On Hold

The newlywed bliss is on hold once again while Mr. B. is off fighting the Los Conchas fire. We are both ready for him to be home. On the plus side, I have been able to enjoy my parents-in-law for a week and we have gotten an amazing amount of household projects done. Projects don't get done around here unless there is someone else driving us. If both Mr. B. and I are home alone we tend to do other important newlywed things.....like perfect our scrabble game ;). Last time Mom and Dad Bond were here we got pictures hung (six months after I moved in!). This time it's been all about organizing rooms and hanging curtains. I sleep so much better when the sun doesn't shine through the blinds and wake my dog up at insanely early hours! Those of my friends who have already stayed at the Bond Bed and Breakfast might not recognize us with all the improvements. Tomorrow (Saturday) is our 7 month anniversary. It doesn't seem possible that we have been married for the better part of a year. It would be perfect if my honey got to come home for it, so pray for rain people! We've had two days of lovely storms, but the fire is still going and I'm starting to feel a little selfish about wanting my honey home with me instead of off saving the world---or at least a small portion of it.

Hello Again!

I haven't posted in FOREVER! So much has happened and it is a little overwhelming to think of all of the updates I need to give. Life has been crazy busy. An overview of all of our happenings since my last post:

• I had my first birthday as a married woman. Mr. B. spoiled me and helped make it very special. Best gift--a long overdue haircut and color! Thanks babe :).
• Mr. B. and I went to Washington DC for the donation. He was a match for a 34 year old man with Non-Hodkins Lymphoma. They gave him shots for 5 days and then harvested stem cells from his blood stream. They hooked him up to this amazingly complex machine: Then filtered all of the blood in his body about three times, and got the 7 million stemcells they needed, plus 300,000 extra. We find out in 6 months whether the procedure worked for the recipient, and in a year we can all meet if both parties want to. The procedure was a little harder than we expected, with a lot of bone and joint pain. The worst, though, was the nausea. Nausea+very turbulent flight home=not a fun trip for my honey. We did get to see a few of the places on our DC wish list while he was still feeling decent.
• We drove to Phoenix and picked up Mr. B.'s daughter for the summer. She is the cutest girl on the face of the earth. Unfortunately you'll have to take my word for it cause I won't post pictures of her unless I make my blog private. But she truly is wonderful to have around.
• While in Phoenix we stayed with one of my dearest friends and got to catch up with her and her family. Her husband and mine became instant friends, which makes future visits a delightful thing to look forward to. Thanks Jen and Jake!
• Mr. B. was deployed to the Wallow fire in Arizona for 7 days. He helped protect homes in Springerville and Greer, and came home sexily scruffy and smelling like a giant campfire. We washed his clothes three times to get the smell and dirt out! He was even on the news that night.
• The smoke from the Wallow fire made it's way all the way to ABQ, we could see and smell it. The sunsets were amazing, though.
• The day he got deployed, my amazing mother-in-law drove late into the night to come stay with me and her grandaughter while Mr. B. was gone. She was a life, and sanity, saver!
• The Elmo Caravan -electricelmo.blogspot.com- spent the night last night on their trek from Oklahoma to Phoenix! Spending time with their little Nugget made me slightly baby hungry!

I think that brings everyone up to date. It's been a busy month, no wonder I'm tired!

Allergies

I have an apology to make to all my friends and family who suffer from allergies. I will admit, I have always secretly thought that you made them a bigger deal than they should be. I will not tell you the thoughts I had about your ability to tolerate a little discomfort. Please understand, I am allergic to mangoes, but other than being sad because I like them, it hasn't inconvenienced my life unduly. Today I went to the Dr. because I have been convinced for the past three weeks that I had a sinus infection and hoped it would go away on it's own. It didn't, so I broke down, called the Dr., and was convinced I would walk out with a prescription. Imagine my chagrin when I was told that I am allergic to something in the air. Impossible, I thought, that allergies could produce this level of pain and discomfort. I thought seasonal allergies were all about itchy eyes and sneezing, not sinus pressure, ear ache, overwhelming fatigue and coughing. I was so impressed with my fortitude to keep functioning when I thought it was a massive infection taking over my poor sinuses, but now I feel deflated. There is no glory in soldiering through allergies. There can be no sense of accomplishment in something so mundane. So, I tell myself to suck it up (not literally, there is too much phlegm involved for that), and warn my friends without allergies to be cautious in how they secretly (or not so secretly) judge those who do--Karma has a vicious sense of humor.

Mom's Day

I gave myself a wonderful gift today. It was my first day off in almost a month. So, I skipped church, stayed in bed most of the day, didn't get out of my pj's at all, and forgot the outside world existed. I feel rejuvated and no longer like biting someone's (anyone's) head off. I did call my mom for Mother's Day.I know that most people think their mom's are amazing, but mine is truly extraordinary. She left a bad marriage and became a single parent when I was two, my sister was 4, and my brother was 9 months. She never went on welfare, but put herself through Nursing School, while working and raising us. She graduated with a 4.0. She worked hard to provide for us, and always found time to make each of us feel special and loved. Through all of it she sacrificed her sleep, her time, and her emotional reserves. She gave up own dreams to help ours come true; her health to ensure we had the necessities of life; her pride to ask for help when she couldn't do it all. Her body is paying the price for all of those years of walking the hospital floors, working the nightshift, and giving up what little sleep she could have had to spend time with us. If I ever try to say these things to her, she assures me that there were no dreams more important than the three of us, and the pain she lives with every day is a small price to pay for the joy of seeing the people we have become. (Of course, she then throws in a tongue-in-cheek plea for grandchildren; and I've lost my pre-marriage get out of jail free card in which she would drop the subject after I assured her I could provide her with grandchildren at any time). She is one of my best friends. One of the first people I call when there is good new, bad news, or just news. She has been by my side (either physically or emotionally) for every important event of my life. She believes in me more than any other person on Earth (followed closely by my husband and brother).

She doesn't understand how amazing she is, but I do.

There Is No Explanation For Some Pictures

Dear poor, neglected blog; I am sorry to have abandoned you for so many days. I have been so busy I don't even have a clear memory of what kept me away from you. I have vague recollections of using a crate-load of tissues to stem the copious amounts of phlegm my body was producing, while working my butt off to meet the needs of my clients. I finally began to emerge from the cloud of fatigue and nose blowing just in time to have one of my favorite people come into town to stay at the Bond Bed and Breakfast for the weekend. I didn't even realize how much I needed a Girls Night, dear blog, until Ms. V. and I went out for a dinner of appetizers and dessert, followed by a little shopping. It was delightful!

The next night we indulged in one of our favorite pastimes--wandering around some cool architecture and taking fun pictures. Of course, there is no sane explanation for some of the pictures we took....

Before she left, I convinced Ms. V. to take a couple Easter pictures of Mr. B. and I.

Best of all though, I officially became Mrs. B. at some point since the last posting. My social security card AND driver's license are both sportin' the best last name in the history of last names!

I would like to promise to visit you daily from now on, dear blog, but I hate relationships based on lies. It's best if you just accept my limitations. Sincerely, Mrs. B.