Day 31: Packages

Puck has been doing a great job of sleeping longer in the mornings.  He'll usually wake up between 0730 and 0800 -- it's quite nice.  I'll feed him and someone will take him out, then he'll sleep with me til 1000.  He has been a bit weird with his food... he doesn't want to eat unless he can see me, so I usually feed him, then go to the bathroom, so he can keep an eye on me. Though sometimes I'll just sit on my stool next to him while he eats... it's not like it takes long.

I got up, had cinnamon raisin toast for breakfast with two small glasses of lactaid.  I think I chatted with my folks and made a list for today's errands for a bit.  Then I went to my room and finished reading the "sample" of the third (and last) Stieg Larsson novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  I had a page or two left when my mom said to "get ready so we can go."  I finished my pages, then looked at the price of the book on Nook, Kindle, and iBooks.  $12.99 everywhere.

I got dressed, put on some make-up, then put my Bed Head cream on my hair so it wouldn't look so dry and brittle and let it hang however it wanted. I got my purse and phone, dropped them off in the kitchen, then went to my parents' room to let my mom know I was ready.  I collapsed onto their bed and told them that my leg bones are going to crack and crumble in my body because they're holding up too much weight.

Dad was already laying on the bed, mom came in, then Puck jumped up because he wanted to be involved, too.  He liked their bed so much that he flipped onto his back and began rolling around as my dad and I stared at him.  I heaved myself up after a few moments, gave my dad a few treats to give to Puck once we left, and also gave him his cell so it would be closer to him -- I think he was going to take a nap.

Mom and I needed to go to Sam's Club, but she wanted either Jamba Juice or Rita's first.  I suggested Jamba Juice cause it was healthier.  We drove to Sunset Pkwy and ordered our drinks from a large-ish, young man with minor acne, but a mole the size of a matchbox on his eyebrow and continuing onto his forehead.  It was surprisingly dark colored and distracting.  My mom and I have spoken about people with skin "things" not working in food establishments.  I did point out that he was far more acceptable than "mole-man" at Starbucks.  However, businesses can't discriminate, so there's their dilemma.  I just try to go to a different Starbucks now, though I'm appreciative that mole-man only does the cash register and doesn't make the drinks -- however, mom pointed out that he does handle the food when he gets people's snacks.  That only made me more confident that I would continue not to get food items from Starbucks.

Anyway, we took our drinks and headed over to Sam's.  There were only a small number of people there, which was nice, so we got a pretty decent parking spot.

First, we headed to the Clif Bars and chose some protein bars for Ty.  Then we checked out the vitamins.  I picked some that were equivalent to standard Men's multi-vitamins, but also had tons of fruits and veggies packed in, since he said he wasn't eating well enough, which is why he wanted vitamins in the first place.  I had thought about going to GNC, but they're expensive and I was already at Sam's.  If he doesn't like them, then I'll get him something else next time.

We then looked for drink packets to put in his water.  We found some from Propel, so we grabbed those, but we also saw a bulk pack of 5-hour energy shots, so I had to get those, too.  As we shopped, I picked up some fiberbars, oatmeal squares (nutritional equivalent of eating a bowl of oatmeal) for "breakfast," beef jerkey, and a giant tub of gatorade.  It is crazy that he's across the world, risking his life daily, and he can't even have the opportunity to eat 3x a day!  I don't mind sending him whatever he needs, but it's ridiculous that I'm having to feed him.  You'd think soldiers would at least be able to get basic life necessities 24 hours a day.  I know the ones who don't have enough brains or skill to be working all the time are able to eat, but he shouldn't be "punished" because he's a commander or good at what he does.
I spent $110.  That means on internet and just the items purchased for him today, we've had to spend $200!  That doesn't count mailing it or anything from our last purchase.

All I can say is that if he has too much of something, I hope he holds onto it until he needs it, rather than passing stuff out and sharing with others.  I'm too much of a tightwad to pay for other people's well-being this year. But, like I said, I wouldn't think twice about buying and sending Tyler whatever he needs to make him more comfortable and alert.  It's all I can do to let him know I'm thinking about him and how much I care.

Once we got home, we unpacked the car, then had to go to Lowe's and PetsMart.  I needed to find some really great toys to give to Puck for when the baby comes, which I did for a pretty good price.  We also had to get some paintable caulk for my dad.

While at PetsMart, I got a text from Ty.  I responded immediately and twice more over the next nine minutes.  I thought maybe he just wanted to say "hello" to tell me he was back from mission.  However, when I was in Lowe's, I got a HeyTell message.  Bless his heart, he hadn't gotten my responses and was waiting.  Stupid internet -- making my sleepy guy wait around!  We exchanged a few HeyTells, but I knew he was exhausted (he sure sounded beat) so I didn't want to keep him long.  I always wish I could know what's going on and how he feels, but I know he's busy and can't tell me most things.

When we got home for the second time, I decided to begin my gatorade project.

I knew the giant canister of gatorade wouldn't fit in a flat rate box, plus I didn't want to make Tyler have to measure out gatorade whenever he needed it, so I decided to measure it for him.  I determined that one level scoop makes a quart, which is 32 ounces, then I ASSUMED he had something around a 16oz bottle for water, which would require 1/2 a scoop.  I spent the next who knows how long opening small, plastic baggies we bought, measuring 1/2 a scoop, pouring it through a funnel, and making sure each bag  was closed.
When I finished, I wrote, "+ 16oz H20" on each bag, then I added something special to the back of each bag!  There were 70 bags total, but I got it all done within a couple hours.

The pile is much larger than it appears :)

I had a delicious salad for dinner, while my folks had steak -- I just didn't really want meat.  Then, after dinner, we watched some tv: Covert Affairs, So You Think You Can Dance, and Suits.  By then, we were ready for bed, though Puck had already found himself a pretty comfortable spot with his grandma on the couch...

Now I'm in bed and my belly is hurting, probably some preparatory contractions.  Nothing to worry about, but mildly painful and irritating nonetheless.

I will go to bed.  I miss my husband terribly and I love putting my time and effort into little things I send him so he can see how much I love him and miss him. If I could mail myself, I would.  I hope the next 6-7 months fly by so I can be with him again.  I'll deal with the backside of the deployment after R&R...