Slowing Down

It has been a long time since I posted regularly. Life has been hectic with my current job, but things are finally toning down. I have two people at work assisting me. Neither are with me all the time, but having each there at least a portion of the day has been a huge help. I no longer have to stop in the middle of what I am doing to deliver paperwork to another building.

I will be starting a new class at the University of Phoenix in November. I have put off school for work long enough. I have given a lot to keep the schools flowing at the battalion. It is time to take some back for myself. I no longer arrive at work early nor stay late. I will be using the full lunch time to read through my text book so that I can get to the homework when I arrive home. I am even taking a full hour for breakfast and bring my scriptures along to read in order to start the day out right.

Still no firm word on changing MOS. I will just have to wait to see what the army can offer.

Shifting Gears

Work is still crazy busy. I do not know how I am expected to complete all the tasks that my job requires without an assistant. There has been talk of getting me a partner, but no one has materialized yet. I think that when it comes time for me to leave this job there will be a rude awakening for the battalion leadership. I doubt that the next NCO to fulfill this duty will put in an many hours as I do. The ball is going to get dropped big time.

I found out a few days ago that the public affairs job I was so excited for during the past year is not a possibility. Even though the job is still offered there are no more seats in the class for the entire fiscal year. I have a limited time in which I can reenlist, so waiting out the year for a seat to open or hoping for next year is not an option. I will be investigating what few other options there are for me. I know that I want to stay in the army for the next ten years to reach retirement, but I need to leave the army will a skill that will be applicable in my next career.

Bigger and Better Things

I am tired of getting the short end of the stick at work. On Saturday I finally made time to spend with the family and we went up to Denver so that Tricia could see some of the young dancers she has been teaching compete. I took Jeffrey to a near by lake to spend some time with him when I received a phone call from work telling me I needed to come to FT Carson in uniform so that I could spend the next 20 hours guarding a bunch of tents that had been set up in a training area. I then spent six hours of General Conference Sunday at work completing an online training course to qualify me to fulfill yet another responsibility.

I had planned on awaking early this morning to go into work early and getting a jump on things. Instead I slept in through PT time and did not leave the house until I had a good breakfast and cleaned out the master bathroom. I have been doing so much at work that by the time I do get home I am exhausted and do not have sufficient time to contribute at home in a meaningful way. No more. I know I have a big job and it will require some out of the ordinary hours, but I am done bending over backward to assist people who continuously bring late work to me.

Now that October is here I have put in my request to attend 46Q Public Affairs training. I should hear back from the retention NCO within the next 10 working days on a school date. I am ready to leave behind this schools job and move onto bigger and better things.

I Am Daddy

When Jeffrey puts on a piece of clothing or holds an article that is particular to a person he becomes that person. Here he is as Daddy in boots and wearing an old pair of glasses.

Remembering

Jeffrey and I were watching a show today that showed a picture of the Colosseum and he pointed to it and said, "Hey I ran all the way around there." He remembered me telling him about the trip and how while daddy took pictures, Jeffrey and I walked the entire circumference of the Colosseum. I'm sad that he won't remember all of the trips we took with him. I guess taking pictures and reminding him is the only way we can help him know right?

Bear World

So over Labor day we had been planning a trip to Yellowstone with my whole family. My gram was going to pay for an 8 room cabin where we all stayed each night. Two days before Cory told me he just wasn't going to be able to go. This job of his is crazy...and I was so upset about it but in the end, he would have paid for weeks had he gone, so Jeffrey and I went to Utah the night before everyone was planning to go. Uncle Scott and Aunt Jen let us ride in the back of their suburban (Uncle Jeff and Aunt Melissa were in the middle seat) and they had planned on making a stop at Bear World in Idaho on the trip up.

 As we arrived at the park there was a place where you could drive through and see all of the big animals that they had. This was one of the grizzly bears. They have cute ears round just like a teddy bear. But I don't think they would be as cuddly.

I haven't seen a bear in real life closer than at the zoo, so it was pretty amazing to see them. Even if they weren't like wild bears. (These bears lived a cushy life of bread and donuts).

This is my favorite bear of the day! Isn't he cute?

Melissa, Scott, Jeff, and Jeffrey

I was one of those people who leashed my child. But honestly I had to (it was me against the unequaled energy of a 3 year old) and he really doesn't mind it.

We decided to go on the curator tour which was on this HUGE truck we drove around the same path we had before only this time we had food for the animals to eat. We gave these blond haired, blue eyed deer hay. No donuts for them.

See how polite they are? They sit up and when I held up my last donut to throw out one of them even waved at me as if he was asking for it. Of course I gave it to him.

That was what the truck looked like (Sort of) and I wanted to take a picture of the picture...I'm too cheap to buy them.

Bear world also had all of these rides available for the kiddos to ride. Best part? They were free after you paid admission. Jeffrey rode to his heart's content (actually he wanted to ride all day, but we had to get to Yellowstone sometime!) and thanks to his willing Uncle Scott, he got to ride the tree ride too.

Big Enough to Work With

When Jeffrey was younger I was nervous about taking out my off camera flash around him and placing them on their tripods. One push or pull could send them crashing to the ground from a six foot height and that would be the end of a $450 flash. Jeffrey is finally old enough that I feel comfortable to use my flashes when he is around. I certainly keep my eye on him as he loves to touch and explore new things, but I have to start with him at some point or I would never be able to use them at home.

Work kept me on Friday until eight in the evening, but it was nice to go home and know that I could forget all about work having emptied my In Box and checked off my long To Do list.

Saturday Not at the Office

Finally, a Saturday on which I did not have to go to work. I certainly could have. There is plenty of work waiting for me, but I received specific instructions from the CSM not to work on Saturday.

Instead, I spent it mowing the lawn and cleaning up with Tricia in our own bedroom. Our cleaning was not done until we took a trip to the Good Will and dropped off a bag of clothes and a large box of books.

Our night was finished off with taking photographs of Tricia on the front porch, baking cookies, and watching The Two Towers.

One Year Later

A lot has taken place in my life since last year on 06 September when an RPG came through my vehicle. Were it not for the calendar I can look at, I would not think it had already been a year since that early morning.

I have gained a lot of life lessons from that experience and the events that followed after. The fragility of life is made bare when it is lost or taken suddenly. Life also has many opportunities to show its resilience and will to continue on. Here are a few of the lessons I learned.

Friendship is great. Thanks for coming to see me in the Hospital back in Germany, SSG Link.

Telling others you love and care for them is a daily priority. I am glad for every phone call made and letter sent from Afghanistan. The calls and conversations from and in Colorado are just as important.

I depend on others, even strangers, no matter how independent I trick myself into feeling. SPC Harlow put on my tourniquet, a chopper picked me up, SSG Yepez walked me to the LZ, F-16 covered our exit, and a surgeon performed on me at 0400.

Jeffrey and His Tie

Missing Out On Yellow Stone Park

The Brown family has been planning a vacation to Yellow Stone National Park for many months now. Tricia and I were very excited to be able to go since we first heard about the idea. When a date was finally selected, it happened to be over a four-day weekend for me, which means our six-day vacation would only take me away from work for two days.

For the first eight weeks that I was at my new job as the battalion schools NCO, I did not have a computer. Everything I do is electronic and on the net, so I have been way behind the power curve until very recently when a laptop was procured for me. I am so far behind the power curve that I had to make the tough decision to skip out on the Yellow Stone trip and use all six days to work. My job is quite reactive because I have to deal with people and items they bring to me all through the working day. I need to take advantage of the four uninterrupted working days to catch up while there is no one to hand me more work through the day. It was a hard decision to make, but this is a critical time to catch up and begin to get ahead so that I can be proactive at work rather than reactive.

I am glad that Tricia and Jeffrey decided to continue on the trip. I would have been super bummed if I were at work this weekend knowing that they were both at home waiting for me.

Not going to Yellow Stone did give me the chance to attend a chapel session at the Denver Temple. I recognized many people from my ward there and it was an uplifting experience even though Tricia was not there to share it.

Getting a Handle On Things

When I took over as the schools NCO for 4BSTB the job was quite over whelming. There systems and procedures to get to know and I have had to do it all without a computer. Most of the systems are computer based, which makes not having one dedicated to myself difficult to do my job right. Bringing my own laptop to work relieved some of the stress, but I cannot connect it to the net and there is no way to print. I have had to stay up late and work some weekends to get up to speed on the work, but I think that I am getting over the learning curve now. In a few days I will have a brand new computer all to myself.

I can go back to being at home when I am at home. It was difficult to come home only to know I would not have time to play with Jeffrey or help Tricia make dinner since I would have to use my own computer and printer to get work done.

Game Time

Jeffrey has discovered "Hi-Ho Cherrie-O" and "Cootie" in the last few weeks. He LOVES to play both games and is always asking if we can play one of them. He gets excited for every spin or roll and cheers even if he doesn't win. He's so funny. He's at such a fun age right now. Last night he won Cootie, so that's his winning bug on the top.

The Best of Times

So I wrote about the worst of times, here is the best of times. Twice before I have been to the Special Events Center at Fort Carson to welcome Cory home. The first time was three months after we had been married. It was the first time I had ever been on post and I was just so excited to get there. I can remember what I wore, what shoes I was wearing, and the anticipation of waiting to see them walk through the doors. (Think Christmas times 10). The first time there was also the anticipation of finally starting a life with my husband, we had only spent a handful of days together before that day and I was excited to be on the same continent with my husband!

Memorial for SSG Haney

On Friday a memorial was held for SSG Haney. The BN conference room was filled with the members of his MP platoon awaiting to meet his wife and brother. I happened to come out of my office just before Mrs. Haney went into the room. She recognized me immediately and we talked for a few minutes while she prepared herself go in where she would see so many people that worked and played with her husband.

At the ceremony we watched two video that featured photos of SSG Haney. I had never seen these before and so learned a little bit more about the man that sat across from me on the night of the RPG strike.

The movie Saving Private Ryan begin and ends with scenes of an old war veteran searching for and finding the grave of the man that saved his life in battle. In the ending scene this old Private Ryan wants to know that he was a good man and lived a worthy life. SSG Haney did not take that seat to prevent me from sitting in it, but knowing that many subtle changes in circumstance could have put me there, I feel a connection to him that reminds me of him nearly every day.

I live a different and better life knowing that I could have been in that seat. At least by living well, being a good father and husband I can make the best of what was taken from us that night.

New Phone Number

For as long as I have been alive Grandma MacNeil has had the same phone number. I was able to dial her number from memory in Texas, Korea, Iraq, Colorado, Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the world I was near a phone. It was hard to have to write down a new phone number to reach her once I heard that she was no longer living in her own home.

Congradulations to Chris and Brian

We are excited about the announcement of the birth of your son, Adian. Congratulations to you both and we hope for a quick recovery for Chris.

Looking Back

It hasn't been a year yet since Cory's injury, but I finally feel like I am in a place where I can talk about it. Sept. 6, 2009 is a day I won't ever be able to forget, it was the day I realized what mortality meant. It was a Sunday and at about 2 in the morning my phone rang. I picked it up to hear Cory's voice on the other end of the phone. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I'm just here in bed," I thought it was a little strange, but he had mentioned that they were possibly going to be getting cell phones for the NCO's and maybe that's what it was. So I jokingly said, "oh just hanging out in your sleeping bag huh?" Then he said the words that changed my life, "No, I'm in a hospital bed." I said, "Cory MacNeil, you tell me what happened right now." He told me what he could which wasn't much since he was barely coming out of the sedation after his surgery. I was in such shock I didn't even ask him what arm he had hurt. He didn't tell me too much of what happened, because he didn't know what he could say, but I wouldn't have heard much of it anyway. It was a short conversation, but he assured me he was alive, he was whole, and he was going to recover.

In Search of the Best Parks

Jeffrey and I are still in search of the best parks in the Denver area. Every Wednesday and Thursday while Mommy is at dance we go out in search of the best places to play.

Toy Story

Tricia noticed that Jeffrey has been watching the same television shows and movies over and over. He loves Mickey Mouse, Little Einsteins, Special Agent OSO, Finneus and Ferb, Pingu, and Shawn Sheep. We have decided to avoid those television shows for a while and I have taken those movies off of his shelf. We will also be more diligent in watching along with him.

I had to fast forward a few parts of Toy Story this morning. Jeffrey gets scared at the most unlikely things. He had to sit in my lap during a few scenes as well. Jeffrey is funny about putting his hands over his ears during scary parts so that he will not hear what is happening. At one time he had my place my hands over his ears and then he put his on top for extra noise blockage.

Jeffrey also earned his first sticker for his Big Boy Night Time Activity Chart.

Jeffrey's Big Boy Night Time Activity Chart

At a family meeting we decided that Jeffrey needs some more structure during his night time activities. Tricia came up with the idea of using a chart to track his progress, as well as our own, in following through with a night time schedule. After twenty stickers have made their way on to the chart we will treat Jeffrey with a night of UP. The current DVD we own is not working so we will be looking for a used copy in the mean time. I used the Stampin' Up program to make the chart which we printed on photo paper and taped to the fridge.

Also, the child gates we have on some of our rooms are not keeping Jeffrey out any more. He is big enough and strong enough to climb up and over them. It will be harder to keep him in his room during time outs as well as the security breach that is not looming outside of the craft room.

Life goes on...

Aren't we cute? Well I think we are. This was the second ball we went to this summer. It was the battalion ball and it was pretty fun. A good study in people watching if nothing else. I like my dress (I made it before the last ball) and am thinking that I'll add a few embellishments before I wear it again.

Cory had to go back to work today. He's able to see pretty well now and we can't have convalescence leave forever. Jeffrey loved having daddy at home and it was hard for him to see daddy go off to work today. He got spoiled having someone to wake up with him at 6:30. Mommy doesn't often see that time of the morning.

But I'm happy to say that our life has fallen into a happy and somewhat mundane routine. We've had enough adventures this past year that I don't think any of us will mind having a little bit of the boring for a while.

Later this summer we have a trip to Yellowstone planned, I'm excited and so is Jeffrey. I can't tell you how often he will ask if we can go visit Sugar and Po or Uncle Scott's dogs or Grandma and Grandpa. He will usually ask to go on an airplane, but then remind me that he doesn't have any money for it.

Getting Jeffrey Ready for School

Page from a workbook that Jeffrey colored in as his homework

Tricia has begun to work with Jeffrey on his "homework." He came up with the term after seeing me work on my own homework so often. Looking ahead to his upcoming preschool days there are certain things he will be expected to know before entering school. Tricia has been good to work with him each day on some simple lessons presented in a couple of books she picked up. I will have to get into this habit as well so that I can be involved with Jeffrey in this way.

PRK

Jeffrey helping in the kitchen

This last Thursday I had PRK surgery done on my eyes at the Evans Army Hospital. I had the surgery done once before about eight years ago when I first came in the army, but over time my eyes have returned slightly to the shape that my DNA intended them to be which led to a slight decrease in my vision over time. After this second surgery I am back to not needing glasses at all. That is a huge plus for shooting photography. It will be a few more weeks until it can be determined what sharpness my eyes will finally rest at, but for now I am excited at the immediate results.

I do have to keep replenishing my eyes with artificial tears as the surgery did disrupt my tear ducts. The systane tear drops are like a drink of water for my thirsty eyes. In the mean time I did find out that this surgery prevents me from attending the Sapper Leader Course I had hoped to go to for at least six months. I would have liked to have attended the course with the group that is getting ready to go from the Aco, but in the scales seeing without glasses for my photography is more important.

The World From Jeffrey's Camera