1st Class Accommodations

Some of you may know that I am leaving for Oklahoma next week. I have really been looking forward to this trip and today I received a letter concerning my stay. I get to go and visit these two little monkeys:

Here is the letter that I received. I have decided to include it in its entirety so you can all be jealous about my 1st class accommodations Ü

Greetings Mrs. Melanie Summers!
Our records indicate you have an upcoming visit to our Enid, OK facility. In preparation for this visit we would like you to be advised of the following to maximize the enjoyment of your stay.
Our facility is located in scenic Enid, OK, the largest city in Northwestern Oklahoma. Our property is a part of Vance Air Force Base, the largest employer in Enid. The architects did a wonderful job of blending into the surroundings without disturbing the natural ecosystem too much. Therefore you can expect to see a wide variety of creatures such as bunnies, squirrels, owls, and multiple types of birds. If you have any concerns or phobias regarding any of these creatures please let management know prior to your arrival and we can work with you. Oklahoma is also known for being part of “tornado alley”. Tornado season is at its height from April to May—since your stay will be outside of this time frame, you should not be concerned about the likelihood of tornadoes. Being on an Air Force Base does create some unique concerns. If you feel you will have difficulty sleeping through the sounds of airplanes flying overhead or reveille at 7:00 AM, please bring headphones or we can supply you with some upon your arrival. (Note: there are no requirements or expectations of rising when reveille is played)

Keep in mind we are a family friendly facility and as such you can anticipate seeing small children on the premises. Be advised these children may ask you the same questions over and over or tell you the same story several times a day. One of our long standing guests has a tendency to view the movie Cars multiple times per day or act out scenes with his toy cars. We suggest you simply acknowledge his obsession without giving it too much attention or he will persist with it all day. As is often the case when you get more than one child in a room, there are often disagreements, and these altercations can get physical. If you witness one of these conflicts we appreciate if you step in and separate the children, but we understand that this sometimes makes you the target of any blows about to be delivered. We have a fully trained staff and stocked medical supply closet in case of any injuries.

We do not keep a strict schedule, but you can expect certain things to happen each day. We try to take a walk around the nearby community each day when weather permits. These walks often include a brief repose at a nearby park before we return to the facility. We have a meal together with all of the guests each evening, everyone is invited but some nights the younger guests choose not to participate. We have a Registered Dietitian on staff to take care of any of your special food needs. Please let us know what your favorite breakfast cereal is and if you have any dietary concerns. Those guests with Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (henceforth referred to as “the betes”) will need to let us know of any specific foods we can make sure to stock to handle any unexpected changes in blood sugar.

We will be scheduling a day trip to Oklahoma City where there are several interesting things to see and do. Please let your tour guide know of anything specific you would like included on this trip and we will do our best to fit it in.

Thank you for booking a stay with us and we look forward to your arrival soon.

Sincerely,

Karissa Gibbons
Director of Guest Relations

Long Time Coming

You probably think that the title to this post refers to how long it has been since I posted, but it actually refers to our yard and how well it is doing - finally! The biggest difference is the sprinklers that we put in this spring. The grass is actually green and is getting water evenly and routinely - something that has never happened before. It really shows too! Not too mention that Kelly edged the grass the other day and it is looking really sharp.

The plants that we planted nearly 2 years ago are finally flourishing. We have a big rock wall in the back yard that needed some ground cover and it is finally getting it. This is one of my favorite plants because it has so many flowers on it. They weren't really out when I took this picture because it was overcast, but you get the idea.

We also thought these flowers might not make it, but they have survived. We have said many times that anything alive in our yard right now has got to be quite hardy and will probably not die. We have had some casualties, but those that are left are the fighters!

This is a picture of my greenie beanies! I am so excited that they are sprouting through the surface right now. We should have fresh green beans to eat in about 6 weeks. We are also trying an experiment this year by growing onions. I don't know much about growing onions, but they are really doing well so I guess it isn't that hard. We planted tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, green beans, lettuce (another experiment), zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, cucumber, and a pumpkin that I think is already dead. We are keeping our fingers crossed, but it looks like our garden should do well this year.
In case you think our yard is not thriving, let me ask you this: Could we host disgusting, hairy, sickening bugs like this if it wasn't? I have no idea what this bug is, but we were sitting in the grass and it decided to join the party. I still think the nice grass is good, but hadn't really thought about the company it might attract. Oh well, what can you do? All I know is that I have been really busy supervising a lot of yardwork and it is finally paying off.

Au Revoir Morocco

Today was the best! I got the best surprise - Kelly had access to a computer and we were able to chat online for a while. It was almost like talking to him, but not quite. It was way better than what we have had for the last 2 weeks anyway. Kelly is going to be coming home on Friday and I can't wait. He is done with what he was doing and he is now in Agadir and wanted me to post some pictures for him. I thought I could give a photo recap of things that have happened since he left. For starters, he wanted to see our cute flowers!
This is not the best picture, but they are still in bloom and you can see them when you get here! I have no idea why some have rounded petals and some have pointy petals - they are all supposed to be the same kind of tulip. As long as they are growing that is all I care about.
I needed to post this picture so that I would have proof that I actually made the bed (at least once) while he was gone. I am definitely one who feels that making the bed is the hugest waste of time I can think of. I often unmake the bed after Kelly makes it just because he gets so mad - it is a good thing he loves me anyway!
This is the painting project that I started working on while he was gone. Don't worry, I have already quit and am awaiting my helper to return home so we can finish this project together - remember Together Everyone Achieves More - because it is definitely a team project.
Oh, and this is the other project that is awaiting me. This one is the scariest project of all because it involves me sewing. I really want to learn how to sew well and be able to make things, but it is a little intimidating. Hopefully, when all is said and done I will be able to wear this in public Ü

I miss you Kelly and I am so excited for you to come home! At this point we are down to 48 hours, however I just know something will happen. Maybe his flight will be delayed, maybe I will be late - it's happened before that he is gone for weeks and then when I am supposed to pick him up inevitably I get behind schedule. I will be keeping my fingers crossed and my clocks set ahead by 30 minutes!

GNO

Last night I had a Girl's Night Out with my mom. Due to Kelly and my dad both being out of town, we decided to make the most of it and hit the town. We ate at Zupas, which I totally love, and then went to go see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. The food was great, plus I learned that the Zupas in AF has these delicious looking dessert bars that I will have to try some time. I thought the movie was good as well, it was quite funny and the 3 men in the theater seemed to be enjoying it as much as the women. The best part of all was being able to spend the night with my mom. We don't hang out near as much as we used to, but we always have fun. I am looking forward to spending some more time with her this weekend to celebrate Mother's Day (which she hates Ü).
You would think the boys would learn to leave us unsupervised. One time my Dad was out of town for his birthday, but that didn't mean that we forgot it was his birthday. No, we went out for steak dinner without him to honor his birthday - hey you snooze, you lose. Thanks Mom for a fun night out!

All A Matter of Perspective

Generally speaking, weekends are very short. I think that Saturday is shorter than weekdays by about 9 hours! However, this last weekend I thought Saturday would never end. It felt like the day was dragging. I have decided that this is all due to perspective. Most saturdays I get to spend with Kelly running errands and scrambling to get things done for the week. I had to drop Kelly off at the airport Friday so he could go to Morocco and thus spent all of Saturday alone. The worst part was that I couldn't talk to him on the phone. Between Friday and Saturday I finished 1 book, read 2 more books, and started a 4th book. Plus I watched a movie, fertilized the yard, worked on my bathroom project (hopefully pictures will soon be coming), folded a bunch of laundry and watched a bunch of TV. If only the days went by so slowly when Kelly was home. Having to work has definitely helped with the passage of time, but I don't know if I will make it till the 15th! Did I mention that I just had to water the plants?! and I will also have to take out the garbage? twice!! I miss my Kelly Ü