Theres No Place Like Home

New Blog Address

2008-07-10T06:32:00.002-05:00

Tom and I now have a joint blog. Check it out!

ma-n-pa-barker.blogspot.com

It's Been Awhile...

2008-06-22T21:23:00.004-05:00

I figured after 78 days it is probably time to update the blog. I really am going to try and make more of an effort to keep this updated. Tom and I are talking about creating a new blog but it will be a joint one once he gets back. It is time for us to be reunited. I cannot wait. 43 more days. I can do it.
This past weekend I got to go to Arizona and attend my little brother's fire academy graduation. I am pretty proud of him. He works for the Tucson Fire Department (TFD). It was also wonderful to see four of my cousins that I haven't seen in many years. Thanks for coming and supporting Brian. I know that he really appreciated you guys coming.

Here is the happy camper right after he received his new badge. That thing weighs a bit and is very shiny.

Erin, Brian and Jeremy

The Fam
It was like a mini family reunion. Parents and kids. I think a good time was had by all. We all get to see each other in another month when we go to Bass Lake for a week. I am really excited about that.
Things have been going o.k. here. I am just taking things one day at a time. Here is a little shout out to all of those individuals who help me get through every day!

What a week...

2008-04-05T23:31:00.002-05:00

Well, this past week has been a rather rough one. It all started last Friday, March 28th. The weather outside was really nice. I decided it was time to go out and rake some leaves because it just seemed that they were getting really out of control. I was a little worried about my back and was wondering if it might be a big mistake that I even tried to rake the leaves. I woke up on Saturday morning feeling fine. Went all through the day and then woke up on Sunday morning at about 3 am because I was all of a sudden in an extreme amount of pain. I took some aspirin and put on an aspercream patch thinking I had totally pulled a muscle. I made it through Sunday, then woke up again on Monday in severe pain. Went through Monday and lasted until about 9 pm when I called my mom in tears because the pain seemed too much to bear. I didn't know what else I could take that would lessen the pain. I took Aleve and went to bed, only to be woken up in severe pain at about 2 am. The pain was so intense that I couldn't take it anymore. I drove myself to the emergency room. When I got there I let them know that I was experiencing pain in my shoulder and chest region. They took me back right away. The nurse goes to put an IV in my right arm and can't seem to get the needle tip to enter the vain. I of course look away because I don't like needles. I look back and there is blood everywhere. My arm is covered there is a huge spot on the sheets and all he says is, "I've got bad news for you darlin. We are going to have to do this again on your left arm. (My left arm is what is killing me.)
After my blood had been drawn, a chest x-ray taken and an EKG done, I was diagnosed with something called Pleurisy. This is the inflamation or swelling of the lining of your lungs that is caused by an underlying infection or disease (I don't seem to have either an infection or a disease). EXTREMELY PAINFUL. Probably the worst amount of pain I have ever felt in my entire life. Breathing hurt, coughing hurt, yawning hurt, laughing hurt. It was very difficult to find a comfortable position to lay in. At one point, I woke up and I was sitting indian style in the middle of my bed hunched forward because that was as comfortable as I could get. All they could do for me was prescribe 800 mg of Ibuprofen and Hydrocodone.
Today I am feeling pretty well. I have not had to take any pain medication. I am proud that I have lasted a whole day without a nap, although, I am pretty tired. The doctor said that even small things are going to wear me out and make me tired for a while. Luckily I feel like the end is in sight (knock on wood.)
I have also experienced the wonderful blessing of service. I had about 10 people come over to my house on Friday evening to help me with the hard part of yard work such as raking up old fall leaves. They were here for about 3 hours and my yards look absolutely wonderful. I am so grateful for the willingness of some people who can come and help me in my time of need. I am learning that it is hard to do stuff by myself. I am also learning how to ask for help. I am very prideful in that I do not like to ask for help. Especially when a task seems so small and easy. I am also learning that it would be better to ask for help than to cause myself several days of being out of commission.
Four months from today Tom comes home. =)

152 More Days to Go!!

2008-03-05T20:40:00.002-06:00

So, Tom came home on February 22nd. I went and picked him up at the airport, then we stopped and got a bite to eat, came home and were asleep by 7:30. When we woke up on Saturday morning, there was a huge red poster that said, "Welcome Home Tom. On the first night of Tom's return his true friends did to him....We took the poster down only to find that our car had been saran wrapped and duct taped. Another night, we were sent on a scavenger hunt, we got a candy gram with all of the wrappers, but no candy inside, then on another night, they dropped off all of the candy that they dumped out of the packages. So...whoever did that, thank you. It was quite fun to wake up to little surprises like that.
For the most part, it was great to have Tom home. I will admit though, I think that we both kind of had our guards up knowing full well that he was leaving again, and this time we wouldn't get to see eachother at all until August 5th. I had a major breakdown before we left our house for the airport. My eyes were welling with tears while at the airport. I didn't cry on the way home from the airport until my mom called me to ask me how I was doing. I didn't cry at all today which is good. I am extremely sad to get back into my routine without Tom. August 5th just can't come soon enough.
Luckily March, April and May are guaranteed to go by extremely quickly. This is the time that I get all of the awards assemblies ready and wrap stuff up at school to prepare for another year. I am a little worried about June/July. I am hoping to get a para-educator job for the summer, then my friend Twyla and I are looking forward to our trip to California and Bass Lake/Yosemite. I will get home on the 28th of July, start work again on the 1st of August, and then Tom will come home (hopefully for good) on August 5th. Well, that about wraps up my update. I can do this...one day at a time.

I'm So Excited

2008-02-19T19:49:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that I have let a whole month go by without writing. It has been kind of tough. One thing for sure I am DONE with winter. I am ready for warmer weather. It is just kind of depressing around here. More gray skies, more snow than we have ever had.
One thing that I have a hard time with is the fact that I can't do a whole lot with my back the way it is. I tried to shovel snow the other day and my back hurt for about a week and a half. I hate my back. I wish I could trade it in. One thing that has been nice is that a couple of friends and I have gotten a dinner group going on Sunday nights. It really has been fun getting to know people that I didn't know a whole lot.
The thing that I am most excited about is that Tom flies into Kansas City this Friday. He will be here in time for my birthday on the 27th. He will be here for a week and a half before he flies to California to deliver a lecture at Cal State Channel Islands. He comes home for real on August 5th. That is so far away. I am hoping that we won't EVER have to have this much time/distance between us again. Even though I feel that I have been pretty strong, this is a lot harder than I thought.

Not A Whole Lot!!!

2008-01-21T14:30:00.000-06:00

Well, I live a pretty boring life at the moment. It seems all I do is work and sleep. I am grateful to have a day off of work today to kind of relax and get a few things done that haven't been done in a while. I am really looking forward to February 22nd. That is the day that I get to go and pick Tom up at the airport and hang out with him again for another week and a half.
I have decided that I really want to go to Japan for a visit. The ideal time for me would be during my spring break. I am so excited that my bed, washer and dryer and credit card are paid off that I don't want to even think about using my credit card for anything. I would have to take out a small loan to go to Japan, so I just don't think that it is going to happen this time around. The other thing that I was thinking about is if I did get the job that I want for the summer, there is a stretch of 10 days that I wouldn't be working in June that might be a possibility. One of my friends that I work with says that she is going to have a bake sale so that I can go. =). Maybe next time.
I am really missing Tom right now. I can't wait until this is all over and done with. I can have my husband back.

Where has the time gone?

2008-01-08T21:21:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that the last time I updated my blog was November 26th. It has been awhile. My goal now is to try and update it at least once a week. We will see how that goes.

Well, December was just a busy month. It totally flew by. The break is over and I am back in to the "real world."

My Christmas Vacation began on December 18th. I flew to Tucson, AZ where my little brother picked me up at the airport. The next day Dad, Mom, Jeremy, Dustin (Brian's friend) and myself attended his Pima County Fire Academy Graduation. Brian had taken video clips during the academy and was able to put together a slide show presentation for the graduation ceremony. It was such a good feeling to see how many people like Brian. We heard many good things about him from many different people. Brian has been accepted into the Tucson Fire Department Academy. I am hoping to be going back to Arizona in June or July for another Academy Graduation.

On the 19th Dad, Mom and I drove back to California. I think I prefer flying to driving any day. It was just a LLLOOONNNGGG day. On the 20th Dad, Mom, Papa and I went to see a show called "The Forgotten Carols" by Michael McLean. What a wonderful thing to see right before Christmas. It helped me focus on the important aspects of the holiday season.

On the 22nd Dad, Mom and I drove to the airport to meet Tom who came in from Japan. I can't even begin to tell you how great it was to have my husband back, even if it was only for a week and a half. I am not too fond of this whole being a part thing. I know that it is necessary for him to learn Japanese, and that one of these days it will all pay off. I guess I am probably glad that he is gone now rather than later too. I can't wait until February 22nd when he will land on the tarmac at the Kansas City Airport where I will again be blessed to spend another week and a half or two with him before he sets off to Japan again for the long haul. Tom will be back in Kansas for good around the first week of August. I can't wait.

The 22nd thru January 2nd was spent with friends and family. Tom and I spent New Year's Eve with his Aunt Sharon and Uncle Paul and kids. We had a good time chatting the night away. I fell asleep on the couch before midnight because I was just exhausted and my lower back was giving out on me. All in all we had a great trip. We always look forward to going back to California to see friends and family and to see how much everyone has changed. I cannot believe how much my nieces and nephew have changed. They are growing up so fast. We are thankful for all of the fun times that we had together. Hopefully one of these days, we will have the opportunity to move back closer to the west coast, but for now.....Theres No Place Like Home in Kansas.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-26T20:16:00.001-06:00

This Thanksgiving was a little strange. Only because it was my first one without Tom in 6 years. We had a total of eight people over for dinner. It was a really good time. My roommate and I set the table really nicely. We had several comments on how nice it looked. We loved it.

This was the turkey that I made. In the picture it looks like only half of the turkey is cooked. I used a meat thermometer, and it said 180 degrees when I took the turkey out of the oven. It tasted really good. Very moist, not dry. I love oven bags. No basting.

We ended up having a ton of food. Man was it good though. We sent everyone away with plates of food. After we ate dinner, we went to the movie theater and watched the movie "Enchanted" It was really cute. Then we came home, ate pies (lemon meringue, apple pie, pumpkin pie, Brownie Pecan Pie) and called Tom on Skype. Tom actually got to talk to a bunch of other people besides just me. I'm sure that was a little enjoyable for him.

After pie and talking to Tom and playing a few games, the guys watched football in the living room while the girls piled on the brand new bed I bought and watched Grey's Anatomy. It was really fun.

All in all it turned out to be a great day. I just wish Tom was here with us. Only 25 more days until I get to see him. I can't wait.

The Stressful Week and a half 11/1-11/9

2007-11-13T18:41:00.000-06:00

Well, November 1st came and I was really excited to be flying to Utah. I had it all planned out. I would be all packed and ready, go to work, leave from work at about 1:30 and head off to the airport. I get out of the shower and get all dressed and notice a little puddle on the bathroom floor. I wipe it up thinking I must have gotten it wet getting out of the shower. I go to my room to get my suitcase ready, go back to the bathroom and there it is again. The little puddle of water. Come to find out there is water leaking from underneath the toilet. Not a good way to start out this day. I eventually called the plumber and they said they would come when they could. I asked if it could be before 1:30, they said they would try. Luckily, I was able to hand this task over to my roommate so she could take care of it and I could go and enjoy time with my family and my cousins wedding.

The flight to Utah was fine, everything was on time if not early, it was great. Little did I know...
Sunday night came and it was time to fly back home. Everything from Salt Lake to Phoenix was fine, then I got hit with a delay in Phoenix. Instead of getting home at midnight, I got home at 4 am. I bring my stuff in from the car, get ready for bed, go to blow up my side of the Comfortaire air bed, the motor dies. I check all plugs make sure things are plugged in right, nothing. I go and try Tom's side of the bed remote...nothing. I slept on Tom's side of the bed, but it was more like sleeping on plywood. Monday night was spent shopping for a new bed, and I got a nice one, Sealy pillow top. I dreamed from Monday night to Thursday night about this new bed. All the week long, lots of stress and little sleep. Three extra duty basketball games, 1 wrestling tournament, 1 choral concert, and a dance later, I finally got the rest I was hoping for, only to wake up with a really bad sore throat and all of the other cold symptoms you could think of.

I felt I had hit my wits end. Then this morning, I was looking through our file cabinet for the warranty on Tom's camera. I came across something that I hadn't read in awhile. It reminded me that there will be times when I am going to be challenged and need to be prepared so that Satan can't persuade me to do otherwise. I gave Satan an inch with my toilet leaking water. That little bit of discouragement opened up a river of discouragement and has been sneaking up on me little by little until I broke down. Needless to say, I think I caught on to his game before it was too late. I am working harder at not letting those "little" things bother me. My hometeachers were over on Sunday and they gave the analogy of having a bowl with a bunch of rocks. Some rocks were pebbles that represented the "little" things in life, the others were larger rocks that represented the more significant/important things of life. If you fill your life up with the pebbles, there isn't going to be room to work on the stuff that matters. That is exactly what I have been doing. I am trying to stop that now. Little by little I will be able to get back to where I want to be. I don't want to sweat the small stuff.

I am feeling a lot better now. I am missing Tom a lot and I am sure that that weight was added to my woes last week. I only have 38 days left until I see him though. That is exciting.

6 Wonderful Years

2007-10-27T22:41:00.001-05:00

Today, Tom and I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary. Since Tom is in Japan and I am in Kansas, I did a little celebrating of my own. Three of my wonderful friends from work and I went to a restaurant called The Melting Pot.

The Melting Pot is a really yummy fondue restaurant in Kansas City on the Plaza. We had so much fun. I don't remember a time when I laughed so hard. This is Carol and Carice.

This is Lisa and I.

When we came out of the restaurant, we came out to this bus that had jumped the curb somehow and was kind of blocking the entrance and exit out of the restaurant.

Next weekend, I will be in Utah for my cousins wedding reception. I am very excited about that.

The Maple Leaf Festival

2007-10-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

Every 3rd weekend in October, Baldwin City, Kansas has something called The Maple Leaf Festival. Basically, you walk around to a bunch a different booths that are selling art, crafts, clothing, jewelry and food. It is a fun thing to go to, even if you only go and look. The leaves are usually changing into fall colors around this time. The first year we lived here, Tom and I went. I think it was kind of a cool day. Last year we didn't go because it was raining. This year I went with our friends Jen and Jason and their baby Joshua. It was about 80 degrees out, but very windy. All in all, it was a pretty nice day to be out and about.

I am looking forward to next weekend. It will by mine and Tom's 6 year wedding anniversary. Even though he isn't here with me, I'm not going to sit home and sulk. On Friday night I am going to go and see the movie Dan in Real Life with Steve Correll. Then on Saturday night, some friends from work and I are going to the Plaza in Kansas City to a Restaurant called "The Melting Pot." It is a fondue place. We are all very excited about that.
Other than what I have already mentioned, there isn't a whole lot going on.

In Town Football Rivals, Red and Black vs. Green and White

2007-10-19T22:05:00.001-05:00

The evening started off with my good friend Twyla (the Central Junior High Cheer Coach) and I going to a Native American Pow Wow. We were only able to stay for 15 minutes or so, but it was neat to experience something from a different culture. We then went on to have a tailgating party with the Central Junior High School Cheerleaders.
In Lawrence, there are two high schools that are obviously rivals. You have Lawrence High School and Free State High School. When LHS and FSHS play each other in football, all of the cheerleaders from the four junior high schools in Lawrence learn the cheers of the high schools and spend the first half cheering with one highschool and the second half cheering with the other school. It was a lot of fun. The atmosphere was filled with excitement. It brought back a lot of memories of when I was in high school and I participated in the football games by being in the marching band. As I was people watching, it caused me to reflect on the behavior of some of these kids and wonder if I acted the way that some of them acted when I was in high school. Sad to say, that yes...the drama was there. Looking back now, it is kind of funny to see how much I have matured since those high school days. I also realized that it has been about ten years since I have been to a high school football game. Time sure does fly. Free State High School won 27-0. High school football is so much more exciting than Junior High football.

Tailgating Party with Central Junior High School Cheerleaders.

Lawrence High School Cheerleaders and Free State High School Band.

Twyla and Erin.

The First Month and a Few Days

2007-10-16T21:22:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that Tom has been in Japan for a month and a few days now. The time is kind of flying by quickly. Of course I don't mind that part. Tom seems to be enjoying himself and I am glad. He seems to be picking up on the language way better in Japan. I guess immersing yourself really might work. =) The pictures that I have seen really make me wish that I was over there with him. Unfortunately there were too many "cons" for both of us to spend 10 months in Japan. Seeing the pictures really make me want to visit. Now that I know that they have KFC and Denny's and Ramen Shops and Hamburger places, I am sure that getting me over there won't be so hard.
As hard as it is having Tom so far away, I am glad that he is able to have this experience. He seems to be learning quite a bit. We get to talk to each other several times a week, so that makes it a little easier.
I have been managing to keep myself busy lately. I am working quite a bit. It is kind of nice to have distractions so I don't focus so much attention on the fact that Tom isn't here.
There are a couple of events that are coming up that I am really looking forward too. The Maple Leaf Festival is this weekend. I am trying to find someone to go with. I am flying to Utah on November 1, to attend my cousins wedding reception. I am glad about that. I didn't think that I would get to go, but things worked out. For Thanksgiving, I think that there are several people in our ward who will be getting together to have dinner at the Institute Building to watch movies, play games and of course....eat Thanksgiving Dinner. Then on December 21, I will be flying to California and counting down the minutes until Tom's plane lands at LAX on the 22nd.
The hot weather in Kansas seems to be subsiding. I am very glad about that. The fall weather is approaching. With all of the warm and cold weather fronts, we have been having some exciting Rain/Thunder & Lightning storms. All of Friday night into Saturday morning there was thunder and lightning. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well that night. At about 6:30 am, I witnessed the brightest flash of lightning and the loudest clap of thunder I have ever seen and heard. Later that afternoon, I found out that a tree was struck by lightning on the next street over. It was split in half and had to be cut down.
I like walking outside to the crisper fall weather. It beats walking outside and immediately sweating. I am sure that once winter hits and the snow/ice come and I have to scrape my windshield... I will be wishing for summer all over again.