Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi

2nd Lt. Christopher E. Loudon
2nd Lt. Christopher E. Loudon
22 years old from Brockport, Pennsylvania
1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
October 17, 2006
U.S. Army

2nd Lt. Christopher Loudon graduated from Slippery Rock University with a Baccalaureate Degree in Environmental Health in 2005. Upon graduation, he entered the United States Army on September 9, 2005. He received his commission as an Infantry officer and was assigned to 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas. He deployed to Iraq in July 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

2nd Lt. Loudon’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Ranger Tab.

He was KIA in Baghdad, Iraq when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Also killed with him were; Corporal David M. Unger, 21, of Leavenworth, Kansas ;Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III, 22, of Amity, Pennsylvania and Specialist Joseph C. Dumas Jr., 25, of New Orleans, Louisiana.

He leaves behind his parents, Randy and Susan Loudon ; his wife, Jacey Loudon ; a daughter, Isabel Loudon ; two brothers, First Lieutenant Nicholas Loudon ,and Jonathan Loudon ; his paternal grandmother, Florence Loudon and his maternal grandfather, Everett William Campbell.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Friday, December 26, 2008

Happy Anniversary to Me!!

It began 1 year ago. I entered the blogging world with this. And 145 posts later here I am. I have not posted much over the holidays because not much is going on. And I am been really busy over at Face Book catching up with old high school friends, old Army Friends and friends from Karate.

I also joined LA Fitness this weekend and signed up to work with a trainer. Had my first training session yesterday but had to cut it short. I guess you need to eat more than I had before working out. I got dizzy and nauseous. He said that those were the first symptoms of low blood sugar and that I should drink juice before I work out. You learn something new every day!

I will work with a trainer 2-3 times per week for the first couple of months and then I will go to once a week for the rest of the year.

On other news, my brother and Shay did get to open their presents on Friday and the ham arrived. Unfortunately, I still have not received the box that Shay mailed from Fairchild. I went to the post office on Friday and they checked in the back just in case it was there and I did not get a notice in my mail box. Nope, nothing. They ran the insurance tracking number and all they can say is that it was mailed from Fairchild and ha snot arrived here. Poor Shay is upset because she had it insured for only $100. The clerk said $50 or $100 and she thought that was all she could insure it for. I am still hopeful that it will arrive tomorrow. I did find out that you have to wait 21 days from the date of mailing before you can file a claim. I remember a Marine mom telling me once that renters insurance with USAA covered the loss of mailed stuff (laptop) for her son. I will be contacting them on Monday just to be sure. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Back to work tomorrow. I work 3 days and then have 4 days off (again). I bought so much new Christmas stuff that I want to go through all of my old stuff (lights and yard decorations) and get rid of stuff that I don't need. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I went to Target and Walmart and bought a bunch of new stuff. Animated Grazing Buck, 2 Doe's, a blow up Santa, blow up ornaments and gift boxes, and swag lights. I also found one of those light contraptions that allow you to connect multiple lights and then play it with music to have the lights dance to the music. I hope to have fun next year.

I am going to put my Queen Sleeper sectional on Craig's List today. Costco has a couch and love seat set that I want. The sectional is comfortable but we never have used the sleeper part and it makes it difficult to change furniture in the house. Wish me luck!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas one and all

I wish you all a very VERY Merry Christmas. I wish I could get into the spirit of the holiday. It is just too difficult. I tried, honestly I did. I bought presents for everyone, I wrapped them and shipped them off. I was okay with the fact that my Shay was not going to be here with me this year (the first one) because I had her for over a month just a couple of months ago and we had a great time. Really, I WAS okay with it until everything went to hell.

First - Shay is upset because the box of gifts that she sent home has not arrived yet.
Second - Shays flight kept getting delayed. First it was 15 minutes here, 20 minutes
there. In the end it was 4 1/2 hours late getting to Seattle.
Third - My brother ordered a honeybaked ham and it did not arrive.
Fourth - The gifts that I sent actually did not arrived. I thought they had. My
brother thought he had them. But the boxes that he got just had the dogs
stuff and a couple of extra things for Shay. The HUGE box is still at the
post office waiting to be picked up.

I was so anxious about Shays flight that I could not go to bed until I knew that she was in the air. So, around midnight EST I got the text message that the plane was in the air. Off to bed I went. Then around 1am I got the call from her that she landed in Seattle. Good. Now I can sleep. Then had to get up at 530 to take hubby to the airport. See, he is going to Reno to spend some time with his son and his father. Back home I re-racked with the dogs for a couple of hours.

Things are better. Shay is with my brother and they are cooking dinner. The ham still has not arrived so they are having steaks with scalloped potato's and green bean casserole. Shay is baking cookies and they are going to the movies later. Sounds like a typical Christmas at home to me.

I promise you this, no matter what I have to do, I will be in Seattle (or the area) for Christmas next year.

Hubby and I went out to dinner last night and then drove around looking at Christmas Lights. Some were so so but one was out of this world. You had to get out of the car to walk around the yard, walk around the house, look in windows, and talk to Santa. And they had popcorn popping and music playing. It was pretty cool. I want to go back tonight and take some pictures to share. Until then I leave you with this little video I took with my cell phone.

Merry Christmas


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Wednesday Hero

To the Men and Women of the United States military, and all the armed forces around the world, thank you for everything that you do. And to those who are laying their heads down tonight in a foreign land, away from your loved ones, thank you so very much. Stay safe, you're in our thoughts and our hearts. Merry Christmas.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People LivedThis post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Christmas Gifts Have Arrived

Well, I know that the gifts have all arrived at my brothers house. I just hope he can keep the dogs from opening them. Now, if I could be as sure that Shay was going to make it over the mountains I would be a happy camper. I convinced her not to drive, too dangerous. But now it looks like there might be problems with her flight.

The Northwest (Seattle) is being hit with the biggest snow storm in history (I Swear). Flights at Sea-Tac have been cancelled and some are not even being rescheduled. You can read all about it here. I have tried to call Alaska Airlines but all I get is a busy signal. Now, when I check out this site, I get word that the flight is curerntly scheduled to be on time. Even the same flight for today is listed as being on time. Please say a prayer with me that she gets to go home for Christmas. I am ok not having her with me as long as she is able to be with family. But I will be totally depressed if she gets stuck in Spokane for Christmas.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Another Christmas Past Post

****Stupid me! I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why I could not change my font or colors and why my pictures were not posting so that I could see them. I accidently just hit the Compose button at the top right side and wala, it is fixed. I had been posting in the Edit Html mode.****
I am posting some more pictures and a story about this Christmas. I remember this one very well. This was the year that our parents woke us up like at 3am to open presents. See, my father was in the Navy and he got the call to report to the ship. He was on the ship that helped other ships and there was another ship that needed repairs. I am thinking that this was 41 years ago. That would make it 1967. Or, it might have been 1966.

Our mother went all out this year. She made the fireplace out of a book case that she turned around. And the stars are made out of a heavy duty foil. We had them for years. We lived in Navy Base Housing and every year Santa would make his rounds. And that Christmas Tree! I loved that tree. We had a color wheel that was behind it and would shine red, blue, green and orange on the foil tree. Each limb was in its own paper sleeve and I remember the sound that the limbs made when you pulled them out. That was the sound of Christmas to me. Them you had to put them in the wood pole. I always hated it when you had an extra limb. That meant you missed one and now had to find the hole. Not as easy as it sounds. I would love to find a tree like this again.

I hope you enjoy my blast from the past of Christmas Memories.
In this one it is me and my brother with Santa. Notice the addition of the stockings on the fireplace?
This is later on Christmas Day. I was playing the piano I got. I see my brother got a basketball and hoop. I also got a big bike. I mean BIG.
I am a happy camper. I got confirmation that the box of gifts I shipped to my brothers house arrived at the post office yesterday. Because of the snow (Yes, Seattle has been dumped with snow) he was not able to get them yet. At least I know they made it and that Shay and my brother will have presents to open on Christmas. I told them they need to call me and let me be on the phone when they are opening them.

I am off today and need to start cleaning the dogs room and will then be outside doing the yard. Yes, it needs a quick mowing because the dogs hate it when it tickles their bellies. Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday and a better weekend!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Wednesday's Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Melinda

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christian P. Humphreys
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christian P. Humphreys
28 years old from Fallon, Nevada
6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 49
November 15, 2008
U.S. Army

A funny, nice guy who loved to fly. That's how Christian P. Humphreys is remembered by his friends. "He was a great guy, always happy and had a joke," said Sean Whitney, a flight medic. "We used to play with our paintball guns in the cornfields behind his house."

Humphreys flew with the Fallon Naval Air Station Search and Rescue Longhorns from June 6, 2004, to May 5, 2006. He left the Navy and joined the Army as part of the "Blue to Green" program to become a helicopter pilot.

Humphreys, along with Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donald V. Clark, 37 years old from Tennessee, was killed when their OH-58 Kiowa helicopter crashed while on a mission over Mosul, Iraq. As a rescue crew chief, Humphreys was in charge of the operation behind the pilots. He made the decisions when to deploy rescue crews out of the helicopter to assist injured people, and he also took care of the equipment.

"He was a funny guy, a nice guy, a lot of character," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Schmidt. "The guy was always entertaining, always had something to say, but like everyone here, he displayed the professionalism in saving lives."

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christian P. Humphreys leaves behind a wife and parents.


All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Amazing!!!!

I got this in an email yesterday and I knew I had to share it with you all. I can't believe this was done by a teenager!!

There is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa ..
For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed.

It's quite an impressive sight. Be sure to scroll down and check out the multiple photos. (all angles) of the rock.

I thought the flag was draped over the rock, but it's not. It's actually painted on the rock too.







Here is the Artist. His name is Ray "Bubba" Sorenson.

Pass it on.

You may be only one person in the world, but
you may also be the world to one person.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Wednesday Hero

Spc. Jonnie L. Stiles
Spc. Jonnie L Stiles
38 years old from Highlands Ranch, Colorado
769th Engineer Battalion, Louisiana Army National Guard
November 13, 2008
U.S. Army

Louisiana National Guard spokesman Maj. Michael Kazmierzak said Spc. Jonnie L. Stiles had been serving as a gunner on a Humvee doing route clearance when and IED detonated near his vehicle in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He said the job typically involves checking roads for bombs and insurgents.

Stiles' wife, Launa, said that he was nearly killed last month when a suicide bomber blew up a military vehicle in front of his. She said he was still able to rescue three other soldiers and returned to duty before his 30-day recovery period was finished.

"He was strong and really cared for his men," she said.

Stiles was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and graduated from Littleton High School in Colorado. He served in the military for 17 years, first joining the Marines and then switching to the Army in 1999. He served three years at Fort Carson, left the Army and then returned as a member of the Colorado Air National Guard in the Summer of 2007.


All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

More Christmas Memories (Photos)

I found some of the old Santa Pictures and wanted to share them here. I just can't get over how cute she was (and how beautiful she has turned out).These are 1st through 4th Christmas pictures.

Enjoy



I know, it looks like she had a mullet.


Sunday, December 7, 2008

What a game!!!!

Sooners lower boom on Mizzou 62-21


Sam Bradford and Oklahoma wanted to drive home one point: They belong in the BCS championship game.

The No. 4 Sooners did that with a 62-21 blowout of No. 19 Missouri for the Big 12 title Saturday night.

Taking advantage of an opportunity many felt it didn't deserve, the highest-scoring team in major college football history romped to a third straight conference crown and became the first to reach 60 points in five consecutive games.

If all goes accordingly Sunday, Oklahoma (12-1) will be in the top two of the Bowl Championship Series standings, looking at a title game matchup against No. 2 Florida on Jan. 8 in Miami.

It should be an exciting time in the state of Florida come January.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

More Christmas Memories

Here is a picture from Shays 2nd Christmas. This is the year that she realized that she did not like Santa. Wait until I find that picture.

And here is her 3rd. Not sure why she was not smiling. She was always smiling.

Friday, December 5, 2008

1st Christmas

Here is a picture of Shay taken for her 1st Christmas.



What I remember about this Christmas...Shay was really sick and on Christmas Eve day I had taken her to the doctor. They gave us some medicine and sent us home. I needed to go to the store to get some lasts minute gifts so my mom stayed home with Shay. I got home and mom was frantic. We didn't have cell phones back then so she could not call me. I had not been gone that long. Shay was running a fever and was having trouble breathing. You could see her chest suck in with each breath. I was so scared. I called the doctors office and spoke with the same doctor we had seen earlier. I told him all I wanted to know was what hospital I should take her to if her fever did not break in the next 30 minutes. He started to say something, but I told him all I wanted to know was which hospital to go to. He told me Childrens and I hung up the phone.

Exactly 30 minutes later the fever broke and as is the way with most kids, you would have never known she was sick. I was so thankful for that moment. It was the first time she scared the crap out of me. There have been others and I am sure there will be more.

The other thing I remember about her first christmas was that I went WAY overboard. I had been buying things over the couple of months before christmas. And with babies their stuff is very inexpensive. By the time I got all the gifts around the tree I was feeling so guilty. I did not realize how much stuff I had gotten. I hope I can find a picture of that tree.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Smile

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Wednesday Hero

Spc. Matthew T. Morris
Spc. Matthew T. Morris
23 years old from Cedar Park, Texas
2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
April 06, 2008
U.S. Army

"He was a very creative kid, and when he wasn't in a challenging environment, he tried to make life interesting," Glenn Morris, father of Spc. Morris, said. "He excelled in a military school structure and in a team environment."

Before enlisting in the Army in 2005, Morris attended the Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia where he met a history teacher who inspired him to want to become an educator. "After his service, he wanted to go back to school and get a four-year degree to become a teacher," said his mother, Lisa. "He wanted to make a difference and give back to the community."

Spc. Morris was killed when his vehicle encountered an IED in Balad, Iraq. Also killed in the attack was Cpt. Ulises Burgos-Cruz.


All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Monday, December 1, 2008

Mondays Direction

I don't have much to say that wasn't said yesterday. So I am going to ask you to pop on over to Airmanmom and read her poem post today.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

The end of a loooong weekend

Well, here it is Sunday of the Thanksgiving Weekend and it is raining in Tampa. I had a good weekend. I drove to Jacksonville on Wed and met hubby and we spent Thanksgiving with his cousin and her family and friends. We had a ton of food and ended the evening sitting around a bon fire in the back yard. We DID NOT get up early on Friday to go shopping. Speaking of shopping, did you hear about the Walmart worker who was killed by the shoppers? That is so disgusting. No sale is worth getting hurt or hurting someone else over. We did go to Best Buy to check out the big tv's. Then we headed east to St. Augustine which was very crowded. We could not even find a place to park in order to be able to walk around. So, we drove over to the beach, bought a soda and sat on some rocks and watch the waves. And there were some people playing in the water. While it was a nice day it was still very cold in the water. I think that Friday is too soon for leftovers so we invited the cousin and hubby to go out to dinner. Had a very nice evening. We ended up sitting there for 2 1/2 hours talking. I only had a salad because I was not feeling very well. Still wasn't feeling good when I got up on Saturday but had to pack up the dogs and get ready to drive home. The dogs were very happy to get home. Then last night I had friends stop by. They live in Fort Worth and had spent Thanksgiving in Miami with their son and other relatives. It was so nice to see them. They are crazy though. There were driving straight through to Fort Worth from Miami. The longest I did was Dayton to Tampa. Well, I guess that was pretty long.

I should close for now. I have lots of blogs to check out and laundry to do.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Wednesday Hero

L/Cpl. Samuel Joyce

U.S. Marine Corps.

Lance Cpl. Samuel Joyce, from Boston, accepts a bagfull of toys during the Toys For Tots 5k Run at Fleet Activities Yokosuka. Runners donated new toys to the local Marine's Toys for Tots program.



These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams. Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Friday, November 21, 2008

Friday Funny

So this lady says that the other day she saw a man driving down the interstate at high speed with a dog hanging on to the tail gate for dear life..



She said if he hadn't been going so fast in the other direction she would have tried to stop him.



A few weeks later her son see's the same truck at the bass pro shop!



The guy is a taxidermist!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

FINALLY!

I finally figured out why I was not able to logon to my blog at work. My security settings had been changed. Must have been the last forced update that the VA does. Anyway, I am sorry for not posting. I have really missed you all. I have been able to read and occasionally post a comment. But I had things to say and changes to make and I could not. Now I can't remember what it was I wanted to say. Thank you all for not giving up on me or forgetting me.

I am getting used to not having anyone around. Shay is doing well in FTAC at Fairchild. She is class leader and is meeting new friends. I guess they say that you will hang out with the people you go to FTAC with. A few of them have been eating together now and went to the movies the other night.

My brother just got back from Japan where he was officiating at the World Karate Championships. He seemed very tired when I talked to him.

An dI have just been working and hanging out with the dogs. I have been going to karate class every Tuesday and Thursday and then this Friday will go the the kumite (fighting) class. I love kumite!!!

I took a tile class at Home Depot last weekend. We have some tiles (about 16 total) that cracked from the house settling and I want to replace them. I am ready! I got all my tools needed and the training was great. He let us all get our hands in there and feel how it should feel. Watch out bathroom, here I come!

I wanted to share some more photos from our big karate event.

This is my brother.


Here he is again. This one shows the sweat from the testing.


This is Shay, Jay and me with his certificate.

Wednesday Hero

Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody
Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody
55 years old from Fort Belvoir, Virginia
U.S. Army

Call it breaking the brass ceiling. Ann E. Dunwoody, after 33 years in the Army, ascended Friday to a peak never before reached by a woman in the U.S. military: four-star general.

At an emotional promotion ceremony, Dunwoody looked back on her years in uniform, said it was a credit to the Army—and a great surprise to her—that she would make history in a male-dominated military.

"Thirty-three years after I took the oath as a second lieutenant, I have to tell you this is not exactly how I envisioned my life unfolding," she told a standing-room-only auditorium. "Even as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was teach physical education and raise a family.

"It was clear to me that my Army experience was just going to be a two-year detour en route to my fitness profession," she added. "So when asked, `Ann, did you ever think you were going to be a general officer, to say nothing about a four-star?' I say, `Not in my wildest dreams.'

"There is no one more surprised than I—except, of course, my husband. You know what they say, `Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man.'"

You can read the rest of Gen. Dunwoody's story here.



These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Did you miss me?

PS. Yes, Applebees in some areas are offering free meals to Veterans as well. Not in the states of Florida, Alabama or Wasington. Which is where my veterans are located.

I know, I know, I know. I promised pictures many days ago. But in my defense I have been really busy at work. AND for some reason I could not log onto my blog to post but I could logon to comment. WTF

Also, I left my laptop with Shay so I have to go all the way to the back of the house, in the office, to get on the computer. And after working all day it has not been first on my list.

So hubby just left to head back to Alabama so I have some time to load some pictures.

This is my brother. He is my hero. He developed reactive arthritis many years ago and has not let it get him down. Many days he can't even get out of bed because it hurts so much. But if you ask him how he is doing he does not complain.



This is the three of us (Shay, Jay and me). We were in Troutdale, OR for the huge black belt promotion.


And this one is of all the black belts that were in attendance at this even. WOW! You can't see me because Yoshida Sensei is blocking my head.


I will put some more together for you and post them later.

Happy Veterans Day to all of our veterans. Did you know that veterans can eat for free at Golden Corral? Actually, any military personnel can eat for free. Active Duty, Reserve, Retired, Veterans of all kinds.

Monday, November 3, 2008

The Adventure is Over

I am waiting for the shuttle to take me to the airport and Shay has left to report for her 1st real duty day. While it has been great to be with her since September 19it does not help my feelings today. I miss her already!

This week we worked in my brothers house. We took 2 loads to the dump and another to the goodwill. I could have worked another week there.

We did get to see friends and I got three karate workouts in while I was there. Saturday we head to Portland for the big HUGE karate event. What fun we had. I have lots of pictures but I can't post because I am on a government computer right now. Maybe tomorrow.

We arrived back at Fairchild yesterday and tried to get her room as ready as we could. 2 trips to Wallmart and we were done for the evening by 9:30. She stayed with me at the lodge and left this morning to report for duty. Did I tell you I miss her already?

I arrived in Tampa at 10:30pm and hopefully the shuttle will get me home before midnight. I am sure my body clock is totally off kilter and I am going to be so tired for the rest of the week.

Hubby will be home this weekend (with the dogs) as he has 5 days off.

Not sure when I will get to see my Shay Shay again but at least we have cell phones and once her household goods get delivered she will have her computer with web cam. Oh yeah, cable and Internet get hooked up this coming weekend. Maybe she will update her blog then as well.

Gotta run.

Friday, October 31, 2008

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Sunday, October 26, 2008

G'Day Mates

I can officially say that now. As of October 10, 2008 my brother and I are Australian Citizens. It just so happened that the certificates arrived in the mail yesterday, at my brothers address. Isn't that cool? Here is my certificate.

We are so excited. Now we can get our Australian Passports. Whoo Hoo.
We went to Alki for breakfast this morning. There is this cafe that is famous for it's omelets. There is always a line on the weekends and one person cannot finish one omelet by themselves. The weather was fantastic although a little windy. I think this guy is crazy.

But this view...is to die for. Isn't it lovely?

After we were done Shay and I went to the offleash park where friends were having a French Bulldog Costume Meetup. Nothing is cuter than a Frenchie in a costume.

We arrived in Seattle

But before we did we had to go through Idaho.


But then we arrived in Washington.


We arrived at Fairchild AFB and checked into our room and then drove to the local mall. Could not find anything there so we went downtown to Nordstroms. Shay LOVES Nordstroms.

Friday morning we went to the clinic to meet with Shays sponsor. Her sponsor had told her that she did not need to be in uniform but when we got to the lab she said that Shay needed to be in uniform. Shay was not reporting for duty. She only wanted to sign for her dorm room so we could unload the car. So out to the car to search for all of her uniform stuff. Which uniform to wear? I said she should just put on her ABU's but she wore her B's. Anyway, she got a short tour of the lab and then I got to meet her supervisor and sponsor. It is nice to meet the people who will be running her life for awhile. Then we went and she signed for her dorm room. We went to check it out and there wasn't a bed or a refrigerator and it was very dirty. So back to the office to get a different room. This one was clean and had everything. I did not get pictures though. I promise to get pics when we go back there next week. We finally unloaded the car, checked out of our room and headed to Seattle.

We passed over these.


Today I spent helping my brother clean and Shay went with friends to lunch and now she is out for the night at a party. My brother and I went to some friends house for dinner and now I am sitting here watching SNL and updating this blog.

Thanks for keeping up with our journey this week. It has helped to make time go faster by sharing it with you all.

Lastly, GO SOONERS!!!