Catching up to do...

Today is the big day for J.  She flies to Germany overnight tonight and arrives tomorrow morning!  Thus far, she says things have been going very well in terms of travel and it all feels a little surreal.

I have been pretty bad with posting lately as J and I spent all the time we could together.  After today, we don't see each other again for another three weeks.  After that, we hope to finally see each other again on a daily basis.  Sounds weird to say, but that's how training is when your spouse is in the military.

Below are my catch up posts for the past several days...

3/21/11

I tried my hand tilling the garden C and R have.  I actually did not have a hard time with it.  During the week I have the farm to myself, I'll see if I can till the whole thing and maybe plan out this season's crop layout.  I'll figure out what is being planted and go from there.

3/23/11

Yesterday night we saw Hunger Games on opening night.  Not that bad of a flick.  Made me want to get into bow and arrow again.  The only issue I have is that if they do make a sequel, there is no way it will be anything like the first movie simply by design.

Today, we had brunch with T and J at Flap Jacks.  They had pretty good pancakes and omelets.  I would definitely recommend it to pancake lovers.  Later on, I sorted out a bunch of paperwork and bills, and had dinner with J's close friend D at an Indian restaurant in downtown Indianapolis.  Traffic was surprisingly light considering that the NCAA National tournament was going on.  I think the Sweet 16's were finishing up this night.

I also received a copy of my flight itinerary from J today.  It was nice to finally have time.  They also have a window of arrival with check-in instructions specified, so I'll need to make sure that I respect those instructions.

3/24/11

Today, I learned how to use the mower and feed the chickens.  I was actually surprised how easy it was to learn how.  It makes me think I could possibly have my own little farm some day.

I'll be dropping C and R off at the airport tomorrow morning for their trip to Cancun.  J is leaving for Germany on Monday, so we're going to have to make sure she's packed to specifications noted on the itinerary.  I get the farm to myself for almost a week, so it will be interesting to see how easily all of this will go for me.  

3/25/11

I dropped C and R off at the Indianapolis airport early this morning.  Today is also my last full day with my wife.  We decided to have lunch at Jaripeo’s.  We also took a walk through Hummel Park with Etsy.  

J packed her stuff for her flight tomorrow.  We got a little paranoid about packing restrictions, so we used a bathroom scale to make sure things were within weight restriction.  Also to aid in packing, we used vacuum bags for clothing (they really to decrease a lot of space!) and got a few luggage straps to keep her biggest duffle bag from bursting at the seams.  

We did this while watching the first three seasons of Survivor: One World.  For fans out there, was Jeff Probst sick or something?  He had a pretty gruff voice at one council and was not present for one of the challenges.  Also, wow!  Talk about gender roles!  So sad biker chick got her arm broken.  I was actually rooting for her!

We called the airline today to confirm J's flight.  It was a little confusing in that they stated "Space A starts at 1600," but her flight was scheduled for 1820.  If all else fails, she can always try a last minute change of flight to BWI airport, where she'll be flying out to Germany. 

My wife's brother T treated us to a pizza dinner tonight with J and my favorite toppings.  It was a very nice last dinner together in Indiana.

Tomorrow, I fly solo with 5 dogs, 4 cats, around 3 dozen chickens, and a grand little farm.  If I have time, maybe I’ll put together a small box from Rodney’s shop.   

3/26/11

I dropped J off at IND airport.  In a very pleasant surprise, her brother T was there waiting for us to send J off.  It was a very nice gesture.  We had breakfast together, and then parted ways.  My wife decided to take some American and Euro cash before leaving, just in case.  Hopefully, she won't run into too much trouble.

Last I heard, all of her baggage arrived at BWI intact and without incident.  She's already met a CID (military police officer) who will be in the building next to her on base.  She's happy about that because she will be working with a lot of CID personnel by simple nature of the work.  It's never too early to start building those relationships.  After her flight, it's doubtful her phone will work, so we'll be forced to communicate either via email, Skype, FaceTime, or instant message via iPod's.  I know...so few choices :P

I, after dropping my wife off, spent a good chunk of the day sleeping and getting a to-do list put together in a calendar.  The dogs have been a little jumpy today because their daily routine has been changed a little with their owners not being around for the past 24 hours.  Thus far, Hank has been the most anxious.  I'll let him out tonight to see if that eases him up a bit.  

I haven't figured dinner out yet, but I've got plenty to work with.  I also will be going to bed early tonight, as I will have to wake up early for the chickens and I also hope to get to a nearby Army Reserve base (called a "Camp") to take advantage of some free military tax advice they offer during tax season.  There are a surprising number of tax-exempt and tax-deductible items that I'm only just now starting to learn about (BAS and BAH, for example).