So while, some things have gone right so far today, a few things haven’t, and of course, because of stress I’m lingering on the negatives.
First, my dogs. I feel so bad for them. It’s hot. They’re crated outside. I have to keep moving their crates so that they stay in the shade. Yes, I have a fenced yard, but I also know my dogs. They’re stressed. They’re great escape artists. They’ll be under the fence and out of the yard in no time. If I’m out there by them or playing ball with them, then they’re fine. Darcy calms down and stops barking. I just gave them the meat Dingo treats, hoping that the rawhide will keep them occupied. When I go out there by them, they calm down. As soon as I come back in, though, they freak out again. It’s going to be a rough few days for my girls.
Other frustrations today…I called Forest Park to schedule my Upward Bound interview, as they requested in their letter to me and they already filled the position. So nice of them to call and tell me that, right? I’m trying to look at the bright side…it was a morning job, and most fertility treatments and appointments are in the morning. I’m sure it’s all part of God’s plan. I’m just annoyed that they didn’t have the decency to call me and that they made me go through all of the work of sending them lesson plans and copies of my teaching certificate.
I’m also beyond pissed about my medical records. I requested a copy of them weeks ago, and that copy is ready but when I made the request I specifically asked for all of my Walter Reed medical records. My fertility records are the most important. I asked if I had to make a special request to them, and I was told no, that Malcolm Grow could request everything. I didn’t have to do separate requests to get all of my records. Then when I call today…I’m told I have to do a separate request. They only have electronic files from Walter Reed. And I have no idea if my records are electronic or not. Nor do I have a printer to print off the form to send it to them. Nor do I have access to a fax machine to fax it to them. And my appointment with my new doctor is next Friday so I have to figure out all of this before then. Awesomeness.
But while there are frustrations, I have to remind myself of the good things—my cleaner finally called and my house will easily be ready by 1 p.m. tomorrow. My neighbors were awesome and helped me unscrew the really tight hose on my washer because I couldn’t get it by myself. The U-Haul company called and have my tow ready for me. My movers seem to be pretty good, and the driver is nice. He came from Pennsylvania, is picking up stuff from Arlington, then Virgnia Beach yet this week, and then he’s off to deliver my household goods to me on Monday. Yay for that! And Erin and Kevin will be in tonight.
So I know it’s not all that bad. I’m just overwhelmed. Life is so much easier when Mark is around. I get stressed out, but he helps me de-stress by just being there. I know the whole move wouldn’t be too terribly different if he was here. I’d just feel better.
Oh… and here’s a fun tidbit of news. I apparently was the topic of conversation at the helicopter squadron last week according to Kate. Some people in the 1st Heli thought Mark hadn’t left yet, and they didn’t understand why Kate would be stressed out that I am not getting help. Some people thought I had already moved. Half the squadron is Facebook friends with us, but no one had a clue of where either of us were, and no one even thought to call and see if I needed help until Kate chewed them out. So, even though I was the topic of conversation LAST week and an example of how out of touch they are with the spouses of the deployed members of their squadron, I still didn’t get a phone call checking up on me. I would have gladly let some members of the heli put my cartop carrier on my car or let them mow my lawn for me. But even after talking about how they need to call me, they don’t. Mark and I thought the restructuring of the flights for deployed members may actually help. I just find it so ironic that they talk about me all week but that no one calls. The military has so much room for improvement in how they treat and help both the active duty members and the families when it comes to deployments. The helicopter squadron is so much trouble, and the top two commanders are probably going to get fired for other things, so I guess it makes sense that they don’t care about people that they don’t see. Out of sight, out of mind.
I honestly believe that if the commanders here did a better job in creating community half of their internal issues wouldn’t be issues at all. This assignment has been a great learning experience for Mark and me. Colonel Shepro (actually, now General Shepro I guess) has shown us what to do. And I love the fact that his wife works and is successful in her own right…that she’s not an uneducated stay-at-home military spouse. Colonel Shepro doesn’t get much sleep, but he makes time for himself, his family, and every person on this base. The helicopter squadron, which is responsible for far fewer people that Colonel Shepro, can’t do anything right. Poor leadership, two commanders in a row probably fired, lack of community…all lessons in bad leadership.
So, as you can see, I’m still doing a lot of thinking.
