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.

Washington DC for Free--Well, Kind Of

We got amazing news today. Mr. B. is a match for someone who needs a bone marrow transplant. Actually, he won't be donating his bone marrow; it will be a less invasive procedure where they take the stem cells out of his blood after 4 days of injections. The procedure (after the 4 days of injections) will consist of 8 hours of him hooked up to something that reminds me of a dialysis machine. I'm so proud of him and his willingness to do something wonderful for someone he has never met. I'm grateful it's not the extremely painful process of having bone marrow extracted, but he was completely ready to do it. I admire him so much for his generous nature and desire to help others (one of the reasons I married him). In addition to the wonderful feeling connected with helping another human being, we will be flown to our Nation's Capital--a place that I LOVE to visit. Mr. B. has never been and I am so excited to share my favorite spots with him. Now I just need to find a babysitter for the puppy--any takers?

Sunday Summary

Things I have not loved this week:

1. Being sick (no voice, sore throat, sneezing and coughing).
2. Sudden cold weather and accompanying worry about the garden.

Things I have loved this week:

1. Mr. B's determination to pamper me back to health (i.e. cuddles on the couch, running to the store for herbal tea and lemons, keeping the vapor mister going, making yummy and nutritious meals, and forcing massive amounts of Vitamin C down my throat).
2. Waking up one morning while Mr. B was at work to find that Louie had jumped into bed and was cuddling with me by practically laying on my face.
3. Seeing Mr. B's 5-year-old kick butt at her tournament and qualify for Nationals.
4. Getting to be part of a ground breaking project at work, which could revolutionarize the way we do attachment work with teens.
5. Having lunch with my trainer from the mission. LOVE HER!
6. Peach herbal tea with honey.
7. Sleeping in and spending all day in my pj's.
8. Spending $125 on groceries and saving $89.67.
9. Having an amazing mother-in-law who is teaching me about coupons, sales and other money saving endeavors.
10. Knowing that after I post this I am going to take a nap :).
11. Having an amazing hubby who understands that he might not see me much for the next two weeks (because of the ground breaking project at work), but is supportive because he understands how much it means to me!

I love weeks where the good stuff completely out-weighs the bad.

Miscellaneous Musings

For the past four Wednesdays I have been learning about Equine Therapy. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is using horses as kind of a "co-therapist" in my work with children and adolescents. So, assuming we can find funding, I am going to get to spend part of my summer teaching kids about relationships, feelings and trust using some amazing animals.

*When my boss emailed me this picture I almost didn't recognize myself! It's amazing the tricks your mind can play on you when you loose weight. I can look in the mirror and still see myself 3 sizes ago, so it's nice to see irrefutable proof of what my clothing tags have been telling me.

In other news, check out the cool pictures I took with my phone. I was driving home from seeing clients in Socorro and drove right past a wildland fire. While I can not confirm nor deny that I was driving while operating a camera phone, I will point out that these are pretty good shots under the circumstances.

And finally: one of our neighbors came over this morning to return some movies Mr. B. had lent him while said neighbor was recovering from a gunshot wound. Our neighbor is a S.W.A.T. officer and was wounded in the line of duty. Mr. SWAT has a giant German Shepherd who he is training as a police dog. Louie, of course, immediately began attempting to dominate Kody (see two posts ago for detailed description of Louie in order to understand how ridiculous this was). Kody has been learning how to bite. When he had enough of Louie in his face he reached down and wrapped his mouth around Louie's torso. Mr. SWAT reacted immediately and separated the dogs. Louie was completely unharmed. Kody didn't even leave any drool on him.

My hope is that Louie MIGHT have learned a few manners, but I doubt it since he appeared unfazed by the entire incident. He has been trying to leverage the experience into additional treats today, though.....I swear he would sell his soul (or his mamma) for one of his "Crack Snacks".

Best Wedding Present EVER

Mr. B. and I got married December 23rd. We got married in a state few people had even heard of, let alone been to. Because of the timing, location and short notice many of our friends were unable to be there, so we had a post-wedding party in Arizona. It was so fun to see so many of our friends!

Some of my old roommates decided to give us the best wedding present ever given in the history of wedding presents. Filled with adventure, word-play, and unmentionables, it started with:

And progressed to:

Followed by:

And then:

(Yes, those are BUNNY EARS on my head)

The little piece of paper in my hand is what takes it from "good" to "great":

(It wasn't until we got home that I noticed on the back of the card was written "Thunderball. he he he". I doubled over in laughter and immediately called Christina, only able to choke out "Thunderball" through my giggles. )

With encouragement, I discovered that the box had a false bottom which led to this:

There was more in there, but there were children present and I was already having a hard enough time explaining why someone would give us a pink feather boa as a wedding present, thus it will have to be left up to your imagination. Though I will tell you there was a little black bowtie as well as the James Bond toy gun. Let's just say that this is one gift for which I will not be following proper etiquette when I write the thank you note...I will not be sharing how we are using the gift ;).

These are the culprits, though, and their faces are filled with pure gleeful delight.

My Two Alpha Males

Mr. B. is a big, strong, HANDSOME, sexy, masculine firefighter.

Louie is 12 pounds of mischievous, adorable, spoiled-rotten, white cotton-candy fluff.

Long before Mr. B. and I got married I adopted Louie. He had been on a kill list at a Missouri puppy mill because he had a birth defect which meant he couldn't be bred or sold (puppy mills are evil). Arizona Cocker Rescue did just as their name says and rescued him, and a bunch of other dogs (LOVE Arizona Cocker Rescue). I adopted him from them when he was just a couple months old.

Louie does not like men, especially men who I dated. Louie doesn't always like my female friends. Louie thinks small children are evil. Louie HATES when people come into our home. The maintenance men in my town home were terrified of him and refused to come inside unless he was locked in his kennel. He's very protective of his mamma, and I was worried about the potential for WW III or Armageddon ensuing when my tall, manly Alpha male and tiny terror of alpha-wanna-be met. Little did I know that I was marrying my very own Dog Whisperer.

I don't know how it happened, but they are best buds. Louie's life is only complete when he can sit on the couch with both of us, but if I am not around he is just as happy cuddling with Mr. B.

Fortune Cookies

***Warning: Sappy Post****

I got home after a not-so-fun therapy session and Mr. Bond suggested we go out to dinner! I got to choose where, so of course my choice involved something that provided fortune cookies at the end of the meal. Fortune cookies are kind of a big deal for us. We have a long and extensive history with them. If it wasn't so late and I weren't so tired I would go into detail, but that will have to wait for another post. Most notably, Mr. Bond proposed using a giant fortune cookie (it was amazing, and I still have a small part of it). Tonight, he opened his before I did and promptly handed it over saying he had clearly gotten mine. He was right, but I think the second fortune was for both of us.

Fortune cookie is right on both counts tonight :).

Garden Time!

Mr. Bond and I decided that we wanted to plant a garden. Mr. Bond, firefighter extraordinaire, started by strapping a giant blow-torch type contraption to his back with which he incinerated all unwanted weedage from the yard. He enjoyed this so much that he now roams the neighborhood "volunteering" to burn any tumbleweeds that have dared blow in. We then spent an entire day digging up the giant boulders which seemed to spontaneously reproduce. We mixed in two flats worth of organic mulches, and finally planted our cold weather plants.

They all seem to be doing well except the lettuce. We are hoping that will perk up soon, but in the meantime, the invading rabbit which snacked on some cabbage had a good laugh. The trees, which are in pots in the garage until all chance of frost has passed, have started to bud. One of the apple trees even has it's first blossom.

My peony bulbs are inside, though. They are in a pot by the back door, and on nice days I carry them outside for fresh air and sunshine. On bad days they get moved around the house to catch any bit of sun coming in through the windows. I play Strauss for them while I am at work, and read them a bedtime story every night (well, maybe I am not quite that crazy. But close, very close.) My grandparents had peony's in their yard, and they have been my favorite flower since I was little. I can't bring all of my favorite parts of Kansas into the desert with me, but I am hoping to have this small bit of the Midwest. One bulb is thriving and already has a bud, and the other broke through the soil two days ago (turns out, it took so long because I planted it upside down). Persistent little thing, huh? I credit our regular bedtime reading of "The Little Engine That Could".

*One last note, Mr. Bond is at work tonight and I had a list of things I was going to get done around the house in order to suprise him. I have accomplised NONE of it because of this blog and my determination to upload pictures to this post. It's been a difficult thing to figure out. If there aren't pictures then I just gave up and went to bed. I need a blogger tutor.

"Honeymoon Phase"

Mr Bond and I have been married for 3 months and 3 days. I thought I had a pretty realistic idea of what marriage would be like, after all:

1. Both of my parents are on their third marriage.
2. Some of my uncles have been married (many) more times than that.
3. My career has brought me into close contact with every type of functional and dysfunctional family imaginable.

HOWEVER:

Marriage is so much better than I ever imagined!

Maybe we are still in our "honeymoon phase" as some people think; perhaps it's because Mr. Bond is regularly on 24, 48, and 72 hour shifts--which equates to missing each other for 24, 48, and 72 hours at a time--; or perhaps (as I believe) it's because we almost lost each other (twice) and so we are not taking a single moment for granted. The usual irritants...toothpaste, toilet seats, dirty socks, and body odors...just don't seem to matter when compared to what we had to overcome to get to this place.

This place: in which I get warm fuzzies when he tells me he loves me, or texts me randomly during the day, or vacuums the living room when I'm at work, or we lay in bed at night and talk for an hour about whatever is on our minds. I pray it's not just a "honeymoon phase", because this place is the happiest I have ever been.

Blind Faith

I was on my way to see a new client yesterday, their address plugged into my faithful GPS system. My first clue that something was wrong should have been when I turned off the pavement and onto a dirt road. But no, I kept going. After 20 minutes of bouncing along the washboard texture I was deep into the uninhabited desert. Did I turn around? Oh no! My GPS seemed too sure of itself! That's when I hit the deep ruts gouged out of the road from the rain. A brief glimmer of reason flashed when I stopped, pulled out my phone and called my client. I left her a message, let her know that I MIGHT be lost in the desert and left my last known coordinates in case they needed to launch a rescue operation. Still I kept going, ignoring the small bit of reason telling me that no one could possibly live out here. Of course, that small bit was shaken loose by the deep ruts my little non-4 wheel drive vehicle was bravely navigating, which is the only explanation for what I did next. I got to the top of a hill, looked down, and saw that the bottom was a soft sand pit. I could see myself getting stuck in the and if I didn't go fast enough, which is why, instead of turning around, I hit the gas and flew down the hill and across the sand. Past the sand trap I noticed that I had less than a quarter of a tank of gas. I kept going until I got to a point of the road with a large trench dug out. A few feet ahead was a large compound surrounded by a 20 foot log barricade and dotted with signs warning trespassers of dire endings. Still I kept going, around the trench and past the fortress; down several more rutted roads until my GPS declared that I had arrived. There was no house, no trailer, no shack.

Only cacti.

About the time I was getting back to the sand trap, my client called me and assured me that she did not live in a cactus, or an underground bunker, or next to the Mexican Militia. All ended well as her husband guided me back to civilization with a flare and batman signal. I'd like to say I learned some profound lesson about trusting common sense over technology, but really, I've just learned that I should update my GPS more than every 3 years; and next time I want to go off-roading in the desert I'll take my husband's Jeep instead of my little Caliber.