Shays Mom

Email from a dear friend

2010-05-10T07:31:00.004-05:00

I received this email from a very dear friend yesterday. And with her permission I am posting it here. Please feel free to copy and paste and get the word out there.

Losing our son has been devastating. Losing our son to suicide has been heartbreaking.

We can't bring him back. Nothing we can say or do will change what has happened.

No matter how hard we pray, our son is still gone.

The ONLY thing that we can do is honor his memory and help raise awareness about this tragedy.

In the hopes of preventing any other family from having to deal with this nightmare, we have decided to join the OUT OF THE DARKNESS OVERNIGHT/BOSTON as a way to honor CJ.

"The Out of the Darkness Overnight is an 18-mile journey through the night, from dusk until dawn. It's a unique opportunity to bring the issues of depression and suicide into the light as we walk together to turn heartbreak into hope for tomorrow.

Join us on June 26-27, 2010 as thousands of Walkers like you come together in Boston, Massachusetts - a city rich with history and filled with the energy that we know will fuel our quest for awareness and prevention.

A suicide attempt happens every minute of everyday. Don’t let another minute go by. Register today and help continue the work of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – work that will truly save lives."

In order to walk, both John and I have to raise $1000 each and Connor needs to raise $700. If we don't meet our individual goals, we can NOT walk as a family. We DESPERATELY want to do this together.

Which means we need your help.

Both John and I have fundraising pages set up already and Connor's will be posted in the next day or two.

Please consider making a donation in order to help us help others. If you choose to help, you can simply split the amount you would like to donate amongst all three of our sites. That way, we can each meet our goal.

The Overnight Walk

If you see my page hit the $1000 total first, please consider just donating to John and Connor. There are fundraising thermometers posted on each page so you can easily tell how much more we each need.

PLEASE help us.

We CAN'T let this happen to others.

We just can't.

Thank you for any help you can give us.

Hallie, John and Connor Twomey

If you can help, please do so. Thanks

Michelle

Wednesday Hero

2010-03-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Cpl. Jason L. Dunham
22 years old from Scio, New York
Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced)
April 22, 2004

For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Corporal Jason L. Dunham, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), on 14 April 2004. Corporal Dunham's squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in the town of Karabilah, Iraq, when they heard rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire erupt approximately two kilometers to the west. Corporal Dunham led his Combined Anti-Armor Team towards the engagement to provide fire support to their Battalion Commander's convoy, which had been ambushed as it was traveling to Camp Husaybah. As Corporal Dunham and his Marines advanced, they quickly began to receive enemy fire. Corporal Dunham ordered his squad to dismount their vehicles and led one of his fire teams on foot several blocks south of the ambushed convoy. Discovering seven Iraqi vehicles in a column attempting to depart, Corporal Dunham and his team stopped the vehicles to search them for weapons. As they approached the vehicles, an insurgent leaped out and attacked Corporal Dunham. Corporal Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground and in the ensuing struggle saw the insurgent release a grenade. Corporal Dunham immediately alerted his fellow Marines to the threat. Aware of the imminent danger and without hesitation, Corporal Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body, bearing the brunt of the explosion and shielding his Marines from the blast. In an ultimate and selfless act of bravery in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Corporal Dunham gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

News from Iraq

2010-03-08T08:55:00.002-06:00

I had every intention of blogging more while Shay was in Iraq. I figured I would need the outlet because I would not be in communication with her as much as I am accustomed to. The wonders of technology have proved this to be incorrect. She has been able to call me often. In the beginning it was every day. Now that she is in a routine it is not so often. But I can read about her on facebook and get that connection us moms live for. Luckily this deployment is proving to be quite boring. She says it is like Groundhog Day (the movie) every day. Get up, go to gym, work, get off, shower, eat, watch movies, etc. You get it. She hates it but I consider it better than the alternative. Soldiers Kyle and Chris post about explosions and missions. Being "gone" for long periods of time. Not getting to shower. All the things that make moms worried. Sometimes their messages are cryptic and cause concern. I guess it is just their way of dealing with it.

I have wonderful friends in the Air Force Moms and Dads group and this blogging community. Shay has received several packages and is working on getting thank yous out to everyone. I offer my personal gratitude to all of you.

Puppies are getting big. They are 9 weeks old now and the first two should be leaving on March 20th for their new homes. Cream girl is going to live in South Carolina and the little guy is going to be co-owned by me and my co-breeder but will live with her in Ocala. That way I still get all the glory of co-owning him. The bigger boy, Baskin, will be leaving mid April to live in Jacksonville, FL with a nice young Navy couple. Their last name is Robbins. Get it? Baskin Robbins.... Lastly, the brindle girl will be living in Clearwater, FL but will be co-owned and shown by me. She has potential that I don't want to miss out on.

My older girl puppy, Yummy, has been diagnosed as being deaf. Took us 9 months to figure it out because she reacts and watches her brother closely. This means that I can't show her or breed her and because she needs and deserves more one on one attention then I can give her she is going to live in Vero Beach with a couple that has a Rottweiler and she works from home. That way someone is home with Yummy all day. I am going to miss her terribly. This breeding stuff is hard. Hubby and I are going to take a break from it. We bought motorcycles and want to be able to take trips. Can't do it with puppies around. At least with the older dogs (we will still have 4) we can get the dog walker to come let them out for potty breaks or I have a sitter that can stay at the house if we want to go away for a weekend.

Well, that is about it. Most of you who read my blog (when I post) also are friends on facebook so you already know most of this. It just came out in little bits over the last few months. This could be considered a recap for you.

Gotta get to work.

"Where in the World is".....

2010-01-14T08:21:00.002-06:00

Just when you think you might know where your child is you find out differently. One of the girls that she is traveling with posted that they were in Qatar "enjoying the sunshine". She thought that Shay was probably sleeping in the tents. It was a loooong flight and lots of people did not sleep. I am hoping to hear from her today if time permits. I do have a mailing address and the first box is going out today. Just some of her mail, magazines, Twizzlers, Trailmix and a headset/microphone so she can Skype with me.

Puppies are doing great. Growing like they should and Binde is being a great mom. I am showing the bigger puppies, Boomer and Yummy (8 months) this weekend in Brooksville. Wish us luck.

Germany and Italy

2010-01-13T15:09:00.003-06:00

Shay arrived in Germany this morning and called me at 538am EST. I didn't mind the wake up call. It was a long flight and she did not get her window seat as assigned. Some jerk decided it was his right to sit in any seat and Shay is not one to rock the boat (or the plane in this case). So, she had to sit in the aisle seat and got bumped every time someone walked down the aisle and was not able to get any sleep.

She then called me this afternoon to let me know they were in Italy. She got her window seat for that leg of the flight and was able to get some sleep. They had about an hour in Italy before they were continuing on to Al Udeid. I am not expecting a call for a few days. If I get one I will be happy though. They will spend the night in tents and then get issued their protective equipment and weapon before continuing on to Sather Air Base.

I am doing well. Thanks to all of my Air Force Moms, family and friends for support and thinking of me and Shay. She will be fine and will be home before we know it. Heck, it seems like just yesterday that she found out about the deployment.

Day 1 of Deployment

2010-01-11T07:48:00.004-06:00

Shay is on her way. She departed Spokane, WA yesterday and arrived in Baltimore last night. They will stay for 2 nights (I don't know why) and then depart on Tuesday heading to Iraq with stops in a couple of other places for fueling. I just talked to her. She is up and waiting for the others. Plans to do some site seeing. Perhaps taking the train into DC. She has always wanted to visit there and I have always intended to take her.

On another note, the puppies are doing great. Getting bigger every day. Binde is a really good momma to them. I hope they appreciate her. HAHA

Update on Deployment (and other news)

2010-01-06T10:14:00.004-06:00

Shay received her flight information yesterday. She will be leaving Spokane on Sunday. Spends 2 nights in Baltimore then it is 2 refuel stops in Europe before hitting the "Deed" for weapons issue/training before landing in Baghdad.

So, it hit me yesterday. My stomach is in a knot. I am excited for her but nervous as well. She is doing something I never got to do. Wish her luck.

Also on the home front, Binde had puppies again yesterday. 4 this time. 2 boys and 2 girls. Here is a picture from when they were minutes old.

The one on the bottom is a girl and the cream is a girl. They are all healthy, fat and moving around a lot. Binde is being a great mom and making my job easier. Hubby stayed home with them today but probably after this I will be bringing Binde and pups to work for the next week or so.

Back to work.

A note for Rie Rie

2010-01-06T10:03:00.002-06:00

Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving the kind words. I tried to post to your blog but it is not setup to accept comments. I really hope you decide to change that as so many others, like yourself, would be stopping by to leave you words of support and encouragement as you go through this journey. Most of us Air Force Moms call BMT (Basic Mom Torture). Having gone to Basic and AIT in Georgia from Seattle it is a world away. Back in my day we didn't have cell phones or Internet so we had to write letters and call (collect) when we could. Now these kids who have grown up with the wonders of technology are expected to write home to the parents. Don't hold your breath. I received maybe 2 letters from my daughter. 1 was the information about graduation and the other was an actual letter. I also only got 2 phone calls. Not sure how the Army works but with the Air Force it depended on the mood of the TI.

I recommend blogging as much as possible. It helps. Join a Army Moms Yahoo Group. I am sure there is one out there. It helps to talk with others in the same situation. You are not alone! Plan on going to graduation. It is an awesome experience. To see the child that left your door become the adult that serves their country. Amazing!

Good Luck

Deploying

2009-11-24T21:05:00.003-06:00

Well, it is happening to me. I am going to be one of those parents who has a child serving in the military overseas. Shay received word that she will be deploying to Sather Air Base in Baghdad. She has to be there by Jan 15th so not sure when she has to leave or which route she is taking. Lots of things to find out and lots of things to do. I did find a website that helps me determine what time it is and what the weather is. Current local time in Baghdad. I guess I am going to have to blog more so I keep my sanity. I am very proud of her and I know she is going someplace that is very safe. But it does not keep me from being nervous. Keep with me on this journey.

It's only been 2 months

2009-10-21T09:46:00.008-05:00

since I last blogged. Life is so busy and I feel like I don't have much to blog about. But I do update on facebook so pretty much anyone who would rad this blog already knows what I am doing because they are friends on facebook. Let's see, what have I done? Did I tell you that Shay and I went skydiving? Yup, sure did.

Out of the plane

Flying high

See the ground below?

And here is Shay's picture. For me it was a "Been there, done that" moment and I don't have to do it again. But it was something I have always wanted to do. Hubby was a saint and sat all day with us waiting.

I should probably give a puppy update. We had three puppies on May 4th. Well, Binde had the puppies. She was an excellent mom. We kept 2 of them and the third one (little girl) went to live with her daddies family. They are:

2 Stars Rolling Thunder (aka Boomer) & 2 Stars Simply Irresistable (aka Yummy)

We went to a B Match this weekend (Oct 18th). Yummy and Boomer got first in their class. Then they competed against each other for Best Jr Puppy. Boomer won. Then he competed against other Best Jr Puppies in the Non Sporting Group and he got a Group 4 (4th place). We are very pleased with the results of this breeding. Here are Boomers and Yummys ribbons.

I went to Seattle for a week in September. I attended my 30th High School Reunion and got to see my Shay Shay for the weekend. Then my plan was to train the rest of the week but I got sick so was only able to train a few times. But it was really nice to see my brother and friends that I have not seen for awhile. I will be back in Decemeber for the Black Belt Promotion. Wish me luck!

Did I tell you we got a new car? We had to because the Envoy did not have enough room to transport 5 dogs. I thought we would get another Town and Country van but we ended up getting the Ford Flex. I really like it. It is like a station wagon on steroids.

We sure do turn some heads when we are driving around. Still don't see too many of them on the road yet.

Well, that is about it for now. Maybe I will have something to write about later. I mean, we are going to Key West for Fantasy Fest over Halloween Weekend. Should be fun!

Wednesday Hero

2009-08-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

Pfc. Tavonte Johnson

Pfc. Tavonte Johnson, a field radio operator with Headquarters Company, 7th Marine Regiment, provides security after a simulated attack by a suicide bomber on Aug. 8, as part of 7th Marine Regiment’s pre-deployment training exercise.

Photo courtesy of United States Marine Corps

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.

I WON, I WON, I WON

2009-08-13T07:26:00.002-05:00

Ok, I have been shamed into posting an update here. I know I have been an absent blogger and I apologize to any (if I have any) loyal followers for not posting anything in over a month. But I actually have something to post about so here goes.

I WON, I WON, I WON!!!!

I won yesterdays prize package over at Wonderful World of Weiners. I am so excited! Go see what I won. It is this really cool candleabra, $50 Starbucks, a Donor Pin, and some artwork. Hallie is doing a wondeful thing and this is just icing on the cake for those that donated to her cause. Thanks Hallie!!

I will try to put a decent post together for you all. Until then....I WON, I WON, I WON

Destin Vacation Pictures

2009-07-06T13:27:00.002-05:00

So I have been quite busy the last week since returning from vacation. It is that 4 letter word that takes up so much of my time....WORK. Well, that and puppies. You cannot believe how much time taking care of 3 little puppies takes.

I wanted to share with you some of the pictures that Lisa from My New Thing To Do took of ouyr family during our vacation. Check them out and leave Lisa comments about how great a job she did. Did I tell you how hot it was? Even at 9am? Well, it was. Thanks Lisa. We can't wait to see the rest of them.

Party and Vacation

2009-06-30T12:31:00.004-05:00

So I have been on vacation for the past week and had a wonderful time. The first thing I did was fly to Portland, Oregon and met my daughter at the airport. She flew in from Spokane, Washington. We had a 40th Anniversary Banquet on Saturday. It was wonderful. We got to see some old friends and dance and sing (karaoke). I have not seen Shay since last November, except on Skype and it is just not the same. Here are a few pictures from the event. I will make comments where I can. Some don't need it. Enjoy

Shay and me with my brother Jay

Shay with Sensei Marta

Me with some of the other black belt ladies from my dojo in Washington.

Shay and me with Sensei Chris

Me and Shay with some more black belts from Washington. Yes, they are black belts and yes, she is pregnant. And she could probably still kick our asses.

Me with Sensei Mark

Here I am singing Reba McEntire "Take it Back" and Sensei Cameron was willing to be my subject.

I will try to get some of the vacation pictures posted within the next few days. I also can't wait to see the ones from Lisa Jobes. Lisa and her husband Scott drove down and did our family pictures for us. You guys will be impressed I am sure.

Later

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies

2009-06-09T15:07:00.007-05:00

These first shots are of the boy

These are of Little Girl

These are of Big Girl

I know, I don't have as many of the big girl as I do of the other two. She is on the shy side and isn't as outgoing as the other two. But I am working on her. She is getting more confident each time she comes out to play.

They walk among us

2009-05-26T15:21:00.006-05:00

No comments from me. I will leave those to your imagination. If you want to share via comments please feel free to do so. Enjoy (or not)

HSUS - Do Not Support Them

2009-05-22T07:24:00.003-05:00

Feel free to share this information with all of your blogging friends. You can bet I am and I will also post it on FB. We have to stop these money hungry thieves. That is exactly what they are, thieves. They are taking our money making us think they are giving to local entities and then they keep it for themselves.

http://www.porkmag.com/news_editorial.asp?pgID=720&ed_id=7622

A Not-so-Glowing Report for HSUS
By Marlys Miller Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Human Society of the United States likes it when the public ties the group to local Humane Society animal shelters. The implication is if you give money to HSUS, some of that money trickles down to local Humane Societies too, and everyone feel good about helping homeless and abused cats and dogs.Well, HSUS is not that kind-hearted. The entity's funding efforts go into HSUS coffers and that's pretty much it; and among the organization's top self-proclaimed priorities is to focus on, some might say end, animal agriculture.Last week, Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta shone the media spotlight on the HSUS — and the animal rights' group didn’t fare so well when they didn’t control the message or the camera’s direction.Atlanta reporter, Amanda Rosseter, traced for viewers where the organization’s vast donations go, explaining that little of the millions of dollars given to HSUS each year end up at local animal shelters. (The HSUS 2007 annual report indicates $120 million in revenue.)Yet, HSUS is adept at generating media attention for animal rescues. For example, this week a animal "shelter" in southern Wisconsin, which contracted with a local humane society to care for stray cats, dogs and other animals was raided for neglect and abuse. Volunteers helping with the horrendous scene included folks wearing HSUS logos, implying HSUS funding support as well.The Channel 2 Action News Story sources told the reporter that HSUS is very successful at using misleading tactics to raise funds. Meanwhile, that same annual report shows $112 million in expenses — money Rosseter’s sources say is spent on lobbyists for animal-rights bills, salaries and benefits.Source: WSBTV Channel 2 Action News

Puppy Updates

2009-05-18T13:40:00.007-05:00

Sorry that I have not been posting updates with photos but things are pretty hectic. I am sure you can all understand that having 3 puppies is almost like having real babies in the work that is involved. Anyway, excuses, excuses, I know. Here are some more current photos of the babies. They are adorable and growig so fast. I hope you enjoy.

Little girl in front, Big boy in the middle and big girl on top.

Butt, butt, butt......

We got Puppies

2009-05-07T10:45:00.005-05:00

3 to be exact. 2 girls and 1 boy were born on May 4th around 2pm (EST). They all were very respectable in thw weight department. Boy was 8oz, lighter Girl was 7.5 and the darker Girl was 7oz. In the two days they have been alive they have gained 1 or more oz each. The boy is now 9 1/4 and has gained the most.

Here are some random pictures. I hope to get some better ones as they grow. It is pretty difficult at this stage.

Here they are just minutes old.

Here just a few minutes later.

Here they are after their first good meal at home doing what they do best, sleeping.

This is boy. We do not have any names picked out. Not that we will be keeping them all or anyting like that. I do like to be able to call them something besides boy, girl, girl, etc.

This is darker girl. She will be more fawn in color and the other 2 will be a really light cream color.

And this is light girl.

Sisters!

And this one is just two cute not to share. Momma and dark girl sleeping cheek to cheek.

I just realized that it has been almost a month since I last posted. I had a good time in Vegas. Mostly since then I have been working to catch up and get ahead so I would be ready when the puppies arrived. Since their arrival I have not gotten much sleep. But last night was better. Binde is a really good and attentive mommy.

Back to work. Will try to get more pictures and information out soon.

Vegas Baby!!

2009-04-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow morning I leave Tampa

And arrive in Las Vegas where I will be staying here.

I am hoping my room looks like this (that is what it looked like the last time I went)

I may even get some time to go here.

I am sure I will see this guy too.

No, not that guy standing in front, the other one. (This is the lobby of Ceasars)

But most of my time will be spent doing this.

No, I won't be wearing the Gi. That is me in the suit. I will be doing alot of this all weekend.

A couple of months ago we were planning for Shay to fly down to meet me for the weekend but that is not going to happen now. She wants to save all of her leave time so she can take 2 weeks in June when she comes to Florida.

I definately won't have time to blog while I am there. Not that I have been blogging much and I have been home (LOL).

I will post when I return to tell you about my trip.

Let me introduce you

2009-04-05T15:06:00.003-05:00

Bindi. She is my 2 year old French Bulldog that I bred.And this is Simon.

Together (and with help from the owners) they created this.

The vet says she sees at least 3 puppies. Says there could be more but she did see 3.

They are due on May 3/4. But we have an appointment for May 2nd (Saturday) and if her hormones support it they may be born on that day. That way I won't have to call her in on a Sunday.

There is nothing cuter than a litter of French Bulldog puppies. I will keep you posted.

And sorry for not posting that often. Life is very busy.

I really HATE to tell you this, but.......

2009-03-22T15:09:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet Hallie and John. We met at Wolfgang Pucks (BK had given John a gift card for his birthday). Hallie texted to tell me they were waiting outside at Bongo's. I am sure they were enjoying a nice beverage. Then she texted to tell me they were now in front of Wolfgangs because the sun had moved (damn sun). I was still driving on I4 almost to my exit so being the safe driver that I am, I texted back that I was on my way and then that I was parking. Of course my luck, I parked at the way other end of Downtown Disney from the restuarant. So I let Hallie know I was walking and she told me to come upstairs. I have to tell you, I was a little nervous. But after the first minute I knew I had no reason to be. It was so natural and flowing. Hallie is a hugger (me too) so she greated me with a hug. I got to hug John too.

We had a fabulous dinner. I had never eaten there before and I had a lovely steak. Well, I ate 1/2 of it and brought the other half home for the doggies. They are gonna love it tonight. After dinner we walked towards Pleasure Island and stopped for drinks outside the Harley Shop. We talked and talked and talked. We talked about all of you in blogger world. Hallie is the first blogger buddy that I have met and I am her first too.

But like the title of this blogs says, I really hate to tell you this but Hallie is just as sweet in person as she is in blogger and facebook world. And John, well he is just as handsome in real life as his pictures depict and he was great. He participated in conversations and never once made me feel like this was a awkward situation.

We walked to the west end of Downtown Disney because I was on a mission. I am an annual passholder and get to buy the special pins for passholders. So we walked all that way, I stood in line only to find out that they are out. DAMN! I did end up buying Shay a new Eyeore Stocking. But don't tell her shhhhhssshhh. We stopped at another outside place for one last drink and some people watching. Yep, there are all kinds of people in Florida. Then we parted ways and I hope to go visit them up in Maine someday. Kim-D, need a buddy to go with you in October?

I took a few pictures and Hallie made me promise to delete one but I can't remember which one is was so here they are. (wink wink)

Don't they look natural on this? I think Hallie could really be a biker babe.

This one is while we were having the first drink.

This one was on eht bridge looking at Planet Hollywood. (I think this is the one I was supposed to delete)
I have met AIrman Moms son, John. He was at Wright Patterson AFB when I went to pick up Shay after her graduation and now I have meet Hallie.

So, who do you have on you list of blogging buddies that you would like to meet?

Ask the Captain

2009-03-20T10:13:00.002-05:00

NBVC, Magu Point, CA has a newsletter. I am not sure how often it is published but the one I am looking at is dated January 15, 2009. In this newsletter is a section call "Ask the Captain!" I guess this is where people can write in and as him questions. Then the one selected to be answered gets published in the newsletter.

OMG! I love this Captain. I want to hug him. I want to salute him (because he has earned it. I can't insert it because it is a PDF document so I am going to copy and paste for your enjoyment.

Question:
What is the deal with the gate guards not surrendering salutes to officer’s vehicles? I don’t think an admiral’s wife or your wife would appreciate that either. We’ve worked hard to get here and should be recognized. They learned to recognize your vehicles. On every base I’ve been on they have a sign WE RENDER SALUTES PROUDLY. Here they work on trying not to salute the vehicle if the active duty member is not present. Isn’t it by UCMJ code they are supposed to render a salute to an officer? The vehicle has a sticker so why do they not (salute) whether or not the active duty member is present or not? Fill me in!! DO THEY NOT TRAIN THESE PEOPLE ANY MORE?? If not, I see more and more laxness going on in this military.

A CWO wife.

You are going to love this.

Answer:Wow. That’s quite a sense of entitlement you have. Are you sure a salute is sufficient? Perhaps a curtsy or a genuflect would be more appropriate? We could have one sentry prostrate himself before you while the other fetches some oats for that high horse you’re riding. First, the irony of addressing what you perceive to be an issue of respect in such a disrespectful tone is not lost. Secondly, since you specifically brought her into the dialogue, my wife thinks your question indicates a regrettably narrow perspective. Third, yes, we have training which encompasses many things for which a post sentry is responsible and accountable, primarily focused on force protection, anti-terrorism, law enforcement, defense of critical assets and infrastructure, and the use of lethal force. But thanks for asking. Fourth, if you consider standing a post 65-70 hours a week as “laxness,” then I invite you to put on your winter coat and go stand on the asphalt in front of your house for four hours holding your vacuum cleaner when the temperature reaches 85 degrees. That will give you some very small sense of what it is like to man a post, without of course the lethal responsibility. Salutes are a custom between military members dating back as far as Roman times when soldiers approached each other in a manner to indicate they were not armed. The custom evolved over many centuries in many militaries, but it has always been a custom exclusively between military members. It is also important to understand that the salute is a custom of mutual respect, not subservience. That is why both members salute. It is customary (and required under Navy regulations) for the junior to render (not “surrender”) the salute first, but the senior member must return the salute promptly and in the same manner. This tangibly expresses the reciprocal respect among military members. NBVC sentries will render salutes to properly identified officers, active or retired, immediately upon identification. The salute was never intended as recognition of, or as a reward for, your “hard work to get here.” While I certainly value that hard work and your support of your husband’s military career, along with the sacrifice it entails, you ma’am are compensated in other ways for those achievements and accomplishments. You rate many things other than a salute as a dedicated Navy wife, our gratitude, appreciation, and respect among them. I sincerely hope, expect, and require that you are always treated courteously and professionally on our bases. I would ask that you give the sentries their due as well rather than leaping to the most cynical of all conclusions when our execution is imperfect. Send your questions, issues and concerns to Capt. Brad Conners, NBVC commanding officer, c/o the Public Affairs staff at lighthouse@navy.mil. You may also write to the following address; 311 Main Rd., Bldg. 116, Code

Didn't I tell you you were going to love it?

Happenings and Ramblings

2009-03-19T13:24:00.005-05:00

I was planning to post today just to get up to date with folks. But I also want to post that I think it is a tragic course of events that Natasha Richardson died of her injuries from a seemingly minor skiing accident. It just goes to show that you never know. It also reinforces why I am a believer in helmets for skiers and boarders. I started wearing a helmet for skiing about 3-4 years ago. I think it also keeps my head warmer. I want my daughter to wear one when she is boarding. I even offered to pay for it. Well, I pay for just about everything ;). Maybe now she will listen to me.

So, what have you been up to? Me? Lets see. I was sick (AGAIN) with a damn cold that just would not go away. I finally went to one of those walk in clinics last Saturday and after waiting for 2 hours I got antibiotics and steroids. Boy do I feel 200 times better.

My husband has been out of the country for the last two weeks. He was in Korea then Taiwan and finally in Japan. He got back to the US last Friday and called me from Detroit. After going through customs they got their flight to Atlanta. Once in Atlanta they had to take a bus to Montgomery, AL (That is where he is going to school). He decided to get in his car and drive to Tampa. This is at least a 7 hour drive on a good day. I told him he did not have to do it, but he did. He arrived at the house around 5:30am on Saturday. Spent most of the weekend trying to get back on his sleep schedule. He went back to Alabama on Monday and I am back to my normal routine.

So, I go to the gym on Mon, Wed and Fri and sometime during the weekend. I go to karate class on Tue and Thur. And I try to get the dogs out for a walk when it is cool enough. I figure I have to get in what I can because there will come a time in May when I may not be able to do all of this stuff for myself for a couple of weeks.

You see, we are hoping that little Binde is pregnant. I think I wrote about taking her up to Ocala to meet her mate. We will find out for sure on April 3rd. That is when I take her to the vet for an ultrasound. Keep her in your wishes. Here is a picture of Binde. Isn't she just the cutest thing?

I suppose I could show you a picture of the baby daddy (if we are pregnant). Meet Simon.

What else? Well, today is Thursday so that means tomorrow is Friday and then we get SATURDAY. I am so looking forward to Saturday. It is a stay home day which also means a no alarm clock day. I so need a no alarm clock day right now.

Plus, blogger Hallie is bringing birthday boy John to Disney World and I am supposed to get to meet them. I am waiting for them to determine the best day and time. Perhaps dinner this weekend. It will be so great to finally meet someone I have considered a friend for the past year.

Well, that is about it for now. I will try to blog again before the year is over LOL. Be good and take care.

I lead a boring life

2009-03-09T08:16:00.002-05:00

and that means that I don't have a lot of exciting things to post about. That is one of the reasons I like facebook. All you have to do is post a simple one liner about what you are doing, where you are going, etc.

I suppose I could do that here but that would not be very interesting reading now would it.

I guess I could tell you about how last week Binde spend a few days in Ocala with Simon and we are hoping for puppies in May. Keep your fingers crossed. We will be bale to find out if she is pregnant in about a month. Then we will do an ultra sound to see how many puppies are in there (if any). I am still waiting for Molly to come in to season so I can take her to Ocala to meet her "baby daddy", Hero.

On the Shay front. She is doing well. Got her first Performance Evaluation and all marks were "clearly exceeds" and "truly among the best". They wrote lots of positive bullets and the best one was "promote BTZ immediately". She is tired of the snow already. She was going to meet me in Las Vegas in April but decided to save her leave time so she can take an extended vacation in June. I have not seen her since November 3rd. That will be 7 1/2 months that I have not seen her. The longest in her whole life. I know, I know, at least I get to talk to her multiple times per day and on occasion we have communicated via Skype but it is not skin touch.

What about me? Well, I continue to go to the gym 3-4 times per week and have been working with a trainer (Jeff) 3 times per week. I also go to my karate class 2 times per week. It makes for long days and short nights that's for sure. Maybe that is why I got sick this past week. I have been on the couch since Friday. I was such a couch potato that even the dogs got bored. I am at work today but not sure how long I will be able to last. I might have to cancel my training appointment tonight too. Not sure if my lungs could take it.

Hubby as been in Korea, Taiwan and now Japan since February 28th. He is due back to the states on the 15th. I won't get to see him until the end of April though. Unless he decides to drive down before then. My life will be less hectic when he gets back from the Air War College.

I see that all of my blogging buddies have been busy. I do try to read blogs as often as I can get away with it. But as you can see, since my nights are short I don't have much free time to devote to the computer. As it is I am cheating at work to write this. So, I better go for now and I will keep you posted on whether we are going to have puppies in May.

TTFN

Michelle Needs - - - - - -

2009-02-25T10:46:00.003-06:00

I did the Google thing and thought I would share it with you:

Your Help - No lie.

Seeking Serenity - Aren't we all

Colorado to vote - Ok, this one is for Tonjia

And Lastly, This is how you say "Michelle Needs to Go Poop" in various languages

ミシェルのニーズにうんち = Japanese

michelle doit aller merde = French

Michelle muss gehen poop = German

Michelle moet gaan kak = Dutch

Michelle tiene que ir caca = Spanish

Мишель должна идти полуют = Russian

Have you done your Google Search Yet? What are you waiting for? You might find out what you really need.

I also wanted to comment about how loved I feel today. After not blogging for forever I posted yesterday and you all still love me. And some of you even missed me.

We are going to Destin, FL for a week in June for a family vacation. There will be 19 of us there. So I have contacted Lisa at my new thing to do and asked her if she would fly out for a couple of days to take family pictures. This group will probably never get together like this again. It will be me and Hubby, Shay and hubbies father and son. Wes's Aunt Janet and Uncle Gerald, there three kids and spouses and all of their kids. 19 people total. WOW. We will be singing karaoke, playing Wii (Rock Band 2), Dance Revolution, Beer Pong (for Shay)and poker of course. I am sure we will have other games as well and lots of time at the beach. But don't you think it would be great to create a hard bound memory book for everyone? Wes's mom used to say "We're making a memory" and I think this would be a perfect title for our family vacation book.

I have told everyone to bring a white shirt and blue jeans for the family portrait. This is going to be fun!!

Booo

2009-02-24T15:58:00.003-06:00

Scared ya didn't I? Sorry I have not been posting much these days. I could say that I have not been doing much but that would be a lie. I just haven't been doing anything blog worthy. I am so not worthy.

Lets see, I work, go to the gym 3 times a week, go to Karate class 2 times per week and the rest of the time is spent cleaning house and taking care of the dogs. Nothing really exciting.

Shay is doing good. She continues to do well and be recognized for her efforts. She was able to go "home" to Seattle this past weekend. Just in time for my brother to go to Chicago. Oh Well, such is life. She had a good time with some friends and spent part of Sunday with my BFF.

Hubby will be heading to Japan, Korea and China soon. He will be gone for 2 weeks (I think). He is still attending the Air Force War College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. He graduates in May and it will be so nice to have him home. I hate doing the laundry!

With what little free time I do have I try to keep up with emails and contacts via Facebook. If you want to be my friend, look me up. MRenLew@aol.com is my email address.

Well, gotta get back to work. Hopefully something exciting will happen soo for me to blog about. Until then, catch me on facebook.

Wednesday Hero

2009-02-11T04:00:00.000-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Brat

Sgt. Patrick Tainsh
33 years old from Oceanside, California
Troop E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
February 11, 2004

Five years ago today, Sgt. Patrick Tainsh sacrificed all as the mounted unit he
was part of was hit by an IED in Baghdad. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze and Sliver Stars saving the lives of his commanding officer and other soldiers before succumbing to his own wounds. Also killed in the attack was Pfc. William C. Ramirez from Portland, Oregon.

On Veteran’s Day, 2007, Deborah Tainsh, Sgt. Tainsh's mother, attended a school in Columbia, Georgia, and shared a story she had written called "A Boy Named Patrick."

Here is part of the story :

…a little boy named Patrick who loved football, beaches, surfing, and
skateboarding, and especially reading. Patrick watched his dad be a Marine for
over twenty years. During this time Patrick kept reading not only surfing and
skateboarding magazines, but history books, too. One day when Patrick was a man, he told his dad and best friend, “I want to do something that will make a
difference in the world, I’m going to be a soldier.” And so he did. And in 1999
he went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for boot camp and then went to Fort Polk,
Louisiana where he worked and trained hard to become a United States Army
Cavalry Scout. Then in 2003 Patrick had to say good bye to his mom and dad
because he had to go fight a war in Iraq to protect his country, friends, and
family from terrorists and to help fight for the freedoms of the boys and girls
in that country where they and their families were treated very badly by their
country’s leader. Patrick once wrote a letter to his mom and dad telling them
that he cried for the children because they were hungry and he didn’t have food
to give them. He said he couldn’t understand how a country’s leader could treat
the people so badly and make them live in such dirty conditions with trash and
wild dogs everywhere. And so Patrick's mom and dad keep a photo in their living
room of Patrick surrounded by Iraqi children.

You can read the story in it's entirety here.

Sgt Tainsh came to the military later than some, but rose through the ranks fast. In his last letter to his parents, Sgt Tainsh shared his thoughts about his mission. And in 2006, Sgt. Tainsh's mother wrote a book called Heart Of A Hawk about her son's life and her and her husband's struggles since their son was killed.

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.

Oklahoma dog Owners - Urgent Alert!!

2009-02-10T07:56:00.001-06:00

House Hearing Tuesday On Devastating Breeding Bill

by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
asda@conline.net

This article is archived at:

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Pro-animal rights veterinarians and their allies are
back again with a vengeance in Oklahoma, and are ramrodding legislation to target
everyone who raises dogs under the guise of regulating “puppy mills.” If
passed into law, this legislation would destroy hobby breeding of high quality
purebred dogs in Oklahoma.

The House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee has set a
hearing for Tuesday (February 10, 2009) on House Bill 1332, sponsored by Rep.
Lee Denney and also known as the “Oklahoma Pet Quality Assurance and Protection
Act.” The 4:30 p.m. hearing is open to the public, and the American Sporting
Dog Alliance urges dog owners to attend.

It must be emphasized that this legislation is being fast-tracked for rapid
passage, and it is urgent for Oklahoma dog owners to take clear and decisive
action now. Failure to act greatly increases the chances that you will lose the
right to raise dogs. Suggestions about how to take an active role in
defeating this legislation are included later in this report.

Rep. Denney introduced an almost identical bill last year, but it was
soundly defeated in the House Agriculture Committee following intense opposition by
dog owners, the American Sporting Dog Alliance, and farmers and ranchers.

This year, however, Rep. Denny has cut a deal to circumvent the Agriculture
Committee.

HB 1332 is before the House Economic Development and Financial Services
Committee. Convincing leadership to put a bill in an inappropriate committee falls
under the category of a political dirty trick. The committee is inappropriate
because the state Department of Agriculture would administer and enforce the
law.

This legislation:

• Prohibits an out of state breeder from transporting dogs into or
through Oklahoma, which would effectively destroy dog shows, field trials and
other canine events in the state. If a hobby breeder were to bring dogs to an
Oklahoma event, the dogs could be confiscated and the owner would face heavy
fines and penalties.

• Gives any animal control officer, peace officer or animal cruelty
investigator unrestricted access to a kennel owner’s home, facilities, anim
als, records and property. The bill denies kennel owners constitutional right of
protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, as no warrants are
required. In addition, the simple act of owning a licensed kennel would allow any
kind of peace officer to search a person’s property for any reason, and this
power is not limited to animal laws. This provision alone is a completely
unethical assault on the Bill of Rights.

• Effectively prohibits any Oklahoma resident from buying a puppy
or dog from another state, as the breeder would have to be licensed in
Oklahoma.

• Requires every breeder, rescue organization, animal shelter and
pet store to be state licensed – not just dealers or commercial kennels – if
they sell, give away or adopt out 25 or more animals a year. This would destroy
many rescue programs.

• Says that a license will not be issued to anyone who has or has
ever had a federal kennel license through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This provision will destroy many well-run kennel businesses that meet or exceed
all legal requirements for the care of animals, and result in the owners of
those businesses losing many thousands of dollars that they have invested in
land and facilities, also losing their livelihood. However, all kennels will be
required to follow federal regulations for housing, care and other management
issues.

• Gives the state the authority to implement complete regulations
for the management of all kennels and the care of the dogs, with no provision
for legislative approval or input from dog owners.

• Requires extensive record keeping, and kennel management and
medical practices to be approved by a veterinarian. The legislation changes the
legal status of dog owners to that of guardians, and removes all decision-making
power from the hands of kennel owners. Dogs effectively become wards of the
state under this legislation.

• Denies a license to anyone who is on probation or parole for any
offense, even if they have nothing to do with animals. Licenses also are
denied for anyone who has been found guilty of violating any statute pertaining to
animals, including relatively minor offenses such as leash laws, local
licensing laws and noise ordinances. In addition, purely technical or minor
violations of state kennel regulations would cause mandatory denial.

• Provides fines of up to $2,500 for each violation, while granting
the kennel owner only the right to an administrative appeal. Placing liens
against a kennel owner’s property is authorized to collect fines, penalties and
costs for seizing dogs. Several provisions allow the state to seize,
confiscate and euthanize animals.

Here is a link to the text of HB 1332:
http://www.okvma.org/associations/2557/files/2PQA2009HB1332.pdf. (Please note that this is on the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association site, as the official state legislature site requires a complex search. The veterinarians’ group is pushing this legislation. The sponsor, Rep. Denney, is a veterinarian. The OVMA and its allies have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into promoting this legislation, and have hired a full-time professional political lobbyist.)

We also see many unintended consequences to the legislation. For example,
America’s troubled economy means that many people are forced to abandon their
pets when they lose their homes or jobs. The destruction of rescue and fostering
networks will lead to the needless death of thousands of beloved animals in
Oklahoma, if this legislation is approved.

The legislation also is based on faulty premises, such as unsubstantiated
claims that there are many illegal kennels in Oklahoma. No evidence has been
given to support this outrageous claim. Moreover, if an illegal kennel exists,
existing laws could fully address the situation. It is a waste of tax dollars to
duplicate government services.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance urges every Oklahoma dog owner to contact
each member of the House Economic Development and Financial Services
Committee to express clear opposition to this legislation. Because the hearing is this
coming Tuesday, please make these contacts as quickly as possible.

Our suggestion is to send an immediate email to each legislator, and follow
it up with a fax or phone call. Even a brief note clearly stating your
opposition will be important. Keeping your tone polite and respectful goes along way
in public life.

Here is email contact information for the members of the House Economic
Development and Financial Services Committee:

• Daniel Sullivan, Chair- danielsullivan@okhouse.gov;

• Randy McDaniel, Vice Chair- randy.mcdaniel@okhouse.gov;

• John Affuet- johnauffet@okhouse.gov,

• John Carey (D) johncarey@okhouse.gov,

• George Faught (R) georgefaught@okhouse.gov,

• Charles Key (R) charles.key@okhouse.gov,

• Guy Liebmann (R) guyliebmann@okhouse.gov,

• Skye McNiel (R) skye.mcniel@okhouse.gov,

• Lewis Moore (R) lewis.moore@okhouse.gov,

• Danny Morgan (D) dannymorgan@okhouse.gov,

• Pat Ownbey (R) pat.ownbey@okhouse.gov,

• Ron Peters (R) ronpeters@okhouse.gov

• Mike Shelton (D) mikeshelton@okhouse.gov,

• Jabar Shumate (D) jabarshumate@okhouse.gov.

This link also will give information about each legislator’s phone, surface
mail and email contact information:
http://www.okhouse.gov/Members/MemberListing.aspx.

Please help Oklahoma dog owners.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, breeders and
professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We also welcome
people who work with other breeds, as legislative issues affect all of us. We
are a grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to
assure that the traditional relationships between dogs and humans maintains its
rightful place in American society and life.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance also needs your help so that we can
continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your membership,
participation and support are truly essential to the success of our mission. We are funded
solely by your donations in order to maintain strict independence.

Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org .
Our email is asda@csonline.net .

PLEASE CROSS-POST AND FORWARD THIS REPORT TO YOUR FRIENDS

Wednesday Hero

2009-01-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Cynthia

Sgt James E. Craig

27 years old from Hollywood, South Carolina

1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

January 28, 2008

James, 27, was killed on January 28, 2008, in Mosul, Iraq, along with four other soldiers when the unit encountered an IED, followed by an ambush from a nearby Mosque. It has been a year since James was killed. I miss him each day.

James was on his third deployment to Iraq. There are so many things about James that I admired. He was 'loud' and funny and articulate and sweet - even calling himself 'Sweet Soldier' - and brave and tough. He was a devout Christian and more comfortable with telling people he was than anyone I ever knew - he had a enviable, easy comfort with this faith. It would be so easy to write and write about James, but let me share some portions of his letters - his long and articulate letters.

"...I am very much looking forward to this war being over. However, I fully support everything that is going on over here ever since I saw first hand what the real situation was. Our media doesn't portray the truth of this operation or the necessity to the people here. They need freedom and desperately cry out for someone to help them. ... I know one thing, God wants me here."

"The war here is stating to come to an end. It will be a slow transition period where the responsibility of the battle space is handed over to the growing Iraqi Army. It all depends on the Iraqis if we are able to leave them with it safely."

"...it is a tale of my wonderful journey where I made memories I will never forget and stood up for something that I believe in...that sweet taste of freedom when the day is done and the knowledge that I have done something to ensure the positive future of my loved ones. And, you should know that it comforts me the most that what I do protects wonderful people like you."

To read more about Sgt James Craig, go 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.

Diamond Sharp Airman

2009-01-23T12:39:00.003-06:00

Yep, that is what my little girl is. Shay received her award certificate and 2 coins in a ceremony yesterday at Fairchild AFB. Three other people from the 92nd Operations Group received this award. Shay was the only A1C! I told her yesterday that she should be walking 2 inches taller from this. This will definitely look good in her BTZ packet.

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. – Airman 1st Class Sharayah Farrell, 92nd Medical Group laboratory technician, accepts the Diamond Sharp award from Col. Marshal Morrison, 92nd Operations Group commander, Chief Master Sgt. David Nordel, 92nd Air Refueling Wing command chief, and Master Sgt. Ken Rains, 92nd Medical Group first sergeant, at the Warrior Dinning Facility Jan. 22. The Diamond Sharp award is given to Airmen who strive for excellence, both on and off duty, in their community and their personal life. (U.S. Air Force photo / Airman 1st Class Melissa L. Barnett)

We could not be more prouod of her. And, I would not expect anything less from her. She has always been the one who does the right thing and never gave us a lick of trouble while growing up. Unless you count leaving her coat and backpack on the couch, having a messy room or not getting straight A's trouble. Can you see this proud momma's feathers fluffing? You know they are.

Another Sunday

2009-01-18T19:56:00.004-06:00

Here it is another Sunday and nothing new to report. Yesterday I got my hair done and ran a couple of errands. For some reason I was tired all day. I mean I was sitting at the salon and had 45 minutes to process and could not keep my eyes open. I didn't sleep, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. When I got home I made a tuna sandwich and then the dogs and I took about a 2 hour nap. Then I didn't do much of anything the rest of the day.

Today, I took the dogs to e=the dog park to meet up with a bunch of other French Bulldogs. They had a blast. We spent 1 1/2 hours there and then went to Petsmart to get dog food. Molly always likes to look at the cats needing adoption.

After we got home I spent the day cleaning all of the dog beds, pillows and blankets. Then I did all the floors. I took the doggies on a long walk and then they had dinner. Now they are all snoring loudly while I watch the football game. So for sure Arizona will be coming to Tampa for the Superbowl and by the looks of things it appears that Pitsburgh will be joining them. Of course, anything could happen. At any rate, it is none of the teams I would care about.

I guess today is a little different than any other Sunday. Today is my birthday. It is also my stepsons birthday today. He is 20. Hubby has his birthday next Saturday. We have many bdays in January.

Like I said, just another Sunday.

Perhaps I should explain....

2009-01-13T21:25:00.003-06:00

After my previous post I received a few comments that indicated some of you thought I might be sick because I spent 5 hours in the bathroom. So I thought I would show you a couple of pictures of what I was doing.

Now before I put new tiles in I think I better take the course at Home Depot again for a refresher. I have to put this rubber based stuff down to fill in the crack before I put the glue down to hold the tiles and then the final step is the grout. I guess you know what I will be doing this weekend.

I am over it and back to normal

2009-01-12T09:26:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I am over the loss of OU to Florida. I guess I have to get on with my life. And I guess I did this weekend, if you call it a life. I was busy in the bathroom for over 5 hours on Saturday removing the cracked tiles and scrapping the old glue stuff off to make it a clean surface in which to put the new tiles. Although I think I need to go back to Home Depot and watch the class again. I may have forgotten alot since I took that class. Lucky for me they offer it every Saturday. So that is pretty much what I did on Saturday.

Sunday was spent doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and mowing the lawn. I know, I know. Why would anyone be mowing the lawn in January? Because I live in Florida and the dogs don't like it when the grass hits their bottoms when they use the facilities. So mow I did. And clean I did.

I was in bed with the lights off by 9:55 last night. When the alarm went off at 5:45 I so wanted to go back to sleep. At least this is a 4 day work week for me.

I will try to have something more intersting to post later this week. Happy Monday!!

Don't talk to me today

2009-01-08T22:51:00.003-06:00

I am not in the mood. The game sucked big time for everyone until the second half. Just know that I am not a happy camper thinking's and proably tomorrrow.

I gotta get the donuts too

Damn!!!

BCS Championship Game

2009-01-08T09:23:00.005-06:00

See me? I am ready for the big game tonight. Oklahoma is gonna crush the gators.

And then this will be ours.

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, OK U! Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, OK U! I'm a Sooner born and Sooner bred and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead Rah Oklahoma, Rah Oklahoma Rah Oklahoma, OK U!

History of the Sooner Fight Song -

In 1905, Arthur M. Alden, a student in history and physiology whose father was a Norman jeweler, wrote the lyrics to the fight song, borrowing the tune from Yale University's 'Boola Boola' but improvising the words. A year later, an addition was made to it from North Carolina's 'I'm a Tarheel Born' and the two combined to form the university's fight song today. One of the most recognizable college fight songs in the country, 'Boomer Sooner' immediately evokes enthusiasm from OU fans and sends chills down the spines of those who dare to oppose them.

Wednesday Hero

2009-01-07T03:00:00.001-06:00

Airman Melissa PyleAviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) Airman Melissa Pyle mans a jet blast deflector station on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the Gulf Of Oman. Theodore Roosevelt and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.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 LookThis 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.

Honor A Soldier, Family or Employer

2009-01-05T09:16:00.002-06:00

Here is a link where you can submit the name of a current Active Duty Soldier, Veteran, Reserve/National Guard Soldier, Family or Employer for recognition. The best part is it does not cost you anything expect a few minutes of your time.

Do you want to thank a soldier for serving our country? Here is the link https://www.freedomteamsalute.com/Default.aspx

Second Post for Sunday

2009-01-04T11:35:00.002-06:00

BTW - Rick at Organized Doodles is having a giveway. You gotta go check it out!!

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T09:37:00.005-06:00

I will start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. I hope everything is mighty fine in 2009!!

It is Sunday and officially the end of the holidays. At least for me since I had Friday off. Today I sold my queen sleeper sectional on Craigs list. They came by last night to look at it and they are on their way to pick it up this morning. My new sofa and love seat are currently sitting in the garage. I am hoping that hubby will help me unpack it and move it in the house and put the sectional in the garage. It will make it easier for them to pick it up anyways. Otherwise I will have to find some nice neighbor to help me.

We just go through giving all three dogs a bath. Why do dogs not like getting the bath but after they feel great and playful?

Hubby is on his way back to Alabama. He has been on vacation since December 20th. Spent most of the time here and about 5 days in Reno with his son and father. I might get to see him on Jan 23rd if we meet for a birthday party. Can't say much as it is a surprise. Not that I think this person reads my blog but you just never know.

After that we probably won't see each other until March sometime. He has a school trip planned for later in February. They are taking his group to Taiwan, Korea, China and Japan.

Christmas was jut a blur as nothing went right and I did not have my family with me. I vow that next year will be different. I plan to have all of my family with me somewhere. Not sure where yet. It all depends on whether hubby gets assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington after his schooling is over or not. That is kind of what the plan looks like right now. Although it figures that I won't be able to go for at least 1 1/2 years because of my job. See, I like my job and I just became a permanent government employee back in September. So I do not have transfer rights yet. And I really would like to work with the people that I work with now and do what we do. There is a chance that I could do that. We have Project Development Specialists that we just created positions for. We are authorized for 4 and only hired 2 to begin with. What they do, I have been doing for the last year. I already talked to the Director about my 2 year plan to become one. He sounded positive. These positions work remotely so I could do it from wherever we are assigned (hoping Washington). It requires a lot of phone calling and travel. I would probably get the West Coast. I asked to be given a couple of projects in the next grant round to mentor and bring along. Basically to prove that I can do the job. It also will provide for promotion potential to a GS-13 level. Not bad!!

I have a problem that I have to take care of right away. See, I gained about 4 pounds over the holidays. Damn Popcorn!! I swear, that is all I ate that was different that what I have been eating. I am talking about Popcorn Factory Popcorn. The caramel, cheese and plain combo. It was 6 gallons of the stuff. I ordered so much stuff for friends and family that I got it for free. I just basically had to pay for shipping. I had it sent to the office for everyone to share. Then the Friday before Christmas (my RDO) the office called to tell me there was another can there. They made a mistake and shipped to containers. I had that one here at the house and have been munching on it for the past two weeks. It is not all gone but a good portion of it is.

Since I have already joined the gym and hired the trainer I am on track to lose those 4 pounds soon. Like this week. Then I have a goal to lose another 15-20 before September. That is when I expect my High School Reunion to be. It will be the 30th. Can you believe that I am THAT old? Yep, I am . I will be 48 this month. Hubby will have his too but that will be in Tulsa. He has joined Facebook and is trying to connect with old classmates so that one can be organized. He has not been to any of his yet. I went to the 10, 20, and 25. As you get older you have them more frequently in case someone isn't around for the next one. Know what I mean? Anyway, I will work with the trainer on Mon, Wed and Fri and then do my karate on Tue and Thurs. And I will attempt to go to the gym on my own at least one day of the weekend. I figure it I do the trainer like that for a 1-2 months it will give me a good base to work with. Then I can use him once a week for the rest of the year. Right now my right shoulder and arm are pretty sore. I have been doing the ice/heat combo since yesterday. Not going to the gym today!

I actually need to finish working on my bathroom tile project. I went to the class the Home Depot teaches about a month or so ago because we have some cracked tiles in the bathroom and the hallway. But I had not started the project yet. But I did start on Friday. It is a long process using the grout bit with the dremel to remove the old stuff between the tiles. Then I remove the cracked tiles. Clean up the area and lay a rubber type base before putting the new tiles in. So I plan to work on that as they come to get the sofa.

Everyone in the family is starting the year healthy so that is a plus. I hope we can all keep it up. Here is a picture of my bathroom tiles. See the crack? That runs from one corner to the other. Only one tile in the way did not crack. But since the foundation is cracked I will remove that one as well

This shows where I have started to remove the grout and one corner came up.

This just shows that I have been removing the grout between the tiles. I hope to finish that part today. Then I can work on the clean up during the week and then next weekend I will do the rest of the work and hopefully lay the new tiles.
Wish me luck!!

Wednesday Hero

2008-12-31T03:00:00.000-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi

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

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.
<

Happy Anniversary to Me!!

2008-12-26T03:00:00.000-06:00

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!

Merry Christmas one and all

2008-12-25T16:15:00.003-06:00

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 Hero

2008-12-24T03:00:00.000-06:00

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.

The Christmas Gifts Have Arrived

2008-12-23T09:14:00.003-06:00

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.

Another Christmas Past Post

2008-12-19T08:53:00.005-06:00

****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's Hero

2008-12-17T05:00:00.001-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Melinda

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

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.

Amazing!!!!

2008-12-15T07:50:00.008-06:00

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 Hero

2008-12-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

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

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.

More Christmas Memories (Photos)

2008-12-09T11:55:00.005-06:00

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.

What a game!!!!

2008-12-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

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.

More Christmas Memories

2008-12-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

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.

1st Christmas

2008-12-05T04:00:00.000-06:00

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.

Smile

2008-12-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

Wednesday Hero

2008-12-03T05:00:00.000-06:00

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

"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.

Mondays Direction

2008-12-01T09:52:00.002-06:00

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.

The end of a loooong weekend

2008-11-30T11:13:00.006-06:00

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 Hero

2008-11-26T04:00:00.000-06:00

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.

Friday Funny

2008-11-21T09:23:00.002-06:00

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!

FINALLY!

2008-11-19T08:55:00.005-06:00

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

2008-11-19T08:52:00.002-06:00

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

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.

Did you miss me?

2008-11-11T10:35:00.008-06:00

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.

The Adventure is Over

2008-11-03T10:14:00.002-06:00

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.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2008-10-31T11:48:00.002-05:00

G'Day Mates

2008-10-26T18:56:00.007-05:00

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

2008-10-26T02:02:00.004-05:00

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!!!

It's Thursday so it must be Montana

2008-10-23T10:42:00.008-05:00

It dawned on me last night that I had no idea what day of the week it was. I am so ready to be somewhere for more than a night.

Our trip yesterday was great.The weather was clear and you could see forever. We went to Bear County USA and saw this, right outside the car. No wonder they tell you to keep the doors locked and the windows up. This guy walked right around our car. Looking for our weakness I am sure. But we survived.

And we left South Dakota and made it to Wyoming.

Then we entered Montana. I had no idea that Montana was as wide as it is.

And last night Shay and I went to karate class with Sensei Mike. He is a member of our organization who moved to Billings and was able to start a dojo at the YMCA. Shay used to babysit for his two boys when we lived in Washington.

I was Blog Spammed

2008-10-21T22:07:00.010-05:00

How the hell do you get spammed on blogs? It happened to my post this morning. Some excavator crap.

Well I promised better pictures and here we go.

Here is the Welcome to Missouri sign.

Here is Mt. Rushmore. I will also have some from my camera.

This is from the Arch of St. Louis.

What trip would be complete without visiting the Corn Palace?

And Wall Drug Store.

Tomorrow we are headed to Billings, MT. We are going to a drive through animal place in the morning before we leave the area though. So hopefully we will get some good pics.

To answer a couple of questions left in my comments.

I am flying back from Spokane to Tampa. I will not be ready for this drive again for a couple of years.

Eyebrow Threading is where they take regular thread (white) and the twist it. The gal keeps one end in her mouth while twisting the hairs out. She kind of jerks here head back a little to get a pull on the hairs. It was weird to watch. Shay says that is was painful but you don't get the after effects that you get from waxing.

Goodnight for now.

I've Been Everywhere Man, Across the..

2008-10-21T09:20:00.008-05:00

So I went out to the car this morning to get some shoes and it was FREEZING!!!. Definitely need to hit Wallmart for some gloves before we go any further. I got my transfer thingy so here are the states we were in yesterday.

Missouri is on Shays camera so it will have to wait. My transfer thing does not work for her camera.

But we did go here and Shay got some cute sweaters for the cold weather.

While there she had her eyebrows threaded. Do you know what that is? It is really weird to watch but can be cleaner than waxing.

Not much after that. But we finally got to Iowa.

And then MUCH later we got to South Dakota. We will spend all day here. We are staying at Ellsworth AFB tonight. This is near Mt Rushmore.

We should have some great pictures tonight. Have a great day!!

Sioux Falls, SD

2008-10-20T22:21:00.003-05:00

We are finally in Sioux Falls! This has been a loooong day. BUT we did go to the mall this morning and we did stop in St. Louis to see the arch. I left my thingy that allows me to take pictures off my camera in the car and I am just too tired to run back out there to get it so no pictures tonight. Tomorrow is a lighter day. We are staying at Ellsworth AFB tomorrow night. We plan to stop in Mitchell to see the Corn Palace, Wall to see Wall Drugs, Mt. Rushmore and what ever else we can see on the way.

Thanks for all the comments and Ness I am sorry I did not realize you lived so close. I would have gladly made arrangements to meet you. Bummed!!!

Until tomorrow!!

2 Days Down and many more to go

2008-10-19T21:23:00.008-05:00

We made it to Montgomery, AL last night. Hubby was a very sweet man and went out and got Chinese Food so it was there when we got there. He has a cute 2 bedroom apartment in a gate complex with lots of walking paths and lakes. Molly was soooo happy to see us.

Can't you tell from looking at this picture?

This was actually taken this morning before we left. Shay, Hubby and I went out to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then Shay and I hit the road. I told Shay yesterday that I always wanted to take a trip where we stopped at each state line and got a picture of the Welcome to ______ sign. Well, we missed Alabama yesterday but we got them all today.

First came Tennessee.

Next state was Kentucky. We sure did notice a difference from Tennessee with the tree lined rolling hills and then Kentucky with some flat lands.

And finally we are in Illinois.

We are staying at the Scott Inn on Scott AFB, IL. Pretty nice for $39.00.Only problem is the tv remote takes AAA batteries and they are out at the front desk. This is the old gate. It is lit up and looks very pretty at night.

Lastly, I leave you with a couple of other random shots from this morning. Here is Shay and the doggies. She won't see them for awhile.

And this is Shay and Hubby in front of his fireplace. Notice the picture of Brutus sitting there? We know who is who in his world don't we.

Tomorrow morning we will get up and get going. We need to stop here before we get out of town and they don't open until 10am and they are about 45 minutes from the lodging but on the way.

Off to bed. More to come tomorrow night.

Hugz

Off We Go....

2008-10-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

Today is the day we depart on our long journey. Our tavels have us stopping in Montgomery, Alabama tonight. I am dropping off the 2 other dogs (Binde and Brutus) with my husband. He has had Molly for the last week already. She sure is missing her dubbies and I am sure they are missing her.

Tomorrow we will end up in St. Louis, MO. We are actually staying in lodging at Scott AFB. Very Cheap!!

Monday I think we end up in Sioux Falls. That is one of our longest days. But the next day makes up for it. Since there is so much to see in that area we are only making it to Ellsworth AFB (again staying in lodging).

Wednesday we make it to Billings, MT where we will stay with friends. I am hoping to make it in time to attend karate class with him. Mike is one of our black belts from Seattle who moved to Montana. He started s karate class at the local YMCA. He works for Boeing and he gets to work from home. He travels to Seattle about once a month. Him and his wife, Denice, opened a Pizza Parlor so I am hoping to get to try that out.

Thursday we will arrive in Spokane and stay in lodgin at Fairchild AFB. And then Friday morning Shay will get her dorm keys, we will unload the car with what stuff we won't need for the next week and then head to Seattle. We will stay in Seattle through Halloween and then on Novemeber 1st we head to Portland for a big karate even. Many of our friends are testing for their first level black belt and a bunch of others are going for their 5th level. And there are some in between.

Sunday has us traveling back to Spokane where Shay reports on Monday and I fly back to Tampa. WOW! I am tired just thinking about it. When all is said and done we will have driven over 4000 miles. That is not counting any driving that is done while we are in Seattle.

We plan (hope) to take lots of pictures and hopefully will have computer access each night so we can post/blog about our journey.

Wish us luck and safety in our journey. (Shay got a speeding ticket yesterday on the way home from Costco :-))

Hugs
Michelle

I am alive

2008-10-08T19:47:00.000-05:00

I am sorry I have not been blogging lately. I have been so busy at work and Shay and I really haven't done anything worth mentioning. We work. Me until 5pm everyday and by the time I get home it is 6 and then we try to go to the gym, eat, shower and get ready for the next day. Shay works at the recruiting office from 10 to 3. I wish I had those hours. She has a Dep meeting tomorrow night so she may actually be later than me.

Friday we are going to see Martina McBride. That should be fun. Maybe I will finally have something fun to post about. Hubby is coming home on Friday too. Then Saturday night we are going to Universal Studios Scary Halloween.

I have been trying to keep up on my blog reading though. Don't forget me!!

Finally - Pictures from my Ohio Trip

2008-10-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

I am finally getting back on track and able to post some pictures from the Ohio Trip.

Shay and I in my room

I took Shay and her friend, Natalie, to The Melting Pot. Because Dayton still did not have power we had to drive to Cincinatti to find one. We had a good time. And now we are all on diets.

I just loved this old barn. We took a drive on Sunday afernoon and this is what we saw.

We met John. His mom is airman mom and I asked if we could take him out to lunch. We went to the Olive Garden and spent a couple of hours just talking about stuff. He is a nice boy. This is Shay and John.

Here is Me and John.

Sunday night there was a Graduation Dinner of sorts at the Red Robin and I got to meet Ava. Ava was born on September 16th (or maybe it was the 17th). Her momma was in Shays basic training flight and they continued on to Tech School and their Internship together.

Isn't she a cutie? She was over 8lbs (OUCH)

Here are the graduating students. A1C Burgess (momma), Amn Cardwell, A1C Shay, A1C Fuller and A1C Johnson. Congratulations to all of you!

This is me getting to pin Shay with her Medical Tech Pin. I askaed if I could do blood pinning but they said "this is not the Army".

Last picture of Wright Patterson taken from the side vewi mirror. See the plane?

This is what I saw when I looked in the passengers seat. I know she is there because I see her hands.

Do you see this? This is something that no driver wants to see when they are on the freeway. The car is not moving. We sat like this for about 15 minutes before we started moving again. Did not have any trouble after that.

Thanks for letting me share these with you. I will be posting some more pictures from our Halloween at Disney. I am sure you can't wait.

Wednesday Hero

2008-10-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

This Week's Post Was Suggested And Written By Kathi

SSgt. Renee A. Deville
44 years old from Webster New York
401st Civil Affairs Battalion
September 1, 2008

SSGT Renee A. Deville was an Army Reservist who deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion from Webster, N.Y. She arrived at Walter Reed August 10, 2006, after being injured in a mortar attack.

While at Walter Reed, Deville was assigned to Chosen Battery, Warrior Transition Brigade, and was among three graduates of the Army's first Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course Stand Alone Common Core offered to Warriors in Transition.

Deville, who successfully completed every aspect of the course from a wheelchair, was lauded by SGT Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston as exemplifying the Army's 'Warrior Ethos', at the graduation ceremony for the course on March 28, 2008.

Deville was also the impetus for a new playground being built behind the Mologne House at Walter Reed in 2007.

An October 2007 Washington Post article about the opening of the playground says that SSGT Deville's mention of her children's limited recreational options to Col. Bruce Haselden, the garrison commander, helped set in motion the playground project.

Staff Sgt. Renee Antoinette Deville died September 1, 2008 in her room at the Mologne House at Walter Reed. She was 44.

She is survived by her husband and 4 children, her mother, a brother, and two sisters.

SSGT Deville was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on September 19, 2008.

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.

I'm against the Bailout (posted with permission)

2008-09-27T20:44:00.000-05:00

I got this in an email this weekend and thought it was worth sharing.

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a

"We Deserve It Dividend"

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.
So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.
Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.
That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam .
But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it'll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent's medical insurance – health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces. If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our
candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S
Citizen 18+!

As for AIG – liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Tell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work." But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC . And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam .

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Birk

aka T. J. Birkenmeier,
A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic

PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it's either good for a laugh
or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

What I would rather be doing......

2008-09-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

I would much rather be posting about my weekend in Ohio with Shay. I would much rather be posting about what we did. I would much rather be posting about her Graduation and how proud I am of her. I would much rather be posting about our drive home, which I would rather have been posting was an enjoyable drive. But I can't and it wasn't and this week since (has it been a week?) has been the week from hell.

As is the norm with most teenagers, Anna(my exchange student) and I have had some communication issues. You say that is typical? That is what I thought. That was my experience with my own teenage daughter. She did not understand why I needed her to call everyday when she got home from school but I thought we had that worked out. It came out last week that Anna does not know how to clean a bathroom. And since she is responsible for cleaning her own bathroom she needs to know how to clean a toilet, sink and tub. It came out last week that Anna's family has a housekeeper who does these things. Well, I guess when she returns she will know how to clean those things. Well, that was the plan.

You see, I have a neighbor who I thought was helping me out. She would let Anna come over and hang out with them. When she called me on Sunday to ask if Anna could go shopping with her on Monday I told her that I did not have a problem with that but that I needed Anna to ask me. I needed Anna to communicate with me. I explained that we were having this communication issue and I needed her help and asked her not to get in the middle of things. At the same time I asked her not to tell Anna she would do things with her until they had been cleared with me. You see, my thought was that if she mentioned it to Anna first and for whatever reason I said no then I was the bad guy. Are you following me?

Without going into all the gory detail I can tell you that last night I delivered Anna and all of her stuff to the area coordinators home. They are scheduled to conduct a home check on the neighbors this morning (same neighbor as above) who contacted the coordinator while I was on the road and said they would like to take Anna. WTF. This all came out on Tuesday when we drove out to the coordinators house for a meeting that I hoped would help Anna and I understand each other. Anna pretty much had her mind made up that she wanted to leave my house and go to the neighbors. So we arrived home late (again) on Tuesday knowing that one day soon Anna would be leaving and more than likely it would be the neighbors. Have you followed me so far?

Wed came and Anna left for school at the normal time. When she got home she called me to tell me that she was "here". Usually she says I am home. She then went to a neighbor boys house (not the same neighbor) to do homework. She arrived home sometime while I was out mowing the lawn so I did not see her. I came in and Shay started dinner for me while I took a shower. Then I grilled some pork chops and asked Shay to tell Anna that dinner was ready. Anna was not hungry so would not be joining us.

Thursday morning came and again Anna left for school. This time when she got home Shay was here. I had forgotten my cell phone anyway. I told Shay to ask Anna if she needed anything for her costume for Friday (lat night) as we had tickets to the Disney Not So Scary Halloween Party. Anna said that she didn't think I wanted her there and that she did not want to ruin my time. So they talked a bit and I got home around 6pm. Shay told me that Anna said she was tired and was going to bed. Again, are you following me?

I felt like Shay and I were walking on egg shells. Not know what to say and having this person living in the house who obviously did not want to be there. I called the coordinator and after speaking for a while it was decided that I would take Anna out there. So yesterday after Anna got "home" from school we packed up and drove out there. Shay and continued on to Disney as we decided to go toe the Halloween event. Pictures to come. We got home after 1am. I went into Anna's room and found a note on the bed that she had written me. Basically the "it's not you, it's not me, it just is".

Don't get me wrong, I am not angry or mad at Anna. She is a kid. Of course she wants to be at the fun house. I was going to teach her how to clean toilets, sinks and tubs. I was teaching her to consequence of not planning ahead for homework and having to tell the teacher why you don't have your homework done. She told me at 6:30 on Sunday that she needed to go to Walmart to print some pictures for an assignment that was due on Monday. It should have been done before she went with the exchange program to Disney all weekend.

So now I have to live across from Anna and these neighbors for the next 9 months. I then have to live across the street from these people (who I thought were friends) for the rest of the time that I live in Florida. They had their house on the market for almost a year and just took it off within the last month.

So hubby told me yesterday that one of the Marine Officers that he is in school with told him the story about his friend who had an exchange student. The same thing happened to them. The student became friends with the neighbors and asked to be moved. And get this, the student was from Sweden. I think the program makes it too easy for them just to say I want to be moved when the going gets a little tough. I have been having conversations with Anna's father and he was helping me figure out ways to communicate with Anna.

How did I go from being The Best State and the Best Family to this?

Wednesday Hero

2008-09-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

Click Image For Full SizeYeoman 3rd Class Margret Ueberlauer

Yeoman 3rd Class Margret Ueberlauer hands out toys to HIV infected children during a community relations project at the Camillian Center in Pattaya, Thailand. The USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

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 = GRADUATION!!!

2008-09-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

A1C Sharayah Farrell graduated from Medical Laboratory Technician School this morning. There were 5 class members who graduated today. I am proud to say that Shay, along with 2 classmates, received an award for acedemic excellence. I don't have the cert in front of me so I am not exactly sure what they called it but will update this post when we get back home tomorrow. We just loaded the car and are now waiting to attend her finaly outprocessing briefing at 1pm (1300 for you military folks) and then we will hit the road. We are planning dinner in Nashville which is about 5 hours from here and then it is another 10 hours into Tampa. Thanks for all the good wishes. We have had a good visit. Yesterday I got to meet Airmanmom's son John. We took him to the Olive Garden for lunch and spent about 2 hours together. He is a nice boy (cute too). I told him and Shay that it is every Air Force Moms wish that our kids will meet someday. Then they can all discuss just how weird their moms are and why we make them meet strange people. I have pics and will post them tomorrow. As soon as we take naps. Then I have to catch up on my blog reading. I feel so out of it.

Bye bye

Our Trip

2008-09-19T08:49:00.000-05:00

I will start by saying that as of right now (10am EST) It will be 28 hours until I see Shay!!! Not that I am counting.

So, as you know I am flying to Ohio tomorrow. I land in Dayton at 1:45pm so give or take 10 mins I should get my "skin time" by 2pm. I am hoping to take the girls (Shay and her friend Natalie) to them HERE for dinner. I love going there. That is IF they get their power back on. They have been without power since Sunday. They told me that they had to through away a ton of food. So I asked if they would even have food to serve if they get power. He said that the food was deliverable within 2 hours of power being restored.

Well I probably won't be able to post until we get back to Tampa on Tuesday so I wanted to wish everyone a great weekend (You know I will be having one) and I promise to post pictures and stories on Tuesday. PROMISE!!

Our journey will begin on Monday sometime after 1pm. It is supposed to take about 15 hours to drive and I don't want to get to the house before 7:30 (don't want to wake the dog sitter) so we will be taking our time. We will drive through Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Chatanooga, Atlanta and then on down through Florida. I know, we are going slightly out of the way, But that is so we can stop in Nashville as WE have never been there. Wish us a safe journey.

48 Little Hours

2008-09-18T14:04:00.000-05:00

Yep, 2 days, 48 hours, 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. That is how much longer until I get to Ohio and get to see my baby.

Wednesday Hero

2008-09-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

L/Cpl. Jason Hanson
21 years old from Forks, Washington
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
July 29, 2006

L/Cpl. Jason Hanson died when a gasoline truck near a building he was in exploded, causing the building to collapse in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Three other Marines were also killed in the blast. Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield, 19 yrs. old, of Clovis, California; Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28 yrs. old, of Wolf Creek, Montana; Sgt. Christian B. Williams, 27 yrs. old, of Winter Haven, Florida.

Hanson graduated in 2003 and joined the Marines in 2005. He married his wife just before shipping out.

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.

My Weekend

2008-09-14T16:27:00.000-05:00

First thing we did was attend the Freedom Walk. Here is Anna and I after the walk.

Here is one of the young walkers. I appreciate the lesson that her mother is teaching her by attending these types of events.

This one is just to make you all jealous that we had such a fantastic view and the weather was perfect.

And here is one of me presenting a Grateful American Coin to a Vietnam Veteran.

What I don't have a picture of is of the older veteran I presented a coin to while we were in the BX. He was there with his granddaughter. He gave me 2 hugs and enjoyed talking about his service and I enjoyed letting him.

So we were able to get Anna's Annual Pass for Disney at the reduced price at MacDill and off we went. I wanted to make sure she was able to exchange her ticket for the actual pass. No problems. Then we spent a few hours at Disney Hollywood Studios. We made it just in time for her to see the High School Musical Show. And Saturday was the last day for the event. Then we stayed for the Block Party Bash. That was a lot of fun too. Here are just a few shots from then.

And finally today I attended my first Blue Star Mothers Group Meeting. Somehow I got elected to the position of Financial Secretary. How did that happen on my first meeting? I think it was by default. Here is the small group of ladies so far.

I think I need to go back to work so I can get some rest. I think I should go do some laundry now. Have a good week.

Oh, Oh, Oh,...I forgot one of the best events from this weekend. Last night the Oklahoma Sooners kicked the Washington Huskies butt BIG TIME. It was a really good game.

Florida

2008-09-13T21:58:00.000-05:00

So, I live in Florida. I don't LIKE it but you do have to find humor in it. My FIL sent me these yesterday and I wanted to share them with all ya'll. I hope you enjoy.

Remember

2008-09-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

Do you remember where you were when you heard? I do and always will. I was still in bed. I lived in Seattle, WA and hubby had just left for work. The Today Show was on TV and I was just waking up and thinking about getting out of bed. I lazily rolled over and was listening to Katie and Matt when they talked about a plane hitting one of the towers. So I was looking at the screen thinking that some idiot in a small plane just did the most stupid thing. Then all of a sudden we saw the other plane fly into the other building. That day forever changed my life. I had just returned from a trip to Japan. I still had friends that were there. They were stuck for an extra week. Luckily they were able to stay with relatives.

I did not know anyone who died in New York but my husband had recently met MG Maud who perished at the Pentagon.

So, when you sit in your nice comfy home and wonder why we are still fighting over there...REMEMBER

Where did the weekend go?

2008-09-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is already Sunday. Where did this weekend go? Lets see, Friday after work I had to go to Costco. Then I came home and Anna was getting ready to go to the high school football game with some friends. (Cool). Talked to Hubby who was on his way home from Montgomery, AL. Then I drove down to Bradenton to pick up one of these.

It is a Cricut and it does amazing things. I am stepping into the world of scrapbooking and the water is deep. I found a group that does "cropping" every Friday night from 6-midnight and then every other Saturday they get together as well. Think I am going down next Friday. And I have someone I can put all the blame on. One Scrappy Chicklet! Yep, that be her. I was over there checking things out and I saw some of the pages she has created for her kids and I just had to find out how. Go on, check it out.

So, where was I? Oh, Saturday. We got up and did a few chores and we decided to do something out of my "what to do in Florida" book. Hubby picked something that was close. We were gonna go "tubing" on the Lithia Springs River. Sounds like a fun way to spend the day. Hubby goes online and figures out directions and we start driving. Couldn't find the place where you are supposed to start. Finally I tell hubby to call the number in the book. They tell us that they haven't done that for over 20 years. WTF! This book is not that old. So now what? We decided to go home, eat lunch and then go to the pool. Of course I had to send Shay a picture txt of the pool. I can be so mean. Anna's father called from Sweden while we were there. He told me he was jealous. Although when he says it it comes out helous. They are so nice. We told him that when he would be up skiing then we would be the jealous ones. I had marinaded some steak meat before we left so by 6pm it was perfect. Then for about 2 hours hubby helped Anna with her history homework. No playing Wii for us last night.

Sunday found hubby and I mowing the yard. He did the back yard and I did the front. I also did the house next door since nobody lives there. I don't want overgrown grass detracting from my nice lawn. While I was doing the front, hubby was helping Anna with the rest of her homework. Before we knew it it was time for him to start the long drive (7 hours) to Montgomery, AL. He did not want to go this time. He got choked up when he was getting in his car.

So Anna and I signed up for the Freedom Walk this coming Saturday. It should be fun. Then I am going to take Anna to visit MacDill AFB and we might head out to Disney World for a little bit in the evening.

And lastly I need to report that I joined the Blue Star Mothers Group. Anyone with a son/daughter in the military should join. I have my first meeting next weekend.

WOW, next weekend is going to be busy for me. Cropping on Friday, Walking on Saturday and a meeting on Sunday. And then, and then, the next weekend I head to Ohio! You all know I can't wait.

Hope your weekend was as nice as mine.

Here's to new friends

2008-09-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

I am here today to promote a few new blogs that I stumbled upon yesterday. But first I want to answer a question that I got from Shay. "Mom, How did you get all of those friends?" I told her it started with one person and many of us here blame her for it and at the same time, we love her for it. That would be Hallie. Hallie was the first of us AF Moms to link her blog on the group. I came over and read and read and read. I spent the whole morning at work one day reading all the back blogs and really felt like I came to know her and her family. Then another mom started a blog, and another, and another. And somewhere in there I started a blog. It was a way to show case my lovely daughter and talk to people about what I do. Or don't do.

We both wondered if there is a search engine in this blogging world that allows you to search for common words and places. Does anyone know?

Now, I want to showcase 3 new blogs that I found yestderday.

The first is Rick because he came over and left a comment on my blog and gave great advice to Shay for her blog. So I went to his blog and boy am
I glad I did. Do you want a special drawing for your blog? He is the man. I have been over there lurking. From his blog I found a couple others that I think are worth checking out. Let me know what you think.

Dawn is the mother of 6, that is why her blog is mom2my6pack and she is funny. You gotta go take a look.I know I will be back.

And then I found this one, the righteous buzz. Another one that shows that life can be funny. And so real. I will be back to view hers as well.

If you are looking for something new today I recommend these with your morning diet coke. Or coffee if you are so inclined.

And I will leave you with the inclination to view My Shays Blog. She made a good dent yesterday and you will learn some things about her. Might even be things that her mother doesn't know. BWAAAAAAHAAAAHAAAA...never

I got an award!!

2008-09-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Lisa at My New Thing To Do presented me with an award last week and I am finally getting around to accepting it. Thank You Lisa!

Not sure if I Blog with a Purpose. But just the knowledge that she thinks that much of me makes me so happy. I love to read her stories of events that happened when she was on duty. She is a fantastic grandma to her grandkids. And, we have people in common. Oklahoma people! It just goes to show that this truly is a small blogging world.

Now, I need to pass it on. I just found my way to this blog this past week and love to go read up on what is happening. If anyone is blogging with a purpose it is a Military Mom. Check out Arkansas Army Mom and read about her son who just left for Army Basic Training. And if you check out her other blog you can learn about Scrap Booking. Anna and I will be getting ideas for her scrapbook from her. Is plagiarism legal in the blogging world? You also need to check out the blog of her other two sons. They really love and miss their brother.

Weekend Update

2008-09-01T14:22:00.001-05:00

We went to the Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore game on Saturday. It was an early game (3:55 start time) and I thought I was doing good by getting us there an hour early. Since I had never been to the Tropicana Field I had no idea. If I ever go to another game there I know to get there much earlier.

Here is Anna trying Dippin Dots for the first time.
This is showing the field. We were actually pretty close but had to turn our heads left to see the action. I know next time (remember, if I go to another game) to get seats so that you can look straight on.
And looking back at the stadium as we were leaving.
We have to drive across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to get home. This is a very tall bridge. It is designed so that a ship can pass underneath to get into Tampa Bay. I swear if I ever see a ship getting ready to go through..I will not drive over it.
Anna taking pictures of the bridge and water.
Well, that was our Saturday. Went out yesterday (Sunday) looking for an electronic Swedish to English Translator. They have just about every other language but not Swedish. I did find one on the Internet today that I think she is going to get.

Then yesterday evening I installed a new thermostat so that I can set the schedule for the air conditioning. Got a little worried and was just about ready to call an electrician because I could not get the thing to power on. I checked everything and even went and asked the guy across the street. But luckily I was on the phone with the gal about the coins (see link to the right) and she suggested I check out the fuse located in the unit. Sure enough! I took off the front panel on the unit in the garage and there it was, a blown fuse. Back to Lowes...Nope, they did not have what I needed. Off I go to Walmart. I had to get a whole kit to get the one I wanted but it saved me a bundle. I finally got the air conditioner running. That would have been hard to sleep with no air conditioner going. Then today I finally replaced the burners on my gas grill. It took them from April until August to get the replacements sent to me. So I guess I got my honey do list done for the weekend.

A new Blogger

2008-08-29T23:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it took a long time but she has finally come to the dark side. My A1C Shay has finally created a blog. She only has one post so far but I know that with a little help from all ya'll we can give her topic ideas to help her out.

Go visit her at A1C Shay and tell her what you think or how you feel.

That is about all I have for this Friday. Well, it is actually Saturday because it is after midnight but who is counting minutes, right?

Anna and I are going to the Tampa Rays Baseball game this afternoon. She has never been. Hope to have some photos for you on Sunday.

Hugs to all and props to the candidates.

I finished Jury Duty, Finally

2008-08-27T21:32:00.000-05:00

As I said, we were called and told to wait. Then they called us and told us to take a long lunch and be back at 1pm. Got back at 1pm and the bailiff came to get us around 1:30. Took us to the courtroom where the lawyers proceeded to ask group and individual questions. Trying to see who they could dismiss from the panel. They sent us out of the room to wait. When they came out again they called six names, those were the ones that would be sitting on the trial. Michelle Lewis!!!!! That would be me. So we were on a DUI case. One witness for the prosecution (the sheriffs officer, one video from the front of the patrol car and the lawyers for both sides presented their case. When all was said and done we went into the jury room. I was voted forman, why!! Do you want to talk or take a straw pole to see where we start. 4 not guilty and 2 guilty. Then we discuss the difference merits if the case, wrote a list of questions we needed answers too and then got called back in the court. They could not answer our questions but they could read the instructions again. Ok, that did it. We now knew what we had to do. Back in the room,one goes to the restroom the rest of us decide to vote, but wait we need the other call. We finally get the form filled out, buz the buzzer to let them know we are ready. Go out there and made this guys day. We were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that he was but he did perform the field test and it was on camera and we thought he did as fine as any man 100 pounds over weight could do. Had we not watched the video from the officers car we would have all gone guilty just because he refused the tests. But his appearance did not support that finding.

Anyway, Home at 7, PBJ for dinner and then helped Anna with her homework. AND now I need to get to bed.

Later

Jury Duty Update

2008-08-27T11:49:00.000-05:00

This is my update as of 12:45pm.

At 11:00am my name was called, along with about 19 other people. We were told what judge we would be assigned to and to have a seat and the bailiff would be back to get us. About 30 minutes later they called another group of people, told them what judge and then told them to go to lunch and be back at 1pm. A few minutes later they called our group and told us to go to lunch and be back. (I am back).

I want to set the record straight, I am not complaining about doing this. I am lucky in that my employer (the good old government) will pay me while I am here. I believe it is our civic duty and hope that IF I ever have to have a jury that those peers of mine will feel privileged to be there judging me. If you ever get the chance to do this, you should. But I like to figure out puzzles and solve problems.

I also just happen to be reading Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture and at lunch I read section 54 that talked about Jury Duty. Ok Randy, I get it. H says that we all believe we have the right to a jury trial but go to great lengths to get out of it.

It is almost 1pm so I better close down for now.

I did get good news while I was here. My Airman (Shay) has passed her final exam (I had no doubt) and all she has left is to finish her section of clinicals and then to outprocess and graduate on Sep 23rd. These kids are SO READY to get out of school.

Bye for now.

Jury Duty

2008-08-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

I received notice a couple of weeks ago that I was selected for Jury Duty. That I would need to be there at 8am on August 27th. BUT to call a special number the night before to see if I really did have to report (Phsych). Well, my number was not selected which means I do have to report. Go figure!
I have a laptop I can take (they have plugs and wireless internet), I have books, and magazines. But I forgot my iPod at work. I am bummed now. So I may get to post again or I may not get to post again on Wed. Keep the prayers that I don't get some murder trial and have to stay there. Who wold take care of the dogs? And Anna?

Another candidate for President

2008-08-24T04:53:00.000-05:00

I have found another candidate for President. I think that this candidate is better than the other ones that are out there and I think that with my friends on this blog we can make it happen.

Skywatch Friday

2008-08-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

Skywatch Friday. Taken by my lovely daughter in 2007 on the Oregon Coast the week before she left for Basic Training. Very nice shots.

I hope you enjoy. Michelle

Nothing, Nadda, Ziltch

2008-08-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

That is what we got from Hurricane Fay. It is hard to explain but you feel a sense of let down that the hurricane did not come our way. Not even any rain or wind from the storm. Now, other parts of Florida did get hit. I guess I should be happy that this is not my neighborhood.

They are calling it the boomerang hurricane/storm. It turned east and is slowly moving north and is expected to switch back west by tomorrow. but not expected to come back to Tampa.

So for all of you who worried about me, thanks. We are doing just fine. Tonight I get to put my patio furniture back out. It has been sitting in my livving room for the last couple of days.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Storm Update

2008-08-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

Is it ok that I am bummed that we won;t be getting a hurricane? They have downgraded it to a Tropical Storm. Still lots of rain and 60mph winds are expected but no hurricane. I promise to post pictures as soon as I get some. Tonight I took this one. It is actually facing east as the sun sets in the west. Pretty Cool. (taken with my cell phone camera so not the best shot).

I should have saved it for Skywatch.

Tropical Storm Fay

2008-08-18T08:56:00.000-05:00

As it stands right now, it appears we may be experiencing our first Hurricane tomorrow! Anybody up for a Hurricane Party? Here is a picture of storm tracker at 10am EST.

If you want to track the storm with us here is a link.

http://weather.tbo.com/wx.php?config=&forecast=tropsystems&year=&region=NT&hwvstormid=6&alt=tropsystempage&hwvmetric=

My To Do List:

Put outside furniture in garage. Don't want to have these things flying around and crashing into my sliders.

Water - Get more water from Costco

Generator (still debating on whether to buy one)

Remain calm

Yesterday Anna's boyfriend told her he was worried because there was a tornado coming to Florida. I told her "it's not a tornado" which caused her some relief. Then I told her "its a hurricane". The school systems here are great. I got a recorded phone call last night letting me know that they evaluated the situation and that schools were open today. That we would received notice tonight if schools will be closed tomorrow. Work is being great about it. If no school, no work. I will try to post updates as I get them. If I am not online tomorrow it is because I don't have power.

Exchange Student Picnic

2008-08-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

I know I have been absent for a few days. We have been busy in so many ways and not really busy in others. Know what I mean?

Thursday we had Orientation at the High School and walked the schedule and met all of the Teachers. Then on Friday we went back when it was not crowded and walked the route from class to class again. Here is Anna in front of the school.

Saturday we had a meeting/picnic with all of the other students that are in the area for this program (ICES). There was another girl from Sweden. Her and Anna immediately hooked up and started talking in Swedish. Why is it when someone is speaking another language you automatically think they are talking about you? LOL. Here is Anna and Micaela. I am not positive about the spelling. Do they look interested in what they are hearing?

Not so much here. LOL I am sure that Anna is wondering what has she gotten into.

There were 13 students there and all of their host families as well. Anna is in the middle of the back row. There were students from Germany, Switzerland and other places that I don't remember.

They took the kids to another area and gave the parents a speech and the students got the same speech with a different slant. Basically it is, follow the rules, no back talk, the do's and don'ts, etc.

Today we had to go shopping for some more shirts and some jeans. We have most of the school supplies that she will need.

Tomorrow is the first day of school and Anna is a little nervous. Everyone that we met so far has been really nice so I don't think she has a reason to be scared. I know that doesn't help her though.

We are doing good. It is a little bit of an adjustment getting used to having a teenager in the house again. But Anna is making it easy.

Congratulations Hallie!!!

2008-08-14T08:07:00.000-05:00

I would like to say congratulations to Hallie at WoWW. Yesterday I was the 6500 ~~lurker~~ looker at her blog. To help her commemorate the occasion I want to present her with not one, but two, ~~pictures of~~ Prada bags.

I am such a nice friend. I even picked the most expensive bags I could find. Keep up the good blogging Hallie.

In other news in Shaysmas life:
....Anna is settling in. Since I am at work all day she is left to fend for herself. Unfortunately, this gives her time to think and she thinks about how much she misses her family and friends and Sabastian (bf). Today she is going shopping with some friends so that should help and then tonight we have Orientation at the high school. I am off tomorrow and as soon as I get the lawn mowed we will be heading out to see Tampa.

....You can't plan when it comes to the Air Force. Shay has been scheduled to graduate from Tech School on Sep 23rd. This has been the date since she arrived at Wright Patterson on January 4th, 2008. Then came word that they would graduate on the 19th because their NCOIC will be on leave the next week. So I look up new flight times. Then it comes down that so and so's father already got his ticket so graduation is now set for Sep 22nd. Ok, I look at more flights. Then comes the txt msg that says "don't buy your ticket yet". I realize that it is a month away but the price for tickets keeps going up. I don't think it is going to go down. Plus I have to schedule the time off from work. That is my rant for the day. I will keep you all posted!