Random Champagne...er...Cabernet Friday: Lent, Sadness, and an Education

This is Shana. I am borrowing her Random Musings Friday today and because she doesn't have a button or graphic that I can post, giving her credit for such an awesome meme, I am posting a random picture of her. And I will continue to do so until she creates something. I have an almost unlimited supply, seeing as I also have access to her Facebook page. So...no pressure, Shana. Also, I cannot think of anything more random than Shana and Zoltar, together in Savannah, GA.

• I must start by saying that y'all rocked the camo-colored socks off of Neal's birthday this week! Thank you so much for your comments, Facebook posts, and emails! He said to me, "I am such a lucky guy!" Not lucky, honey...blessed. And y'all were spreadin' the blessin' around like it was apple butter. Thank you!!!
• In other Neal news, he is on the advance party that is headed to Iraq. Their primary task is to arrive ahead of the unit to secure billets (lodging), computers, and any other equipment or space the other 72 Soldiers will need when they touch down. This means that his schedule is rather erratic and instead of making routine phone calls home, he calls when he can. Last night, that meant 3 AM...my time. I had been asleep for about 3 hours. I have no idea what was said during those 20 minutes. It's possible that I agreed to any number of things...having 7 children...becoming Mormon...getting a pair of socks for my birthday. Who knows. It took almost 2 hours for me to fall back asleep. I had been dreaming of fall in Paris for about 3 hours when my phone rang again. It was Neal. "Oh! I woke you up again! Hehehehe...Sorry!" Sleep-deprivation is not funny, CPT Miller. I managed to pull myself awake enough to have a normal conversation. It helped that the sun was up and crashing through my bedroom windows. It also prevented me from going back to sleep when my 20 minutes was up. I would never discourage a phone call from Neal, but clearly I need to send him a world clock to mount on his wall.
• I am discovering that irritation and conflicted feelings about being irritated is causing my skin to break out again. My physician thinks it's a yeast infection. On my face. And I must apply Monistat on it throughout the day. That, alone, is a great reason to take up Yoga and/or meditation. 
• Bloggers all over the sphere are giving up or taking on something for Lent. While I always participate in Lent, I'm extra-inspired this year. Shana has started walking and cleaning her house more regularly, Fojoy is giving up shopping (but not before she bought her 40 days' worth of stuff. A girl after my own heart...), Kelly is giving up sugar in her coffee, and Hutch is giving up pasta and sweets. So, I am ready to give up something as well...in fact...I'll give up 2 things. Sex and alcohol. Um..well, everything except red wine. Because red wine is served at mass and I'm also going to add mass back into my schedule, I certainly can't give that up. Sex is an easy one so I'm not sure that's considered sacrifice...however I do consider it a sacrifice when it lasts way longer than 40 days. And this turns Fridays into Red Wine Fridays. Even the blog is experiencing the sacrificial nature of Lent. 
• I fell asleep watching Silk Stalkings on Netflix last night. After the opening credits, I was stunned that I got away with watching this show in middle school. And it made me regret giving up sex for Lent. Wow that's a lot of skin and lace in the first 30 seconds of a show. 
• There has been a lot of death around me this week. Anna Banana's aunt passed away this week from a rare form of cancer that ripped through her body like a hurricane. When she was diagnosed last winter, she was given 6 months to live. I think she lasted 4 and the last couple of weeks were excrutiating, according to Mama Virgo. I will always remember AB's aunt with laughter on her face, a kind word on her tongue. I didn't spend much time with that side of the family and I was always surprised to find a birthday or Christmas card in the mail from her. Even though I was not around, she took great care to make sure I was not out of sight, out of mind. She is going to be greatly missed.
• If you read Kiera @ Imperfect Daisies, then you know she went to her doctor's appointment yesterday, only to find that her baby had passed away in utero. She calmly blogged about it last night, although I think she is still in shock. If you have a moment today, please click over and give her some bloggy love. Don't worry about finding the right words, there really aren't any. Just let her know that you're thinking of her. Losing a child is unnatural and my heart breaks every. single. time. it happens to a mother. It also happened to another mother and sweet friend of mine this week. I am just so sorry, ladies. There is not a word in our dictionary that expresses my sadness and grief. 
• When people pass away and mothers gain baby angels, I can't help but think of the adults that are now there to raise Shepherd like we never could and the children he will get to play with. It's silly and naive to think that babies grow to be adults in Heaven or that they will even recognize one another when they get up there. But no one knows...so that's my fantasy and it has evolved into a lovely coping mechanism.
• Finally, I received the most educational comment I have ever gotten this week...from Hutch @ Be Awesome Instead. On the spelling of facetious, she said that spelling it has not been a problem for her since her 4th grade teacher pointed out that it is the only word in the English dictionary that lists the vowels in correct order...a,e,i.o.u. That is genius. 

I will leave you with that little piece of wisdom on this sunny, yet disaster-stricken Friday. Please keep the Japanese residents in your thoughts and prayers. It is only because they are so proactive in implementing building codes which account for possible earthquakes that more damage was not done, but it doesn't lessen the loss of life yesterday. And to the extremists, this is not God's punishment on Japan...so don't even start.

one of Saddam's palaces...during Neal's first tour, 2005

Cheers, my loves. Be good to yourselves and to each other. 

xoxo