Sweating: the details

Coming at you live from the couch, utilizing my sit-down time (pumping) and my hands-free pumping bra (I can see my reflection in the computer screen and it's horrifying) to recap the day. Our days are usually pretty busy but today was insane. And I'm not sure how much or how often I'll be able to speak to Steve, so I figured I'd write it all out here. If he ever gets some sort of internet access and the desire to fall asleep reading about some stay at home mom minutiae, I can hook him up. Maybe I can recap nightly. Maybe just this week and never again. We'll see how it goes.

This morning started off with a 2am wakeup from Hank, parched and starving to death. I got him back down around 3:30 and went back to bed. Alarm at 5:15 because BUS DAY. The suburban must have gotten wind that it was paid off, so naturally it decided to die a horrible death soon after. The headlights wouldn't turn off until the battery was dead, so if we wanted to go anywhere, we had to use Steve's car to jump mine off and get her goin. Then either leave it running or pray it started back up again while we were out. (Love living dangerously.) I had an appointment at a Chevy dealer this morning to get it fixed, but did not want to attempt jumping the suburban off in the dark and with the possibility that it might not start at all (although I did have a tow scheduled just in case), so the kids rode the buses to school.

They go to different schools, and ride different buses, and those buses are on two wildly different schedules. Sam's bus comes at 6:40. As in the morning 6:40. Insanity, right? So I got up extra early to make sure we all got there in time. He made the bus, we walked back home, putzed around (fed babies), and walked back up to the bus stop for Molly's bus 45 minutes later. I pushed the small two home and got the cars ready for the big jump.

Miraculously, it only took about 15 minutes to charge my battery enough to start and I was able to cancel the tow. We drove to the dealer (about a half hour away) and handed over the car. Will was somewhat contained in the showroom, watching all of the cars and trucks driving by outside the big windows. One of the salesmen commented on how hyper his grandchildren are (and I started to cringe), but then told me how calm Will is in comparison. Annnnnnnd exhale. But also lol because it does not feel that way to me. We only waited an hour and a half and only paid a minimal charge and we were on our way. Oh what was wrong with it? Just some wires and their protective coating burned off, that's all. Mechanic was a little surprised nothing had caught fire yet, no big deal. CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED MY ASS, NYC CHEVY DEALER. We also found a condom in the headrest the other day while cleaning out the car, so maybe a fiery explosion in the engine is small beans compared to what the rest of that car was put through prior to becoming our wholesome family wagon.

We came home, I threw food at Will, attempted to pump, Hank screamed at the slowness of it all, and I finally put Will down for a nap before feeding Hank. Managed to eat lunch during naptime but that was about it because we had to do diaper changes before walking to the bus stop to pick up Molly. I changed Hank, then changed Will. Heard Hank loudly and wetly (<--no squiggly line, that's a word) fart. So I changed Hank again. Went to find Will and he was looking mighty guilty so I asked if he pooped and he smacked his bottom Britney Spears style and gave me a grunt. Changed Will again. Loaded them up in the stroller and walked up to the bus stop. Got Molly off the bus (bus was running late. AGAIN.) and headed home. We grabbed her dance stuff, some snacks for the kids, some milk bottles, buckled everyone in, and rushed up to Sam's school to pick him up.

Except when I got there, there was no pickup line, no teachers standing outside, nothing. I seriously thought by the time I got Molly off the bus, I'd just cruise right on in and pick him up and avoid the line. (His bus gets home at the same time that Molly's dance class starts.) Get everybody out of the car, hustle into school, walk of shame into the office, retrieve Sam, hustle back out to the car, buckle everyone back in, zoom into town. Of course it was the first day of dance, the place was a freakin' zoo. Cars everywhere, dance moms everywhere, and then there was me, herding my three cats and big ass carseat through the tiny little entry area. I got Molly to the door she was supposed to go in and asked her teacher if they sold little ribbon ties for the tap shoes because I didn't have any but brought some shoelaces.... I hate being that person.... Of course they don't sell ribbon ties and my shoelaces were garbage, so they ended up making her laces out of hair ties (geniuses) and I noticed that I did not even rip out the tape on the inside of her shoe that said $3. Thrift shop, y'all. And they were half off when I bought them too, but I'm gonna let them think I paid the full $3 like a baller.

Checkin' out the ladies... Hank looks like he's seen some shit, but he's fine.

Anyways, it was obvious that none of the boys would last in that place for an entire hour, so we shuffled BACK out to the car, got everyone buckled back in, headed up to Sonic to see if they are selling alcoholic slushies yet (a sad, hard no), got some water instead, and headed back to the dance studio to wait for Molly's class to end. Shuffled everybody back inside the crowded dance studio only to see that they let the parents in the class at some point (?!) and got Molly. She had a GREAT time at the class and was thrilled by it all. I am already dying at the thought of seeing her at her dance recital. Cannot wait.

Killin' me with the cute!

We got home and surprise! Dinnertime rush. Once everyone was inside, I attempted to slap together some pb&j sandwiches, but realized that I never took the bread out of the freezer. Womp womp. I also have that kid that's allergic to peanut butter. Hmm. Found three hot dog buns and decided those chicken sausages were destined live like hot dogs. The trick is putting enough ketchup on them and then distracting the kids with something else while they eat them. Mission accomplished. I fed Hank and once the natives started getting restless, we all headed upstairs to do bathtime. Easily the most dreadful part of the day. The awkward leaning into the tub, wondering if I'm scrubbing enough or if soap touching them is passable, water shooting everywhere, so much sweating, rushing to bathe them as quickly as possible before Hank loses his mind again in the other room. So fun.

Once they're all bathed and teeth brushed, Hank freaks so I take him downstairs and warm up some milk for him. Molly follows me minutes later and says something about the Mighty Machines movie being over. Cue bedtime! And cue whining. We say prayers and I carefully chuck them all into bed, kissing them goodnight while threatening them with something awful (I don't know what yet... but something.) if they dare come out of their rooms. Change Hank, swaddle Hank, feed Hank into a milk coma. As soon as I put him down he wakes up. So I turn on the rocker and turn off the light and tell the big two to go back to bed as I run down the stairs to make myself some dinner. Which turns out to be what I was going to make myself for breakfast, but I never had time for that this morning. Surprisingly delicious, but the bottom of my shoe probably would have tasted good by that point I was so hungry. Load the dishwasher, wash everything in the sink, prep coffeepot, lock doors, make a mental note to take out the trash tomorrow (I'm definitely gonna forget), and finish pumping.

Side note: I'm giving up the pumping. Long story short, I just don't have the time! Obviously! Which hurts me (and my boobs specifically) because I know that I am really good at making milk! My body can make all this great free food and yet I don't have the schedule to allow for the milk to come out. And there is no way in hell that I'm trying to actually breastfeed again. I attempted it the other day and almost died waiting for him to clamp down on me. (I've got some bad latch PTSD.) But instead of clamping down he just looked horrified (wtfffffffff Mahhhhhhmmmmmm stahhhhp) until I quit trying. So I ordered some formula and that was that. I'm waiting for my boobs to quit with the supply already and my freezer stash is slowly dwindling. Kinda sad but I'm also kinda ready. Operation Deployment Bod needs to get goin' and that can't happen if Operation Milk Factory is still in full-on production mode.

Well I'm done pumping now and need to shower because besides making milk and a big scene at the Chevy dealer, I did a lot of sweating today. And that will wear a girl out.

I'm sure this post was only about 50% coherent as my mind is still running as fast as the day did, but hey-o I did it! I blogged! Finally. Goodnight.

Day in the life, thrift store finds, bumpdate

Even though I blogged about barf 5 days ago, it feels like I haven't updated since the 16th, so let's get on that.

We visited the local "everything" store (Menards) and Molly fell in love with this recliner. I mean, despite being The Biggest Eyesore I've ever seen, it was incredibly soft and comfortable. I can see why people have these in their homes. I'm sure Steve would appreciate one in his man cave. I'm sure he would also appreciate a man cave. But until we get to the point where we're not side-eyeing the closet above our closet as Sam's future bed, I don't think a man cave is going to happen.

She settled for a new horsey calendar and has it proudly hung at the end of her bed. She is super knowledgeable about what year it is, in case, like me, you still have no clue and think 2015 was last year.

Obviously it was not a school day for Molly and she helped with my various things around the house before and after the big Menards trip. One of the things we did was to clean out the kids' dresser (ooh yes, they all share one, re: tiny house) and sort the clothes that are for summer and are too small/too big. Molly found this (too big) maxi dress and despite there being a few inches of snow on the ground, decided it needed to be worn right that minute. And what goes better with a pretty summer dress than some fresh nails? Glitter of course, because it's fun to watch mama twitch.

The next morning I opened up instagram to see a friend who posted a "challenge" to stop, drop, and take a picture on :44 of every hour. Since it was 6:43, I thought, what the hey! I snapped a photo and immediately set 18 alarms on my phone. Had I not done that, I probably would have failed by hour 2.

6:44am

That thing about the days being long and the years being short? Is totally true. Big emphasis on the long days part. By the time I actually get to drink some coffee, I usually feel like I've put in a full work day. When is naptime? For me? Oh wait never. Because long days and all. Luckily they are all in decent moods first thing in the morning and seem excited to play together. That buys me some time to sit.

7:44am

I really thought my laundry load would decrease after we moved into a house with a full size washer and dryer. But it kinda feels like it's stayed the same. Maybe I do one load less per day. That's nice. I still do one to two loads a day- three if it's a diaper day. Not sure I will ever take for granted having a washer/dryer IN my own house (and on the main level to boot!). I just can't fathom having puking/diarrhea kids and having to haul that to a laundromat.

8:44am

We were headed to Fargo on this day to do some shopping, but Lord knows I can't leave my house with a messy floor. Will really likes the vacuum. Specifically, sitting right in front of it and having the air blow in his face.

9:44am

We had to stop to pick up some books off the floor for Molly - coincided nicely with my timer going off. Lots of snowmobile tracks all around - for some reason when I see one I call it a snowski. I like for people to know that I'm not from around here and will never fit in. Maybe one day my brain and mouth can get on the same page. (Maybe)

Made it to the motherland

10:44am

Browsing. Will got himself some disposable sippy cups to test the waters. (He's a huge fan!)

11:44am

Stopped for lunch at Arby's and Will was not thrilled about the pausing of lunch for a photo. He was thrilled about curly fries though.

12:44pm

Will taking the dreaded car nap while we pass through a few small towns before getting back to our own. Our town only has about 800 people in it, but the towns around us have less than that.

1:44pm

Molly trying on her clearance finds from Target. Could NOT pass up these little duck boots for $7! Also, I miss seeing her little legs! They've been covered up for way too long!

2:44pm

It was incredibly warm that day, something like 43*, and everything was melting RAPIDLY. But I knew it would freeze again that night, creating a nice sheet of ice for me to bust my ass on the next morning. So we got out there and scraped the steps, played in the snow, checked the mail, etc.

3:44pm

Got our Sam at the bus stop! We pick him up at 3:25 (I mean, when the temperature is above freezing. If it's freezing or below, Mike is always at least 10-15 minutes late dropping him off, ensuring I am about as cool as a popsicle), but that day, we played in the alley behind our house with our neighbors, the boys having a contest to see who could throw snow hunks the farthest in the street.

4:44pm

We ended up hanging with the neighbors at their house for a while before heading home for dinner. My main hustle times during the day are 5-7.  Morning AND evening. It is constant go-go-go for those four hours. Which is awful because those are the hours I'd really love to just lay down and take a nap. Ha!

5:44pm

The little people clearly weren't going to be holding out for daddy, so I cooked them their dinner first. We typically eat around 5:30 and then go straight into the bedtime routine. I didn't feel like fighting a dinner war with anyone by myself, so chicken nuggets and salad won out.

6:44pm

Bath time! We normally do showers, but baths tend to occupy everyone longer. I like to keep the good moods going as long as I can when I'm parenting solo, so I let them take a bath together.

Gosh isn't he CUTE?!

7:44pm

Adult dinner time! Steve got home while the kids were in the tub. He finished them up and brushed teeth while I cleaned up first dinner and put second dinner in the oven. Also, I cannot photograph food to save my life. This salmon was amazing but looks somewhat disgusting here.

8:44pm

We tend to run out of hot water right after the kids get showered, so we wait a while (and have uninterrupted (usually) adult conversation!) before we shower so the hot water tank can refill itself. Steve is very nice and always lets me go first so I never end up with a cold shower. Isn't he sweet?

9:44pm

I'm not sure Steve would watch House Hunters if I didn't suggest it, but then again, I don't think I would watch House Hunters without Steve. We love to snark on the homebuyers. And that's our main entertainment from this show. We hit the hay after one episode usually because staying up past 10 is for the birds!

And that was essentially a day in the life. I love seeing "day in the life" through other people's eyes (because I'm nosy), so I hope mine didn't put anyone to sleep.

The next day was a Friday, and we took some frozen pizzas over to Rick and Monica's house for dinner. I also made cream cheese brownies. The recipe sounded fabulous and I had made some brownies a few days before for my neighbor's birthday, so we were all in the mood for some. Well the middle didn't seem to be cooking as quickly as the outside, and I didn't want it to get too crispy in some spots while raw in others, so I covered it.

Prior to the tin foil, it had a pretty, almost marbled look to it. Afterwards, well. You see. #fail Still delicious though, so that was all that mattered.

And Monica and I finally got our ussie. We joke about taking them all the time but neither one of us is ever dressed or showered or without paint in our hair, so we kept putting it off. Finally we coordinated our shower schedules and managed to look halfway decent! Only for my shaky selfie hand to kinda blur us a bit. Ah well. We'll have to try again during the next full moon.

I can't remember which day this was from, but I never ever get tired of staring at Will in the tub. He's so focused on whatever he's playing with and just so sweet and happy. It's so hard to imagine loving a child as much as you love your first because you just can't fathom being able to have such big feelings for someone else like you do for them. And then you have more and the love just keeps on multiplying. That sounds so cheesy, but it's so true. My heart could just bust thinking about how much I love these kids.

Now, I do have a washroom makeover to show soon (we are finishing it up today - hopefully), but for now I have a little bit of a quicker before and after to show ya. The Korea stick ended up in the living room in this house, whereas in NY it was above our bed (we don't have a headboard). So there was nothing above our bed and I couldn't figure out what to put up there, but it looked REALLY naked without anything. So I finger-sketched this out and sent it to Casey. "What do you think of this? A shelf with pictures leaning against the wall on top? Crazy? Normal? Just the right mix of both?" So I figured I'd eventually have to find some way to make a shelf, or find the right one in a thrift stop.

I know what you're thinking, and yes, that CPAP is sexy, and also yes, I should have been an art major.

Lo and behold, Steve had an appointment at the VA in Fargo the next day, so Molly, Will, and I tagged along. We dropped him off at his appointment and headed in the general direction of Target. But on the way, I saw a thrift shop!! Swung a quick U and we went inside. Hanging above one of the doorways was THE PERFECT SHELF. I asked the gal if it was for sale and if so, how much, and she said it wasn't. "But people are always asking about it! I'm not sure why we don't just sell it! Seems silly not to! I can always ask my boss if she'd be ok with selling it. But she's in a meeting right now." I was feeling a little bold after talking with her for a few minutes and asked if I could leave my name and number, and if the boss was cool with selling it, I'd be so so happy to come back and buy it. I told her how I have the perfect spot for it and kinda gushed about how perfect it was. We left the store and I figured it was a bust, but maybe the next time we come to town, I'd go in and ask again. Well. Ten minutes later and I got a call from the boss saying I could come get it. (!!!) And then I had Steve hang it up about ten minutes after we got home because I WAS ON A HIGH. A thrift store high. If you've never felt one, you're really missing out. It's a cheap high too. Ha!

It's part of an old piano!

And New York? We just came from New York! This feels so meant to be!

Check out that ledge- perfect for propping up some canvases, right?? I have my one (overused, admittedly) homecoming photo on a 16x20 canvas that I need to dig out of the basement, and then I'd like to print one of our wedding photos out and put that up there as well. Then it will be finished! Whatcha think?

This is apparently my face now

Took Willie to his appointment in town the other day. He was only a month behind getting his one year shots. Poor baby. He barely even flinched on the first shot, but shots 2 through 4 hurt considerably more. I wanted to cry too! He went from laughing and giggling at me to being stabbed four times. I am usually very pro-vaccine, except in those two minutes when I have to watch my sweet baby cry real tears, and then I am ready to take down whoever invented these horrible torture devices!

You probably remember me talking about how the grocery store here is pretty limited, so if you don't get what you need "in town" you probably will have to do without. Well I opened up the fridge one night and realized that (once again) I forgot to thaw something out for dinner. Luckily I had some organic sausage (which sounds like a complete oxymoron) in the bottom drawer, so dinner was saved. I made up a recipe for garlic cheese sauce, and while I expected it to be a little weird, it was actually amazing. Essentially, I melted half a stick of butter (mmmmm, butter) and then sauteed some minced garlic in it. After that I added about 4oz of sour cream (I had leftovers from an 8oz container from taco night earlier that week) and a few big handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese. Looked normal, so I added some milk and stirred and stirred, added some garlic salt and a little more milk, and then added in the sausage, cooked pasta, and broccoli. It turned out amazing! Especially for just winging it. Worst case scenario, we chuck the mess and have sandwiches for dinner. Best case scenario, I now have a yummy garlic cheese sauce in my back pocket. (And all over my hips because that wasn't exactly healthy)

Doctor Molly is in. Checking the pulse of my feet. She didn't hear anything.

I told her she was doing it wrong and needed to first massage the feet in order to get the bloodflow going and thus, be able to hear the heartbeat. It'll be sad when the kids wise up.

Related to the piano shelf, we also found the best mug ever for Molly.

She seriously never stops talking. Sometimes it's funny but sometimes (most times) it's maddening. Her latest favorite question is asking where we are. "What state we in? What town we in?" Since we live so close to North Dakota, the state question is legit (and I feel like when we lived in NY, we were constantly going between NY, NJ, and PA) but it doesn't make it any less annoying. Worse is trying to figure out which town we're in because who the hell knows half the time. It's easier if she asks as we're passing a water tower because the name is usually on it, but sometimes we are just driving through corn fields (snow fields) and she wants to know where we are. Not knowing is not an answer either. She knows you have GPS and you darn well better use it to answer her question. What happened to the good ol days when kids were just seen and not heard? I wasn't even around for them and I miss them.

Also, hey. I'm still pregnant. Which I have quite a bit of trouble believing 96% of the time. Surely this is all a joke and that extra birthday cake will melt off soon, right? RIGHT?! Who authorized this?
Approaching the halfway point and I wonder when I will snap out of my denial. TL;DR bumpdate:  complete denial, believes it's cake, almost halfway there, refuses to wear maternity clothes because that makes it real, denial, eats cake to pretend this is all cake belly and fuel denial.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Fort Campbell, with pictures AND links! So helpful!

With our days dwindling here at Fort Campbell and a new and unknown duty station on the horizon, I started thinking about all of the things I wish I'd known about this place when we got here (and the things I wish I knew about where we are going). It's hard coming into a new town with no friends and wonder where you should go to get your hair cut, or where to find the best Chinese food, or which preschool you should send your child to. So I have compiled a list of these things for the Unprepared Army Wife like myself that doesn't want to read dozens of Yelp reviews on gynecological care or Mexican restaurants. Just tell me who's the best dammit. So without further ado, here is The List.

I got my teeth cleaned at Clarksville Dental Center.

I saw my OB/GYN at Premier OB/GYN. (Dr. Sawyer- she is hilarious and amazing and most likely booked. But worth a shot anyway.)

Molly did well-baby checks at Aquino Pediatrics.

Sam did well-baby checks at Screaming Eagle Medical Center. (It's a long story as to why they don't go to the same clinic. If you're interested in that precious backstory, just email me and I'll spill it.) (And PS, you will most likely want to switch to Tricare Standard when you arrive. I promise you that your sanity is worth so much more than that tiny baby deductible. And going to BACH will eat up your sanity quicker than I eat a Reeses.)

I got my hair did at The Chameleon Salon.

For any waxing or massage needs, go to Studio Wax. (And don't be scared.)

I never found a nail place that didn't creep me out in some way or another. Sorry for my lack of help there.

I got spray-tanned for homecoming at Bella Medical Spa. 

Back when we had dogs, they went to the vet at Oak Grove Animal Hospital. We boarded them at The Pet Lodge. That place is twelve different kinds of awesome and you can tell those people really like their jobs. Worth the drive.

Good Chinese food (fresh) can be found at Redwood Chinese (and they deliver). Also, an English-is-my-primary-language person works the phone so the entire process of ordering is very easy. Sometimes if you ask them for more than one fortune cookie, they will put in 17. Not joking.

A farmer's market happens every weekend in the warmer months in downtown Clarksville. If fresh, organic produce (read: $$$) and random homemade lovelies are your scene, you might enjoy this weekly event. (Bring cash.)

All Walmarts make me feel like I need a shower post-shopping, but out of all the Walmarts in the Fort Campbell area, the one in Oak Grove skeeves me out the least. Under no circumstances are you allowed to go to the Clarksville Walmart on Campbell Blvd. Especially after dark.

For a wide variety of delicious donuts, as well as the possibility of sighting a train or two, make the drive to Hopkinsville and go to Whistle Stop Donuts.

If you're in the market for a good, fresh glazed donut, take a drive through the country and visit the Mennonites at Schlabach's Bakery. (Donuts are only available on Saturdays in the morning.)

We have only picked strawberries at McCraw's Strawberry Ranch, but friends tell me H&S Farms is a good place to go as well.

If you have no kids to tow and time to kill, This Old Place is an interesting place to browse. Also, you can drop some mad money at Miss Lucille's.

Sam went to preschool at First Presbyterian. We loved the teachers and his classmates and it was a really great experience all around.

Kids N Play is a fun place to take your kid(s) on a cold or rainy day. Just be sure to sanitize everyone post-playtime and bring socks, mama. You will most likely be going into the playplace yourself.

Zig Zag Bouncers is an indoor bounce house/play place in Hopkinsville. You pay one admission and can come and go all day long. Their prices are cut in half from 4-8pm. This makes some after-dinner bouncing well worth your money. (For us, we only had to pay $4 for Sam, $0 for Molly (since she's under 2), and $0 for parents (Bring socks! You can jump too!). So for $4 (we went during the half-off hours), we all got to bounce and play and everyone slept GREAT that night.

You can go "hiking" at Dunbar Caves. The longest loop is only 1.91 miles though. So maybe you can do it twice and call it a hike.

There really are a bunch of great playgrounds on post and in Clarksville. Liberty Park might be the best one off-post. This one is really nice as well, and much closer to post. On-post, the gate 1 park is the greatest (in my humble opinion) because it is huge and shaded. Others might argue that the gate 5 park behind Starbucks is the best because, well, Starbucks. Also, a splash park. But it is way too crowded for my liking and you need to get there around 8am to secure a slice of (severely limited) shade.

Another note- the splash park behind Starbucks is overcrowded because it is the only free water "facility" on post. There are four other pools (3 outdoor, 1 indoor), but you must pay to use them. (RIDICULOUS)

The Greenway is a nice place to walk/jog, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing. It's a sketchy drive to get there, but just keep reminding yourself that you live in Clarksville now, and this is your new normal.

You can go paint a picture at Swirlz. Personally, I am not impressed with the selection, but it's an excuse to get out of the house and drink your wine somewhere else.

The local winery hosts a Jazz On The Lawn event. I have written about our experience here. As with most events in this area, I would advise you go in with low expectations. Then at least you can only be pleasantly surprised.

You can kill an hour or so during a rainy day at the Don F Pratt Museum looking at jeeps and helicopters and military displays. And across the street is Sam's most favorite reward for behaving at the commissary- a park of old airplanes and helicopters (as well as memorials dedicated to fallen Fort Campbell soldiers).

Go pick your pumpkins at Christian Way Farm. Do it. DO IT. You won't regret it. The drive is worth it. Get there right after lunch so you have time to do everything. And bring cash because that place is out in the sticks and God only knows where you can find an ATM. (Blogged here- prepare your eyes for eleventy billion adorable pictures.)

At Christmastime, you should park your car and walk through Christmas On The Cumberland.

You can expect a deliciously greasy burger at Johnny's. You can eat delicious greasy burgers AND corn nuggets at Kelly's Big Burger, so obviously this is where I would prefer to eat all my meals. (Bring cash for both places.)

Pancho Villa has good Mexican food. We've never strayed so I can't comment on any other places in town. Blogged here and with an old video of baby Sammy.

Jackie does amazing photography work. There are a lot of "photographers" around here offering cheap sessions, but keep in mind that you get what you pay for. A fancy camera does not a photographer make. (Notice how she got my children to smile (Molly- sort of) and angled me so that I don't look 200lbs heavy. MIRACLES. BOOK HER NOW.)

Other interesting facts:

• The water on-post and in Oak Grove is VERY HARD. Add more detergent to everything. And Lemi-Shine to your dishwasher. And buy a faucet filter for drinking. That sht is barely passable for human consumption.
• You can't buy wine at a grocery store in Tennessee or Kentucky. Yet there are drive-through liquor stores so you tell me how that makes sense.
• You can't get on the wait-list for housing until you physically get here. I've heard that's just a crazy Ft Campbell thing, but is it like that anywhere else? It makes absolutely no sense, but get used to it. That might be your new mantra here at the home of the Screaming Eagles.
• We've lived on-post and off and prefer on-post by a landslide. Maintenance guys come by and fix the things that break, I am mailed a check every month for not using all of my allotted energy, I can walk to six different playgrounds (all within a one-mile-radius), husband comes home after PT and for lunch, and I can pass my kids over my fence to my neighbor when I'm stressed out. I SEE NO DOWNSIDE.

*******

I just read my list to Steve to see if I left anything obvious out. "You make this place sound desirable," he said. Well. That certainly wasn't my intention. I just thought of all the things I'd like to know about my new town upon arrival and wrote them down. It's no secret that we haven't really enjoyed being stationed here. It's a typical Army town, I guess, but our main issues have come from the job-side more than anything else. The good part that I am genuinely sad to leave behind are our amazing friends. I seriously could not have fallen into a better bunch of people. But I didn't meet these folks overnight. I'm still amazed at how I ended up knowing some of these ladies. All of that to say, don't be shy! Go talk to that weird-looking, frizzy-haired mom in the yoga pants at story-time. She might be really cool despite how sweaty she is!

This is not an exhaustive list, just the things I could think of to recommend. Fort Campbell friends, did I leave anything out? Anything you wanna add?