Well, here comes a cat out of the bag. We've been holding off on telling many people for fear that things would change - again.

Popeye's orders to GTMO got pulled. The Navy claims financial issues. We weren't sure if they would be changed to somewhere else  or not, so we didn't tell too many people.
It's a little sad and a little happy.
Sad because we could've really used that money - and now Popeye doesn't have "bragging rights" saying he's been on a tour. Silly reasons, but reasons nonetheless.
But happy because we were really going to miss him and he would've missed baptizing Princess Monkey Eyes AND ordaining Mr. Fantastic to deacon at the end of this year. So we're all very happy about that.

We both have the feeling that he's not out of the woods yet - that his time will come again. But for now, we'll take it. :)

So that's the big news. And I'm SO glad to not be keeping this a secret anymore. I HATE not talking about what's going on in my life. I'm so open with so many people that this was just so hard for me. :)

Off to make dinner. :)

You want to know what's sad? The fact that the above picture is the most recent picture I have of myself. I'm usually the one behind the camera, so Grand Duchess' birthday party is the most recent shot (the one before that being about a year ago). And the shot isn't of me, either. I'm just in the corner - because, well, it was Grand Duchess' big day, not mine.

BUT.

This past week I celebrated my 34th birthday. Man, I had countless birthday wishes on facebook. I tried SO hard to respond to everyone's posts individually but the new facebook timeline wouldn't allow me to. It was rather frustrating for me. So Sara & Jenni (& others) - thank you for the birthday wishes. :) I know yours got shuffled into the mix that I had a hard time getting to. :)

My day rocked. Pancakes in bed courtesy of Princess Monkey Eyes. I'm so glad she remembered that I don't like waffles and would rather have pancakes. Then a 3 mile run with Maddie. When I got home I was so cold (I think it's because I take off my layers of sweatshirts and knee braces all at once) so I got into bed and stayed there until 11:30 watching Price is Right and home decor shows.

Popeye took Thor to preschool and then I remembered that Maddie had a vet appointment to get her ears checked and shots. She was going to get spayed that morning, but Popeye and I decided that we want her to have puppies at least one time. So it was just a check up for her.

After our trip to town, I came home, made some dinner (steak and potatoes, one of my faves) and snuggled with Grand Duchess who has been feeling under the weather lately. Poor girl. At one point during the evening, she started screaming that her stomach hurt - like torture scream. So I quickly texted Popeye to come home and give her a blessing. I'm so thankful that he can do that. And I'm glad he doesn't have any qualms with doing it himself. The closest worthy priesthood holder is over 30 minutes away and sometimes blessings just can't wait that long. So he gave her a blessing that she would heal quickly.

I should also say that Popeye came home smelling like something AWFUL. Seriously bad. I asked him what the stink was and he said, "Oh, I had to go to the dump and kill a skunk. I must have some residual spray on me." Uh, YA THINK?

Luckily it was just his clothes so when he got home and showered, it wasn't too bad anymore.

So that was my birthday. The day before (since Popeye didn't have to work) we had cake and ice cream, chinese food and Popeye bought me a cover for my new iPod Touch. I bought the touch as an early birthday present for me (love tax season). He felt bad that all he got me was the cover, but I was quick to remind him of WHAT it was covering and also that he is allowing me a 4-day vacay to Kemmerer to visit some friends there next month. SUPER excited for that one.

Last weekend I attended a stake reslief society activity. It was a handful of mini classes in which we got to choose 5 of the 10 that we wanted to attend. One of the classes was organizing our journaling. The woman who taught that class was amazing! She said, "15 minutes a day. That's all you need to help you get started. Write down little things in your planner, caption and back-up your photos, write down SOMETHING for 15 minutes a day. 15 minutes a day adds up to 91 hours in a year." So, I decided to do it. I've spent some time doing all of that. So my blog posts might be even MORE random now as I recall things and want to make sure they're written somewhere. :)

Yesterday Popeye, Grand Duchess, Thor & I went to Scottsbluff, NE for a Navy funeral. Popeye gets asked to do them quite frequently. So the kids and I thought we'd go along for the ride. On the way down, we drove through the most interesting fog bank I've ever seen. It started out looking like white smoke on our left. Then a jaunt down the road, the white smoke turned to fog and on the right side of the road the fog was a dark gray that looked like train smoke. But there was so much of it that it couldn't be smoke. so on the left it was white - bright white (I still had to wear my sunglasses) and on the right it was dark gray. we continued on, thinking it would clear since the sun was trying so hard to burn through. As we drove, the fog became darker all around and at one point, I could see a white spot of fog amidst the gray on both sides of the road; a white spot on the left and then one almost directly parallel on the right. I put my sunglasses on to get a clearer view and saw that it was a foggy rainbow. I could see the different shades of foggy color (a reddish hue, yellowish hue and grayish hue) and saw that it actually arched across the road. I could see the beginning and end of the "rainbow" and was completely amazed by it. We drove RIGHT past the edge of the rainbow and come to find out, no pot of gold. So that myth was put to rest. By the time we got to Scottsbluff the fog had mostly lifted and the day turned out to be gorgeous. I got to go to JoAnn's for a fabric run and enjoy some Sonic for lunch. We got home and put out the sprinkler for the kids - 75* weather is something wonderful, isn't it?  The wasps also enjoyed the sprinklers and weather - their presence made us retreat to the front yard.

Big news coming soon in the Royal household. SO excited to share - but the time isn't quiiiiiite right yet.

yeah, so - I guess that's it until I decide to randomly post again!

Enjoy your Saturday!

So I was standing in the kitchen this afternoon washing dishes. Grand Duchess came up to the doorway, peeked around the corner of it and whispered, "Peek a boo!" I entertained her for awhile with that and then the boys ran in the door - their return from school. She called out, "Thor's here!!!" and took off running.

It made me start to think. Next year she'll be going to preschool in the mornings, Thor will be in kindergarten all day. She'll come home and he'll still be gone. The next year will be the same - her being gone partway through the day. And then the next year she'll be a Kinder.

And then what will I do with my time?

I have these visions of sitting at my sewing table and making blankets or clothing. Or maybe I'll go on lunch dates with my girlies - sophisticated ones where there won't be little people telling me they "need to go potty" or spilling their soda/milk/water on me. I'll be able to wear stylish, non-kid-friendly clothes because I won't have a fear of ketchup stains or chocolate smears. And after my lunch dates, I'll be able to sit down and watch the news or my favorite adult chick flick (Not Nick junior or Disney junior). Maybe I'll get in the naps that I should have taken all these years. Maybe I'll ...

Oh who am I kidding. I'll be doing the exact same thing I do everyday now. Wake up, exercise, check my emails, clean the house, cook dinner, do laundry...

But maybe. Just maybe I'll get in some of that fun non - kid stuff.
Maybe.