He's Home! I mean, it's time for the Hodgepodge!

Good morning!  So before I begin our weekly hodgepodge journey, I just have to say that after 202 days apart while he served in Afghanistan, I woke up this morning with my dear husband in bed next to me!  Never have I been so happy to trip on his combat boots in the morning or to make coffee for him!  He arrived home on Sunday afternoon (more on that later) and we are all thrilled to be back under one roof again!  The kids are all velcro-attached to him, and I'm not far behind!  In fact, as I was typing the last sentence, my Little C came in and immediately climbed on top of my dear hubs who was snoozing on the couch... so sweet to see them so snuggly with their daddy!

Now - as the other two kiddos are still snoozing and hubs is (trying to) as well, lets get on with our hodgepodginess!

1. It is officially fall here in North America...I realize not everyone who participates in the Hodgepodge lives in North America but if you do, what's your favorite memory of Summer 2011? If you're not in North America, what's your favorite memory of the season just ending on your side of the world?

My favorite memory of Summer 2011 would have to be all of the traveling the kids and I did together this summer.  Utah, Nevada (where we discovered that what happens in Vegas NEVER stays in Vegas... especially if it is the stomach flu), California (Sea World, San Diego Zoo, beach house, LA, Monterey Bay Aquarium, locking the keys in the car in Winnemucca, Nevada which yes, is as small and podunk of a town as it sounds but has really really friendly people), then Arizona for me while youngest went to Utah for Oma/Opa spoiling and Middle went to California again and Oldest went to scout camp)  Whew!  What a summer!  But oh, we had so much fun, and it did make the time of being separated from hubs go by quicker!

2. Your favorite nut? You know I mean the edible kind, right?

Cashews!!!  Yummy!

3. What activity puts your sense of balance to the test?

Roller skating, skateboarding, skiing... really any activity where my feet are not directly in contact with the ground and I have to depend on some other tool to get me from point A to point B.  

4. How would you describe your sense of humor?

Alive and well!  I love finding the humor in small things, especially every day life, because really, life is short, and sometimes things are just. darn. funny.  My dearest friend Jamie lives in St. Louis and just asked me to change the lyrics to "How Lovely to be a Woman" from Bye Bye Birdie, as she is speaking at a women's retreat this next weekend and wanted a light-hearted look at being a woman.  Adapting lyrics has always been something I have loved to do, so I sat down yesterday and had so much fun poking gentle fun at the realities of being a woman/mom/wife!  I can't wait to see the video of Jamie doing this song!  hee hee hee...

5. September 28th is National Ask a Stupid Question Day...what's your stupid question?

This may offend some of my British and Australian friends, but WHY on God's green earth, with all of the blessings and beauty He has given us, would anyone in their right mind create, eat, and then market Vegemite?  (And no, it is NOT EVEN CLOSE to what we call peanut butter, which is delicious heavenly spread!)  

6. Roller skates~hula hoop~jump rope...which activity would you most enjoy? Yes, you have to choose.

Well, from my answer on #3, you know it's not roller skates!  And jump rope - um, if you've ever had children, you will know why ANYTHING involving jumping is, well, not pleasurable.  So I would have to go with hula hoop, which I can do 'til the cows come home.

7. What's your most sentimental possession?

Oh gosh, I have so many.  My grandmother's diaries from when she was a teenager during the roaring twenties in Hollywood.  (I wrote about her  here).  My picture of my best friend Erika, who i can't wait to see again. My wedding ring, which is small and petite and totally represents who we were when we got married - i.e. POOR!  But I love it.  My Willow Tree figurine of a husband and wife dancing together, because my beloved and I found it before he deployed for the first time to Iraq, and then when she found out how much I loved it, my friend Tammy bought it for me.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Not so random, but in case I didn't mention it, MY HUSBAND IS HOME!!!!  When we got to base on Sunday, the guard informed me that the media was already there waiting for us.  Ummm, what??  Sure enough, when we walked into the squadron, there were two news crews there as well as the base publicity officer.  They asked for a family to interview and my eldest said "Oh, we'll do it!"  So, yep, we were interviewed and followed around - my poor hubs got out of the plane only to have news cameras following him and such... and lets just say, he's not quite the social extrovert that my kids and I are!  But, it was fun, and the kids enjoyed being mini-celebrities at school the next day.  Here is a link to the newscast!

have a great week everyone!