musica

It's been 112 days since the Hubby deployed.

We don't really count days though, since the Air Force doesn't. They don't care that he got on a plane one day of the week and didn't make it to his destination for many days later. They only care about the guy who will replace him and when he will be capable of stepping into my husband's place-- at this stage, we're too far out to even contemplate that time. It's too far out to plan any holiday or time away together when he returns.

I've only just realized that as we're settling into our new house, we're settling in without him. He doesn't have a stamp on it--in any room. I've completely taken over the bed...
well, me and a wandering toddler have taken over the bed.

The other day his side of the closet was opened for something (maybe his Norwich City football shirt that I pinched) and stood open all day. It was weird seeing all of his clothes and shoes just sitting there. Haunting. But,

I'm slowly bleeding into that space too.

He misses a lot of things being deployed and with this desert holiday he'll miss three birthdays. The one he won't miss (but still will because we live so far away) will be J1's.


Our oldest will turn 21 in August.

Have I told you he is an amazing musician? (The kid, not the Hubby--he CAN play a mean trumpet, but his passions are geek computers).
I don't think it's just a mother's appreciation either-- the kid can play numerous instruments and he's recorded a full cd (with him playing all of the parts, vocals and doing the mixing).

This mother knows that the vocals are not her son's strongest attribute. However...

He recently sent me 3 new songs and I was floored. Seriously. I sat there in disbelief that this was done entirely by him. The songs were terrific and his brothers and I were singing along after only two cycles through the ipod. They are the kind of songs that you can hear once and like. Hear it the second time and it's stuck in your head and you find yourself humming the chorus in the grocery store.

Last year for J1's birthday, I arranged for one our favourite authors to dedicate a book to him. He was so surprised (and carried the book around to the point that it won't be worth anything to anybody but him and I now). I'm glad he loves it so much. (Bill Bryson-- since the odds are so high that you lurk around my blog on a regular basis, can I just say "thank you" again? You really were very kind).

Now, for this milestone birthday, I want to get these 3 latest songs heard. Just heard. Not signed, bought, lauded by every DJ in radio world or recorded by Blink 182 (well, maybe THAT would be cool--Mark Hoppas are you lurking too?)

Any suggestions?

Any dreams you now wish you had pursued when you were still young and snappy?

Can you believe it's been 116 days?

Surely you have an answer for at least one of these questions.

Below you can hear a snippet of one of the songs (terrible editing by me) SONG COPYRIGHT 2009