Albatross

The albatross is a large seabird, usually found in the southern oceans and North Pacific. Upon maturity, the albatross selects his mate using a goofy but affectionate mating dance. 

They prefer to live in packs on small islands, but are rarely found on land. They belong in the air and fly great distances. Despite its extensive travels, this bird will always return home. They will always come back to the same partner. These birds find their mates young and live long lives; always faithful to their first partner. 

Happy (almost) 2 year anniversary to my albatross. 

From our first goofy mating dance... (get your mind out of the gutter)

... To the day we picked each other for life.

.... And 2 years later.

Here's to an eternity of always flying back to me. 

Mama.

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.  

~Abraham Lincoln

My mom is Robin Dunnaway Reichman. She was born in Georgia to a hardworking and humble family of 7 children. She worked her way through school, taking glamorous jobs such as working at the Wienerschnitzel to get by. My dad came along, they got married, got pregnant about 3 seconds later, and just like that my mom stepped into her role as mother. 

My mom could have been a lot of things. She's smart and clever. She works hard and accomplishes what she wants. She's dedicated and sharp and would succeed in any avenue she decided to take. Some less enlightened people might say that her talents were squandered by her decision to stay home and raise a bunch of snot-nosed bratty kids. As one of those now grown but still bratty and occasionally snot-nosed kids, I would like to make sure the world knows that my mother's talents were not wasted. They did not go unappreciated. I am eternally grateful and indebted to her, and the sacrifice she made to be a mother to me and my siblings. Because of her sacrifice, she has 6 children to adore her. 6 children who are happily, albeit clumsily, developing into (mostly) functional people who will hopefully contribute some good to the world. Because of her love and devotion, I miraculously moved out of the house, went to college, found a husband, and am behaving in a pattern that is very like unto adulthood. This surprising development is solely the result of the encouragement and support of my mother. 

My mom is the woman that the calling of motherhood was designed for. She's one for the books: selfless, compassionate, kind, funny, playful, comforting, great cook, listener extraordinaire, strong, beautiful. I really don't deserve her. She is completely selfless. Her truest joy in life is to watch her children be happy. She's spent her life shopping on clearance for herself, so she can spoil her kids on their birthdays. Giving up hobbies or interests so that she can be at every concert, game, and recital. Sacrificing sleep to help with last-minute projects or rub the back of a sick baby. Dyeing her hair from the box so that she could afford to take me to get those highlights I was convinced would change my life and make me popular. She gave it all to being a mother. 

A couple weeks ago, my mom helped me load up my car as I left her house after living there for 2 months. As she heaved my 300 pound suitcase into my trunk, I suddenly felt kind of sorry for my future children. They are on their own with the heavy suitcases. I am so far away from everything that my mother is. But luckily for my future children (heaven help them), my mom gave me all of the tools I need to be the mom I want to be. Even if I never develop the crazy mom-strength of my mother, it is my sincerest hope that I can give my children everything my mom gave to me. I don't say it enough, but I hope she knows how extremely grateful I am for her. 

Thank you for letting me crawl into your bed to watch Sesame Street at 6 in the morning. (Not recently.) (Although there are times I still want to.)

Thank you for attending countless concerts, recitals and plays. Even the painful ones. Like Pirates of the Penzance in 7th grade. That's true love, folks.


Thank you for making the effort to give all of your children amazing memories. It couldn't have been easy loading us all up in the van and driving 7 hours to the beach, but those memories are priceless to me. 

Thank you for being my friend when no one else was. For convincing me that I am worth being friends with. For telling me that the girl who was so mean to me in 9th grade was just a B-word, and I don't need to waste my time being hurt by her. 

Thank you for the endless phone conversations about all of the trivial details of my life. For the advice when I need it. For the "you are so right" when I am probably wrong but don't want to hear it. For the listening ear that doesn't judge, but just listens. 


Thank you for making me feel like a million bucks. For clapping after every song, telling me my ideas are awesome, reading every paper, and congratulating my every accomplishment. You're the first person I run to with good news, and I think that's because I know that none of it would be possible with out you.


Thank you for sending me packages when I'm far away. And thanks for helping me buy plane tickets so that I can be home again.


Thank you for still letting me be your baby, even at 22. Sometimes a girl just needs her mama.


Thank you for showing me how to find joy in the small moments. For showing me that life is mean to be enjoyed, and not just endured. Thank you for teaching me how to laugh at myself. 


Thank you for teaching me that the way to happiness is to serve others.


Thank you for your testimony, and your example of clinging to the gospel. Your faith inspires me and blesses me more than you can know. Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. 


Thank you for loving me, despite my long list of imperfections. 


Thank you for showing me what it means to be a mother. 

Thank you, mama.

I love you bunches.

Oklahoma is O.K.!-

Greetings from scenic Altus, Oklahoma. The 10 hour road trip from Denver to Altus was just exhilarating. So many sights. Mostly cows.

Our Oklahoma adventure begun a week ago, and on Thursday we finally got into our apartment and by Friday we had internet! Now we're cooking with gas! We are unpacked and taking in all of the Oklahoma-ness we can. So far I've soaked in quite enough heat, flies, giant beetles and moths and I've had my fill, thank you. But we are enjoying Blue Bell ice cream (phew, I might have experienced withdrawals without it), Cary's relaxed flying schedule, and cable TV that is included in our rent. Abby remains unsure about apartment living and misses her backyard, but seems to enjoy having a dedicated audience each time she has to go to the bathroom. I already hate picking up dog poop, but it will just make getting into a real house in Spokane that much more delightful.

We will be calling Altus, Oklahoma our home for the next 5 months. So far, no one seems excited about the idea of hiring me for 5 months, but I'm not giving up. Without a job this summer, I might actually go insane. Cary is home quite a bit, but his schedule is very bizarre. One day he'll go in for 8 hours, the next he won't go in at all, followed by a 2 hour day, another day off, etc. And he's gone in every Saturday so far for a 5:30 a.m. simulator flight. Thusly, I have been very confused about what day of the week it is. And my brain is still stuck in February. I am not a person who thrives without some sort of routine.

So far we've had all kinds of adventures in Altus. We went to clean out our cars yesterday, during which time I vacuumed up enough Abby hair to make a whole new Abby. Sheesh. And then, because we weren't having enough fun cleaning our cars in the 95 degree heat, I decided it would be a good time to lock my keys in my car. Oh no problem, Cary has a spare. Except, wait, I had all of the spare keys while I went on all of these road trips. That sure is too bad. But the locksmith came and I learned how to break into my own car. It is not very glamorous, and he really did use a coat hanger. $36.00 later, all was well. Except my ego.

Who wants to see our apartment? Everybody? I knew it.

View of the living room from the front door. Hi Abby. My, what big jowls you have in this picture. Boy, good thing we have a fireplace. I'm sure it will get loads of use this summer...

View from the other side. The apartment came furnished, including a TV and cable! Hot dog! We lucked out in the furniture department, and our couch is sooo comfortable. I took a very enjoyable nap there yesterday. 

The kitchen. Some of the kitchens in this complex have bowls, plates, pots, pans, etc. But ours came with only 4 plates and bowls, and some dirty tupperware. Luckily we brought some of our own stuff.  But this summer will probably not be one for the culinary books without all of my usual kitchen gadgetry. (To my KitchenAid in the storage unit... Mama loves you.)

Bedroom. There is a big chest of drawers with a mirror across from the bed.

Guest bedroom! Come visit! We will even buy some sheets to put on the bed, just for the occasion!

Master bathroom. There is a full bath attached to the master bedroom, and then another full bath in the hallway! Bathrooms galore! Someone really needs to come visit us. We have so much space. 

And there you have it. And yes, I made Abby be in all of those pictures on purpose. She looks pretty possessed in a few of them. Abby and I have had to be kind of creative on our walks and runs since arriving in Altus. There aren't a lot of sidewalks and most of the roads are fast and busy, so for a while we just wandered in circles around a nearby neighborhood. But a couple of days ago, we discovered an irrigation ditch with a dirt road next to it that borders all of the fields around here. It's not the most scenic or exciting route, but I feel pretty confident that we're not going to get run over when we're out, so I'll take it.

It goes on for miles. And miles. And miles. And it looks like this the whole time. 

All in all, Oklahoma seems like an OK place to spend the summer (get it? OK?). It's hot and podunky, but my husband comes home every night and we have several friends who are stuck here along side us. And if anyone wants to come spice up our summer and come visit us, our apartment complex has a pool, we have a room for you, and I'll make you all kinds of delicious food.

As a result of all of this boredom, I tried to spruce up my blog today, but I'm not extremely thrilled with the results. Blog banners are not my forte. I wanted to come up with something awesome for my blog title, but neither "Amy" or "Reeves" really lend themselves to particularly awesome blog titles. I pondered the matter for days, but it turns I don't care enough to lose much sleep over the matter. Sorry if my blog aesthetics disturb your reading pleasure. I'll try to make up for it in witty banter and pictures.

And for those still on the edge of your seats about how I fared on my lofty April goals (run 100 miles, don't drink Diet Coke), I ran 108 miles and I didn't drink any Diet Coke**

**Okay, I had one Diet Coke on my road trip, but it was on April 29th and I was getting soooo sleepy while driving, so really it was a medical necessity. I'm calling it a success. Stop judging me.

But in all reality, this Diet Coke fast really has me bothered. On the one hand, I love Diet Coke. It is delicious. And stopping for a fountain Diet Coke with pebbled ice is one of the more profound joys I experience in life. However, there are occasions where my beloved beverage betrays me. My insides get all bloaty and distressed. And here in the other hand, there was a marked difference in how my intestines fared during my month without Diet Coke. So, what to do now? Come crawling back to the sweet nectar of life, despite occasional tummy troubles? Or forgo it completely? And if you are currently drafting a preachy comment about how diet sodas are going to give me cancer, you can go ahead and just print that there comment out on some paper and eat it, because I don't want to hear any of that nonsense. I think for now I will live by a self imposed rule of drinking 1 Diet Coke per week. I will keep you posted on my intestinal state. I know how concerned you get.

Smorgasbord

Oh, gracious. We meet again, my sad and neglected blog. I have so many important items to discuss. I've been feeling a real need to express myself via Microsoft Paint lately, but since I am currently unemployed my only computer is a Mac. Getting my Microsoft Paint on is really about the only thing I miss about my job. That and the pebbled ice machine.

Anywho. Last I wrote, I was about to embark on a magical voyage called the Disney Cruise! What a delight it was. The whole fan damily went on a 7-day cruise aboard the Disney Wonder, stopping in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Unfortunately, the military isn't too fond of Mexico right now, so Cary and I got to enjoy staying aboard the ship the entire time. But it was totally tubular and radical and we loved every second of it. Except the first night when I got weirdly sea sick. Not throwing up and nauseous so much as insanely anxious and irritated and dizzy. Everyone was way excited to hang out with me! It was 7 fantastic days of eating Mickey Bars, drinking Diet Coke, reading by the pool, playing games, watching awesome shows at night, and just soaking up all of the time with the whole fam. Picture time: As per usual, these photos are not in chronological order, because blogger is trying to ruin my life.

Darn it, why you gotta be sideways? Here is Matt is his most excellent tourist outfit. Please note the socks and sandals. 

Seesters!

Todd is so sad that the cruise is almost over.

Cuties.

A solid picture. Probably going to send it out for Christmas cards this year. 

The whole group at dinner the last night, with our awesome servers. Your dinner servers follow you each night to each restaurant, and ours were the best! They kept the Diet Coke and Mickey Bars coming. 

Just hanging out in a port hole. 

Cary loves pictures. 

Pirate Ellie! Argh! 

They have a pirate night on the ship, where everyone dresses up as Pirates and they have fireworks and turkey legs and such. It was super awesome.  

I told Brent to make a pirate face, and this is the result. He's been hanging out with some strange pirates, apparently. 

Ahoy mateys!

Fun times while waiting for dinner: Go "Bbbbbb" and take a picture in the middle.

More of that nonsense

It's funny every time! 

Oh, Matthew. 

M-I-C-K-E-Y  M-O-U-S-E!

Ellie had the most fantastic swimming ensemble. I want a long sleeved swimsuit with a hood. But I don't think my bum would look as cute in so many ruffles.  

Thar she blows! The good ship Disney Wonder, as viewed from Cabo San Lucas. Cary and I were sitting on the boat, while everyone else enjoyed frolicking on the beach. Boo. But hanging out on the mostly empty boat was rad. Got all the best spots to lounge in the sun and no lines for any food. Score. 

And now it's pirate night again? Katie bought Matt's pirate outfit on clearance at a costume store, and we later saw a 7 year old girl wearing the same one.  

Yarrr.

Cute little pirate family.

A whole table o' pirates. 

Doing the limbo is a favorite past time of pirates. 

Gettin' our nails did while the men folk went fishing. 

Brent and I getting our karaoke on. The crowd loved our rendition of Megara's "I  won't say I'm in love", featuring Brent as the Muses. 

Another quality pic of our performance. 

Here Todd is showcasing our spoils from winning Movie Quote Trivia. Our team was unstoppable.

We won now one, but TWO water bottles. It was pretty groovy.

Good grief, blogger is making me so angry. Does anyone else have such issues with pictures or am I just a special brand of blogger-incompetent? In conclusion to this segment of the post, we had an amazing time on the cruise, and I think I gained 400 lbs. I was wearing my jeans on the flight back home and I wanted to cry the entire time because they were cutting off my circulation at the waist. Thusly, I vowed to stop drinking Diet Coke and run 100 miles during the month of April. I'm happy to report that on this day of April 17th, I am DC Free, and I've run 73 miles! Word to your mother.


Next up, Care Bear and I spent a week in Colorado! This was a delightful time, the exception being the time that my family's dog, Kola, bit my poor flabby Abby. Abby is a big gentle giant and would never hurt a fly, but Kola is a bit of a jealous dog who is becoming kind of crazy in her old age. They were playing fetch with Cary and Kola just went bonkers and bit my poor dog! She had to go to the vet and get shaved and had to wear the cone of shame for a while. It was very tragic.

 Poor Abby girl. She's so sad.

The damage, after getting cleaned up by the vet. 


Aaaaaand here are some pictures from various times being in Colorado! 

My BFF Danica got married! They are way adorable. (p.s.- she's wearing my dress! It was so fun to see it being worn again!)

  Look at us super foxy bridesmaids.

At Danica's bridal shower. I hate standing at the front in photos. 

Loved spending quality time with my other BFF Rachie! And we love matching.

 Hey, speaking of weddings, here is a super old picture of us at Sarah's wedding! My husband is so cute.

 I just realized that Care Bear's eyes are closed in this picture. Oh well.

Another kind of old picture of our girl's weekend in Breckenridge. 


At this point in the blog, I was going to add a bunch of awesome iPhone pictures, but I started this post yesterday, and between now and then, my iPhone decided to go swimming... in the toilet. That sure is too bad. Between that unfortunate occasion and Blogger deleting pictures and being a total wiener, I am done with this whole picture journey. 


The good news is that as a logical conclusion to this post, I have some great hipster jokes that I would like to share.


Did you hear about the hipster who burned his mouth on his hot pocket?


... Yeah, he ate it before it was cool.


How many hipsters does it take to change a lightbulb?


Oh, it's some obscure number you've probably never heard of.