My kids are on Spring Break this week and as I try to entertain them while staying on a budget, we decided to make a few day trips instead of going anywhere for a vacation. Namely, because we can't afford a vacation right now and well that it the only reason.
While looking into things to do that are within a two hour drive I decided that I wanted to take the family to Andersonville Prison National Historic Site. If you don't know about Andersonville, here is a quick history lesson: during the civil war the Union and Confederate Army's exchanged Prisoner's of War in the early days of the conflict, but it soon became apparent that all they were doing was setting lose soldiers to fight again another day. Both the Union and Confederacy then started to build prisons to house said POW's (side note: the Union Army housed captured Confederate soldiers on ships in Boston Harbor, the conditions of these ships were inhuman and thousands died). Andersonville, or Ft. Sumter (the official name of the prison) was built in southwest Georgia because there was timber, water, a rail line, and it was not too close to the fighting. Some 13,000 Union soldiers ended dying at Andersonville from fetid water that caused dysentery or open wounds that went untreated or from exposure. As I dragged my two boys, a friend of the boys, and my husband around the 26 acre site, we came to the POW museum.
The museum was not just about civil war POW's but, soldiers from every era of American warfare. In the very back was a video that was playing in an ongoing loop. As I sat mesmerized by the words and pictures I was seeing I realized that all three children had slowly come and sat near me. We watched as people described what it was like to not only be a POW, but how it effected the families at home. There were families during Vietnam that literally went years without any word on their loved one, not knowing if they were still alive or if they were being tortured. My heart fluttered and I felt the sting of tears in my eyes. Some of these children were in elementary school when their dad was captured and a few had grown and joined the military so when their father came home they were and adult in uniform face-to-face with their father.
It is times like this that bring my world into perspective, I can get so wound up in the craziness of my life and then I hear about or see something like this and it reminds me to count my blessings because my husband came home. Thank God.
And that is life, how I see it.
-april
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Attack of the Weiner Dogs
I am one of those people who must love self punishment. That may seem like an odd statement, but let me elaborate.
About three years ago, my husband was deployed to Iraq. One of my good friends called me to tell me that her dog had just had puppies and wanted to know if I wanted one. The pups were miniature dachshunds and if you have ever seen one as a puppy you know why I did not have to give it a second thought. My friend told me that she had a cute little female picked out for me that was dappled, she went on and on about how cute and smart this dog was, so much more than the rest of the puppies. Yes, I know it was a shameless plea on my friends part, but it worked.
A few weeks later, I drove the two hours to my home town to pick up said puppy. It really was love at first site. She was adorable and I was so happy to have her. My plan was to give the dog to my boys for Easter, like I said their dad was in Iraq and it had been a difficult few months. I was hoping that a new animal to love would ease their pain and let's face it, they had been bugging me for months to get a dog.
That was three years ago, Delilah came home with us and has been a member of the family ever since. During this time, my husband went on another tour to Iraq, this time he was injured and spent months in the hospital. When he finally came home for good, he needed to have his right shoulder replaced because it was damaged in a mortar blast, but his other injuries where more serious so they put off the shoulder surgery until he was at home. Two days after the surgery, my husband told me he wanted another dog. Now I thought he must be out of his mind, or maybe the pain meds are making him delusional because I can barely keep up with the house, the kids, the husband, the doctors, and the one dog we already have. Like a good wife I ignored him and went to take a shower. When I got out of the shower, he called me into the living room (keep in mind that he is unable to get up and move on his own at this point so he had the "adorable pathetic" thing going for him), he used the Internet to find a dog that was at a rescue shelter and had called about the dog, the dog was available and Tom wanted to go get him, right now.
After the boys came home from school, I loaded up the kids, loaded up my husband on pain killers, and made sure he would be comfortable by bringing him blankets and pillows. Then I drove an hour and a half to go get him his dog. He did a good job picking him out, he is a miniature dachshund too except he is red. Of course with our female being named Delilah, we had to call him Samson.
And ever since they have weaved their way into mischief and trouble. Whenever they hear a doorbell, whether it is on T.V. or in real life they both start barking. The UPS man said he was afraid to see what was on the other side of the door until we opened the door and he realized that it was just two little wiener dogs.
Life at our house at least, would just not be the same without those two little dogs. They annoy me when they bark at a leaf falling from the pecan tree outside, or when they want to go out for the third time in an hour. But when you come home and they are there waiting with tails wagging it makes me happy.
And that's life, at least how I see it,
-april
About three years ago, my husband was deployed to Iraq. One of my good friends called me to tell me that her dog had just had puppies and wanted to know if I wanted one. The pups were miniature dachshunds and if you have ever seen one as a puppy you know why I did not have to give it a second thought. My friend told me that she had a cute little female picked out for me that was dappled, she went on and on about how cute and smart this dog was, so much more than the rest of the puppies. Yes, I know it was a shameless plea on my friends part, but it worked.
A few weeks later, I drove the two hours to my home town to pick up said puppy. It really was love at first site. She was adorable and I was so happy to have her. My plan was to give the dog to my boys for Easter, like I said their dad was in Iraq and it had been a difficult few months. I was hoping that a new animal to love would ease their pain and let's face it, they had been bugging me for months to get a dog.
That was three years ago, Delilah came home with us and has been a member of the family ever since. During this time, my husband went on another tour to Iraq, this time he was injured and spent months in the hospital. When he finally came home for good, he needed to have his right shoulder replaced because it was damaged in a mortar blast, but his other injuries where more serious so they put off the shoulder surgery until he was at home. Two days after the surgery, my husband told me he wanted another dog. Now I thought he must be out of his mind, or maybe the pain meds are making him delusional because I can barely keep up with the house, the kids, the husband, the doctors, and the one dog we already have. Like a good wife I ignored him and went to take a shower. When I got out of the shower, he called me into the living room (keep in mind that he is unable to get up and move on his own at this point so he had the "adorable pathetic" thing going for him), he used the Internet to find a dog that was at a rescue shelter and had called about the dog, the dog was available and Tom wanted to go get him, right now.
After the boys came home from school, I loaded up the kids, loaded up my husband on pain killers, and made sure he would be comfortable by bringing him blankets and pillows. Then I drove an hour and a half to go get him his dog. He did a good job picking him out, he is a miniature dachshund too except he is red. Of course with our female being named Delilah, we had to call him Samson.
And ever since they have weaved their way into mischief and trouble. Whenever they hear a doorbell, whether it is on T.V. or in real life they both start barking. The UPS man said he was afraid to see what was on the other side of the door until we opened the door and he realized that it was just two little wiener dogs.
Life at our house at least, would just not be the same without those two little dogs. They annoy me when they bark at a leaf falling from the pecan tree outside, or when they want to go out for the third time in an hour. But when you come home and they are there waiting with tails wagging it makes me happy.
And that's life, at least how I see it,
-april
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Unexpected Happiness
Yesterday I took my husband to the doctor, an office that is known for running late. While we were waiting to see the doctor, I noticed a middle aged man who kept coming into the office to ask if they had steel wool or soap. He mentioned that he was trying to get a minivan started that was in the parking lot. A few minutes later we were called back to see the doctor and I quickly forgot about the man and his problems because let's face it, I've got problems of my own.
Like I said before, the doctor was running 45 minutes late, I had kids that would be dropped off by the bus any minute at home and I was not there. I had to put away groceries that were in my car, make dinner, help with homework, finish some laundry and get everyone in my house ready for the next day. But, here I was at the doctors office...waiting.
After finally seeing the doctor, my husband and I went to checkout and leave. As soon as I opened the office door I saw the man with the dilapidated minivan. There were two women, another man, and a teenage boy in the van and it was warm outside. It became apparent that the man who was trying to start the van had his hands full. I did not mention it earlier, but we were at the psychiatrist's office, my husband was wounded in Iraq and sees the psychiatrist once a month. The other people in the van looked almost homeless, they were in bad shape and you knew that some of them were just not right. I thought to myself, "Lord, please don't let him make eye contact, I have so much to do at home and I need to get there". I knew as soon as I thought it that it was wrong and before I had time to think again, I heard the words, "Need any help?" come out of my mouth.
All they needed was someone who had jumper cables and was willing take five minutes to jump off the minivan. I had both.
As soon as the engine turned over all the people in the van started to clap, a response I did not expect. The man told us that they had all been waiting for someone to stop and help them for almost an hour, but with a nod into the van he said, "Most folks take one look and run the other way." One of the women got out and hugged me. It was evident these people were grateful.
As I finally got my husband into the car to go home, I started to think about each of those souls in the minivan, all are important. Sometimes it just takes a few moments of your day to make the day of another human.
That's life...as I see it,
-april
Like I said before, the doctor was running 45 minutes late, I had kids that would be dropped off by the bus any minute at home and I was not there. I had to put away groceries that were in my car, make dinner, help with homework, finish some laundry and get everyone in my house ready for the next day. But, here I was at the doctors office...waiting.
After finally seeing the doctor, my husband and I went to checkout and leave. As soon as I opened the office door I saw the man with the dilapidated minivan. There were two women, another man, and a teenage boy in the van and it was warm outside. It became apparent that the man who was trying to start the van had his hands full. I did not mention it earlier, but we were at the psychiatrist's office, my husband was wounded in Iraq and sees the psychiatrist once a month. The other people in the van looked almost homeless, they were in bad shape and you knew that some of them were just not right. I thought to myself, "Lord, please don't let him make eye contact, I have so much to do at home and I need to get there". I knew as soon as I thought it that it was wrong and before I had time to think again, I heard the words, "Need any help?" come out of my mouth.
All they needed was someone who had jumper cables and was willing take five minutes to jump off the minivan. I had both.
As soon as the engine turned over all the people in the van started to clap, a response I did not expect. The man told us that they had all been waiting for someone to stop and help them for almost an hour, but with a nod into the van he said, "Most folks take one look and run the other way." One of the women got out and hugged me. It was evident these people were grateful.
As I finally got my husband into the car to go home, I started to think about each of those souls in the minivan, all are important. Sometimes it just takes a few moments of your day to make the day of another human.
That's life...as I see it,
-april
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