Jessica Scott

So the leaving is over, at least for now. Nothing can describe the feeling of having your four year old look at you and ask why your sad and then having to explain that you’ll be gone for a while. But she’s a smart kid. She said, “But you’ll have Daddy with you, right? And Daddy makes you happy?” Not as happy as being around my kids, but yeah, having Daddy around will help.

I’m not going to complain, because others have done this way more than I have. I’m going to be grateful. Grateful that we have my mom to take care of our kids. Grateful that they’re healthy and overall happy. And grateful for the time that I have had with them. And I won’t mope (okay not too much) because my kids love being with my mom. 

So. I’m not going to complain about how bad this sucks, I’m going to be grateful for the opportunities ahead and pray that everyone comes home safe this year.

That’s all for now.

Jess

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It’s not often that extreme amounts of manual labor result in a good day, but today was it. My kids got to spend it with their entire family on my husband’s side as we did some remodeling at my in law’s house. It was great and one my oldest will remember for a long time as her uncle let her help drive the Bobcat. I have pictures. It was great. But the best part was that my kids got to spend time with their mommom and poppop, something they don’t get nearly enough time doing. Now mind you, mommom hooked them up with marshmallows so she’s forever in their good graces, but it was a really great day for memories. And after all, isn’t that what today is for? Making memories…

So here’s the thing. Take a minute out of your day and hug your kids. Even when you want to smother them, give em a quick squeeze. Make that the memory they remember, instead of fighting over eating pizza. Cause you might not get the chance tomorrow to make a better one.

That’s all for now!

Jess

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So my family and I are somewhere outside Knoxville, getting ready to cut across North Carolina on the way to MomMom and PopPop’s house up in Delaware on the first stop in the drop the kids and pets off for the year. 

I have to say, this has been the most relaxing trip we’ve taken so far. The kids have been angels and even the psycho cat hasn’t been that annoying and I cannot honestly recall when I’ve been this patient. It sucks that I can’t be like this all the time… Anyway, I’m keeping my mind busy and trying not to think about next Friday (The Departure) when the year away from the kids and pets and home officially begins. I’m trying to figure out how to post the donut of despair up on my website, so you all can count down with me. Otherwise, just ready to get started so I can get it over with already.

That’s all for now!

Jess

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So the second week in November is done and gone. Why is that anything to remark on? My family and I are down to our last two weeks together as a family for at least a year. It sucks but it’s the life we’ve chosen as part of the Army. So if anyone has any suggestions for dealing with crushing depression and missing of one’s children during my upcoming deployment, I’d love to hear it.

Later!

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So, I’m working on finishing up my total migration over to MAC from windows. I have to say, I’m nervous, primarily because I know how to find data on my harddrive if my windows craps out. I’ve heard, though I have not verified, that if you lose your data on MAC it’s gone for good. Thank Steve Jobs for Timemachine. So we’ll see. The only thing I’m having trouble with is my Quicken. My PC Quicken files are not compatible with my MAC Quicken. I’ve found a work around for the Outlook to Entourage thing. 

Oh, and one more little gadget I’m in love with: my iPod touch. You heard me rave about the little sucker regarding the ebook reader. Well, I can also check my email, balance my checkbook and so much more. The more I use it, the more I love it. Its the iPhone without the phone (which probably wouldn’t work in Iraq anyway).

So that’s all for now!

Jess

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For those of you who don’t know, I’m a member of the Austin Romance Writers of America. They’ve been amazingly supportive over the ups and downs of going through the pain of seeking publication and last night was no exception.

They threw me a going away party, complete with an Inject the Venom cake and a song. I’m going to say I’ve never heard a more beautiful rendition of God Bless America than the one Lexi Connor sang last night. It moved me to tears. The cards and notes are going with me, so when the bad days come next year, I’ll have some cheerful thoughts to remind me. The cake was donated by Cake Please and was amazing!

Folks, if you ever have a chance to swing by a meeting at the RWA in Austin. You’ll leave a better person for knowing them.

And before I forget, HUGE congratulations to Skylar White on her publication offer. It was a great way to end the evening. Celebrate, girl!

Okay that’s all. Stop by www.jessdawson.com for photos from last night. I’ll have them up soon!

Take care
Jess

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So I’m having an apocalyptic bent. I’m reading The Stand by Stephen King. The unabridged version on my new toy, my iPod touch. I’d started The Stand several years ago (it may even have been a decade ago) but for some reason I never finished it. I’m glad it didn’t then, because I’m enjoying the ride oh so much. The best part about The Stand is that I don’t know how it ends, other than most everyone gets sick from the Army-engineered flu.

And as I get ready to head into theater, I’m finding latent interest in religion resurrecting. I’m feeling my own version of apocalyptic story starting to germinate in my brain, so we’ll see what my year in Iraq brings.

The other book my husband recommends is SwanSong. Anyone want to learn something neat? I’m willing to bet that Stephanie Meyer pays tribute to SwanSong and The Stand in her Twilight series. I could be wrong, but her main characters’ last names are Swan and Cullen. Coincidence? Or just cool.

One thing the Army teaches us is to honor those that came before us, so if she is paying tribute to those authors, bravo!

So today, on Veteran’s Day, let’s pause to honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice and those who haven’t but who give up something of their lives so the rest of the nation can go about their daily business without worrying over who is going to protect them from the boogeyman.

That’s all for now.

Jess

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So, I’m a sucky parent but I gave in. Something about fighting a never ending battle for the last two weeks I”m going to spend with my child for over a year made me reconsider just how much I wanted her to eat green beans. I decided not that much. So, we’ve taken a new track. I cook. If she eats, great. If not, oh well. I’m just not cooking anything else. So we’re at an impasse, so to speak. But as the clock winds down to the day I say goodbye to my babies, I’ll look on this as a good decision. Who wants to spend the small amount of time fighting? I’d rather bake pies and have a good time at the zoo.

Later
Jess

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