First Post-new blog. What shall we talk about?

I suppose I should start with an introduction. I'll spare my life story but there are a few things about me that are fairly common knowledge and vital to why I am the way I am and how I became who I am today.

My name is Jen. I'm a married mother of four. So far, perfectly normal right? Nope. Before I became a mom, I became a military wife. That right there says a lot. Being a military wife is ok sometimes, but other times, like the past 8 months while my husband has been in Afghanistan (4 to go), it sucks. We move all the time, can never be near family when there's a health crisis or new babies or weddings or deaths or anything we need to be there for. And when something happens to us, they can't be here for us either. In 1998, just a few months after getting married and having my first baby, we were living in Iceland (love it there, can't wait to go back, another story for another day), my little girl became very ill. We were flown to Washington DC for her to receive care but nothing was good enough and after almost two months in the hospital, she died. It's been 13 years now and I don't cry every day anymore. The past two anniversaries of her death I managed to get through without the usual haunting self-torture I'd grown accustomed to, so I suppose that means it's finally starting to heal a bit.

Let's see what else about me. I have three other kids, two girls and a boy. My girls are performers (one is into music and cheerleading, the other acting and dance). My son is going to be an engineer or something. He's too much of a geek to not grow up to be the boss of some company or other.

I also have a dog, a golden retriever named Sadie. Sometimes I pretend to hate her because as she gets older she is having more problems and every time I turn around she costs me another $1000, but she is part of our family and I'd be lost without her. Also have a cat named Ozzy and he's a huge pain in the butt too but at least he's healthy (so far).

And of course, my husband. He's a soldier in the Army and we have lived all over. We've lived in Iceland, Washington State, California, Texas, and Alaska. California was my favorite for the weather- we lived right on the beach and had dolphins swim past quite often- but least favorite for traffic and rude people. I can't believe how self-absorbed and addicted to "stuff" the people there were.
Washington State will always be my home. I joke that I have webbed feet from all the rain we get there (it's not true but it's funny). I miss it, and my family, terribly. Now I am in Alaska. In January. I shoveled a foot of snow from my driveway this morning and get to do it again tomorrow. In -15F (which is usually not that cold anymore but after 20-30 minutes you can't feel your body parts anymore).

I love to travel. Don't get to do much but as i said I spent a few years living in Iceland and loved it there (aside from the cold, the wind, the dark, and the horrible-tasting ketchup). I have wanted to visit London pretty much since I learned it existed- which was because Davy Jones was from there and I fell hard for him when the Monkees became popular again in the late 80's. Someday I will go there. I also would like to go to Italy and Germany and possibly Norway or Finland- I have friends in Norway so maybe someday I'll get to go visit there.

Well I think that's about enough for tonight. It's almost 2am and the kids have to get up at 7:30 for school, and then I have a tanning appointment (spray- not UV or I'll be the one with cancer). Just started doing that. I've been a paley my whole life and kind of like how a little splash of color makes me feel. :)

OK well nobody's reading this anyway, so... I'll write more tomorrow. (And if you ARE reading this, bookmark it and let me know because once in a while I really do get PROFOUND!)