My Army Bill

The Army sent me a bill yesterday. Yes, an actual bill. They believe they overpaid me in October 2007, right after I got home from Iraq. Want to know the funny part? They still owe me money. Lots of it. The Department of Defense came out with a compensation plan for frequently deployed soldiers. I had three (yes, three) deployments since 9/11, so I was in that category. The plan gives these soliders a ton of extra administrative leave. Mine was not done correctly (surprised??), so I've been trying to get it fixed ever since. Except I'm out now. Well, forget getting money from the Army if you aren't in the Army. Apparently, they have a means of collecting money if you aren't in the Army! I sent a nice letter back to DoD and their henchmen explaining the problem. I also was kind enough to cc Senator Levin. I'm tired of the military screwing shit up to benefit themselves! Sure, I'm just another victim of complicated paperwork nightmare, but it's an expensive mess. I'll be damned if I pay the Army anything when they owe me three times as much! Let's see if the DoD is as quick to pay as they are to collect! Bastards!

Update: Platoon Daddy had the mucho nachos. Verdict? He's a believer. All who try become addicted. Buyer beware!

The joys of our new puppy

I thought I'd share a funny story about our new puppy Roscoe.

We are in the middle of that delightful time most people refer to as potty training. Roscoe just doesn't seem to get it, no matter how hard we try.

Today, Rick and I were driving out to his parent's house to drop some stuff off. We had both of the dogs in the truck with us. Throughout our trip, Rick kept asking what that smell was. I, amidst allergy season, had no idea. He kept asking this over and over for hours, eventually changing it to, "Is that dog piss I smell?"

When we got home, we were lifting and moving furniture and he just so happened to catch a whiff of his own shirt. Roscoe, bless his little heart, must have had his shirt confused with a puppy pad. But do you think this will teach Rick to pick his clothes up off the floor? No siree!! Look at that face!! How can you even TRY to be mad??


We got Roscoe at four months, and we are his third and last set of parents. He came in to our lives and immediately made himself right at home. He has a thing for bras. Forty dollar VS bras to be exact.


Roscoe gets along famously with our purebred yorkie Chester. They go back and forth at all hours of the day and night. They also seem to be very protective of each other.

Every day we notice Chester and Roscoe picking up traits from each other. Roscoe was a fish in his former life. This dog loves anything to do with water. He enjoys sitting in the tub when we take showers, he drinks rain water out of potholes (yuck) and he likes to get sips of water here and there by sneaking in to the bathtub and hoping that our faucet is leaking. Chester is not a big fan of the water, and never liked to hang out in the tub prior to Roscoe. These days, if a dog is MIA, he can usually be found hanging out in the bathtub. Muddy paw prints in our tub our nothing new.

When Chester is in trouble, he usually knows it as soon as you start staring him down. He will do this cute little thing where he slinks around, head facing the ground but looking up at you with his eyes. Then he will roll over on his back and patiently wait for you to rub his belly. When he is in trouble, his signature move comes out and it never fails! We have recently noticed Roscoe doing the same thing when he gets in trouble.

Having two dogs is definitely an adventure. There has not been a day where I regret getting these two little buggers. Having dogs is a truly enriching experience and I love it.

Vicky's Dictionary

Now that I'm a mom, I understand why people always thought their children were so funny. I was one of those people that thought children were annoyances, dirty all the time, and schedule restrictions. Kids can still be all of the above, BUT, I find mine one of the best sources of amusement. She is forever making me laugh with her actions and words. Her latest trick is her expanding vocabulary. I thought I'd share with you the Dictionary according to Vicky:

Dog-All animals on four legs regardless of animal species. Popular animals to be included with dog species are deer, goats, cows and horses.

Duck-All animals that fly and have wings and feathers. It does not matter if it is a bird that is adverse to water, it is still a duck.

Joose (Juice)-Any liquid that is connsumable by humans regardless of appropriateness of liquid for children, i.e. coffee and alchohol are also "joose".

Pooh (Winne the Pooh)-All stuffed animals can be classified as either "Pooh" or "Beer" (see below).

Beer (Bear)-All stuffed animals can be classified as either "Beer" or "Pooh" (see above).

Peeaz (Please)-The majic word that secures any desired item into your possession. Simply point your hand in the direction and say "peeaz".

Ca-ca (Ca-Ca)-Anything found on the floor that is possibly not for children's play. Typical items include fuzz, dog hair, minute pieces of dust impossble to be viewed by human eyes, dog toys, etc.

Poon (Spoon)-(This is not a dirty word) Any food delivery device regardless of composition. Forks, serving spoons, chopsticks and knives are all "poons".

Car-ker (Cracker)-Any food item that is held and possibly crunchy. Popular items that are "car-kers" are onion rings, pizza crust, bread, toast, chips and actual crackers.

Vroom-vroom-Any motorized vehicle real or play. While driving in the car and passing farm equipment, boats, motorcyles or other cars, Vicky will announce "vroom-vroom".

Chi-Chi (Chin-Chin)-Every meal time is a celebration with Vicky. Grandma taught her to toast and clink her sippy cup with somebody's drink and say "chin-chin". Vicky is known to say "chi-chi" with her glass held out several dozen times per meal. She finds it compelety inappropriate to drink without toasting. Thank you grandma.