going to be long, its' going to be wordy and it's going to have lot's of pictures.  But.....  sometimes I just don't want to forget anything and by the way it's my journal. (even if it's public and strange people I don't even know might click on it by accident).  

Ok so let's back up-----way back.  

My little hubby has spent some time out of town this year and when he is gone I find it hard to sleep.  I know it sounds pathetic and "newly weddish" but it's true.  

One particular night I found myself looking at the clock , it was only 9pm.  Instilled in my brain at college was the ideology that even thinking of going to  bed before 11:00 was not cool.  So now that I am mature and full of  wisdom, the kind that only experience and age can bring I still hold on to the "idea" that going to bed early, only labels you as "not" super fun girl".   Don't get me wrong  I have been known to go to bed at 9 or 10 once in a while but for the most part I enjoy those few silent hours in my house at night when kids are sleeping and husbands are watching hunting shows.   With all this in mind I knew that going to bed was not an option and eating all the ice cream in the freezer was only partially an option.   I also fought against the little voice in my head that kept saying to use your better judgement and logic and do something productive or domestic.  Instead I overcame being the responsible mom and I turned all my efforts to that "time sucking", "brain cell killing", "root of all evil" that I sometimes love so much......the TV. 

 For some reason I have set up rules in my mind that tell me if I am a good mom or a bad mom.  For instance, if I were a good mom  I would  quilt and sing songs to my husband at night (he would tell me I have the voice of a bird or something).  If I were a bad mom I would watch TV and unwind from the day.  Good moms bottle tomatoes and cucumbers before bed and Bad moms read blogs and find interest in reading random details of long lost friends on Facebook at night.  Never mind the part about moderation in all things, my mind thinks it's black and white.  Good moms scrub toilets and bake homemade bread for the next morning while bad moms lay on their bed and stare at the dust on the ceiling fan, wondering if she will ever get ambitious enough to reach up and dust it. Good moms spend each night increasing brain  power by learning Spanish,  improving spirituality by reading some deep doctrinal sort of book and have  rousing political debates with their very Republican husbands.   Aren't these silly ideas in my head?  No wonder I think I am struggling at this mom business.    You know there was that one time that I made bread and watched a debate on TV at the same time and the time when Braden karate chopped the fan with the broom which knocked off the dust.   I do study doctrine on Saturday nights because I usually procrastinate my lesson for church and I even bottled a few peaches this year.  (I am so in that middle range of "mom" -- it is not good mom vs. bad mom)!  I guess I need to convince my mind that "bad moms" are normal moms trying their best to do what they can.  Logically it makes sense when it applies to anyone else but me.   (Whoa.......if that wasn't a tangent).  

That's a whole other chapter in my book of life.  (That's my other blog).

Ok, back to that night....I turned on Net Flix and I found a series called Army Wives.  I began to watch and was somewhat interested. I knew this series did not fit into my "what a good mom would spend her time watching" not because it was bad but cause of the whole time commitment thing.  I watched one episode and started another. I  began to be intrigued with the characters, their interaction and their life lessons.  I loved the whole other life style of being an Army Wife, living on base and facing a whole other set of trials that most people don't go through.  I liked learning about the Army even if it was a silly dramatic TV series.  (I will have you know that I do know the different ranks in the Army now).  Well..............

66 episodes later and many wasted nights I am ashamed to admit, but I did it, I watched them all.  Rand figured up the hours I spent watching this stupid show and I am in awe of my commitment to something from the hours of 9pm to 12:00 Am each night.  Do you think this made me a good mom?  Anyhow I watched it and I thought about it and I kind of believed that Rand being out of town was similar to being an Army Wife, right?   Don't judge me I know it went too far, I have vowed ever since those 66 episodes to be more productive at night.  But it did happen,  all that time was wasted and even though I somewhat enjoyed those 66 episodes I must confess it was wrong.  I got a little distracted from what's important but hey, it was fun while my Army Wife Passion lasted.

This brings me to my trip to South Carolina.

My brother Jake's son is named Jaidon.  I still call him Jaidy Bug, he doesn't care a bit.  Jaidon, joined the Army, he did well at basic training and he graduated.  My mom decided to go to graduation and so did I.  How could I miss such an important event,  how could I miss the chance of going to a "real life army base".  (With my history of being an Army Wife and all?)  How could I pass up the opportunity of having four days with my mom and Jaidon's mom all to myself?  So I did it, I got in an airplane, I left my kids in the capable hands of my darling husband (who was home on "leave" he he) and I went on a girls  - nephew vacation.  

I must interject something else...... I have talked about being a queen before but my other missed calling in life was that I should have been born a Southern Belle.  Fan in one hand fighting the humidity and suitors sitting on the porch just ready for me to bat my eyes at them.  

Hey a girl can dream right?  Being in the South draws out my Southern Charm, my Southern accent and my swing in my hips.  (Even as I type this my mind is talking in a Southern drawl).   

So what happens when you combine my two passions, being an army wife and being a Southern Belle?  A fantastic, amazing and wonderful week is what happens.  Life lessons happen, aha moments happen and now I will share them with you.

Things I don't want to forget about my time in South Carolina!

Of all the things I never want to forget is this!  (never mind my ridiculous voice in the background... I was crying and talking at the same time which came out as a chipmunk).  

I thought I was taking a picture but really it was a video. The smile when a son finds his mom is priceless.  I want to be the kind of mom that her son smiles like this when they are together after an absence.   Probably one of my favorite moments!

(Is there any question who Jaidon looks like?)

2nd Favorite moment - Waiting in the stands to see our newly graduated soldiers seemed like an eternity. But all of a sudden across the field and out of the woods came 1300 running soldiers through smoke and bombs to the song by Toby Keith.  I bawled like a baby and wished that my kids and husband were there to witness what I was experiencing.  I felt so much pride in our country and in my gorgeous little nephew.

(The video does not do it justice)

3rd Favorite Moment

Standing in front of the PX

(This was in all the Army Wife Episodes)

I felt like I was "at home" - this wasn't even the big one, this base had two.

4th Favorite Moment

Just being with Jaidon on base!  Hearing his stories, hearing how hard it was, wondering why in the world anyone would chose to do something where everyone yelled at you.  These soldiers are broken down and I guess it builds them up.  ( I don't get it).  I loved Jaidon's confidence and his sarcasm, his whit and his truth bearing.

While on base I got in a little trouble - 

Once when I tried to park the car where I wanted.

Once when I tried to out run a military police car across a grassy field, who knew it was an undercover military police?  No worries, Jaidon did not get in trouble he was ducking in the backseat the whole time.

Once when I kept talking in a Southern Accent and no one could understand me (they just don't know a true Southerner when they meet one).

Once when I messed up the time difference and called Rand with a really loud "Hi" (in Southern), just to tell him I was living my Army Wife dream.

Once when I yelled back at a mean drill sergeant for giving wrong instructions, that was to Jaidon's detriment (sorry about that bud)!  I backed off though when he gave me that killer look.

Once when .........oh the list could go on and on but I had a great time.  I am sure Jaidon was so so so so glad I decided to come to South Carolina!  He was only embarassed like two or 3 times that he admitted too.

Graduation Time - So uniformed and routine (what in the world was my yellow personality doing in such a red environment - - ahh!)

Jaidon flew home but we stayed to enjoy the Southern Hospitality!

The capital building in Columbia brought out my desire to live in a mansion and fashion my life after the rich and famous.  I could seriously live in this building.  

Leaving Columbia and headed to the Coast of Charleston.  

Charleston has been added to my top ten favorite places.  The city is so clean, so full of history and so full of umph!  For lack of a better word.

Just a bit of history - Charleston is where the biggest slave trade happened.  We visited a museum that explained so much of the history of the slave trade and because of this I have changed my passion from army wife to freedom fighter.  Many nights following my trip to Charleston were spent reading about the slave trade and life in the Southern States - Pre Civil War.  Being in Charleston also ignited my desire to learn about  the lives of women up and until the 1950's really!

Charleston is so quaint - this little street reminds me of the fake street in Disneyland's California Adventure.  You Disneyland lovers will know what I mean.

5th Favorite moment -

Mom, Melissa and I decided to take a walking ghost tour around the streets of Charleston.  The tour didn't even start until 10 pm (It was a cool thing to do according to my inner clock bedtime rule).  Our tour guy, although animated and full of good information was really trying to be scary as he walked us on the streets of Charleston explaining how their are  ghosts who haunt each nook and cranny.   Mom and I were only scared once but not by a story.   Our scary moment and the point at which you thought we were being murdered was caused by a clumsy man in an ally as he dropped some dishes.  I  screamed to the point where embarassement officially sets in.   

Real 5th Favorite Moment -

As part of the Ghost tour, he sat us down on a curb in from of an old cemetery.  I felt myself doing the head bob and turned to my mom to ask her if anyone had noticed that the girl on the front row had fallen asleep during a scary story.  I wanted to ask my mom but as I turned to look, she also had fallen asleep.  I turned to my left to show Melissa how funny my mom looked sleeping when I noticed that Melissa also sat peacefully sleeping.  At this point I began to laugh hysterically on the inside.  Do you think our tour guide was offended that his front row all fell asleep?  Teach me and my old body to walk around after 10pm.  

6th Favorite Moment

Visiting the Old Plantations and Slave Homes !

I wonder if I were a true Southern Belle, growing up with slaves what I would have been like.  I would like to hope that my compassion and love of people would have caused me to treat slaves ethically and fair.  I wonder if I would have felt a deep moral urge to help slaves escape, I hope I would have made a difference.  I find myself cringing as I use the word "slave"  ethics, and fair  in the same sentence.

Last but not least -Favorite moment!

Having my mom one on one!  She is a great travel companion.

I must end with a dream, it's my right!

I want to live in this house!

I want to drive this car!

And walk on this bridge hand in hand my charming soldier (Rand of course) - sorry mom!

So many lessons to learn from traveling!