Showing posts with label Seattle Sounders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle Sounders. Show all posts

Sep 11, 2012

So long, Farewell...

There's a saying, "There are no goodbyes in the Army...only see you laters." Well, no matter how you slice it--leaving sucks. It's always hard to leave a place where you've made good friends and it's even harder when you leave a place with family close by. The movers come next Tuesday and our final inspection is Thursday. I can't believe how soon it is! I sometimes feel like we just moved here. I definitely wasn't this sad about leaving Fort Drum but can you really blame me?

I said my goodbyes to some of the girls in my natural moms group last week. I've learned so much from this group about cloth diapering, natural birth, gentle parenting, you name it! It's also how I met my doula. I hope the crunchy moms group I joined for Fort Rucker is just as sociable and fun. I'm going to miss these ladies!


We said our goodbyes to Shannon's family at the last last weekend and on the way home I said to Mike through tears, "Why are we leaving again?"Remember it was our choice to leave--Mike re-enlisted for Fort Rucker. All week long I was dreading saying goodbye to my brother, sister-in-law and the twins. Ugh.

Shawn, Shannon, Arthur and Sadie came down from Seattle one last time this weekend. No one talked about us leaving until the very end. Shawn LOVES our dog Zero and he got choked up when saying bye to her. Once I saw him crying I lost it too. We're going to miss having them close by SO much! Mike and I feel like we're abandoning him here--we'll be back within driving distance of the rest of the family and he'll be out here all by his lonesome. We'll miss the babies growing up together too. Sigh. Mike and I were so bummed after they left! We tried watching Big.Bang.Theory. to cheer us up and when that didn't work we just went to bed--it was barely 9 o'clock!

Before we moved here I hadn't lived near my brother since I was in 2nd grade so it was really great getting to know him as an adult. We've had so much fun living here the past 2.5 years. Countless trips to Seattle for Seahawks and Sounders games, beautiful scenery, lots of beer drinking and tons of time with my brother and Shannon. It was great to have someone to commiserate with during IVF and pregnancy and new parenthood! We're going to miss them. I think my heart belongs to Seattle and the west coast now and I can definitely see Mike and I living here again some day.






Like I said...beer drinking.

Zero at Tolmie State Park
Hiking at Tolmie State Park

Shannon and I getting ready to go on a kayak adventure around the lake
Michael Franti concert
Zero's first time in the Pacific Ocean

Camping at Ocean Shores

Mt. Rainier on Veteran's Day

Tailgating before the Seahawks vs Saints playoff game
St. Patty's Day Dash
Mariners game
Seattle Sounders vs Manchester United

Leavenworth
After more beer drinking in Leavenworth





Is there any place more beautiful?
Camping at Canon Beach, OR




I know it's a good decision for us--Mike won't have to deploy or even go into the field while we're at Rucker. We'll be closer to family and will see them more often. We're planning a trip to Disney World with my sister's family in March! It won't rain all the time and it will be better for Mike's career. Still...I hope we end up back here some day so I can see these three cuties together again.





Jul 21, 2011

Envy, Pride and Football.

Mike and I wanted to go to this match since we got home from England. Remember I blogged a bit about the ManU/Barcelona game that was going on when we were in London?  We got lucky and ended up finding a girl on post with tickets that she needed to sell. We got both tickets for the price of what one normally cost so we got a good deal! It was my first professional soccer match and so much fun, even if the Sounders did get their asses whooped by the bloody English. It was a beautiful day to watch a game. About 75-78 degrees and the sun was peeking out through the clouds. The whole entry of the players, the music and the waving of the flags reminded me of a Quidditch match--dork alert!   I thought that the Sounders would be able to at least hang with Man U, and they did for the first half, but the second half was just shameful.  It was a friendly, which means that it doesn't go on either teams' record and it was just for fun, so Seattle took out some of their best players after half time. Exchanged their goal keeper and several other key players. At about this same time Man U put in Rooney who is probably their best player.  He scored two goals before my brother was even back from his bathroom break. Six goals in the second half by Man U. Sounders lost 7 to nil. That's like losing a football game 40 to zero. lt'd be like the Yankees traveling to England and playing them in baseball. The level of play in the MLS vs. the European League was obvious. It was still a fantastic time though and I'm glad my  brother was nice enough to give up his cozy corporate box ticket to come sit in the nose bleeds with his baby sister since Mike couldn't come (He gave his ticket to another co-worker so it all worked out.) We want to go to another game soon, an inter-league game so that the level of play is more equal.
 
One of the plus sides to NOT being pregnant is that I can consume as much tasty beer as I want but at $9 a pop in the stadium, I limited myself to two. Both CenturyLink field (where the Sounders and Seahawks play) and Safeco Field (where the Mariners play) have great beer selections and veggie options for food so it's always a great time going to any sporting event.



Me & my big brother.

Sound Wave


National Anthem

Beautiful Seattle

Emerald City Supporters

Largest MLS crowd in Pacific NW history!

Score at Full Time. Wow.


So for a full 90 minutes last night I got to forget the reality of infertility. I forgot about that "not an apology" e-mail I got and still have no idea how to respond to.  I forgot about the "left behind" feeling I got when I found out that a dear e-friend of mine, who has also been struggling with infertility, got a natural BFP yesterday and is six weeks pregnant. I'm sure all of you know what feeling I'm talking about. You say you're happy for them, you SHOULD be happy for them but the actual feeling of happiness, of pure elation, never comes and because it doesn't come, the guilt and resentment starts to overtake you.
It's one thing to be jealous of my friend who just announced via FB that baby #3, an R&R baby, is on its way. She didn't have to "work" for any of her babies. As a matter of fact, this is the same friend who told me to "just have fun with it!" and that I would get pregnant. Her own sister "struggled" for a year, but they weren't really trying because she had a big cruise and didn't want to be pregnant in a bikini. Gag me. Her sister did end up being diagnosed as annovulatory but got pregnant on her first cycle of Clomid and now has a beautiful baby boy. I can't resent my friend too much because she knows virtually nothing on the pain of true infertility and I don't feel guilty for the animosity I have toward her right now.
Feeling resentment toward my miraculous-natural-bfp friend is a completely different story. I can't post too many details because she hasn't announced her pregnancy on the interwebs yet and I don't want to give anything away, but I feel so guilty having all these feelings of bitterness, exclusion, jealousy and envy. This is a women who has STRUGGLED to get the baby in her womb. Hell, she and I have "known" each other since Mike and I first started TTC in Feb 2008. She was there for me when Mike deployed a second time and she's basically the first person I talk to when I need to vent. We've basically been through hell and back together and she was told she'd never be able to have kids naturally, that she'd need the help of IVF with ICSI and yet she's pregnant. All on her own. A true miracle and all I can think is "When is it going to be my turn?" and feel left behind, which is SO selfish and self-centered. So, dear e-friend, I know you're reading this and I do want you to know that I am so, so happy and excited for you but right now all those "dark and twisty" feelings are taking over. I'll be better in a few days.

Today I am 12dpiui. The 2ww is almost over and so far I have zero spotting, no sore boobs, no bloating, nothing. I have little faith that this cycle is going to be it. It hurts too much to hope anymore. Tomorrow we have a FRG picnic to attend on post. I'm semi looking forward to it but not really. Most people would look at it as an opportunity to make new friends (which we badly need) but all I can think is, "Oh great. 300 new people to ask me, yet again, if we want kids." I hope it's not too difficult.I really wish I could hop a cab to Tiffany's to get rid of these mean reds.