The Schnitzel Sisters

Update

2008-12-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

Veteran's Memorial Park dedication, Lathrop CA

Happy Girl!

breakfast with my friends

Suzy Q....the most beautiful bulldog in TX

Corinne's house in Austin, TX

Okay I know it's been a while. Wanted to let everyone I'm still alive and kicking.....hahaha. Been busy since work finished. I traveled to New Orleans for the month of November and enjoyed seeing family and friends. Here are the pictures from my visit to my friends new house in Austin and then also my visit to California for the dedication of the Veteran's Park in Lathrop. It was a great month. December started with me turning another year older. It doesn't feel any different though. Tomorrow mom, dad, Nick, and I leave for a cruise to Mexico and Honduras. Looking forward to the 90 degree weather and getting a little sun on my pasty white skin. Then off to Illinois to spend a white Christmas with friends. I'm probably going to get sick by going to 80-90 degree temps to very, very, very cold temps. But looking forward to it all the same. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll check back after the first of the year when I return.

2008-11-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm done with work. I'm very happy about this. But that happiness is overshadowed by the time of year that this is. I don't know exactly how to describe what I feel one year later. I'm sad, but have hope. I miss Dave terribly and cannot quite comprehend how time has passed so quickly yet so slowly at the same time. I think about things that will never be and about a voice I will never hear again on this earth. I wonder will I wake up sometimes and this will all have been a bad dream, but I know I won't. Even this does not fully describe how I am feeling even closely. I'm leaving for Austin in the morning to spend a few days with friends and then am on to New Orleans to be with my sister for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, since I'm am again unemployed I will be able to devote a little more time to the internet :) I can't wait to see my family out in California next weekend. I'm so looking forward to that. That's all for now. Know that I am thinking of all of you as I know you are thinking of me tomorrow.

2008-10-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

I hate painting because of this closet.....there are more shelves behind me.

Master bathroom

Master Bathroom demo

Pocket doors in the Den

french doors in the Den

Den with actual walls!!!! and my pocket doors

Nick and Dad

The clean up crews

Taking a break to have my picture taken

Sunrise on Padre Island National Seashore

Here are the pictures I've been promising to post. Still working (2 more weeks--6 shifts). I can't wait. New Orleans and California will be here before I know it! I wish it were tomorrow. I can't wait to see everyone. The first few pictures are from the beach clean up that we did last Saturday and the others are updates on the house renovations. Hope everyone is well. I'm off to work tonite and then off tomorrow. Working on a night off a night for the next 2 weeks. Oh well, maybe I can get some serious painting done! I need to.

Hello Everyone

2008-10-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

So I've had actually a great week at work. Patients and staff have all gotten along. Maybe it is that I'm finally in the groove. I don't know. If that is the case I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get there. Not that I am considering staying on at this point.....lol. I'm looking forward to a break. The house is coming along. I think I might actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Still a lot of work to be done, but it is progressing. I have new pictures of the house to put up but I have to figure out how to shrink their size a bit.....I love my new camera! We are finally getting relief from the hot weather today. A cold front blew threw last night and temperatures are hi's in the mid 70's. I'm so ready for winter.....yeah! Alright, I will work on the pictures and hopefully get those up soon. I have one more night of work and then I'm going to be working on the house hard for 5 days. Have a great weekend.

House Pictures

2008-10-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

living room construction

the pups looking in on the chaotic world that is their house

playing with the hummingbirds in the backyard

the doors are in and painted! Finally!

Guest bathroom vanity

front bathroom constuction.

sanding the front bathroom cabinets

Update on the Race

2008-10-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Christian playing with my shoes before leaving for the airport.

The runner's and the race route map

Squirrel

Lounging at Starbucks

Lunch with Steve, Jackie, the boys and Will (who drove down from NY and stopped in on his way to see Nayda in FL)

My friend Jackie with her boys who are stationed at Bowling AFB

Arlington

Dinner on Friday night with the Skoglund's and Nordberg's

What would be a trip to D. C. without shopping

Last minute needs at the expo

I know I can't believe I've been back since Sunday night and haven't posted anything yet. But in my defense I had to work on Monday night and also again tonite (back to the grind stome). The run went extremely well. I finished my 10 miles in 1 hours 56 minutes 53 seconds. I was quite pleased with myself as that was 15 minutes faster than I had anticipated! It really makes a huge difference running with others. The experience was awesome and I'm now a little bummed it's over. I may have to do another 1/2 marathon sometime soon. I think I'm crazy....lol! Anyways, I don't have any pictures of the race up yet because I couldn't run with my camera. But Liz took some and I will try and get those and get them up soon. Here are some other pictures from the weekend though. If you want to look at some pictures from the actually race, during and after check out Liz's website.....the link is to the right of my page.

I'm off

2008-10-03T01:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm off to DC this morning. Bright and early. Feeling good. I'll be back Sunday night and will try to get pics up between working and sleeping next week. Love you all. Thanks for the support!

Ready for the Run

2008-09-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Okay 9 miles in 1 hour and 50 minutes.......I ran out of water so I had to stop. It is just too hot down here to run without enough water. I'm ready for next Sunday though. I will leave on October 3rd and return on October 5th. It's still not too late to donate to my run in honor of Dave and in support of TAPS. Here is the website link below

https://taps.kintera.org/army10miler/rachaelalvarez

I'm really looking forward to seeing the girls (Meka and Liz) again. Oh I miss them so much. I have to work tonite, but only 5 more weeks to go (so I'm feeling a little better about that). I know I haven't posted any pictures as of late, but I haven't been taking so many. Not to mention my camera is on the fritz ( I think technology hates me this week). Nothing I touch seems to work. I struggle a little more at times lately with the 1 year anniversary of the crash quickly approaching. I don't really feel like it should be called an anniversary (that should be left for a happy occasion, but I wasn't in charge of naming dates I suppose). Hope everyone is doing well. I will work 4 out of the next 5 days until I leave. The dogs are going to the vet on Thursday (Leah hasn't had any problems with her pancreatitis flaring up, but I just feel more comfortable with her being looked after by the vet). Mom, Dad, and Nick are going on a cruise on Monday and will be gone for a few days. Well, that is about all from here for now.

2008-09-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Well, between working 5 of the past 6 nights and the computer being on the fritz, I've been tired to say the least. The Army 10-Miler is set for October 5th. I'm flying out on the 3rd and will return on the 5th. Training is going well and my goal of completing it within the set time looks very positive. I have learned that I am much stronger (physically and mentally) than I ever thought I was. I have 5 more weeks of my contract at the hospital and am looking forward to the end. I plan on doing a little traveling during the month of November. First to Austin for my friend, C's house warming party. Then on to my sister's house in New Orleans for about a week. Then I'm going to be flying from NO to Northern California. Dave's hometown of Lathrop, CA is dedicating their Veteran's Park on November 15th this year. They began this project with a ground breaking ceremony on Veteran's Day last year shortly after Dave died. Then I will fly back to New Orleans and stay their thru Thanksgiving. After that anyone knows. As I am finding out, I wouldn't call myself flighty, but my plans have a tendency to change very quickly. I would like to start a fulltime job back in the ICU, but I really enjoy the time off that contract nursing affords me right now. Only time will tell......for now the job continues, the house renovations continue and that is about as much as I can say for sure.

More work on the house

2008-09-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

The dogs...being dogs.

Watching the hummingbirds in the backyard this morning.

Shopping trip to Home Depot.

Made some headway in putting in the french doors.....to far to turn back now!

The only room completely done....a guest bedroom.

Master Bedroom.....painted

Computer Room....almost done

Guest bathroom after removing all cabinetry.

Guest bathroom renovations....

Just to let everyone know......hurricane Ike didn't end up affecting us down here in Corpus at all. Not even a drop of rain. Here are some more house pictures taken last week.

Home Renovations

2008-09-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

This was the first day of paint color on the wall......this is after we retextured and primed so we were so happy to get to this point!

Putting up the ceiling fan in my old bedroom. I know it's a green room Liz, but it is not as bad as your green room...hahaha

Crown molding is up and we are almost finished. The big unpainted space on the wall is where the french doors are going to lead out onto the patio. It's hurricane season right now, so we have to make sure we don't have to rush when we knock that wall out.

2nd bedroom. I need to finish the trim in here and then it will be done. I do the trim at night when I can't sleep. Not sure what the neighbors think about people being there and up at all hours of the day and night.

Guest bathroom...demo day. Keeping the cabinets and refacing them. They are really solid cabinets.

Another view of the guest bath....the hamper wall cupboard is going to be replaced by glass floating shelves coming out of the wall.

Okay, okay, I know it has been a while.....Work is putting a cramp in my blogging. Just to let you know though my schedule has not changed. I'm either at the hospital, working on the house, eating, sleeping, or running. That's it. I do have a little change in the schedule. I canceled my cruise to South America. I think after being gone for 2 months this summer to various places I'm all traveled out for the time being.....except maybe for the occassional trip to New Orleans or elsewhere in the country. I have decided to try and get a full time job and I want to be in the ICU. That took me a little while to figure out, but I made it back. I have pictures of my house I need to post before people start really getting upset.....lol. So here they are. My new house? Doesn't quite seem to sound right being that we are ripping it apart in some rooms. But here goes. This is only the back two bedrooms and the back bathroom. I'll post the others as we work on them.

2008-08-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

Me being rescued out of the mud (it was like quicksand)

Exploring the Athabascan Glacier, Columbia Icefields

crevase on the Athabascan Glacier---scary

The Saffleur Falls

above the Saffleur Falls

the gorge by the Saffleur Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

this is where we were camping on the Kootney Plains

more hiking pictures

view of Lake Abraham--it looks tropical

small waterfall on our hike

magic Kootney wood fires

Okay so, I'm not doing so well with the whole working and blogging thing. My days and nights are all messed up. I sleep till noon and then am up all night. Luckily I have decided that when I'm up at night I will go to the other house and paint trim, since there is so much to do. We put up crown molding in one of the rooms and are actually almost done with two rooms. I'll try and get pictures up tomorrow and later this week. Other, than that I eat and sleep. :) Oh yea and run too, made 6 miles today. Feeling pretty good about the 10 miles on Oct 5th. My knee was bothering me last week and I was a little concerned, but I bought new shoes and it's feeling much much better. Thank goodness. Alright, I'm off to watch some HGTV and take a shower. I also put a few more Canada pictures up this is where we were camping, the Kootney Plains. Also we did alot of day trips from there. Enjoy.

2008-08-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Work, Eat, Sleep, Eat, Work.......This is my schedule right now. I slept until 4pm today. Now I'm getting ready to go back to work. Off Monday and Tuesday. I'm hoping to start putting up crown molding in one of the bedrooms and I need to go buy some french doors. I was very disappointed on the whole door thing. I went to a custom shop and actually found some great doors and a fairly reasonable price. The problem is most doors built at custom shops are new build doors and they are bigger than the ones from the 60's or so. So to have them fit into the existing spaces (which I cannot change due to structural stuff that I definitely do not want to do at this point) would be CRAZY expensive!!!! So I'm settling on prehung doors from the home depot that are cheaper, but easier to put in and will already fit. I guess in the future if this is where I'm going to stay forever I can always put the other ones in........they were very pretty! Anyways, that is my plan for the beginning of this week. Also gonna go by my friends flip house tomorrow to get some ideas maybe. Till next time.........

It's been a few days

2008-08-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it's been a few days since I've blogged. Here is what is going on. I started work this week and have been at orientation every day for like 4 hours. It would have been nice to go one day and that was it, but that is not how it worked out. I start my regular night shift tonite on my own. I feel like I'll be okay on the floor. It is definitely fast paced, but not terrible (so far). Then also we started renovations on the house. (my mom and dad's that I am buying). We close next Tuesday or so I am told that is when they want their money....hehehe! I have pull all of the existing shelving out of the closets and the walls in the back 2 bedrooms. Dad and I textured the walls in my old room and we are deciding what to do with the other one at the moment. In the guest bathroom I have taken most of the fixtures down and am at a standstill there until I get the bedrooms done. My old room looks out on the patio, so I have decided to put in french doors to that room and also replace the doors that go out to the patio from the den. That is my job today. To decide on which doors I want to put in. I've been to Home Depot and Lowes. I haven't fell in love with anything yet (and of course price matters). So I'm off to door shop today. Then to the gym and work. Tomorrow I have off so I will sleep in the morning and do house stuff in the afternoon, evening. Being a homeowner really makes one busy, huh? Bella and Leah are doing fine.....sleeping as usual. Other than that the family is just on the same schedule it always is. Nick is a little concerned how me working is going to affect him. He seems to thing that everything has to be scheduled around his activities. He is quite funny, even though he is not trying to be. Alright, I'm off to make small decisions that cost a lot of money.

Back to Work

2008-08-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

So I have spent the morning in orientation with 6 other travel nurses. I forgot what a bad attitude some of them have. They so think they are getting taken advantage of by the hospital and the full time staff. Honestly, I've never felt that way anywhere I've been a contract nurse. It is really sad that people are that way, it brings you down man! Anyways, the way I see it, I'm getting paid more than any nurse there at the hospital and if that means I am pulled from floor to floor then that makes sense to me. Anyways, I have to go back to enjoy the rest of my orientation this afternoon and then tomorrow again. Hopefully, there will have been some attitude adjustments by then (it's a good thing I don't have to work with most of these people, just today)

7 Days of Absolute Relaxation--Houseboating on the Shushwaps

2008-08-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Houseboat crew

Partying with the neighbors

Me watersking

Sunset on the Shushwap

Black Bears on the beach

Alba Falls hike

Houseboat

Looking for a prince?

Romance in the Hottub.....Carol Anne & Lyn

Our responsible captain!

Jay and Marlo

Shivers on the slide

Swimming in the Shushwap

Getting organized and ready to leave

Our Houseboat....Amigo's Only!

Arrival, Vancouver, Ft. Langley pics

2008-08-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

shopping in Ft. Langley, B.C. 19 July

The gardens at Stanley Park

Me and the redwood, Stanley Park

At the Aquarium gift shop 18 July
Aaron & Devon.....goofs!

Totems near Stanley Park 18 July

View of Vancouver downtown 18 July

Carol Anne and I at Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. 18 July

Landing in Seattle, WA 17 July

Mt. Reiner, from the plan 17 July

I'm home again

2008-08-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it back to TX on August 6th. My trip to Canada was AWESOME! I wasn't quite ready to come home from the Rocky Mountains. So beautiful Yesterday I just relaxed and tied up some loose ends before my new job starts on Monday. Today, I'm back at running and starting to work on the house renovations/painting. There is alot to do. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed. Anyways, I'm going to start posting pictures on the blog it may take a few days because I took like 300! So here goes.....

I'm gone again

2008-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, everyone.....I'm signing off until around 7 August. I'm going to Canada for the next few weeks and will be almost totally removed from technology......yipppeee! Okay, really I'm not that excited about being removed but I'm looking forward to being on vacation again...hehehe. Alright, hope everyone has a great rest of July and first part of August. Till then, I'm signing off.

I made it!!!

2008-07-14T09:31:00.001-07:00

5 miles baby!!!!!! Woo-hoo!!

Amazing experience

2008-07-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just got back from a wonderful restaurant here in Corpus Christi, Mama Mia's. It was an Italian restaurant owned by a full Italian. I was curious to know where the owner was from and he came around and said he was from Lago di Garda just 4 hours away from Aviano. He also served in the 3rd infantry of the US Army. It was a wonderful meal. We told him about David and how he had died in the crash at San Lucia di Piave. He was moved and kissed me on the forehead 3 times. He also shared his grapa with us (which has not happened in 8 years). Then to top that the whole meal for three of us was on the house!!!!! I am speechless! It is a humbling experience to meet someone who recognizes the sacrifice of my husband. I am so honored! He asked me to bring a picture of David back to his restaurant so he can display it on his wall of American Heroes. I will do it for certain next week! If this doesn't sound quite right it's because of the grapa.

P.S.

Dad says hugs and kisses to my other daughter Rachel!

Dog Days

2008-07-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

View of the Harbor Bridge.....nice pic for Corpus

Mom and Dad fell in love again over baseball!

Leah after her haircut and bath......beautiful!

Che Bella!!

We went to the Hooks game last night. Hooks won......GO HOOKS!!!! Today I ran another 4 miles. The legs didn't want to work all that well though. I pushed it and am sore a little this afternoon. Came home and planted my Italian geraniums finally. Also shaved the dogs. Tonite I'm going fishing with Nick. He has to catch and identify 2 fish for his Boy Scouts. I don't know if I'll be much help in the identification, it's been a while since I've been fishing and I usually catch rocks and piggy perch.....oh well, it will be fun anyways.

Running Update

2008-07-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Got up late this morning 9:30am (I'm suprised the dogs let me sleep in, that is not like them). Ran around and did some errands. I had to by dog food which has become considerable more expensive since the mama dog now has ailments. She is doing perfectly fine though and loves her new wet food diet. I ran out of Bella food this morning, so she got wet food also. She was so excited! She sit there while you are making Leah's food and looks at you longingly. She is such a drama queen. Anyways, I finished working on my sewing chest yesterday. All except the final coat of tongue oil. I went to run today.......4mile in 44 minutes. I probably could have run 5 but just didn't feel like it. 5 tomorrow!!!! I had to go to the gym out on the base because it is just too hot to run outside. The humidity is like 100% right now....uuugghhh! I was actually suprised that I was able to get a treadmill. I went at like 11:15am and thought that it might be hard because of the lunch crowd. Actually, there was hardly anyone in the gym. That's the NAVY for you though. I guess they swim....hehehe. Just kidding to all you Navy folk. Alright, going to a Hooks game with the family tonite. We have seats behing the pitcher--8th row. My dad's friend gave them to us (they are his company tickets) so we have been told to behave ourselves. Us not behave ourselves......nahhhh.

2008-07-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

I've been busy catching up on paperwork today. I had to take the car in for 20,000 mile maintenance. Can you believe I drove over 5,000 miles on my vacation to NNY. Oh my, that was a long trip! I faxed back my job acceptance letter, so I'm locked in to an August 11th start date at the hospital. I'm both nervous and excited about returning to work. I really do love nursing. I spoke with the manager last week and she seems very nice. She is actually an Air Force reservist, so she has some idea about the whole military thing. I think I was meant to work on this floor to start. I had to explain what had happened (mainly because I had a lapse in employment). She was so understanding that it really put me at ease. Yesterday, I worked all day on refinishing a sewing chest I bought in NY at the auction. I'm very excited on how nicely it is turning out. Tomorrow I will go to home depot for some gloves to stain it and some moss baskets to plant my geraniums that I bought in NY. They are the vining kind that we had in Italy. I was so happy to find them, because I've never seen them here. My run today went well. Only 2.5 miles running and 2 miles walking because it was so hot. Tomorrow I'm going to run in the morning or at the gym (depends on when I get up). It rained this evening and has actually turned really nice......no humidity. I love the rain :)

4th of July

2008-07-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take her home :)

Kathy and Hailey.

Kathy on the seadoo.

Yesterday, I went to spend the day at my friend Karen's on the lake for the fourth celebration. I had a great time. We swam, ate BBQ, and had a few beers. Good friends, good food always equals a good time. Corinne came down from Austin and we spent the night at Kathy's. Kathy got a new dog......a chocolate lab puppy (check this out Liz). She is Hailey and is 7 weeks old....oh my goodness how cute she is. Just to keep you from running out and getting one, she has pee peed on Kathy a few times so far :) I want one anyway though. Not yet though, mom and dad would string me up by my toes!

NY Pictures

2008-07-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed my trip to NY. I can't explain it in words except it was good for my soul. I miss everyone I met terribly, but I'm also glad to be home with my family and friends here in Corpus. I can't wait to visit again and I can's wait for visitors.......As for the future, I've hired on with a travel company and am going to do a contract here in Corpus starting in August on a medical/surgical-urology unit. I'm nervous about working, but also very ready to return to this normal thing in life.

Pooped pups on the way home.

The Amish are everywhere.

Liz buying her house

Fountain in town park, Canton, NY

You have to be careful when you hike in the Adirondacks, there are panthers, bears, and blue ninjas in the forest. The appear when you least expect it.

View from the High Peak. Beautiful!

Hiking in the Adirondacks. We climbed one of the high peaks.
2 people, 4 dogs

Grady thinks he is much smaller than he is. He is standing on the console in the 4 Runner.

Taking a rest by the Parliment building.

I had no idea that Canadians had a statue of Liz up in Ottawa, go figure :)

Starbucks, Ottawa, Canada

Playing speed scrabble one night.

We went on a garden tour of Potsdam on 21 June.

Margaret (Liz's mom) and the peony's. I think this is my new favorite flower. What an intoxicating smell they have. When I got home mom told me my grandmother used to grow them and they were beautiful!

Elena, Liz, Mark, and Me at the Hard Rock in Canada.....what a good baby!

Niagra Falls, Canada

I had such a wonderful time spending time at the farm. It belonged to the assistant pastor of Liz's church. Everyone I met was so wonderful and caring. I really enjoyed everything about her church and the people that make it up.....WOW!

This is a future dinner for the family.

Trying to figure out if it is a boy or girl.

Sunday at the farm

Coming home from the auction....I think we bought alot
(this is a Suburban, we even had to tie the doors closed with rope)
I'm hooked on auctions now!

Driving thru someones garden......not sure whose.

I think all the dogs wore each other out. Grady needs a
pillow downstairs......I'm looking out for you Grady :)

Testing out the kayak and the life vest.

Everyone's flowers were amazing. This one was blooming at camp.
Liz's mom has quite the green thumb.

Dyllan and Grady tuckered out after swimming.

Leah doesn't swim all that well, so I had to get her a doggy life vest. She didn't use it much but Bella loved the water.

Swimming at camp

Sorry these took so long to post but here our the pictures of our trip. Just to let everyone know, Leah is doing better. The vet thinks she may have pancreatitis. I am changing her diet and giving her Maalox and Pepcid ac. Hopefully, this decreases the inflammation of the pancreas and helps prevent anything life threatening. They drew blood and it was negative for the disease, however, the vet said that schnauzers are notorious for this diesease and just because the blood test comes back negative doesn't mean she doesn't have it. It just may be a mild case right now.
Now here are the pictures.........

I'm Home

2008-07-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

I made it back to TX yesterday. No traffic or car problems. The dogs did well on the trip. Although, Leah did develop diarrhea on the way home. So today we have a vet appointment. I just want to make sure everything is alright with her as she is getting older. Well, I have to get ready for the appointment, but I will be back on later today posting pictures and things. Hope all is well.

2008-06-27T06:53:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a few days. So I thought I would update everyone before I leave on Sunday. I have had a great week and a wonderful visit up here in NNY. Tuesday, Liz and I took the dogs (all 4 of them) for a hike in Adirondack mountains. We walked up this trail to one of the high peaks. It took about 1:45 minutes to get to the top. It was overcast and rainy during the day, but because the climb was quite vigorous at times it was refreshing. The dogs of course loved there leash free existence for a while. We crossed paths with some French Canadians that were less than friendly about the dogs, even though they were always under control. I find this hard to fathom because all my Canadian friends are such big dog lovers. We decided Europeans are much more tolerant of pets and it made me miss Europe. After the hike (covered in mud) we went to a winery and bought some local Lake Placid wine. We tried a white dessert wine that tastes very much like the Moscato that I used to have in Italy. Let's see, on Wednesday I can't really remember what we did too much. I did run my 3 miles, shaving 1minute and 45 seconds off my time. Thursday, Liz had the walk thru of her house. It was my first time seeing inside. It is very cute and I think will fit Liz very well. Not to mention it will give me a place to summer from now on :) . We wen t to a Bible study at her friends hour and hit some of the markets. No running on Thursday as my legs were very sore after the hike and run on the previous 2 days. Now it's Friday morning. Liz is closing on her house this morning. I'm going to catch the farmers market. Then maybe we will start some painting. Tomorrow is an auction. So I'll let you know if I'm able to make it home, j/k. I can't buy too much. I won't have room for the dogs. Alright, that is all for now. I'll let you know when I get home and get some pictures of the trip posted.

Canada Day

2008-06-23T17:41:00.001-07:00

Went to Ottawa, Canada today. It was very rainy, but we walked around a bit. Hit the market. They had the most beautiful geranium baskets (it reminded me of the way Italians grow flowers). We found a little Italian grocery and I picked up some coffee and balsamic vinegar. We ate at this little restaurant with pictures of naked men on the wall.....it was interesting, but actually really good food, spicy! I've been drinking starbucks more than I ever have in the past....I don't know if this will be a bit of a new trend, at least until I get my own things to make a homemade cappuccino. Anyways, taking the dogs hiking tomorrow. We took them walking yesterday. Liz was throwing a stick into the river for Grady and Dyllan. Bella was sooooo excited. One time before she even knew what she was doing she ran in the water up to her neck. She then realized what she had done and turn and ran out. It was hilarious. Okay, Grady is smoking me out right now, I can't concentrate.

2008-06-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of nice days here. Getting a little warmer. Lets see, Thursday we had lunch at Liz's house with a couple of ladies from her church. Then I went for a 3 mile run......non stop I might add. I was so excited to finally beat the 2 mile hump, only 7 more to go now :) Friday, Liz taught me how to knit, so I practiced alot and then we had game night. That was pretty fun, I learned to play canasta. Today, Liz, her mom, and I went to a garden show to see some of the peoples gardens around. I'm going to be leaving to come home next Sunday. I figure that will be plenty of time to miss the 4th traffic. That's all for now. I'm really looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone!

Back in Canton

2008-06-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it back from Buffalo without any problems. We had a great visit with one of the other wives. It is definitely helpful to me to stay in touch with everyone. I'm so lucky I have them. That to me sounds so odd, but it is true. When we got to buffalo amazingly it was between 55 and 60 the whole time we were there. Oh, how nice cool weather is!!!! Went to Niagra Falls (on the Canadian side) to see the horseshoe falls better and it was so beautiful. Then we went to lunch at the Hard Rock. The hotel we stayed in was interesting to say the least. I think alot of the people lived there instead of staying there for a night or two. It makes me happy I travel with dogs :) We arrived back in Canton this afternoon to a cool 64 and soup for dinner. Liz's mom is quite the cook. Tomorrow is a luncheon and Friday we are playing cards.

New York Fun

2008-06-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I have some updating to do. I made it to NY last Tuesday. I had a wonderful trip up. I stopped the first night in New Orleans and stayed with my sister. I think it was the best day and night. I enjoyed hanging out with her soooo much. The next day I was on to Ft. Rucker to see some friends from Italy. They reminded me that I am not alone on this new journey in my life. Sometimes I feel that my old life and new life are seperate for some reason. But I am now seeing that one doesn't end where the next begins. Thanks for reminding me of that guys! After that I drove to Greenville, S. C., Roanoake, Virginia, and finally somewhere in Pennsylvainia. The drive was very relaxing and easy nothing unexpected. I hit some bad weather around Syracuse, NY, but luckily it kind of skirted around me on the edges. So what have I been doing? So many new and fun things. Liz's mom and dad have been great! The have taken in me and 2 small schnauzers into their clan temporarily. Bella has been doing fairly well, althougth she is still quite vocal. Leah doesn't think she has rules to follow......she is on vacation. We have been spending time at the lake house and going to the movies. We went to an auction yesterday. I bought a few things, but I have no clue what I'm going to do with them now. I guess I'll figure something out. It was very fun. Today we went to church. They announced that I was there visiting and their church gave David a standing ovation for his service to his country. I thought it was rather appropriate that it would be father's day because I figure we were parents too. It made me cry and of course I had not tissues in my purse again. You would figure that after 7 months of not knowing when the flood gates would open I would have put some in there by now. Anyways, it was very touching. Tomorrow Liz and I are driving to Buffalo to see one of the other wives. We are really looking forward to that, she has just had a new baby and I can't wait to see them. Taking my pups of course. Also, we are going to visit Niagra Falls. Mom I know you are jealous.......I'll take lots of pictures :) Alright, I need to go to bed. I have to run tomorrow before we leave. Have a great week......I can't believe it's already going to be Monday, time is flying.

2008-06-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just a quick note to let you know I arrived safely to NNY. The dogs are glad to be out of the car as am I. We are enjoying Liz, her family, and the dogs. I'm not sure they know what to think of each other yet. I will tell more later.

Training update

2008-06-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I did my 3 mile run this morning. I think I did pretty well (I'm still alive anyways). I'm thinking that once I get to 5 miles, 10 miles is going to be like just a little farther. I think 5 is going to be the hump for me. I'm determined though. Don't worry about my NY trip it will not affect my training as Liz is also running the 10 miler, so I will actually have motivation. I wanted to add the link to my page if any of you did not get an email about the run, so you can check it out and also the TAPS organization. Lots to do today before I leave and the dogs stink too! Have a great day. Here is the link

https://taps.kintera.org/army10miler/rachaelalvarez

NY trip

2008-06-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't written in a few days. Things have been busy around here. I decided on Tuesday that I was going to drive to NY and visit Liz for a few weeks. I'm leaving Thursday! 2046 miles is the trip, it's a good thing I got the truck tuned up last week. I'm really looking forward to the drive, it's one I haven't done since 2000. There is something about driving vs. flying. You miss so much of the country flying. Also, I get to take the pups with me. This is going to be fun! Leah is resting up for the trip and Bella is awfully excited. I had to finish up alot of last minute things before I go, but it looks like everything will work out. I going to visit my sister in New Orleans on the way up and some friends at Ft. Rucker. Well, I really don't have time to be blogging right now. I will keep in touch as much as I can thru the email. Also I will always be reachable by cellphone. Oh yea, thanks to everyone who has donated to my run in Dave's Memory! I did run today :) and am starting to feel my legs again after beginning my training regimen last week. Have a great day.......

Picture from Washington D. C.

2008-05-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Dinner with the girls

Marine Corp Evening Parade--Friday Night

Chester XIII at the Marine Corp Evening Parade

Concert on the National Mall--Sunday Night

Me & Liz

The amphitheater at Arlington- Memorial Day 2008

President Bush's speech

In the distance, looking at Dave's grave

I made it back

2008-05-29T04:52:00.000-07:00

I am back in Texas. I had a wonderful weekend with my friends in D.C. Liz and I were talking and we have never felt so proud of our husbands and what they did for their country. I know that if Dave were here now, he would do exactly what he did. I have now doubts about that. The plane rides were uneventful except for the movie selections......The Bucket List and P.S. I Love You. If you don't know what I mean, rent them you will quickly. The hotel was nice, we stayed at the double tree crystal city (although I wouldn't stay there again). They were ill equipped to handle a party of that size. On Thursday I just got in and I met the girls. Liz and I went to Arlington to see Dave and Christian. We forgot tissue, so we ended up raiding the ladies bathroom for toilet paper to take with us. Of course, we cried, which was actually kind of good because it moistened the toilet paper which made it easier to wipe off the bird poop.....lol. I cleaned off the grass clippings from Dave's headstone (because that is what he has been complaining about for the past 7 months). The grass has filled in nicely and everything was absolutely emmaculate. The area where he is is off the beaten path a bit, so it is quiet without so much traffic. Another good thing because we all know that Dave didn't like to draw attention to himself. I love that man!! Okay, so on Friday we spent all day in seminars which were funny, sad, angry, and every other emotion in between. I haven't cried or laughed so much since Dave died. I also realize that while sometimes I feel crazy, it's okay because you know what everybody else is too. :) Friday night we went to the Marine Corp Evening Parade. (it wasn't a parade) Actually it was the commandants band and also the rifle squads (I don't know what to call them) It was awesome!!!! We had a police escort to and from the event (I felt so important). Saturday was more of the same as Friday's seminars. I was starting to miss the dogs a bit by this time. As soon as I thought of them in walk these two gorgeous retrievers. The therapy dogs which I completely took advantage of. It was great. I've decided I'm going to train my dogs to be therapy dogs and I could volunteer to take them different places. I know this may take a while, but I think it is doable. Bella is making great progress and Leah is so passive. I think it will be good for me also. Saturday night we skipped the big fancy dinner and opted for dinner with each other. To get together and talk seemed so natural. I missed that as soon as I left D.C. Sunday was the end of the seminar (which was way too soon). I got alot out of it. Hopefully, I will be able to apply some of it in my life. Sunday night we went to the Concert on the National Mall. Which was nice. Then Monday morning we got up and went to Arlington for the Memorial Day Celebrations. It was so hot (85) . Every other day it was just perfect in temperature. We got there at 8 am and it started around 11am. White marble soaks up heat by the way. We heard the president make his speech and then soon after that we were leaving again. Liz drove home soon after that and I went to see Dave again for a little while. I went back to the hotel and took a nap because I was sooooo exhausted. We got together for dinner that night and breakfast in the morning before I left to come home. I am so impressed with this whole TAPS program. It is in so many different areas of the country, if you have the chance to go, do it. It is for anyone who has lost a loved one. They split you up at times into different groups....spouses with kids, spouses without kids, parents, grandparents, siblings, friends.......it is really great to talk with others feeling the same way you do at times. Also I guess even though this experience should have killed me, I realize now that it didn't and I can go on as others have before me. Anyways, plans for the future include definitely attending another one of these (especially next year), running the Army 10-miler in D.C. in October in memory of Dave (since he was soooo in to P.T. ---Army people will laugh at that) ( I started training for it yesterday :) -more to come on that later ), and train the dogs to be therapy dogs. I also really liked the D.C. area, it might be a place I need to try and live. Alright, I guess that is enough for now. I will try and get some pics up later today.
Love you guys.....have a great day!

It's been a while

2008-05-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it has been a while since I last wrote. I went thru Dave's birthday and had a pretty hard time with that. I'm a little anxious about this coming weekend and the TAPS seminar in DC I already know that it will be quite emotional. At least I will have friends there to lean on if I need it. I'm really excited about seeing the other girls. On Dave's birthday we went out and had a nice dinner and then celebrated a little with a small cake that I bought. On Saturday, I volunteered at the medical tent during the annual Beach to Bay Relay Marathon. We were going to actually do it this year, but unforeseen things came up. It was good and I got volunteer hours for it. That afternoon I hung out at the lake with some friends and it was a beautiful, hot Texas day. Bella and Leah were doing much better. Leah still is. Bella however had bloody diarrhea today. We were back at the vet this afternoon and he diagnosed her with hookworms. Where those came from I have not a clue, but they are there. So now they are also both being treated for those for the next 5 days. At least it happened the day before I was supposed to leave for DC. Mom and Dad are going to have a lot of fun medicating my little hypochondriacs for the next 5 days. Well, I leave tomorrow at 8am. I'll have pics when I get back. I chopped my hair off on Friday so you all will get to see that. Hope you all have a good weekend.

We are officially sick

2008-05-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

I took Leah to the vet this afternoon. She is still sick with diarrhea and vomiting. Bella vomited again today and is starting to have diarrhea. UGGH! I think they are as bad as kids. Maybe not quite as expensive though. Leah got an IV for dehydration. And Bella is not going to training class tomorrow. I'm still going to go because as I continue on in this endeavor to have a well mannered dog, I have found that it is mostly my fault that she is the way she is and not anything to do with her temperament or personality. Anyways, we are NPO (nothing to eat) tonite or tomorrow and are on pepcid and Maalox twice a day. Plus Leah is on antibiotics now. Hopefully, we will be feeling better by tomorrow. I just noticed that I write like we are all connected together and we feel each others pain. Huh, just another observation. I love my pups.

UUUGGHHH!!!

2008-05-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is obviously the week of dog ailments. Now Leah is sick with diarrhea. She had an accident in the trailer last night. Now this morning she won't eat. Bella seems to be doing fine now. Hopefully, it will pass quickly. Yoga and swimming is on the schedule for today.

Pool Day

2008-05-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to Kath's and had a pool day. It was very nice. I needed the sun. I still need the sun. I thought Kath would go blind by my legs. :) Got home around 9:30pm at night and went to bed. My Bella got up around 12:30am and started throwing up. She threw up 7 times. We can't figure out if she was just sick or got into something. I was really worried last night because she was pretty listless and breathing shallow until about 3am. Then you could tell she started breathing better and I was finally able to go to sleep, even though it was not very restful. I slept thru church this morning. When I got up we took mom out for lunch for mother's day. Bella, Leah, and I took a nap when we came home from lunch. I had Greek mousaka that was very good! Other than that no more plans for tonite. I'm ready to go to D.C. in 1 1/2 weeks. I wish it were tomorrow.

Good Day

2008-05-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to San Antonio to take care of some business and go to the Ft. Sam PX (nice). You know I find it funny the things that don't really bother me much anymore. For example, as we were driving up we passed a bicyclist on the road (of course he was way over on the shoulder) but my dad has this thing with people biking on the road. Even here in town he never fails to mention it on Sunday when we pass the club training for the race over the harbor bridge. Sure they take up one entire lane, which can be irritating. But this no longer seems to bother me. It must be my Italian experience with bikers kicking in. Anyways, just something I noticed. We went to dinner with a friend of mine in SA. It was really nice. I have not been having the best last couple of days. Just been kind of down. That definitely brought up my spirits. This morning mom and I walked along the bayfront. We saw 2 dolphins in the bay, that was pretty cool. I haven't seen that in a long time. The water was sooo smooth. No wind, I guess that means it's going to be HOT. Well, I'm off to lunch with some nurse friends at Joe's Crab Shack.

Spa Day

2008-05-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

Got up this morning and walked with mom for 1 hour. This afternoon I went to the spa for my massage that I got as a gift for my anniversary from a friend. I definitely waited way to long to do this! The smallest most petite girl there walked in to give me my 1 1/2 hour sweddish deep tissue massage. I kinda thought yea right......well, I was wrong! Oh my goodness!!!!!!! I left there and I honestly felt sooooo relaxed I could barely drive. I just wanted to lay down and melt. It's been like 5 hours now since I had it and I still feel the same way. I scheduled facials for mom and I on Monday 10am. We can't wait. I've decided to that this is going to be a monthly relaxation for me. I so needed this! Thank you!

The Squirrel

2008-05-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

Mom and I braved the mall today. It wasn't as bad as I thought and we got our walking done in air conditioning. This is important because it was 95 degrees yesterday and close to it today. Not to mention the humidity right now is insane. I woke up this morning and there were puddles on the top of the hot tub and the grass was so wet. I thought it had rained last night, but then mom said no, it is just the dew. I had forgotten about how wet it gets here from that only. I got some cute jeans, a new pair of shoes, and the perfume I've been looking all over for. Oh yea, I went to claires and got a few necklaces. I was really missing our little shop in Venice when I was in there! Mom had to go to Walgreens because coffee was on sale. There are limits on how much you can buy, so we both went in with coupons and got some and we also hit another Walgreens. I don't know about anyone else but coffee here is $12-15 a tub right now. I'm sure that is blamed on gas prices as well. The pups got a new toy and I videoed them playing with it. I didn't think Leah would be that interested, but she had a grand time with it too. Nick and Dad were away at a chess tournament today. Nick got 8th place out of 14 kids his age. I uploaded some of the girls having fun :)

Dutch Blitz Smiles :)

2008-05-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

So, I'm applying for a job. I have forgotten how difficult this was when your resume is not up to date. Ugh! I'm not planning on working until maybe August, but with a travel agency you can apply anytime and be on the list. It's easier when you are ready to go. I've been reminiscing in my head today about some of the great times we had in Italy. Sandy wrote me and reminded me of the Dutch Blitz games. I remember how intimidating it was when you had to sit between Nayda and Jaime. And the thwap, thwap, thwap as KK would turn her cards (like she had been practicing for speed). Survivor Nights! That was good. I needed a good smile and that provided it today. I miss my girls! Well, that is enough procrastinating for now. I have to do some more info finding :)

2008-05-01T17:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I got alot accomplished today. Many things on my list has been crossed off, finally! Maybe, tomorrow it all will be ( I wish). Bella had her 4th class today and did wonderfully. I can't say how proud I am enough. She is learning the come command. Or to put it better I am learning how to give it correctly. The teacher was very impressed. I was shocked because this is probably one of the things that she has the most trouble with. I can sit on the couch eating a hamburger and say "come" usually and she won't. But today as we walked down the odoriferous cat food aisle at petsmart I said her name, she turned and looked at me and came as I walked backwards like she has been doing it forever. I wish I could take more pictures, but being back down to one it is hard to be involved in the class and do that at the same time. We saw a Maximus today at the store and I was reminded of you Rach. I miss you! We got cable TV yesterday and I am busy catching up on all the crap I haven't seen in the last 5 years, since I had cable last. Needless to say there is nothing on now just like it was then :) You have to love a company that can sell you nothing and charge a premium for and make you believe you need it. Anyways, I'm off to watch TV.

Not much again today

2008-04-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

I guess that is a good thing. Kinda of another low key day. We got up this morning and have gotten into a routine of sitting on the back porch and watching the humming birds. We have this one little female that has claimed every feeder in the backyard. The male comes down and tries to eat and she swoops and buzzes around and chases him off. It is quite amusing. Now there is also a beautiful golden finch that has been frequenting the feeders also. This afternoon I went swimming at the pool to get some sun and exercise. I got to see the person who first gave me a job when I was 15 years old. I tell you what, she looks just like I remember. I was a lifeguard for 10 years, what a great summer job! No real thoughts of any sort the last 2 days. It's kinda nice to just be. Anyways, going to watch a movie tonite.

2008-04-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I just finished my walk for today. I'm doing pretty well with the exercising finally! Mom and I stopped by the Pilates center of Corpus Christi that was on the walk and we are thinking about taking some started sessions. Sounds different and I've heard it works really well. Yesterday was completely lazy. Went to church in the morning. Slept in the afternoon. Got up and watched 2 movies. Went to bed. I can't be that way today. I could see myself getting into that routine if I'm not careful. Luckily I have too much stuff to get done everyday. Alright, off to train the dogs for a bit.

I'm finished being Reclusive :)

2008-04-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it's been a while. I have had a lot to process since 13 April. I'm feeling pretty good about the way everything went. I doesn't change anything, but at least I've heard it from the Army that it wasn't their fault. I know that probably doesn't make sense to some of you, but it is something I needed to hear. I talked to Grace a couple of weeks ago and she said something very poingnant. But of course if you know her, you know what a wise woman she is. She said we have to learn to live with the absence of Dave. That more than anything makes so much sense to me. Not forgotten, just not there like we know it anymore. I struggle each day (some harder than others) to live without my papa. However, I think the Lord is making it easier every day. Well, Bella is continuing her training and it is if I may brag going very well......she is a very disciplined student and fast learner! Papa would be so proud. To date she can sit, lay, drop it, leave it, and stop barking on command. She had her 3rd class yesterday. 2 new dogs joined our class, and one of the other mother's commented on how well she was doing and what a fast little learner she was. I'm thinking in my head of course....this is NOT my dog!!!!! But who know maybe it is. She is also doing better at home (at least if rewards are involved). The trainer talks about a neighbor of hers sometimes in class that has 2 schnauzers that are so poorly behaved and just always bark, bark, bark. I finally had to ask her last night if it was me :) She said no, thank goodness! Health wise I'm starting my workout regime. I'm sore as anything right now and of course the dogs want to lay on my stomach every morning in bed to get there loves and kisses. Hopefully, that will be back to less painful soon. Mom and I are walking and I 'm also doing the Bosu Balance Trainer. I'm going to through in swimming next week, just because I'm so darn white. I've even got Nick lifting weights with me which I think he enjoys. As for new trips I'm going to go to Washington DC at the end of May. They have a seminar for survivors of military death over Memorial Day which includes all the celebrations at Arlington on Memorial Day and much, much more. A friend of mine is going and we are going to meet there. I'm really excited about going and think that it will be very helpful now and in the future. I guess that is about it for now. I'm off to walk with mom.

It's finally here

2008-04-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Took my in laws to the beach yesterday. Man was it windy!!!! Bella and I did a little running into the wind, but I don't think either one of us made it to more than a quick walk. It must have been blowing 40-50mph constant out there. Anyways, we let the dogs run around a bit and took a drive. Bella started school on Thursday night at petsmart and is now in the training mind at home too (I wish). The trainer at school really came down on her for growling and barking. She listened to. She looked at her, then layed down with a really sulky look on her face. We are working at it and she at least acknowledges me when I say her name, even if she is really interested in what she is doing at the moment. The trainer said that if she acts really good at the class and not so good at home it is really the sign of an intelligent and trainable dog because they know where they can get away with stuff. I am working on being consistent right now. Well, today is the day I have waited for, for the past 5 months and 3 days. I get my brief. If you read this before 3pm say a little prayer for me to be strong and keep it together. I need that today. I may not be on after for a little while, just gonna have to see how I feel.

Bella is Searching for her Prince

2008-04-11T06:40:00.001-07:00

Anniversary

2008-04-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today is Dave and my 3rd anniversary. I'm feeling a little sad today, even though we usually never did anything very special. He would usually end up washing the cars and then we would go to dinner. So in honor of him I'm washing the new RV and going to give a nice hand wax. I just finished washing and I have to say I may pay someone next time.....hehehe. I'm going to wait to wash the top until my folks get home. I'm a little afraid I'll get up there and fall off or go thru the roof, even though they told me I wouldn't. At least then I will have a witness and someone to call for help :) My sister-in-law gave us tickets to the taste of Corpus Christi for tonite. All of the really nice restaurants get together at the aquarium and serve tidbits of their menus. It sounds like a lot of fun. I'm sure I will enjoy it. I'll take my camera to take some pics. Other than that, still getting ready for Sunday both physically and mentally. I'm having a little trouble sleeping at night, hopefully I will get over that soon.

WE HAVE WHEELS!!!!

2008-04-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

I went to help my friend set up for the party yesterday and of course right when she needed me the most I had to split for a while. My car finally arrived and I went to the Sam's Club parking lot to pick it up. It looks just the way I left it at the shipping center. No damage. A little dirt, but I will do some car love today and fix that right up. I'm just soooo glad to have my car. The graduation party was a hit and lasted half the night. Well, I'm up and ready to start my day.

Pictures from the trip

2008-04-05T01:44:00.000-07:00

AZ landscape....these cacti only grow one place in the world.

Boothill Cemetery
These are the men who died at the shootout at the OK Corral.

Tombstone, AZ

Bella at the dunes, California. There is something to be said for sand dunes without the water. The car doesn't smell like dog funk when they don't get wet, like at the beach.

To Infinity and Beyond!!!!!

Leah at the dunes in California.

1st night. We have some sleeping arrangements to discuss.

Our new dog house :)

Ooohhh Papa, I see something I want over there.
Bella and Leah buying fleas at the market.

Our new Italian jogging suits we got at the market.

Grandma and the girls

Bella thinks she is a cat. Seriously she lays up there because she can see out the window and she always has to know what is going on.

Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ

We're not spoiled.

Breath taking view of White Sand, N.M.

White Sands, New Mexico

Leah had a great time!

Push harder Nick! We were attempting to sled down the side of the dune.

Can I drive yet?

My poor mom smelled like Bella butt the whole trip!
It must be a security thing. As long as I can feel you I know you are there.
We are thinking about making a perfume.

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.
Amazing what the Lord has created.

I think the desert is beautiful!

Just a side note. I found my camera in the truck. It is nippy out tonite. I am in TX right?

The Schnitzel Sisters New Home

2008-04-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. We made it back from AZ unscathed. The trip was wonderfully relaxing and I very much enjoyed not being connected to anything for a few weeks. I really needy that. I have come back with renewed energy, however, as soon as I got home it is business as usual and I feel like a need another vacation very soon....:) So my trip. The desert was in bloom all the way thru New Mexico and Arizona. Who could have ever though cacti could be so pretty. Not much grass, but the mountains are gorgeous, especially during the sunset when they completely surround you. NO HUMIDITY!!!!! I didn't have to blow dry my hair or use the curling iron. The temperatures were in the 80's during the day and 50-70 at night. I could definitely live in AZ for a while. Speaking of living somewhere, I have decided that C.C., TX is probable not going to be a permanent thing. I don't know when, but I'm going to start some travel nursing and find out where the Lord wants to plant me. It of course will be at least a year before that happens, but at least it is a plan (until I change my mind). I traveled nursed before Dave and I met and actually was on assignment in Tennessee when I met him. I liked TN. So you ask, what about all your stuff? How will you move from place to place? Well, the Schnitzel Sisters have a new home! In AZ we traded in our 13ft. camper and I bought a 31 foot travel trailer complete with bedroom, bathroom, shower, dinette area, couch, and full kitchen. I'm pretty excited about it. It's brand new and of course needs a little love of my own, but I think it will be quite nice. The dogs seem to like it also (at least the couch and bed). Will it be hard for people to visit? Actually it can sleep 6. I'm being an insomniac right now (and for the past few nights) so I'm probably a little wired. Back to the trip.....we went to the dunes out in California. Did an awesome jet boat trip down the Colorado River. Shopped in Mexico. And just kicked back and did as much or little as I wanted. On the way home, we stopped in Tombstone for a day and then went to Ft. Huachuca. Had dinner with Jackie, John, Kurt, and Dolores. It was really nice to have familiar faces from Italy/Germany around. It was nice to be an ARMY wife again.....even if only for an evening! So we arrived on Tuesday evening pulling this trailer, which went fine, but is definitely different that pulling a camper. Compared to everyone else in the RV park in AZ, I thought the trailer was still small. Of course when we got it home we realized just how big it really is. It fits in the drive way with inches to spare. My dad is getting pretty good at backing it in, but he hates doing it. We have been building a fence the past three days to keep it protected. I can't believe I can't sleep. Physically, my body is exhausted. Anyways, we are now getting ready for Max and Nancy to come here to TX next weekend. I have officially received notice that the brief will be next weekend. I looking forward to putting some of these things behind me and not having to wonder and ponder all the time about what happened. Hopefully, I will get the answers I need to put some of my feelings to rest. So now, we are busy preparing for Max and Nancy's arrival. I must say, I can't wait till they get here. We had such a wonderful time. Tomorrow I'm going to a graduation party for a friend of mine who is now a nurse. I made my dip tonite, which is probably good because I have a few things I need to do in the morning. They are going to have a margarita machine......woohoo. Alright, I think that is all for now. I will go look for my camera and try and get some pictures of the trip and new toys up. Ciao for now.

Arizona Lazy Days

2008-03-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

We got to Yuma last Friday and are having a wonderful visit. Everyone here has been so nice. It's great to see Max and Nancy. We have been eating good every night. I'm really going to need to hit the diet and excercise hard when I get home. But I figure oh well, I'm on vacation. Saturday and Sunday we spent sitting around talking. We went to visit Ruth and Jims. Leah and Bella got to play in the backyard with Bailey which they loved. Wore them out a little too. In the afternoon, we went to the market and got the dogs fleas. It was so cute, they sat in the basket and we pushed them all around. Monday we spent the day in Mexico. They have the most beautiful stained glass here. I've been shopping in Mexico all along the TX border and have never seen it there before. I didn't buy any right now because I have no clue where to keep it. I guess that just means I'm going to have to make another trip here soon.......darn :) We were stuck at the border for 2 hours trying to cross. Traffic was horendous. We even learned spanish....j/k. Although there was a place to get your taxes done. I guess alot of Americans go down there. We went to Applebys for dinner, but didn't have any green beer. I wore green though. Yesterday, I got invited to a Sangria party held yearly here at the park. Nancy had to work, so her friends looked after me for a bit. We played cards for 3 hours.....it reminded me very much of the Dutch Blitz fest that we so liked to play in Italy. No plans for today or tomorrow yet. I think this weekend we are going to drive to Wilcox and maybe the Lake. That's all for now. I'll upload my pics of the trip when I get home.

New Mexico Beauty

2008-03-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

We made it to Carlsbad, N.M. yesterday. We got up around 2am and drove until 1:30pm. Nick and I visited the caverns yesterday afternoon. They were just as amazing as I remembered as a child. The Guadalupe moutains were also beautiful. Very different terrain, lots of cactus and yucca plants, but still a beautiful area. The only thing I was sad about was the fact that Dave and I liked hiking so much. I know he would have loved to just spend time there with the dogs and wander around. Today we drove to Lordsberg, N. M. and that's where we are now. We went thru White Sands and stopped and hung out for a couple of hours. If you haven't been there it is very cool. It's actually right next to Ft. Bliss! I never realized it, but Ft. Bliss is actually mostly located in N.M. As we drove thru I definitely could spend 3 years there. Mountains, hiking, sandy beach (without the water), and even skiing within an hours drive! Well, I'm having a beer and then going to take a shower. I took lots of pics and will get those up when I get home. Tomorrow we get to see Max & Nancy. Can't wait!

2008-03-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Had to go to court today to get the car transferred into my name. I tell you what, I know I didn't do anything wrong, but I was completely intimidated when called infront of the judge. My car made it to Dallas, thank goodness. It will be delivered after we get back from AZ. Leaving early in the morning. I'll try to email something more interesting from the road.

Moving Along

2008-03-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

My weekend was pretty good. Nick and Dad went camping so it was just us girls. We went to dinner with friends on Saturday night to the Sultan and new Mediterranean restaurant here in Corpus. The food was good and they had a belly dancer. Dad would have probable enjoyed that. They had this awesome chocolate desert though. You gotta love chocolate!!!! I missed Nick, mainly because I was up at 6:30am every morning to let the dogs out. When he is around he usually does alot with the dogs due to the fact that he is trying to get his dog care merit badge in boy scouts. Today mom and I drove around and looked at few houses. We went in one open house and I really liked it, but not enough to say this is the place. When you've been so many beautiful places in the world it is hard to choose Corpus. I packed away some more of Dave's stuff today. I think that is one of the hardest things that I have done. I kinda feel like it's not my stuff to pack or get rid of. But I'm doing slowly and carefully and I know that he would think that is what I should do. I get sad at night, usually, but am pushing thru it. I know that is what I would have wanted for him if things were reversed. He is all around me at times and at other times I don't feel him at all. Maybe that is his way of making it easier about being left behind. Tomorrow brings a new day and I'm ready to face it. This week will be a great one because I get to see Max and Nancy. I'm so ready to be in Arizona. Hope you all have a good week. :)

2008-03-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting down finally today. I was at defensive driving all day today (for the insurance discount). I wouldn't have gone except my dad was going so I figured what the heck. At least the guy had a sense of humor even though sometimes I think he was the only one laughing. Just finished cutting and trimming the grass. Boy, it really looks nice and I love that smell. My mom mowed the back yard and when she was finished she came out to tell me she knows Dave is really getting after her because she mowed over the poop....she mowed down one pile that was really rip. Nick is still trying to beat Uncle David's poop record of 164 poops. He hasn't figured out that if we keep getting him to pick it up he won't ever beat it.....you have to love innocence. Bella and Leah got new hair dews today, I'll try and get a pic up tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

2008-03-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

Well, this morning started out okay. I was kind of sad today. I got to talk to Meka which made me feel better though. We had a really good long conversation about alot of different things. Went to the hospital for lunch with Kathy. The manager of CCU asked if I was looking for work right now. I said yea if I can work when I want only and take months off at a time if I felt like it.......he said good luck looking for that! The girls went to the vet this afternoon on the base. Bella got rechipped because her microchip was an international one and the standard chip reader can't read that many numbers. If you had your pets chipped overseas, count the numbers if there are more than 10 in all likely hood they won't be able to read it in the states. So now if she runs away and gets picked up they can get her back to me. Makes me feel better. I didn't get nearly as many pictures done yesterday as I wanted so that is tonites project. Hopefully, tomorrow I will feel a little better.....till then.

Busy Days

2008-03-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

I tell you what....I have been busier than in my entire life. Everything seems so scheduled to me right now. I am always doing something or should be doing something from sun up till sun down. Oh well....I'm just venting a little. I have been keeping up with the Iditarod. Go Laura.....she is running 67th (that's great I think for a rookie). Today have been long. I was up at 7am (I know some of you are laughing at me because that is not early, but it is for me). Out of the house for appointments on the base at 8:30am. Then we just ran errands all day. We are trying to get ready for the trip to AZ. Doing all the odds and ends so there is nothing to think about when we are there except enjoying family. We went to Cancun (Mexican restaurant) tonite and totally blew watching what we ate......but man was it good. Mexican Food and a Jumbo Margarita.....now that is TX living. I just got out of the hot tub. It's actually supposed to get quite cold the next few days. Hi's in the 60's. I've been going thru old pictures of Dave in Ft Campbell. Trying to organize and things and get more permanent copies of things burned to disk. I never realized that he really liked to wear a mustache. Go figure. He grew one in Romania this summer and I told him that it better be gone by the time he got back. But I truly think he liked having one. The things you learn. Anyways, I'm back to organizing pictures. My goal is a book a day and I should have everything scanned onto the computer and organized in a week. Alright, that's all for now. Till tomorrow.

Too Early

2008-03-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I decided to sleep in this morning, but the girls had a different idea about that. So I was up at 6:30am to go outside....uuuggghhh. It's Saturday! Anyways, I will be catching the start of the iditarod online today. One of my friends, sister is actually running it this year. Check it out, her name is Laura Daugereau. She starts 28th out of 90 some odd runners.

Beach Day

2008-02-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

Today was fairly quiet. I'm doing this soup diet right now, but today on it I got some ground beef. The dogs are breathing a sigh of relief because the little one was looking pretty good on a stake right about now. Last night, Bella escaped from the back yard (mainly because her humans left the gate open). I was walking up and down the street waking up all the neighbors calling her name. We finally found her one street over. It is a very busy street and I have been scolding her all day long. Against my better judgement, we went to the beach today. This was Bella's first of many experiences there and I'm not exactly sure if she liked it. Leah likes anything that gets her a ride in the car. I've attached some pics of the day. Pictures are something that I have not taken since Dave died. We both enjoyed taking them so much. This gives me the excuse I need to start doing that again. What good are pictures if you can't share them, right. Well, I'm going for a dip in the hot tub. We got one this week :) You know it dropped below 75 this week and was too cool for us. What else can you do?

Life, love, loss, and life continues...

2008-02-28T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm new at this so here goes. Well, my life changed forever on 8 November 2007. My love, my husband, died in a tragic helicopter crash in San Lucia di Piave, Italy. He is the love of my life and with him I felt so complete. Through, the past few months the Lord has taught me many lessons. Some involve forgiveness, some involve knowing the blessings in your life even through hardship. The most important is that even though I feel so lost at times that He is in control and is watching out for us even through the incidents that create so much pain. Since his death, I have reconnected with many friends that I have not seen or talked to in years. This I believe is the Lord's way of saying that no matter what the differences you have had in the past there are somethings in life that are more important! Also through this tragedy I have seen that I'm so blessed! Blessed because I know my love is in Heaven. Blessed because I know what the true meaning of family is. The last statement I have been pondering for many days now. I have a wonderful, wonderful family, immediate family, extended family, God's family, army family,dog family :), and friends. I know all of you are part of the reason that I get up every morning. I'm not saying that it is always easy. But you keep me going.....BLESSINGS YOU ALL ARE IN MY LIFE! Well, now as my life continues on without my love, I would like to share with my family just how I'm doing. Hopefully, this will help you as much as I hope it will help me.