Open faced palm slaps hurt.... alot....

Okay... I had to check my work e-mail. Nothing fantastic yet.

I couldnt do it from home. Crap?

I know... Where is my RAS token? Hmm, good question.

IT'S AT THE OFFICE! hopefully?

garen: "ANDREA! I'm running to the office... I'll be right back"

andrea: "Take the kids with you"

garen: "CRAP ON A STICK!"

Okay, so I load the kids in the car. We motor to the office and we go inside. I look on my desk. I check the e-mail. I load the kids in the car. I check the office door to make sure it's locked. Nope, not locked... I better fix that. (Garen locks the door and pulls it shut... smiling at being responsible and doing a good job)

I get in the car. I tell hayden to put on his seatbelt so we can go home.

Keys

Keys keys keys.

WHERE THE HELL DID THE KEYS GO?

Apparently, I left them on my desk. 

No problem, I'll go back in and get them.

but wait... Smart, responsible, good job doing GAREN locked the door.

CRAP ON A STICK!

So, I call the OOD, I ask for the master keys. Well, after a 45 minute wait, he says he will be right down. Allright, we're getting somewhere now.

Well, at this point, hayden is standing in the back of our little flatbed electric car and being a pain. So I start to play with him. I was messing with his elbows and telling him to stop hitting himself as I whacked him in the head with his own hands. He apparently thought it was mildly funny.

Well, about 15 seconds in to this, I decided to throw him for a loop and whacked ME in the head with his hand. He laughed riotously. It was good. Well, after that, he took his hands back and started to slap me in the head. Well, being the AWESOME dad that I am, I hit him back. so, it "evolved". 

About 30 seconds later, the OOD showed up only to see a 5 year old and a full grown adult in an all out slap fight giggling at each other and laughing so hard that we are both drooling.

Hayden apparently thought the same thing I was thinking "Oh crap... we're busted".

His hands stuck to his side, mine did the same. We're both trying out hardest to not laugh.

The OOD let us in. I got the keys. We went home. All in all... very uneventful. But... it was good for a laugh.

Pointless? Yes.

Fun?  hoo boy.. yeah it was.

Another Year, Another Cold

It never fails, I always get sick for my birthday. I know it isn't until tomorrow, but with how i am feeling now, I already know I will be sick for sure. I hate that. Anyway, been stressed lately. Our picks for our next station are not really what I'd like them to be. But I really like the idea of going to Kodiak next. I know, right? Andrea wants to stay in Alaska?! It's true and here's why:

1. I am used to the economy here. I fear if we moved down south I wont know how to live right.
2. I feel safer here. Granted, Alaska is a lot larger then anywhere else in the US, but its smaller communities and both Ketchikan and Kodiak are islands. I mean, someone could steal my car, but they aren't going far with it.
3. Higher education levels. I swear I've never seen such strict elementary schools and I hear the same is true for Kodiak. I am quite excited that my children are getting a great head start on their educations.
4. I'm already here! I have seen a lot of lists of people who have served in the Coast Guard, and almost everyone sees Alaska once, but what surprised me is how many saw it second and/or third times! and later in their careers. I am here NOW! I'd like to stick it out if I can.
5. The real kicker! The MONEY! Not just Garen's added income but like the PFD and such as well. I just can't turn my back on that kind of free money.

However, I am not sure we will be able to stay in Alaska. Garen received an email from his detailer basically telling us that we MUST pick a cutter. The only one out of Alaska Garen can serve on is the USCGC Munro, out of Kodiak. And sadly, they filled that billet a week earlier. I'm not sure what to do now. We are priority 4, which doesn't sound like much but most ITs are P5.

On an unrelated note I have been working on my school work. I've got a couple of large projects coming up that might take some time to complete. Also I have been teaching myself to sew. I started a little bitty wall quilt that is turning out quite nicely. The next step is to take on something bigger. I'll let you know how that goes.

Anyway, I am not feeling well, so I'm going to go chill on the couch for a bit and pester hubby to entertain me. So until next time....

Andrea

Welcome To Our New Blog!

Hello World!
Meet the Anderson Family! We are Garen, Andrea Hayden and Lillie. Currently we live in Ketchikan, Alaska, but that is always subject to change. Garen is an active duty member of the United States Coast Guard and we find ourselves following his job quite often. However we have been in Ketchikan now for nearly five years.
Hayden is five, he is currently attending Kindergarten at the Ketchikan Charter School and is loving it. He also enjoys anything to do with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Batman. He also enjoys drawing and riding his bike.
Lillie is 18 months old and has a very independant personality. She enjoys mothering her dolls, dragging around blankets and attempting to ride her tricycle. She also loves to walk about on her own. Her favorite movie so far is Beauty and the Beast and she also enjoys the Upside Down show on Noggin.
Andrea is a stay at home mom, and full time student through Axia College of the University of Phoenix. She is attempting her Associates in Information Technology / Visual Communications. In her free time she also enjoys scrapbooking and is learning to quilt. She also enjoys video games and you can find her in World of Warcraft quite often.
Garen is often busy with his job, but in his spare time he enjoys fishing, gaming with Andrea, and reading scriptures. He and Andrea married in October of 2002 and have been together raising thier children ever since. We both look forward to our futures together and enjoy each new adventure that the Coast Guard sends us on!

We hope you enjoy reading about our family, and we look forward to hearing from our friends and family!