I scream, you scream...

We ALL scream for ice cream! At least my friends do. I've been waiting for this day for a while. Not only was it a chance to get ice cream for 31 cents a scoop at Baskin-Robbins and donate to the local fire department, but despite work and school and acts of God, several of my friends were able to hang out at the same time! It's been a real struggle to get the gang together this past year. Everyone misses getting together, but I think we may have reached that point. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - the sad realization that the "real" world is inevitable and that it's a whole lot harder to make time for friends and fun. But we're fighting it with all our might! AshLee, Flat Jason and I showed up at BR at 5:30 p.m. to get a seat and grab some ice cream. Soon, Erin and her friend, Amanda, joined us. We stayed and talked, and eventually JR joined our table. The firemen gave FJ a balloon. Time crept on and our small party began to disband. As I headed to the door, I saw the Wyss family: Teddy, Krista and Fiona the dog. Never one to pass up an opportunity to visit, I stopped and talked to them. It was nice to catch up. I finally left Baskin-Robbins a little after 8 p.m. That's what I call time well-spent.

This past week was a little light on the blogging, but I would be remiss if I failed to mention two things. First, another week down, 55 more to go. Second, the Eldon High School Jazz Band came to Columbia to play for the Fleetwood Travelcade Club. Apparently, these senior citizens, from Canada and the U.S., roam North America in their recreational vehicles. Ahh, the open road! I admire their spunk and tenacity...if only they would dance! The jazz band came prepared with music from the '30s, '40s and '50s. The band played several songs, and Bandman encouraged dancing, but no one budged from their seat. "I'll remedy this," I thought to myself. I turned to the closest man and asked him to dance...and he turned me down! Luckily, a nearby woman was volunteering the man she was sitting by to dance. By the end of the number, another couple had taken the floor. No more legitimate couples got up to dance until the last song, Glen Miller's "In the Mood." Maybe Bandman should start the set with that next time!

Earth Day Weekend

Whew! After spending Thursday and Friday nights at the Missouri FFA Convention, Flat Jason was a little tired. I let him sleep in on Saturday morning while I headed back to the convention hall (Hearnes) to help edit more releases. In the afternoon I headed back home and planted some flowers. FJ suited up, just in case it started raining, to help me. We planted some native Missouri plants that I bought at the University of Missouri's Bradford Research and Extension Center. Mostly they are bright flowers that hopefully will draw some butterflies to our backyard. I also stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up some daffodils and hyacinths so the garden would have a little color right now.

On Sunday morning, we headed to church. Jason and I usually attend Forum Boulevard Christian Church. I've helped out with VBS, and we like it there. The greeters and our preacher, Scott, got a kick out of Flat Jason as we walked through the door. Unfortunately, we were late and had to scoot, no time to explain. Later, during the message, Scott was looking out at the audience and got tickled when he saw FJ looking back. He had me hold him up for everyone to see. LOL It was pretty funny. Later, we got a photo and got to tell our story. We got to catch up with a few friends, too.

A.J. found us after church, and we all went to Tequila's, the awesome Mexican restaurant behind Gerbes on Nifong, for lunch. I wasn't sure what to order - they had redone their menus, and nothing was in the same place! I decided to try something new - quesadilla fajitas combine my two favorite Mexican dishes. I'm surprised I haven't tried it sooner!

After lunch, we all went to Peace Park downtown for Earth Day. There was a lot of great music, and we ran into more people we knew. I love Columbia! We posed for a photo with a peapod and red fruit. (To the red fruit: I am very sorry, but I could not ascertain whether you were an apple or tomato.) They were advertising local food, which reminds me...I need to start heading to the Farmers Market on Saturdays. I guess their mission is accomplished! We stopped by the Bike, Walk and Wheel Week booth for our t-shirts. Flat Jason and I will be attending some of the activities together, especially the skate party sponsored by Empire Roller Rink (AKA A.J.'s place of employment).

Later, I headed over to Mandi's house for the first meeting of the "Married but single" ladies. Two of the guys are going to Kosovo and one's already in Afghanistan. We had a lovely time sharing information about how to deal with deployments and what specifics we need to know. It's great to know that I have Christian Army wives my own age to lean on. It is a huge blessing! It's also great to know that we all share another passion - ice cream. Yep, we went on an ice cream (frozen custard) run to Jason's Frozen Custard Factory after dinner. LOL

One week down

Friday makes a week. Week 57 is done.

I made a paper chain to keep track of the weeks until Jason comes home. It's a great visual representation of the deployment countdown. 400 days ticked off one Friday at a time. To most people, Fridays mean the weekend of fun is ahead. Instead, mine will be a weekend alone. It's hardest for me because that's when Jason and I were together - on the weekends. I've noticed recently that I am consistently delaying my bedtime, especially on the weekends. Nights alone are the worst. I've stayed up until 3 a.m. only to get up the next morning in time for work or church. I think I'm going to start planning more activities so that I will be tired, distracted and ready to go to bed on time. Afterall, the faster I go to sleep, the sooner tomorrow comes. The sooner tomorrow comes, the faster Friday approaches. And when Friday arrives, I get to tear another link off my chain.

Congratulations!

Amanda and Flat Jason here, reporting live from the newsroom at the Missouri FFA Convention. Well, not exactly live. I didn't have time to post during convention. Whew! It was hoppin' backstage. FJ even stopped by to help, though we all know he's not really good at spelling. Thank goodness he's using the AP Stylebook. Hey! Clean up your messy station!

Anyway, I just wanted to say a big "Congratulations!" to the Eldon FFA Chapter. They are a successful chapter and did very well during this contest season, but I would like to single out one team in particular - parliamentary procedure. My sister is on this team. They won their contest and are advancing to compete at the National FFA Convention! I know they worked hard, and Jason (Flat or otherwise) and I couldn't be prouder of her and her team. (Her mug buddy was pretty impressed, too.) Flat Jason got a little Parli love backstage while they were waiting to learn the results. (Photo courtesy Sara M.) Out front, the group went crazy when the heard the second place team was Tipton because they knew they had won!

While I was working in the newsroom, Flat Jason hung around backstage and caught up with a few other people. Sara M. posed for a photo. She had helped judge the public speaking contests and was keeping things running smoothly backstage. Just look at the girl - isn't she calm, cool and collected?

Flat Jason also got to pal around with the Missouri FFA officer team. The team is comprised of one ag student from each of the 16 areas in Missouri. They represent the Missouri FFA Association at National FFA Convention and travel the state during their tenure. They speak with industry leaders, donors, volunteers and students. They also are responsible for the Missouri FFA Convention in the spring, and they do a great job. This was the 80th convention for Missouri. Another interesting fact: Missouri is home to National FFA President Zach Kinne. In fact, Zach and the whole team posed with Flat Jason backstage after convention. He's on the far right. On the far left is Dr. Terry Heiman, Missouri FFA advisor, who graciously humored my photo request. Thank you guys so much!

Departure Ceremony

Wake up: 5 a.m.
Load car: 5:15 a.m.
Breakfast: 5:45 a.m.
Drive to Jefferson City: 6 a.m.
First formation: 7 a.m.



Sigh. Jason may be used to this schedule, but I'm not. That's a sleepy Amanda pictured here. At least we beat the train, so we didn't have to wait at the tracks and be late. After formation, we got to hang around and wait for the departure ceremony. I met Jason's new friend, Doss. He plays video games and likes to workout, too.

Cochran showed up for the departure ceremony. He graduated from Wentworth with Jason. I'm glad he came. There's nothing worse than sitting in a large group by yourself. He invited me to come hang out with his family while Jason's gone.

The ceremony didn't last too long and before I knew it they were loading gear on the trucks. They handed out yellow ribbon National Guard pins for the wives to wear. And then we hugged goodbye. Only a few tears. Jason said to save the big ones for Indiana. Until then...

P.S. Yes, General Sidwell, I can hug him better than that, but not with you watching ;)

April Leave

Oh, yeah! That's Central Dairy goodness right there!

I attended a family deployment briefing in Jefferson City on Thursday. I learned a few things about what to expect while Jason is away and got to drop in on a few friends. After the briefing, Jason and I headed to our favorite place in Jefferson City - Central Dairy! Mmm...ice cream...

After our sweet treat, we stopped at the flower shop next door. It was HIS idea, and HE picked out my beautiful roses, but don't ask him to tell the story. He spins quite a yarn.

We headed to Eldon to visit the parents and see a wonderful production of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Mr. Bailey and EHS drama did another great job. Props to Lauren and her crew in the booth. You can't forget the people behind the scenes.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were full of running errands, mostly those involving laundry and getting Jason packed for more training. We did manage to squeeze in a visit to my cousin and commiserating Army wife, Melissa, at the governor's office. Also, a trip to Barnes and Noble, watching Stop Loss, and struttin' it for a good cause.

This weekend was Mizzou's Relay for Life. I had signed up a while back, thinking that this would be a Flat Jason event. As it turns out, real Jason was available and more than happy to exercise. We were part of a team named Friends Against Cancer. Jason and I only stayed about three hours, but we definitely enjoyed hanging out with our friends and showing our support. And, even though the relay is over, I'm sure the American Cancer Society would gladly accept any donations you would like to give.

Sewing Class

Wednesday nights are sewing nights. They have been for a while anyway. I take classes from the Columbia Career Center, and I love it! Jason likes that I enjoy sewing and is very supportive. Only sometimes does he remind me that I should use the fabric I already have to make my projects, instead of picking up interesting pieces every time I go to a craft store.

Often, I tell Jason funny stories about what happened in sewing class, whether it's something that my teacher said or a silly mistake that I made on my project. I've always wanted him to meet my teacher, Aurora, because I think she's great. So, I decided to take Flat Jason to sewing class on the last night. I took more than just him. A couple of journalism students tagged along to see what happens in our normal day. Check out their video and see what you think.


We went to Arby's like I normally do before sewing class. Then we went to our room. The Columbia Career Center doesn't have a real sewing room for us, so we have to bring our own sewing machines to the teachers' lounge. Some guys were hanging out and eating when we arrived.


After Flat Jason got a quick picture with my teacher, our slimmed down (six instead of eight) class learned how to sew a zipper into a project. By the end of the night, I had mastered it. Success! I have really enjoyed my classes at the Columbia Career Center, especially my sewing classes.

News from Jason

As you can see, Jason is alive and well. They keep him pretty busy at Fort Leonard Wood. He had some spare time recently to send me some photos of himself. A little about the photos: Jason practices land navigation, shooting a handgun and directing a convoy.

The Mall on Sunday

Flat Jason and I went to the mall on Sunday after church. We sat in the cafe at Barnes and Noble and read a couple of magazines. We tried a different flavor of coffee. It wasn't too bad, but I couldn't order it again. I don't remember its name. Bummer. We visited with two Columbia Missourian reporters that we met in the park on Saturday. They like the idea of Flat Jason standing in for real Jason and are doing a project about us. I hope to see the finished project when all is said and done. Maybe we could even post it on here. While we were at the mall, we stopped in at Kay's and had my ring inspected. Sometimes Sam is there. He sold us our rings. Sam is in the military and can keep Jason busy while I look at jewelry. I wanted him to meet Flat Jason, but I learned that Sam is deployed to Iraq. Double bummer.

Army wives support each other

Frustrating ... a lack of information is frustrating. So far, my family readiness group has given me no information. Nothing about the situation in Kosovo, what paperwork needs to be filled out or even how to cope with a deployment. Zero, zip, zilch. As a new military wife starting her first deployment, this information would be helpful, at least to point me in the right direction. I fought for every piece of information I have. I've called the state office, nagged Jason for details, searched online or had links forwarded to me by friends. I'm lucky to be surrounded by such a strong support network. Friends and family, plus a few Army wives who have "been there, done that."

My friend Mandi married her Jason just before he was deployed to Iraq. He missed their first anniversary, and now he will miss their fifth. This year his mission is Afghanistan. Mandi definitely knows what it's like to be newly married and "single." She invited me over for dinner and we had a great time talking about all kinds of things, from how men and women communicate differently to how she makes the days go more quickly. Mandi keeps a jar of M&Ms to count the days until Jason returns. Every day she eats one more, and the jar is closer to empty. She also plans to read her Bible in a year. I think that may be something I try when Jason's new orders officially start.

Another military wife I aspire to be like is Ann, Jason's mom. She visited this weekend. Her husband, Tom, is deployed to Iraq right now. Her family readiness group is ineffective as well, and she listened to my lack-of-information blues. Ann had lots of tips for staying positive during the deployment. She also has the inside track on what to send in care packages and we brainstormed creative ways to send love to our husbands. She said my mom, Sarah Schad, postal carrier extraordinaire, could tell me more about mailing packages abroad.

Slowly, but surely, my frustration is subsiding. It looks like this deployment might be bearable.

Everyday blessings: flying kites at Douglass Park

Today was Kite Flying Day in Douglass Park. The weather was wonderful, so Flat Jason and I packed up our kite and headed to the park. We have a Superman kite. Well, technically, I believe it is a Justice League kite. I bought it a few years back when some people at CCH decided to go fly kites. It reminds me of the Superman kite I had when I was little. My brother had a Batman kite. No girlie kites in this family.

Anyway, we got to the park, and I was amazed at how many people showed up. It was quite a crowd! There were tons of kites: simple kites shaped like mine covered in characters, such as Barbie or Elmo, and incredibly detailed shapes, such as the orange pterodactyl. (I think it won the prize for being the biggest kite in the air.)

I flew my kite for a little bit, but then I took a break. The wind wasn't a consistent breeze, and that made flying difficult. I sat on my blanket with FJ and watched everyone else try to work their magic. I loaned my kite to mom Christine, who had her hands full with two kite-flyers, Clayton and Andrew, who were trying to share one butterfly kite. Now, I'm not a master kite-flyer myself - that's why I bought my simple one - but I was able to help one of the boys get started with the Justice League while his mom helped out his brother with the fancy butterfly kite. She and I chased the boys around the ballfield, picking up crashed kites and setting them afloat while the boys ran ahead pulling them. It was so much fun!

In the end, my kite lost one of its tails (It doesn't really need two.), and its string got pretty tangled. Christine was so glad I shared my kite that she gave me her string to replace mine. She even sent Clayton back to me with some money. I told him to put it in his pocket. I was just happy to find some nice people to share the afternoon with. It's times like this that I really love Columbia's small-town atmosphere, and I thank God for His small, everyday blessings.

Double-date with friends

One of the good things about being me is that I have nice friends.

My friend Jamie and Dustin, her boyfriend (who I feel I can also call a friend), invited me out to eat the other night. Jamie suggested Fazoli's because it had soft food. (I am still recuperating.) Because Dustin was eating with us, I invited Flat Jason. It was a nice double-date...up to the point a bird tried to attack my flat husband! We were sitting in a booth on the west side of the restaurant when a bird smacked into the window right next to FJ's head. It didn't bother him much, but it scared Jamie and me to death.

Good news, though. The bird appeared to pull it together enough to fly a short distance away, presumably to rest and rub his throbbing head with his wing.