Lights, cameras,...

Tomorrow night I am hosting my first 'FLAME' party (stupid name, i know) which is basically a group of women from chapel that get together once a month and play games and eat and such. My theme is 'Oscar' so I have 'tented' our dining room with black, red, and sparkly stars. It's going to be alot of fun. I don't know how many people are going to be here. I bought a new formal dress at Ross that has an incredible likeness to my wedding dress, for $20. It almost makes me sad that I paid much more for my actual wedding dress. Ouch. Anyway, I have to go roll out the red carpet!

aaaallooooohaaaaa

The plane tickets are booked, the hotel is booked, and I wish I was packing my bags as we speak! It's cold and gray in Monterey, go figure. I asked Chaplain yesterday 'Can I take a week off in May? Like a full week, not a weekend?' and he said 'Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to.' But then he laughed, looked at the calendar and approved it, and about ten seconds later I booked it! 9 days, 8 nights on beautiful Waikiki beach! I could not be more excited about something. I'm thinking about making a paper chain to hang in my office to count down the days!

long time gone

it's been almost two months since my last post. That's crazy. So very much, and so very little has happened since then. We went home for Christmas, which was great, we went to the Westin for New Years, which was great, and we went to OK to see extended fam, which was great. Overall this was a total blast. We've also gone to Tahoe, and I have been back home since that blog!
And just this minute I thought, I should retitle this blog to "the military is the coolest thing in the whole world, ever!" because I just got off a website and am booking a 9 day, 8 night super sweet trip to Hawaii for Rob's class break, and because we are military, we get to stay in a military hotel (which is very clean and nice) right on Waikiki beach for less than $100 a night! Go USA! As much as this job can suck (moving to SA, moving to Cali, living in Cali, working in, you guessed it, Cali, and never knowing where 'home' is going to be next, ect) there are total perks! And let me go ahead and tell you sisterhons, I am a perk kinda gal. Tell me that I have to stand outside all day for a community garage sale, and i'll tell you to where to stuff it, but tell me that I'll make a couple of bucks, get a tan, and get rid of some crap in the garage, and I am the first one there! So I don't get a gown when I go to the girl dr (emily), it is free, and it's not like that paper gown is covering so much by the end of the visit anyway! "Please feel free to look at my boobs, tummy, and bajingo, but I'll freak if you can see my arm!"
ALOHA!

Today is my birthday!

Happy birthday to me! I don't know why it is, but I love birthdays! They don't even have to be mine. I love wrapping paper, ice cream, candles, funfetti cake, people in a good mood. I love all of it! And this year is no exception. My mom has been sending me a card everyday for the last three days counting down. My in-laws have both called me this morning. My little brother called me from 1st period! I'm meeting Rob at Subway for birthday lunch and we'll have dinner at Chapel tonight. I remember when I was little and had joint birthday parties with my sister. I loved getting to put on my new dress and party hat. We would have one of those big cheesey cakes with lots of icing (the one thing i don't like) that you get at Sam's Club. All of our family from both sides would come and stay for hours. It was always very exciting!
I'm so happy that we are coming home soon! It will be so nice to spend time away from here. From our house, from this office, from California in general! We can't wait to see Mae and all of her new fun tricks! I hear she can clap and give high five. It will be so much fun to have her here this year to watch and play with! Only 16 more days!!!

Funfetti cake time!!!!

tomorrow i will have been alive and kickin' for 22 years! that's very strange to me. i got my present from rob early this year (like every year) and was so excited! it is a gorgeous antique silver tea set and tray. i was so happy i cleaned off my dining table to make room for it! he even polished it for me. we have tree lighting this sunday and then next week we will be in Tahoe! and the week after that we will be home!!!! december is going by very fast, and i like it.

fun with dan and wanda

that would be Chaplain (LTC) Minjares and his lovely wife. they held a Christmas reception in their home this afternoon for the Unit Ministery Team. i won't lie, it was awkward at first but everyone ended up talking and eating and having a great time together. it is always nice to see the installation commander out of uniform and able to socialize with everyone like she's just a regular person, when in the military world she is the very top of the chain on this base. it's always nice to meet the higher-ups in an informal setting like that. it makes you realize that they are people, which sounds stupid, but it's easy to forget that they are real live people and not just ranks. i think that rob and i have been very blessed in a lot of subtle ways with this job and one of them would be that rob has gotten to meet alot of higher-ups, at least in the army, that he wouldn't have met otherwise. being able to meet people from the c-3 to the installation chaplain, the commanding officer to the installation commander. it's not anything that will mean anything for rob's immediate job or rank, but i think that it is always really important to have this sort of experience for the future. i also think that being in the place has given me alot of great information on the role of the wife. my very new, and very good friend Arlena is teaching me alot about the different ways to get involved and get information that you may need on base. my friend Jodi (& Arlena) shows me the way of an officer's wife, and what's expected of them as well as where to draw the line and not abuse your husband's rank. these women, and many more, seem to almost be grooming me to what i should be if Rob does choose to go to OTS. they are showing me the ropes of how to be the 'grown-up' wife as opposed to the younger, less structered wife that alot of new, young military wives reflect. i am very fortunate that i have had the opportunity to watch these women and learn from them.

Tis the Season

Thanksgiving is over and behind us and now we move forth (or are shoved, I can't decide) toward Christmas. This time of year is always a blur to me. I think that with work this year may be worse. I have five seperate engagements next month and Rob and I are talking about going to Tahoe to celebrate my birthday and our Christmas. That means that the 15-17 we are in Tahoe, and come back to Monterey only to leave the 21st for Ft. Worth. Speaking of the birthday... I turn 22 in 10 days. As busy I have been lately it feels like it is sneaking up on me. I should circle it on my calendar or something so I don't forget it!
Mom tells me Mae is army crawling like a pro these days! She'll be walking by the time we get there!! (not really) She is very talented though. She pulled herself up onto the edge of the table. That's brilliant for a 7 month old! I can't believe she is 7 months old. And will be 8 when we see her! She's growing so fast. I have baby, baby pictures of her I was looking at last night and it was so amazing to see how much she has changed in the past 7 months. We can't wait to come home and see her, and if everyone else is there, I guess we'll see them too... 24 more days!!

are you kidding me?

There was a letter to the editor in the Monterey Herald titled "Get the Military Out" that is blowing everyone's mind around here. Apparently some moron woman wrote in saying that DLI is just a conspiracy to cover up that it really is a place where the FBI is training men and women to kill other people. (are you kidding me?) And that Ft. Ord and POM are tricks by the government to buy up all of the land out here to make it so the military members are the only ones who can afford to live out here. (again, are you kidding me?) Sincerely, moron woman

Well I would like to use this to reply to Ms. Moron.
Let me start off by saying that your letter did not have one ounce of truth to it. It is obvious to me that you have never seen past the gate of POM. If you ever did manage to slip in, you would notice that there are no firing ranges, no grenade training, no anything cool like that. It is a school, you blubbering idiot. The FBI is an organization that can be described as the top police of the country. They do not care what is going on at DLI. They have very little to do with our military. Especially, the military out here. As far as your second rambling, there is nothing I would like better than to pack up and move. I would give up most of my possessions to tell you and all of the people like you to kiss me between the back pockets as I drive out of town, but right now my husband has a job to do. Never mind that the job he is doing will probably take him away from me very soon so that he can go and fight to protect your dumb butt. Lets just forget for a second that people like my husband train and train hard while they are in a school like this so that one day they can spend at least 10 hours of their day every single day working to make sure that we are safe. And that this is a 24/7 job. Do you think that I am bitter when people like you start running your mouth without taking into consideration all of these things? You better believe it sister. We miss holidays, birthdays, anniversarys, ball games, and family gatherings all the time so that you have the liberty to say ignorant things that critcize my husband and our friends. With all of that out of mind for a sec, I will simply point out the fact that we are not millionares. While you sit writing your huffy-puffy letter in your 2.5 million dollar home, we sit over in Seaside making an E-5 paycheck stretch as far as it can possibly go. And we are the only ones who can afford this place? Military members shop in special stores like the Commisary, because groceries at Albertsons are too damn expensive. Yes, Monterey is beautiful, but what is the point when we can't spare the money to buy gas to go and see all of these beautiful things? Lady, let me close with this: the day that we get to pack our house and say goodbye to this place forever will be one of the greatest days of my life. Not because it is so expensive. Not because it isn't beautiful. But because we will finally be rid of a city that is so chocked full of their own self righteous beliefs that they can't see that these are real people that are fighting, and these are real people that are dying, and these are real family members left behind. So when you go and rest your little head in your safe and comfy bed tonight I hope you can't get out of your mind the picture of men and women over seas standing gaurd, sleeping on cots, and getting shot at every day just to make sure you feel safe writing hate mail from your dining room.
Sincerely, Proud USAF Wife

Six kicks.... bottom

In six weeks from today, at 12:30 to be exact, Rob and I are headed home! In ten months, 3 weeks and 4 days we will be leaving California for good! We have already been out here for over six months of a year and a half tour! That is worth celebrating. If only we knew where to after San Angelo... And for the last bit of information, I will be 22 in 27 days. That, my friends, is crazy.

They wouldn't be walkin' in Texas...

I took these pictures this morning outside the Chapel. Every single stinkin' morning there are close to ten gigantic wild turkeys gobble-gobblin' on our front steps. I told Inge, our secretary, 'They wouldn't be walking around this close to Thanksgiving where I come from!" I tell you, if I had the stomach to defeather one of these beasts I'd save myself a good $20 or $30! I guess I'll stick with the ones Alberston's or the Commisary provide free of feathers. And it's not just the turkeys. The deer back home made it a point to get across the street quick, fast and in a hurry. Not here. These deer are huge and will stand in the road and stare you down. They dare you to hit them. They'd probably find an enviro lawyer and end up driving your car off. Crazy Californians...
Six weeks until the homecoming!!!

Yeah, she's adorable!

"The Lord is a Geek."

Words of wisdom from the younger Drew Denham. My little brother is so funny. Not always in the 'haha' way, but always funny. Right now he's totally into the guitar. He's a total rock star! Which is really funny, because we should have seen it coming. There is a video of my chubby brother strumming a plastic guitar and singing 'Don't break my hort. My aachee breaaakeee hort. I jus don't thank he'll understand.' from years ago!
I was sitting in my office today thinking about what to put up on the Chaplain's bulletin board for Thanksgiving. I decided on a large cornacopia and in yellow cursive 'Give Thanks'. It looks very nice, but it immediately brought my little brother to mind. I love that kid. I am so thankful, looking back, that I had him growning up. He was so funny as a little boy. It's weird to think that he'll graduate next year (God willing). He seems like a whole different person when we go home now. Not quite a grown up, but definitely not my chubby baby brother. So I thought I would give him these words.
Little brother, I love you
and I always will.
Even though you're a freaking giant,
your my little brother still.
Although we are states away now,
And it seems like I am so far,
Call me if you need me
And I'll be there by plane,
By bus, or car.

LOVE YOU DREW!!

November : )

Today is November 1st! It is almost magical. It means light in the night is over (which was a big success, by the way) and we can creep slowly into Angel Tree and Tree Lighting. It also means there are only seven weeks until Christmas and Rob and I coming home. It feels weird to think that I will have been away from Texas for six months! And Rob hasn't been home since Maelie was born and that will be like 8 months! I can't tell you how excited we are to be coming home! We miss family. It's going to be a crazy between mom and terry and going to Oklahoma to see Rob's aunt and uncle, but it's nothing we aren't used to. It would be nice if they were closer, but where's the challenge in that?! It's a 26 hour drive from Monterey to Fort Worth, another 50 minutes from my mom's house to his mom's house and about a 3 1/2 hour drive to his aunt's house, and of course another 26 hour drive back to Monterey. And this is all in about 13 days.
Bring on the Holidays!!

Light in the Night

Right now I have clocked more hours doing tiny, little-bitty things for our fall festival than pretty much anything else. It's almost, almost ridiculous. Right now i'm taking a lunch from painting Bible verses on butcher paper. It's not a glamourous job for sure. I have to wonder why God put me in this position. I thought, 'hmm, i must not have gotten the children's position, because i've spent my life around kids and there isn't really a lot 'new' i can learn in that position. Maybe i got this position so i'll be ready if and when i get to open the bakery.' But really I'm clueless. This job has given me nothing but grief since the week I started. Between people trying to boss me all over the place and being told that I'm basically a moron, I haven't found the joy I was hoping for. So I go back to the trusty question of 'what God?' What does He want me to gain from this, if anything. If I am here strictly to act as a jumping point for someone else to learn from I sure don't get it. Right now the only thing I do know is that God is in control and eventually He will tell me something.

I also spent last night making fried chicken (coated, not crispy) and potato salad for Spc Brown's family, because his grandfather's memorial service is tomorrow. Let me tell you... good stuff!

Military Wives are Funny!

Some military wives are angry and bitter though. I was just introduced to SpouseBUZZ.com and read a really funny blog about how this Marine wife feels like an animal in the zoo. People always asking the "Is her spouse deployed?""When will he return?""Is it hard?" type of questions. This woman clearly has a sense of humor about the whole thing that is keeping her spirits a float, but the responses were even funnier! Some MilSpouses are just bitter! And I can say that, because I know there have been times and will be plenty more when the military tries to screw us, but it was very funny to see the way different women are handling there emotions.
I was at a party last Friday with a group of military wives from Chapel. It was probably the funnest thing I've been able to do in a long while. Hearing their stories about kids and dealing with kids while their husbands were deployed and dealing with finances while there husbands were gone. They all had a great sense of humor, like ' I knew what I was getting into, so there is no point in being bitter. Just laugh it off' and we did. I think that it's hard for civilians (funny to hear me call you a civilian, huh?), even those somehow connected to the military, to understand. These people that I just met on Friday and spent a few hours with felt like instant family and life long friends. It is just how it has to be. My sister was telling me how nice it has been to have mom there to help out with Maelie, and how it would be really hard to do it without her, but rest easy. In this life, we all become family very quickly. I could run through a list of people I have known less than 6 months here that I wouldn't think twice about intrusting something to.
Do I miss my family? You better believe it! But it's nice to know that in this life my new 'family' is growing and no matter where we go next it will only continue to grow.

Is it Christmas yet?

I'm sitting here listening to Brad Paisley's Christmas CD that I bought at Target last night. I have yet to find a time where it is inappropriate to listen to Christmas time (or Brad Paisley for that matter, the boy is just too stinkin' good looking). I don't know what it is about the simple verses and melodies, but Christmas music is always soothing to me. I listen to it year round. I think it reminds me of home. Being little and having bacon and eggs for dinner with my family on Christmas Eve, waking up early to see what Santa brought, getting everything loaded and getting dressed to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Even if I knew that meant I was going to have to deal with some pretty awful cousins : ) it still seems like such a happy time to me. I miss that time as an adult. I miss the smells and the lights and all of the hullaballoo that stressed out our parents. It makes me want my own kids to stress over. I don't think that Christmas is about presents, but I think it is about being together as a family and making memories together. I think that is probably pleasing to God.
"Be near me Lord Jesus. I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me I pray. Bless all of the dear children in our tender care, and take us to Heaven to live with the there."

life with Brown

Spc. Brown and I took a tour of the Chapel today. It is such a cool building! the baptism pool is huge! and there are all of these secret rooms and walk ways. There is a giant organ in the balocony that was imported from Germany in the 50s. It was a very cool insider's view. I have to go to legal tomorrow to clear the air around my contract and make sure all is on the up and up.
I miss the simple times when Mae and Em were here! Em I hope you are doing okay after the crash. That sucks big. Too bad it wasn't the 'stang!
Hope all is well!

M is for Maelie!

Tomorrow!!! Tomorrow my Maelie comes to California for her first visit! We are so excited! I can't wait to pick them up tomorrow. It is going to be such a fun time. I have been so busy with the whole two jobs thing that Rob has had to pick up a lot of the extra slack around the house. He finished the guest room the other day and is going to make the kitchen shine this afternoon and I will take over after wednesday night dinner and couple's class. It is going so fast!!! I am just so very excited.

I know where she went!

This morning, actually about 15 minutes ago, I resigned as Librarian of this place to become the Protestant Perish Coordinator of Chapel. I am so excited. It is a much bigger job in every way. I will be going in today after my time in the library to see if my office is ready (I get my own office!)
I am so very excited, because at this time on Thursday my Maelie will be here! (She's bringing her mom too I think) I can't wait to see them! We don't have a lot planned, because we need to see what mood she'll be in each day, but just having her around will be great! We have to go and pick up her crib from Target today and get their room cleaned up. Right now it's acting as our second closet. I am just so excited about all of the things God is blessing us with right now. It is all moving so fast, but in that really cool way where everything is going good!
more later.

Don't stop believing

for starters, you guys suck at contests.
for seconds, it is a very stressful time in the life of Kasey. I'm not even going to go into details. Details are usually boring. Lets just say it has to do with three golf balls and a blow up sheep.
I am under going some serious thought. But I keep singing that Journey song and it always make me think... Page 5000 is printing right now from a contract I'm supposed to have filled out by 4:30 this afternoon. Yeah, my clock says 7:25p.m. too. Whoops. Don't stop believin' She's just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely wooorld, she took a midnight train goin' anywhere... don't stop believin
I'll keep you posted as to where it is she actually goes.