Exhaustion

I'm back on the get-in-shape train. Today I ran six miles and then did abs, arms, and some legs. Yuck. I feel like Jell-o. I am so tired. I ate too much for dinner because my metabolism was at an all-time high. Plus this afternoon I was in the sun and pool for a few hours.

A fellow Marine wife broke her foot in three places; she has an 8-month-old at home as well as a 3-year-old. She is SO busy with them plus now she's having trouble getting around their house. I offered my help today and tomorrow because I start training at my job on Wednesday! So today I got to take her son, the 3-year-old, to the pool. He is so calm!

We had some good conversations on the way to the pool. He had me cracking up.
Tommy: "Whoa, this car goes fast!"
Me: "I'm driving the speed limit!"
Tommy: "You better slow down."

Tommy: "Is your daddy with my daddy?"
Me: "No, but my husband, my friend is working with your daddy."
Tommy: "My daddy is a good guy. He beats up the bad guys. He kicks and punches them. And shoots them."
Me: "So he's like a superhero?"
Tommy: "Yeah... like Batman. Or...or...Spiderman!"

Me: "I like your floaty!" (Pink floaty, mind you.)
Tommy: "That is not mine. That is Ten-ten's." (His adorable baby sister.)

It was really fun to take him to the pool and just do the fun stuff with him. His mom deserved a break! When I pulled up to their house he gave me the biggest smile and wave. It was seriously adorable. I took him back to the pool where Rachele was working and soon was met by one of the other spouses who has her own son and a baby girl on the way. That woman is like my "Momspiration". She is teaching her two-year-old how to swim, and speak Spanish, and sign language. And to throw away his own garbage. And her husband is ridiculously nice as well-when I met him for the first time he had a heart-to-heart with some of us young wives about making the most of the time we had together as friends as well as with our parents.

My nephew, Benny, who is three, is not calm like Tommy. For instance, he would be diving into the deep end of the pool. He would love it if I spinned him in his floaties. And he would be out of my sight before I even realized he was gone. So when Tommy didn't care to spin today, I thought, my goodness my nephew is a little nut!

I miss him a lot. So when I got back to my car and checked my phone to see a photo of him in a message, I had to call. He answered my sister-in-law's phone and said, "Hi Rye-ah!" I love how he says my name. He told me something about his own bed and he was trying to show me things around the house because he thought we were on Skype, even though we weren't. He is so sweet. Apparently he wanted my sister-in-law to take a picture of him and send it to "Rye-ah".

It was a busy weekend. The boys got done Wednesday night but couldn't leave the barracks, so Morgan and I went to get a case of Budweiser and 11 beefy crunch burrito things from Taco Bell. I also sent some homemade Twin Bings. The boys got done the next day in the morning. Chris came home and it was the first time I was able to see how rough of shape he was in. He was riddled with heat rash and trench foot. I felt terrible because he must have been absolutely miserable-he would wake up in the morning soaked from rain, dry out, get super hot, sweat and drench his cammis, and then get poured on again.

Every day.

For four days.

I got to play nurse on our friend's feet, though, because his callouses had cracked open, exposing inner layers of the skin that you shouldn't see. The skin on his pinky toe was a flap. I did my best to pad it with gauze and wrap them so he could at least walk around. It helped, and we left the wrap on for a couple of days. Then we cleaned them out when we got home.

We got to watch the fireworks in the National Mall. Chris didn't want to go for the longest time because he actually thought the National Mall was a giant shopping center. Dork. Everything was closed down so we struggled to find a place to eat and drink before and after the fireworks. Our hotel had a decent bar, though, so we ended up back there. We watched the fireworks from a spot near the main building of the Smithsonian. There was a crazy amount of people there!

We attempted to go into a bar not too far from our hotel, but the cover was $20.

I don't think so, Tim.

We went back to the hotel to sleep.

The following day we got up and went for an early lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. After that we ran around finding things to look at, attempting to avoid people but see lots of things in the process. The World War II monument is my favorite. It is absolutely breathtaking, regardless of all of the construction in the area.

I wanted to run through the reflective pool and yell, "Forrest", but most of it was closed off due to construction.

And it was dirty.

We stopped in Dumfries to go to a place called "Brother's Encore", a sweet little Italian place that I loved. I wanted to lick my plate clean. When Alfredo tastes just like butter and cream, you know it's good Alfredo.

So delicious.

Aside from a fight Chris and I had in D.C., it was a fairly good weekend. I feel like he and I can top that Fourth of July, though, so I guess we will have to work on it next year.

When we got home the boys came a few minutes behind us girls with drinks because they wanted to hang out. So we played some drinking games and a game called "Curses", a game that would leave one of our friends being able to talk only while biting the end of his tongue while his palms were stuck to his forehead while imaginary mosquitoes swarmed around his head. We had a blast giggling at each other doing a bunch of ridiculous things. The boys can't wait to play it again!

Saturday and Sunday we just kind of sat around and recuperated. Chris was, rightfully so, exhausted, and I was worn out from the drive. I drove in D.C. on one of the busiest weekends of the year. That's right. I really could have used a Xanax but I drove all the way there and back! It was terrifying.

Chris had an MOS mixer tonight and got to hang out with pilots. He was enjoying it, but hoping he could come home after. He LIED and said he wouldn't be home, so I set the alarm and headed upstairs. He set off the alarm and should have scared me but I had a feeling he might come home.

It was a good surprise.