Shopping Woes, Pandora, and a coffee cup of wine

If you live in hotel room after hotel room for a month, you begin to come up with some stories. I'm not even talking about stories of other people one may meet along the way, I'm talking about those things that happen on a daily basis- the conversations, the improvising, and the hysterics that this vagabond life sometimes ensues for me.

Today was no different for us, although we've finally arrived at our destination. I woke up ready to get the ball rolling on Christmas shopping, finalizing the rent situation, and feeling productive. To say that it took me awhile to get Captain J on board is not quite revealing how difficult this task actually was.



Let's back up for a moment and talk about his time in Iraq. He tells me often since he has been home that he considers most days good ones because he's not getting shot at, there are no sirens/announcements going off in the middle of the night as he tries to sleep telling him that mortars are incoming, and he hasn't had to see any death, for the most part. When he puts it like that, I try to understand but I know that I never can.

Sometimes his easy going attitude drives me up the wall, though. There's furniture to pick up, even more to purchase, gifts to buy, stockings to hang, halls to deck and he doesn't care if we hang out at the Waffle House all day sipping coffee (doing nothing!), he's just glad to be home. I'm really, really happy to have him here, too and when I think about that Christmas he missed here, my perspective begins to change. Still, there's stuff to do so off to the shopping centers and mall we went.

I have a confession. I don't like Christmas shopping. See, if I had plenty of time to think about what perfect gift so-and-so would want then maybe I would enjoy it more. I'm pretty terrible at that, though. I once got my husband (a practical virgin big game hunter) a food dehydrator. I just knew he'd want to make jerky because he likes it so much but I forgot about that little detail of living in Alaska and not being around the white tail deer at every other tree like we've seen in Tennessee. Present fail! There've been many others, but I'll spare you me.

Anyway, Toys R Us almost did us in today. We went in on a mission for a wii game. After waiting for bloody ever, we emerged from the masses with a Pictionary UDraw in hand (after a woman boldy took up for me by saying, "this lady was here first!" Then another woman angrily proclaimed, "No, I was!" Fight re:me ensuing, I embarrassingly grabbed what I needed and tried to get away). Much to my dismay (then), Captain J would not leave Toys R Us until we had finished buying for my two nephews and niece, at least. I'm grateful now, but I wasn't when we were there. I was getting all flustered maneuvering a huge present around the small isles with many people flooding them when I sweetly looked over at J and said, "You know this is man's work?" None too happy with me, he grabbed the large pink box with baby dolls and changing stations adorning the cover and marched off in the direction of more manly toys.



When he's shopping, he's a man on a mission. He approaches it Army style, I suppose. I like to browse and "think about it and come back" which is insane to Captain J. I guess he is the reason why I made a big dent in our Christmas list today.  I won't count my chickens before their hatched, though so we'll see when I get them all wrapped how much more we're lacking.

While shopping, I got a phone call from my sister. She was pretty pumped about this "new" website that I "should share with everyone on my blog." She went on to tell me that it was "sort of like a radio station" that can choose music for you based on what one likes, what one searches for, and what one "likes" on their facebook page. THEN...she says ever so confidently-

"It's called Pandora. You know, like the Pandora charm bracelets..."

I knew this was coming and I could hold my laughter in no longer. Before she could finish, I was belly laughing. She couldn't figure out why until I calmed down to tell her that she was about ten years late on this "new, awesome website." Love her heart.

We laughed about this for awhile and I decided that the Christmas shopping was done for the evening. I needed some red wine and pronto!

J and I arrived at our makeshift home, aka- The Extended Stay Deluxe, with a skillet dinner, bread, and bottle of wine in hand. It was then that we realized that the bottle opener had been left with our camping necessities in Paint Rock, TN a few days prior.

We're drinking corky wine out of coffee mugs now but who cares? When you're in the Army and forced to move at the drop of a hat an order, you learn to improvise.

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about our first night here in our new town and hopefully provide a preview our our new home!