Taco Tuesday

There's only six Taco Tuesdays for the PB&J (photographer, broadcaster & journalist) team left here. To do Taco Tuesday right you really have to eat at the main dining facility ((ahem, you're welcome, April) or the DFAC) here known as Ala' Too. Yeah, you can get a touch of Mexican with some enchiladas or a burrito at the two smaller DFACs, but you miss out on heaping piles of shells or tortillas, ground meat or shredded chicken filling and the fixins bar of grated cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa, sometimes guacamole, and fresh whole chopped tomatoes.

On Taco Tuesdays I eat taco salad which means my plate is at least half tomatoes. Today, no chopped tomatoes, but no worries - I'll grab some tomato slices from the sandwich bar. No such luck. I love black olives almost as much as tomatoes so I'll over-compensate on those. No such luck. Just before I was about ready to give up on enjoying lunch, my eyes became glued to snow-white heaven. ***Sour cream.****

Sour cream for me is the equivalent of what BBQ sauce is to JG. It's the foundation of some of the tastiest dips, the key ingredient for a rich Stroganoff, an essential component to most cheesecakes and probably the only condiment I could literally eat by the spoonful. (No, peanut butter is not a condiment, it's a category all its own.)

I enjoyed a 'little' dab on my salad. I was then pleasantly surprised to see it at the Colonel Mac's DFAC to accompany my enchiladas at dinner complete with sliced (then Jenny-Chopped) tomatoes and black olives. Best Taco Tuesday EVER!

Zapped

You'd think that growing up on a small family farm with an electric fence I'd have been more prepared for the jolt I got late Monday night. I was determined to change my sheets and make my bed with the laptop on the bed, just moving it to the opposite corner I was working on. When I got settled in my new favorite flannel sheets (thank you, Martha) I noticed the battery wasn't full on my laptop.


The power source was secure in the computer - so I knew that the plug (connected to a 220 adaptor piece) had to be pushed more securely into the wall. Standing in my right foot to do this I heard a loud pop, saw a big white spark and instantly felt pain in my right hand and foot.


I'm still feeling bouts of tingles and random sharp pains, tho not nearly as bad as earlier in the week. I've had two EKGs and somehow I got dehydrated enough to suffer a bladder infection. I slept for nearly three solid days. Electric shock isn't widely written about unless addressing symptoms and care for instances severe enough to cause entry and exit wounds. If you google it, you get mostly electric shock 'therapy' (insert extreme sarcasm based on this experience) and - on the accidental extreme - how victims are at risk for cardiac arrest, muscle deterioration and burns. 


So, our team has about five weeks left before our office starts rotating the staff. Two of the public affairs folks coming in have each had a prior deployment here both within the last three years. For another it will be her first deployment. The other gentleman is no stranger to working in a host nation environment serving in Air Force News detachments.


There's more that I want to accomplish here than I have time for. Our event calendar is hectic between now and when the new superintendent arrives at the beginning of December. I hope the next few weeks go by fast.

Halloween Three (Not the Movie)

It's been about two months since I've blogged - spookey, huh?

Halloween is my least favorite holiday. As kids my sister and I would have to be driven the mile or so between houses to trick-or-treat. Rural trick or treating is probably one of the best kept secrets of the country. Most folks in the town of Abbot, Maine, were lucky to get three or four trick or treaters total so homeowners would make elaborate Halloween goodie bags - none of the city "take one piece" nonsense at the hoards of ghosts, princesses and movie of the year characters with the occassional ATV-sized cadillac stroller mixed in. Anyway, most years we were too poor to get proper costumes so we'd decorate paper bags and cut out two eye holes. Well, that childhood memory didn't really bother me too badly until as a teenager I heard crude boys make comments about how some girls would have smoking hot bodies but an ugly face - and you know the saying "put a paper bag over her head." My dreaded nickname in school was also Ogre (thanks to a 'tool' of a maiden name) so that didn't help matters any.

Flash forward a few decades and this year Edward was Darth Vader and Zachary was Darth Maul. JG was Indiana Jones (insert word "sexy") he was equipped with a bull whip we bought during our road trip adventure in April when we stopped in Mark Twain's home town of Hannnibal, Missouri earlier this year.

JG is much better at Halloween than I am. Last year I was Marge Simpson. (Oddly enough it was timed the same week as her debut on an adult magazine cover.) Green dress, pearls and blue-colored hairspray and so much cement-like gel and only one person looked at me. Edward was a samauri and Zachary was a .... drawing a blank .... Scream? Something cloaky with a mask, I know that for sure.

Three Halloweens ago was the only 31st of October the four of us have spent together - it was also a month before JG and I were engaged. The kids were being such 'demons' we outright cancelled trick-or-treating. This was the night that the main water pressure valve in the house burst causing water damage to both bathrooms and the boys' bedroom. I couldn't even imagine what the damage would have been if we had been out trick-or-treating that night.

Yesterday when JG and I were skyping, he made the comment that Halloween was his favorite holiday but he didn't care much to celebrate. This deployment has been by far much more difficult for the both of this compared to his deployment last year. The only thing I've been good at is taking out my frustration, disappointment and anger out on him - something I'm not proud of.

Black Thumb

So, the strawberry plants I've been writing about have died. No one watered them the week of the airshow.

Pete's Place

***** It's Tuesday. Nine days after I wrote the bit below. I will be working on my follow through. *****

I'm sitting on the boardwalk at Pete's Place. This is the social hub of the Transit Center at Manas - for both service members stationed here and those traveling into or coming home from Afghanistan. It's a mellow night being a Sunday, and I'm doing the thing I detest the most: taking up an entire table to use my laptop while being anti-social. Supposedly Nate and Mike will be swinging by so we can have our beer. We're allowed two daily here - one of the deployment perks here in Kyrgyzstan.

It's named Pete's place in honor of Peter J. Ganci, Jr., a firefighter who died in the WTC attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Three months later the Transit Center opened to support Coalition Forces and Americans on their way to Afghanistan - then it was named Ganci Air Base and shortly after that it was named Manas Air Base and now we're the Transit Center at Manas.

I'm looking at the outside mural of Peter Ganci with the WTC towers engulfed in flames and smoke. I've seen this same image on posters in many work centers here with the words "That's Why." I want one.

Jam

Just about every time I write or talk to the boys I ask about the strawberry plants - I was so thrilled to see JG posted a picture. The day I planted the 15 plants (yes, it really holds 15) the boys and JG were having a nerf gun war in the back yard.

Since I've been here, strawberry jam has become my comfort food. Partly because in the two weeks I was at Fort Dix I only got strawberry jam on three occassions. Partly because it's my favorite. And, partly because I have fond memories of going strawberry picking with my family as a kid, then watching my parents make homemade strawberry jam. Here, the only other jelly they have is grape. I know I've elevated the status of jam to "food" but trust me when I say sometime the only thing that looks good to eat is a make-it-yourself PB&J.

Tonight I had barbeque chicken. It was pretty good. Almost ready to declare bbq sauce a food too.

So I've been sending cards home to JG and the boys. They have yet to actually receive one from me here in Kyrgystan. We were told mail takes an average of 2-4 weeks to travel back and forth to the states. I'm just trying to picture being home for a month and still receiving mail from here. I'm running really low on stationary. I actually used my last two cards for the boys then dove into a stack of blank cards with limes on the front. The only sets the base exchange here sells are U.S. Air Force stationary. No thank you. I prefer pink and sparkles and flowers and cute swirls.

In my last post I said that JG would be flying in a KC-135 above Spokane taking photos of the 4th of July fireworks. Nope. The first aircraft broke. The second aircraft broke too. Can you imagine this happening when it really counts? Some of the tankers here at Transit Center at Manas are actually from Fairchild AFB. Day in and day out those work horses of the 1950s are refueling everything that flies above Afghanistan. The Air Force has some amazing maintainers. I'd put any one of them up against a mechanic making a fleet of cars last for 50 years, being driven as hard and as often our our tankers fly.

Hey, it works ...

So this is one of our projects while Jennifer is away:

I was told there would be no math ...

Things just aren't adding up. When I sit down and go over everything I have to do in a day, I'm frustrated there aren't 30 hours in a day. That's about what I need. Of course, that doesn't include requisite video game time, so that will have to be factored in somehow ...

But that's the issue. I can't get everything factored in. I never was any good at math ...

With Jennifer gone, it's not just a drain on us at home, it means one fewer people at work. Which means more to do there with her gone. So after a long day doing the work I have, the work she would have and the work that our soon-to-be-deployed lieutenant has, I'm just drained. I'm convinced Jennifer cloned herself last year and is just hiding them from me ...

So at least to help become a better parent ('cause hell, I'm still new at this (does that feeling EVER go away?)) I attended a parenting class on base. Some folks from the Love and Logic Institute came out last month and gave a few talks that I got a lot out of. Basically it involves making kids more responsible for their own decisions by being assertive about your own. I found that by using their methods, I haven't yelled at them at all. Who knew making your voice lower has just as much impact, if not more ...

So I'm ordering the books for Jennifer and me. Last year, we read a lot of relationship books to become better spouses to each other; this year we're gonna focus on parenting. For that matter, next year might be focusing on parenting too as Jennifer and I are talking about having a baby. Which shouldn't be a big deal, right? I mean, how hard can one baby be? But then again, with Jennifer's penchant for breaking things, what if she splits the embryo and there are twice as many of them? The number of dirty diapers doubles, the number of hungry kids in the house screaming for food doubles and the amount of time there is for video games gets halved. Again, with the math ...

Independence ..... Day

Today was the 4th of July. The wing commander invited local mayors from the surrounding villages out for our festivities and we even invited local Kyrgyz media out as well. I love escorting media - but it was strange having such a back seat with the language barrier. Working with us is a woman named Aigul who isn't only a translator and continuity for the public affairs office that changes its team ever six months, but she is a great communicator and is keen on getting the media what they need. All in all it was a successful day for our team. It was actually the only event we've covered that I wasn't attached at the hip to our photographer and videographer. I spend most of my day transporting media back to the visitor's center when they were ready to leave, hunting down transient soldiers willing to be interviewed by "foriegn" media and just being hospitable. We ate burgers today - my first one in country and my first bag of chips.

Two years ago JG and I spent our first and only Fourth together in New England. We had only been dating for 90 days, exactly, (the same number of days the standard Air Force deployment used to be in the 1990s, but I digress). Our families knew we were pretty serious - we had our first family vacation in May at the home of my now mother-in-law. I'm just excited and looking forward to our first Fourth of July as a married couple. Last year I tried to take the kids to the Air Force Memorial to watch fireworks, but we were walking up as the show was ending. In about twelve hours, JG will fly in a KC-135 during Spokane's celebration while the boys stay with another family we are all friends with. Maybe next year we'll all be together for the holiday.

Waxed

Breakfast is definately my biggest meal per day. Omelet, biscuit, fresh fruit, yogurt and bacon. I can eat this for six months and not get sick of it. I'm usuallly at work an hour or so before I get breakfast and carry it back to the office in styrofoam. This has now become routine.  I have very little other routine right now other then trying to catch JG and the boys when I wake up and when I got to bed.

I finally got waxed today at the little beauty salon here. The woman who waxed me did a better job than then my last two visits at a spa in Spokane. The pedicure was good considering they had to make do with an office chair and a bucket of water. I can see why people make day trips to the Hyatt downtown for their spa. The salon here is definately good for routine maintenance, but to really indulge I'll have to go downtown.

I haven't really found my groove at work yet. I attribute this to being tired. So, I'm going to call it a night while it's a reasonable 9 p.m. bedtime.

Day 10

I celebrated the end of Day 10 with a beer. A local beer that I cannot pronounce let alone spell. It has a big #9 on the front of the bottle and it's 8% alcohol. Although it's 11 p.m. here and my body is just exhausted I cannot for the life of me get to sleep. I should have had two beers.

I was able to break way from the office this morning to go to my dorm room to skype with JG. It was only Tuesday for him but a trying week in the office. I left the conversation feeling needed and wanted and appreciated just by being there for him and listening.

13 Hours

It's 1 a.m. here and I think I just screwed up my body getting used to the time change, but it was well worth it. JG and I finally got to talk for more than 10 minutes. My first week here in Kyrgyzstan has been a disappointment to us both - neither one of us feels as if our relationship/communication needs are being met. And I can't tell you how much that hurts.

His issues: trying to establish a routine with the kids while feeling I'm not respecting his time constraints at home and during the duty day, feeling anger and sadness that my first phone call home didn't come until day four and feeling burdened when I ask him to take care of something back home in every instance of communication.

Both of us were miserable this week. My feelings were also hurt, I felt like I had been wronged. When we finally talked today I was of harsh words and harsh tones. Eventually we were able to have a decent conversation. Something the both of us needed.

It was a late night for me and I realized that I had been keeping up my roommate. I feel like the worst roommate in the world right now. Partly because I forgot her name (I did warn her this would happen), partly because when we talk I have the air conditioner right in my ear and she has a really soft voice and I feel embarrassed to ask her to speak up, partly because I've not made my bed the last few days and my stuff has been scattered on the floor, and partly because I should have thought to bring my laptop to work and have the conversation with JG in my empty office.

She's also a wife, she's also a mom and she's a fellow NCO. At one point she got up out of bed and just left during my conversation with JG. About an hour or so later, when JG and I were finished I had turned out the light and started this blog entry. She popped back in to grab her PT jacket and I said "I'm so sorry about that, I didn't mean to keep you up." With the air conditioner and her trying to be considerate by not turing back on the light (not able to lip read) I caught: "no no no ..... it's okay ..... sometimes my husband and I ......." and the only thing I could think to say was "thank you."

Goats Wanted

The Bishkek International Airport and the Transit Center at Manas share a runway. And, long story short, there's birds who thrive on the insects growing in the hodge podge of weeds and some resemblence of grass. As a guest in another country we can't do more than suggest these flightline areas are mowed more often. My solution? Rig an electric fence and stick a couple goats out to pasture. They'll eat anything and in no time the birds will fly off to better pastures.

Heavy Eyes

This is me. Tired. Let's see if I can sleep tonight.

Jennifer's Day One

June 30th last year "The Sergeants Buzz" started with a quick into on Day One of JG's deployment to Southwest Asia. We're 10 days shy of that anniversary and I've reached my own Day One here at the Manas Transit Center, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  

Yes, that is my electric blanket wrapped around me! I have one roommate - a great change from the dozen I had for the combat skills training at Fort Dix. And because we're in a building our latrine and showers are co-located with us. Even better, I have wifi in my room :)

It was great to finally meet my sponsor in person - we've been Facebook friends for months now, but it's so great to put a face with the name. I did some reading about the country on the way over and was surprised to learn that more than 75% of the country is literally frozen underneath permanent snow and glaciers. The country is relatively small - about the size of South Dakota. And livestock outnumber people 3:1. Now that I'm here, I'm anxious to become aquainted with the headlines more in-depth.

On a lighter note, the rest of the trip from Norfolk to here went smooth. Our entire office came out to greet us after our flight landed. They had already got our dorm rooms assigned and had keys-in-hand for us. The Major told us to get some rest and not worry about reporting for duty until 10 a.m.

Back from the brink; hiatus is over ...

What a difference six months make. I took a hiatus from blogging and Jennifer has done an amazing job of telling our stories the whole time. She entreated me to contribute on a variety of topics, but we've had so much going on. "That's the point," she put so delicately. And what can I say, she's right. Don't tell her I said that though ...

So to recap in a nutshell ... got home December 24th, scrambled to buy presents for Christmas Day since I wasn't supposed to be home until New Years ... Jennifer's Birthday ... reenlisted in the Air Force for another four years ... Jennifer was informed she was heading to NCO Academy ... I found out it was time for me to relocate (apparently five years in DC is a long time) ... my options came down to Mississippi, Idaho or Washington State -- Fairchild Air Force Base, near Spokane, Washington, wanted us most ... remodeled the house -- hardwood floors, painted walls, redid both bathrooms -- all in time for us to pack up and drive cross country from one Washington to the other ... Jennifer found out she had to deploy to Iraq ... started packing ... Jennifer found out she was going to Afghanistan instead ... more packing ... Jennifer found out she was going to Manas, Kyrgyzstan instead -- or as I like to call it, a little slice of deployment heaven (side note: did the math, I have more deployments than I have permanent changes of station since joining the Air Force) ... more packing ... tried to spend as much time with friends as we could ... packed up the truck ... pulled the boys out of school a month early ... found out I won Air Force Print Journalist of the Year as well as a few other writing and photography awards -- all stuff I did while deployed ... made the drive ... driving ... driving ... driving ...

Funny thing about the United States: They say there are a bunch of states West of the Mississippi, but really, it's just one, so don't let them fool you. It's called Nothing. Much like the villain in "The Neverending Story." Except when you get over that one hill, then it's more Nothing. With the exception of a lot of miles on the truck ...

The trip wasn't all bad, though. Talked Jennifer into staying in St. Louis an extra day to catch a Mets game -- my last for a long time (figures, they lost). We also made it to Hannibal, Mo., which was a bit of a pilgrimage for me, it being the birthplace of one of my favorite writers, Mark Twain. Jennifer also indulged me in diverting several hours to Metropolis, Ill., for the Superman Museum. I even played the song on the iPod as we drove through town. That statue is, well, Super ...

We also made it to our last Five Guys burger in Missoula, Mont., for the forseeable future. That was after the three days of driving through the Nothing. Kinda like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow made out of monotony. The only other thing of note in that stretch was seeing Mount Rushmore, so that was pretty cool. You know, for a mountain with four dudes heads carved in it ...

Jennifer's aunt lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, so we stopped and visited with them and had one of the better meals of our trip. They're our closest family, so it's really nice to have them. That and the area there is just amazingly beautiful. You know, for a lake ...

Finally it was Spokane. We got our house, we got unpacked (mostly) and we started work. And it's been nonstop busy ever since. There is always something going on, which is why I haven't felt compelled or inspired to write anything. But as Jennifer pointed out: "That's the point."

She's right, of course ...

She recounted these six months in much better detail than did I, however she posted no photos to go with them. So my contribution will be to add a little color to our last six month adventure ...

But mostly it's time to start a new one. Jennifer is on her way to her deployed location and will be working with some great folks. For Zachary, Edward, me and our dog, Judy, it'll be getting by without Jennifer. We'll have to learn to live without her warmth (in her heart, not her iceberg feet), her companionship (even when she's bossy) and her cooking (that'll be the hardest part) ...

Of course we wish her the best of luck on her deployment, as it's her turn to go, as I tell the boys. So far we're all handling it okay, but, of couse, we miss her already (especially her cooking) ...

Philly to Norfolk - Part Two

So, my plane was delayed out of Philly, for maintence by an hour. More and more of my combat skills training classmates were showing up at the gate. Our flight was canx outright - I believe it was because the aircraft wouldn't have been able to carry all of the excess baggage. Me and my gear weigh 426 pounds. I know this because the gentleman at the AMC terminal told me. Yes, I asked. I guessed 500. I'm a better packer than I thought. When they canx my flight, I was put on the same flight as Kim. So we've been hanging out today. Cold Stone is two blocks away from billeting. Coffee ice cream with mini chocolate chips and pecans. That was my dinner. Yum.

There was a screaming baby on the plane. I am usually not annoyed with screaming babies having had the experience of flying with a 10-month old with an ear infection. There was a baby sitting behind me who was not screaming. Both 'babies' were about 14 months old. The difference why one was screaming and not the other? Baby behind me had a mother who was talking to her. "Oh, look at the ocean that's where the fish and sharks live. We are going to be landing soon ..." etc, etc. Baby in front of me had both parents who were holding her, but didn't not talk to her at all. No "what's wrong?" or "look at this" or "when we land we're going to ..." No conversation. No nothing. And just when you thought baby couldn't get any more ear-peircing she did. Again and again. Then the flight attendant rescued us all by bringing the baby the demo oxygen mask. I tried my best to remember her name, but all I can recall was that it started with a "v" and it wasn't a common v name like veronic, victoria, viola or valerie. The baby was quiet and happy, but I'm convinced it wasn't because of the mask - it was a conduit for communication. Flight attendant: "oh, it's a hat! you're so clever! oh, i love your shoe - look you've made a necklace. my son likes those things too." The baby made eye contact, was engaged and knew exactly what was being said. So, to the mom and in dad in row 5 of flight 3287 try talking to your daughter. If you don't start now you're going to have a whole mess of problems by the time she's 15.

Philly to Norfolk - Part One

I had a really good night’s sleep last night. Down comforters, six gushy pillows, thick soft mattress – heaven. I did have to get up early and repack all of my bags. I have five. A hard case for equipment, my suitcase and three A-bags – that’s a lot to lug. Some folks sent their training equipment home. I didn’t.


Kim and I traveled together from Fort Dix to the Hilton Philadelphia Airport hotel. She’s a career photographer who’s now picking up some public affairs slack at her assignment so we had a lot of stories to share. We had dinner on the river at a place called the Chart House. We both wanted steak, but the seafood entrees looked amazing. I got the sea bass with saffron risotto and it was amazing. I had my doubts about the risotto – saffron can very easily overpower a dish but it was perfect. The sea bass was cooked perfectly and they topped it with lobster and crab meat. Maybe today I’ll get myself a steak. Or a really good cheeseburger.

I’ve been sending a lot of cards home to the boys and JG. That was the last thing we learned from JG’s deployment was that cards, letters and care packages meant the most to him. So, I’m trying to do a better job of that during this separation. I desire conversation – whether it’s IMing, webcam or talking on the phone more than anything else.

Edward gave me Yoshi. He’s not made it out of my backpack yet. Zachary gave me a potholder and a mini scarf he weaved “to keep your fingers warm, mom.” The boys are so incredibly sweet. I miss them so much already.

From last weekend

Sunday, June 13 I wrote this as a word document but forgot to post it.


I’m wearing civilian clothes for the first time in six days. About half of my roommates here are trying to sleep in while the other half of us can’t wait to leave the base. Last night I caught JG on webcam – but it was nearly midnight here on the east coast, so it didn’t last too long. Even without the kids around, 6:30 a.m. is sleeping in. JG let me take his headphone and microphone set with me and it took a bit to figure out that the band goes around the back of my neck instead of on top of my head. He he he. We are still on lock down for an hour. FUN. I also have armory duty for an hour this afternoon.

Final Exercise Done

The only thing I have to worry about is getting one last omlete, formation without battle rattle, cleaning my M-16, turning it back into the armory and returning the borrowed linens, magazines (as in ammo, not Newsweek), and keys. Then, it's off to Philly to spend the night to catch a flight to Norfolk where I will do some waiting for my flight out of the country.

So, I had an all-time low in customer service today at the Fort Dix Dunkin Donuts. Now, I love their coffee and when I'm on the East Coast I actually prefer it to Starbucks. But, this morning I was in the mood for a hot chocolate. It was served in a plastic cup complete with a lid with the straw hole. When I said I can't have this cup it's too hot, the guy hands me a cardboard sleeve. I had to ask for a styrofoam cup for my HOT chocolate. Eyeroll.

Zero Weeks

The term "Zero Week" comes from Air Force Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas ... when I went through in 1996 there was two or three days of administrative things that took place before they counted the six full weeks of basic training. I consider my time here at Fort Dix and the subsequent travel time to Manas Transit Center zero weeks. I just want to hurry up and get there so I can count down the time to getting home. It was this time last year that JG was packing for his deployment. We've only had five months together between him coming back at the end of December and my leaving the first week of June. I hope this is not the beginning of a trend.

Compiled at Combat Airman Skills Training, Fort Dix, N.J.

I've just finished day five of 'CAST.' We don't have internet connection in our dorm and this is the first time I've made it to the library to upload the bits of blogs I've done since I left home Monday. Enjoy.

Monday, June 7

I'm at my layover in Minneapolis-St.Paul. I "refuse" to pay for internet. The laptop is new and i can't find "word" so I'm testing out this sticky note program. Wondering how many characters I can type before it locks up. I don't like this scripty font. I get that they want to make it like a 'real' sticky note, but come on. Just figured out you have to launch a program called "microsoft works task launcher" in order to access microsoft word. I had breakfast for lunch here at the airport. Don't even remember the name of the restaurant, but do know that it's sit down. For only a buck or two more than 'fast' food here you don't have to worry about getting your own refills, you have a dedicated table and you can settle your belongings so there's no awkwardness while trying to pay, hold your food and maneuver around people. Well, the sticky note program doesn't not seem to have a character count cap and I've lost interest. How I LOVE copy/paste!

Tuesday, June 8

Well, today was the first day of Combat Airman Skills Training. Mainly it was a day of equipment issue and a two-hour lecture on how to survive, evade, resist and escape if needed. Breakfast was just okay – I got distracted from the omelet bar when I saw a heaping tray of fresh scrambled eggs make its way to the serving line. Those “eggs” will have to take a back seat to veggie and cheese omelets for the rest of my stay. I’ve been here twice before once for a course called Phoenix Readiness back in 2003 and for Advanced Combat Skills Training in 2006. I should have known about the eggs. On a surprising note the red delicious apples were nice and crisp – not mealy. I’ve actually stopped buying that variety at the grocery store. I did some light grocery shopping Saturday and it was so depressing not to be able to buy food for meals that I’d normally be planning for the week. JG took the moment of not rain to try out the weed whacker. We bought an electric one to save on the moving hassle of having to drain the liquid, etc. For the same reason we bought a manual mower.

Saturday, June 12

Thus far I’ve made two trips to the base exchange. The first trip I picked up cards – one for JG, Edward and Zachary. Also bought a lock for the wall locker I’m using. I swore I packed it, but could not find it in my bag. Until five minutes ago. Of course. The second trip I bought a notebook and a stationary set. And toothpaste. I was getting by on SpongeBob Square pants bubble gum flavored toothpaste. Ick. So today was a training day, even though it was a Saturday. Tomorrow is our day off, but I’m pulling a shift to watch weapons. I’m also getting my nails done. I’m shocked I’ve not ripped them apart, so I’ll get them done short to last me another month. I called JG a few minutes ago, but forgot he was running a game today. One of the photographers I’m deploying with is in my flight. It’s nice to meet someone I’m going to be working with for the next six months before actually getting in country. I lost JG’s lcd flashlight my first night here. With the extra time tomorrow I’ll put more effort into looking for it and maybe even find it. Yippe.

Red Dead Redemption

This is the newest addition to the PS3 family. I'm told it's awesome.

Two weeks

I have two full weeks to cram the rest of my inprocessing, outprocessing, unpacking, family time and work obligations in before I leave for the rest of the year. I have lots of worries as I'm about ready to switch roles with JG from this time last year. At least this go around we're at least mentioning my deployment, but we're agreeing not to talk about it.

Friday

JG and I are proving to work well together. We make a great team. This makes me smile. :)

The house is getting there ... some things need a place, need to be unpacked .... but this is definately HOME.

Second Saturday

We've been in Washington 10 days and I'm still on EST. Everyone in the house is out like a light, except me. But, that's really okay - it seem to be the only time there's absolute quiet in the house. Yesterday was a crazy day. The DMV here is split into two completely separate departments: licensing and registration. And when I say "split" I mean not even in the same building. I had to make two trips. Over the phone they said since we were military we only needed our current driver's license and our military ID. The kicker? My Alaska driver's license didn't have a photo since it was renewed when I was in Virginia, so the couldn't count that as a form of ID.

We go home. JG finds my SSN card and we program the gps back to the "dmv." Only the gps remembers the first dmv address for the registration instead of the one for licensing. After that minor irritation I'm told that the SSN isn't enough to get a 'real' license. I had to get one that said "ID not verified" because I needed a third form of identification. I was (okay, AM) so annoyed still.

The kids were with us for the second trip to Spokane. We knocked out getting ink for the printer at Best Buy and picking up the last Star Wars Saga Edition game book at Barnes and Noble. We came to the reality that we couldn't get the house put any more 'together' until we found a solution for the computers so we spent more at Best Buy than we planned then added a trip to Staples.

We have three computers. The laptop that we got right before JG deployed last year; the home desktop that used to be in the master bedroom; and the previous home desktop that used to reside in the entertainment center. New house, new plan: Zachary got our computer desk in his bedroom with the older desk top. We needed a new desk for our desktop and a monitor since Zachary had ours since his computer used to use the television as the screen.

The original plan to turn the smaller room in the basement into a library and sitting room changed when we bought a desk that wasn't going to fit in the living room/dining room. So now, the new LCD TV/Monitor will go downstairs on the desk with the desktop and will eventually have a game system hooked up to it.

The basement is a good 10-15 degrees cooler than the upstairs and it's unfinished. So, we went to Home Depot and purchased carpet, a pad, an exacto knife and gorilla strips. Setting up the office is our big project for the day. I want to get started, but my attempt to get JG out of bed with me failed.

So now, I'm on the lookout for a velveteen type of thick fabric on sale to drape about a foot inside the walls of that room to help contain heat. I'm sure by the time the family is up and ready it will be free comic book day at one of the shops downtown. Big day ahead!

Grounds

Today was our last day setting up the home and JG and I report to our office tomorrow morning. The daycare issue is still looming. I have to say there was a night and day difference between registering Edward at the Child Development Center and Zachary at the Youth Center. Last Wednesday, Edward was registered, enrolled and had a start date for Monday. Zachary is still in "the process." Meaning Wednesday we filled out paperwork to be able to pick up more paperwork Monday. Monday will filled out paperwork and returned it just to get a call today to have more paperwork done. And we still don't know if Zachary will be enrolled and if so what day he will start OR if this all in vain because he needs to go on a waiting list. SIGH.

At my last office I had a coffee pot marked soley for water. This was for tea or oatmeal without having a coffee residue taste. Last week at our first trip to the commissary I made sure to buy coffee filters and coffee. Monday I finally unpacked the box that had the other half of the coffee pot and was so excited I proceeded to make coffee only to realize I bought coffee beans and not ground coffee. So, today, at our fifth trip the base exchange here I bought a coffee grinder. So yummy, I'm finally enjoying real coffee in my own home!

I'm wearing a red apron. With all the time and messes in the kitchen I feel like it's about time I owned one. The last time I had one was when I was four. It was blue. The red matches my pot holders, floor mats, kitchen aid, food processor and our new dish set. I like red now much better than when JG and I met and the only color of anything he owned was black and red. Our new comforter is black and red too - but it's very elegant, not overly masculine.

The house is finally starting to take shape although not all of the furniture is placed. We are debating on making a library out of one of the rooms in the basement. More to come on that.

Between S.D. and our first weekend at home

There's not a whole lot between Mount Rushmore and Spokane, Washington. The only significant things worth mentioning are that the Five Guys in Missoula, Montana is going to be worth the three-hour drive once a month. Also, my Aunt Daphne is awesome.

We stopped in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for the night and she met us a the hotel, drove us to the lake and put out a feast she made herself - crabmeat pasta salad, grilled chicken skewers with homemade peanut sauce, fresh veggies and fruit, crackers, wine, coconut pie - it was amazing and even more so eating on the road for more than a week. Something I've always loved about my aunt growing up is that she always treated my sister and I like we were adults. I was reminded of this when Zachary came off the playground to eat with us and she told her son to move some things out of the way so he could sit closer and be part of the conversation. It was so nice and so strange to be sitting with my now adult cousins who I've only seen once at the wedding just about their whole lives.

About seven miles from Fairchild on Route 2, JG was pulled over for the second time this trip. The only thing that seemed strange is that the law enforcement officer only cared for JG's driver';s license and not the registration or insurance. Weird, huh? He asked where we were going and we said we haven't got there yet. Luckily, JG got another warning.

After visiting with my Aunt and her family the next day, Tuesday, we went to base, checked in with our office, got our keys to our new home, unloaded the truck and trailer and returned the trailer. Day two, we started to put that mess away and started the process for getting the kids enrolled in school and daycare. Day three household goods arrived and Zach had his first day at school and Edward had his Kindergarten assessment. Day four Edward started school and we unpacked some boxes. Today the house is still a wreck, but we're taking a break to meet a long-time pen pal of JGs. I made salad and garlic bread.

The spaghetti lunch was great but mostly because the boys were so excited to have other kids to play with. We rounded out the day with more shopping for the house and topped off with dinner and pie at Marie Calenders.

Before Rushmore

We’re on the way to Rushmore. We’ve got a solid three hours to go before we get there. Yesterday we stopped for dinner at Famous Daves. The wait was crazy. From as best we could tell it was like one of five restaurants in Sioux Falls. Good food though. JG and I tried Famous Daves in Virginia.


BBQ sauce is on the lesser scale of condiments (but essential in slow cooking or grilling, just not as an afterthought on meat). Ironically enough, of the five sauces at Famous Daves JG and I enjoy the same one best – Sweet and Zesty.

Before dinner JG was listening to the second Mets/Cardinals game – the score was 0-0 when we left for dinner and, from his mom’s voicemail still 0-0 but this time in extra innings. We call MiMi back and she announces the game as it’s happening for us off and on over the next two hours. Ended up being won in the 20th inning – 2-1 Mets.

Amidst all of that I was able to convince JG to let Ju-Ju in the cab after showing him how pathetic she looked shaking in her kennel. The temps had plummeted from the 80s to the 50s.

The Comfort Inn where we wanted to stay didn’t allow for pets and we were too tired to make it to Rapid Falls last night, so JG smuggled Ju-Ju in and out of the room. She is such a good dog. If only the boys were all well-mannered!

The goal today is to make it across the South Dakota, Montana boarder – then either stay in Western Montana or Idaho Monday night. We'll see what happens.

Ju-Ju

Ju-Ju hates me. Every time we let her out of the kennel in the back of the truck she heads straight for the cab of the truck after going potty.


Never, ever has she ridden anywhere else but with me in the cab of the truck. The way she’s looking at me this week breaks my heart. I feel especially bad since I’m sure she was about ready to have a heart attack earlier this week when we were driving through Ohio. We pass an identical-model Dodge Ram then a few minutes later it’s keeping pace with us – I look over and the husband, wife and kid are waving frantically and mouthing “your gate is open.” So, we pull over and sure enough the tail gate was down and the glass door to the topper was wide open. Luckily, everything was packed tight enough we didn’t lose anything. My poor Judy-girl.

Staying to nights outside St. Louis and renting a car to go to Hannibal and to the ball game was a great idea. It gave Ju-Ju a chance to chill all day and we didn’t have the stress of maneuvering the truck and trailer through the fan-fare.

So aside from the Belgian waffles, the other reason we’re staying at the Comfort Inn with dedication this entire trip is to accumulate free nights. The two consecutive nights in Alexandria during renovation week and our two nights in Missouri only count for points as one stay. Good to know. Not every stay is equal in points – so where on earth they get their stay two nights get one free slogan I have no idea.

We dropped the car off at Enterprise on our way out on 70 West this morning. Luckily on the way to the ball game yesterday I asked JG where it was and he pointed out the exit. I’m so glad I asked because when I followed him this morning, I didn’t have room or time to merge ahead of an 18-wheeler so I had to yield and merge after him, completely obstructing my view of JG driving the Chevy Impala. But, I knew the exit and the day was saved.
We ate at Sonic today for lunch. Not nearly as good as I remember. But everyone else seemed to like it. We parked and got Ju-Ju out of her kennel as we ate at the picnic tables. Zachary gave her a bite of chicken from his chicken, bacon, cheese toaster sandwich. She is such a good dog. I lift her on the tailgate and say “get in your kennel” and she does. “What a good baby girl,” I tell her as I give her a treat. I bought a new natural brand that has glucosamine in it. The vet said I can give her that supplement in pill form to ease her arthritis. A new home is a great place to start new habits and when JG and I take our vitamins, the kids take their gummy vitamins then I’ll have Ju-Ju take her supplement. To make it easy I may just put it in a bit of soft food.
I’ve got to go negotiate a stopping point for the night with JG. Soon I hope to get photos posted and some of my writing tightened up for an easier read. I’m kicking myself for not looking into a wireless card for the laptop before we left!

Scalper

Right now we’re just outside Kansas City getting ready to pick up 29 North. Sioux Falls is programmed into the GPS, but I don’t think we’re going to make it that far today. We have an appointment Tuesday afternoon to pick up our keys for the new place at Fairchild. That’s the only thing driving our schedule right now.
So, after Hannibal and the nap yesterday we went back into St. Louis. We hit the waterfront by The Arch and the kids were able to get their flat pennies. And just in time too, we were able to get through the gate they left open although the river tours, gift shop and café were closed. Then we went to Busch Stadium. JG asked a police officer at the corner if there was parking ahead. “Yeah, but it’s expensive.” I’m laughing to myself because the parking, directly across from the stadium, was only $15.
We stood out on the quick walk – and because it was obvious we were from out of town between the Mets jacket and sweatshirt – we had every scalper in the vicinity try to sell us tickets. Now, we’re not ticket snobs, but they didn’t have what we wanted (four seats all together behind home plate) so we made our way to the ticket counter. They must have been desperate to sell – our friend we left on the corner manned by police sought us out and we abruptly ended the conversation with the ticket attendant on the promise of $60/ticket. Our friend brought us to a season ticket holder who had three seats in a row and a seat in front on the aisle of section 153. (11-13 and seat 10).
The seats were FANTASTIC. We knew they were well worth the “face value” the guy was asking ($100/each) but his runner, our friend, only got us out of line by saying $60, so that’s all we were willing to pay. Our advantage: the game was only 20 minutes from starting and the odds of selling four tickets in one shot were dwindling.
We made it through two bags of peanuts, three hot chocolates, two sodas, three hot dogs, chicken fingers and two nachos with cheese without any incident. Edward, although fidgeting, was being very well behaved. But, not still enough for the woman sitting next to him. “You need to sit still,” she says to Edward who is no wearing Dad’s Mets jacket and is trying to get his hands out of the ridiculously long sleeves. She then asks me what grade he’s in. “Kindergarten, he’s only five,” I say. “Oh, I’m a first grade teacher,” then leans in to Edward and says, “do you know what respect is? And what it means to be a good listener?”

Edward’s eyes get big and he turns to me with perfect manners, “Mommy, may I please move seats.”

By this time Zachary has made friends with the woman sitting next to him. She’s a lot younger, a lot cuter and a lot more friendly. She even tells Zachary she’ll even sing the Jose song with him when he gets up to bat.

Now back to poor Edward. Dad rescued him onto his lap, which allowed for dead space between me and the teacher. We have a 20 minute conversation where she’s convinced we’re stationed at Scott AFB and are PCSing to Fairchild AFB. I’ve already told her a few times he went to school in Virginia. Turns out her and her husband have been retired from the Air Force for 18 years. He was a fighter pilot who went to survival school in Fairchild in the 1970s. Now he’s a chiropractor. Anyway, she talked about how it was really hard for her to become a civilian again after her husband retired.

Please don’t take this as slam against military spouses or their sacrifices to our country – but I took offense to her saying *she* had a hard time becoming a civilian. You can’t become something you already are, right? Law enforcement officers and firefighters have a more dangerous job then I do serving in the Air Force. I’m sure we don’t hear their spouses saying it was hard becoming a a civilian again.
Anyway – about the fifth inning the kiss cam came on the big screen and JG switched places with Edward (yeah, I made the mistake of sliding over one and this facilitated the conversation further.) JG kissed me. We weren’t on the screen, but that’s okay. We’re way too cute together for other people to handle anyway ;)
With JG sitting next to me I was finally able to focus on the game. Unfortunately the Mets lost. Cardinals got a grand slam and we left at the end of the eighth inning. 1-4 Cardinals. This morning JG tells me the Mets had scored two more runs at the top of the nineth. “You’re so lucky they didn’t end up winning the game or I’d be angry with you that you made us leave.”

Before we left the retired gentleman and his wife the teacher left. Then I leaned forward to the cool couple who were sitting in front of us and said “did you hear Edward ask me if he could move seats?” They laughed and said they couldn’t believe how she wanted to instill classroom rules at the ballpark. “He wasn’t even doing anything wrong! Poor kid!”

Stairs on top of stairs

“It’s always funny when old people curse,” said JG on the drive back to our hotel in O’Fallen, just west of St. Louis today. We visited Mark Twain’s home of Hannibal. The town would be a contractor’s dream if the townsfolk could afford the repairs. There was about a dozen flights of stairs up to a lighthouse running right next to a local’s backyard. JG asked the woman who was tending to her yard what it’s like living next to a tourist attraction. “Well, people say only one of two things: nice view or oh shit more stairs.”


We ate at the Mark Twain Family Restaurant. When I saw they made their own homemade root beer I ordered a float. The root beer was so good. When we asked if they sell it we were ready to purchase two gallons until we realized they package it in used milk gallons and they don’t seal it. The restaurant could make a fortune off their root beer if only they’d invest in a little packaging and marketing.

JG had chili in a bread bowl. JG has a thing for bread bowls in general. As single guy he’d purchase just the bread from Panera and keep a stock of canned soup in the pantry. The chili was actually very good and they showered the entire thing with shredded cheddar. JG’s meal and the root beer were the only things worth writing home about so we’ll move on.

I could not imagine cooking in an 1800s kitchen. You’d have to start the next meal of the day immediately after the one just served. I got a kick out of looking at the kitchen that was attached to the pharmacy across from Mark Twain’;s house.

So we rented a car for this adventure. We figured it was worth the $50 not to lug the truck back and forth. JuJu and Indy are vegging out at the hotel room. Indy really likes her carry case. I put her out on the bed and she tucked herself into the kennel on her own. JG laughed when I put Animal Planet on the TV for them.

OOOOOh. So, good news on our living situation. The privatized housing company said there’s a newly remodeled house for us if we want it. I was thrilled with the floor plan – one story, so that will make life a lot easier for Judy, aka Ju-Ju. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet and its own bathroom. The washer and dryer are located downstairs in the basement. There looks to be considerable storage space down there.

(Friends of ours in Spokane said they would take Indy for us – so we’re able to live in housing now.)

With any luck we’ll have a firm mailing address that we can change on the road.

Superman, Part 2

JG was driving when we were pulled over. The law enforcement officer startled me as he approached the passenger side first. He asked where we were going and I said we were PCSing to Washington State but were on a detour to the Superman museum. He smirked and that's when I knew we weren't getting a ticket.

When he handed JG the warning he said that he knows Superman is important, but we had to slow it down. JG thanked him for the warning and we were off. Speeds were not mentiond purposely as our mothers read this blog. :)

Anyway, the Superman Museum was phenominal. The amount and variety of ***stuff*** could have filled a museum three times that size. We took photos in front of the giant Superman statue. We took photos at the cardboard cutout for Superman and Supergirl. And we indulged at the gift shop. A shot glass for Aunt Julie's collection. A Green Lantern glass for JG. A pink superman logo tank top that JG described as "sexy" and another matching pink superman T-shirt. T-Shirts for the boys and they each picked a toy. We got a magnet for the fridge. JG has comic PJ bottoms that I will steal eventually. Kryptonite rock candy rounded out the shopping trip.

In the truck I discovered a prong on my engagement ring broke clean off. The diamond is secured, but I sure am paranoid and curious how that could have happened.

The plan from there was to drive to Hannibal, Missouri, but to make a quick stop at Air Mobility Command Headquarters to say hello to the public affairs office. We did that then were well on our way then JG saw the exit for The Arch and it was another site-seeing adventure. Needless to say we didn't make it to Hannibal, we're right outside St. Louis.

We tried our best to get the boys flattened souvenier pennies, but the riverboat tours center and cafe was closed and the machines were on the other side of the gate. JG was determined to hop the fence, but luckily I offered another solution. Horse and carriage ride to take us somewhere else that had them. :)

By the end of our ride, JG's allergies kicked in. He's passed out right now - out cold after some Alegra and Sudafed. Edward is out cold too. Zachary is watching King of the Hill. Time to get some rest. Tomorrow it's off to Hannibal then back to St. Louis. Mets are in town.

Up until the Superman Museum ...

So, we just left Effingham, Illinois. Yes, I said Effingham. I think this may be my new G-rated swear word.


I have to say I’m addicted to the Belgian waffles. I think I mentioned this before. What I didn’t mention is that in Virginia I had bad luck with waffles. The week our bathrooms were under renovation we stayed at the Comfort Inn for two nights. Our first morning there I made a few waffles – electrical sparks flying out of the rotating joint. (The hing that opens rotates 180 degrees for even cooking.) The next morning they displayed frozen waffles and a toaster. Then, our last few visits at Silver Diner yielded zero waffles as their waffle maker was broken. So, with bad waffle luck left behind in Virginia, I’m thoroughly enjoying our road trip breakfasts.

We just got on 57 South. We’re on our way to Metropolis. I’m nodding my head yes at the geeks who know this is home to the Superman museum. We’re driving a total of four hours out of the way today to accommodate the landmark. Fittingly, JG is wearing his new Green Lantern T-shirt I bought him during our last trip to his comic shop, Big Planet in Vienna, last weekend. It remains to be seen if he will actually throw away his old one it was meant to replace.

Edward is wearing his “Samurai costume.” It looks like a red cape. It’s really his preschool graduation robe.

So yesterday we were taking note of the Air Force museum’s photojournalist display and realized that their “Air Force News” display needs an update. It’s now called Defense Media Activity. But, it was really cool seeing the bylines of some our colleagues we know personally. Varhegyi, Tudor, Weckerlein, Cooley and Ricardo are just some that I remember.

My favorite photo was then-Tech. Sgt. Cecelio Ricardo of Heroes Hwy, the entry for the wounded to Balad Air Base, Iraq’s tent hospital. His combat camera news team came out to Balad while I was deployed there in 2007. Shortly after they left, I found myself staring up at the highway’s American flag after being flown out of Sather Air Base with a broken leg. And that, is another story for another time.

So, the DSi XL we bought Edward yesterday he tried trading with his brother who has just a DSi. Edward does not adapt well to change. At all. He’s quiet and playing with it now, but I’m not sure how long that’s going to last.

Okay, I have to write down this quote before I forget it – story for next blog entry: “You act like you’ve never been pulled over before.” Followed by: “You act like it happens to you all the time.”

Back and forth on travel Day One and Day Two

I’m wearing my SHRUTE FARMS BEETS T-shirt. We’re leaving the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. I’ll have to post this the next time I have wi-fi but a lot has happened since we left Monday and I didn’t want to go too far in this trip without writing.


So we left Monday. Late. Way behind schedule. We’ll just skip over my meltdown about that. It was already going on rush hour traffic when we stopped at the Air Force Memorial one last time.

Speaking of the memorial, at our going way luncheon last week JG’s supervisor, Master Sgt Russell Petcoff, presented an Air Force Memorial paperweight to him. The memorial means a lot to us since we were married there, but especially for JG since he’s been covering the Air Force Memorial since they broke ground to build it about four years ago. This was also where he had his reenlistment.

If Sergeant Petcoff’s name sounds familiar to those of you who follow Air Force glogs, it probably because he’s done some blogging for U.S. Air Force Live.

So, back to Monday. We drove less than two hours into the trip and we stopped for the night at my friend Melissa’s in West Virginia. It had been about six years since we saw each other last. Since then we’ve both divorced and upgraded the caliber men in our life. The boys had a blast playing with her kids. Lelia is just one year older than our Edward, and since she’s a girl Edward was enamored. Zachary and Rudy played much better than when they were three and one.

And when we left West Virginia (skipping the part about the teary goodbye) we it was like we couldn’t leave West Virginia. We weaved in and out of the state two more times on the way to Ohio.

Once in Ohio we saw signs for a Toy and Train museum, but right now they are only open on weekends – would have been nice to know this before exiting the highway. But, it wasn’t all at a loss. They boys posed on a big train car that was in the parking lot.

That’s when I took over driving and made the executive decision to stop for the night at 4 p.m. I gps’d the nearest Comfort Inn (make-your-own Belgian waffles in the morning, don’t jusdge). The had an indoor pool that we enjoyed before dinner at the Olive Garden. JG commented on getting a room on the first floor right next to the side entry door. “This is what happens when you stop for the night early – you get a good room, lots of parking space for the truck and trailer.” To which he replied, “No, that’s what we get for staying in Ohio.” Well, I have all week to prove him wrong 

Okay – so it’s very rare I get a bad meal at the Olive Garden. Well, JG ordered one of my favorite chicken dishes for himself – the scampi, so I figured I’d order something he enoyed se we could share with each other. I got the stuffed Chicken Marsala (bacon!) with the garlic mashed potatoes. Well – they were the worst mashed potatoes I’ve ever had out. I ate allt he mushrooms, took a bite of the chicken then sent the plate back.

Now, this morning on the way to Dayton we stopped at Best Buy to get a replacement DS for Edward since the used one he got from his brother at Christmas completely broke broke – first the hinges, then it was unable to charge. Ofcourse it breaks on the way to Melissas, the first hour of the trip.

Also, in the first hour of the trip the alarm went off at he Dulles Toll Road. We gyped them a quarter for the extra axle we had with the trailer.

Okay, so we’re at Best Buy today and JG goes to pay and realizes that he doen’t have his debit card. The last place he used it? Yep. Olive Garden. We put a hold on the card, then called the restauarant and asked them to shred it up.

We had fun at the Air Force museum. The only thing I was excited about seeing was the Hanoi Taxi. I was there when the last C-141 was retired there by the 445th Airlift Wing, AirForce Reserve, years ago.

Second favorite was the four of us crammed into the “photo” booth that makes a drawing.

So, I realized that my favorite thing to do at museums is to watch the videos. I need to file that for later.

In the time I’ve written this we’re now five miles from the Ohio, Indiana boarder. On the list is Scott Air Force Base and Hannibal, Missouri.

It's 5 a.m. in the morning

I made the trailer reservation. Indy seems to like her travel case, but she was really cold this morning. She's sitting in my lap right now. There's three hours to kill between now and the time we can pick up the trailer. I also rented a dolly. So worth the ten dollars. I also got insurance.

We ate at Uno last night. The boys made their own pizzas. JG had chili. I had the haddock. I love haddock. Next to seabass it's my favorite white fish. My mom used to make baked haddock fillets with canned whole tomatoes, two onions cut into rings and on top of that thick slices of a sharp Vermont cheddar and it was served over thin spaghetti. One of my all-time favorite dishes.

I'm hooked on Food Network's 'Chopped.' The last time I watched it I was really annoyed the judges keep talking about how you can't mix fish and cheese.

Now that I made myself really hungry for breakfast I'm going to tackle the day. Hopefully we can be out of here by lunchtime.

Not as planned

It's Sunday night. Originally we were supposed to already be on the road to Washington. By Friday, it was apparent that the goal was too ambitious so at our last appointment at the Pentagon we changed our departure date to Monday.

JG and I fought over how much of what we kept out was going to fit in the truck and we had plans to visit a friend in West Virginia tonight so I said, "Fine. I give up in this argument, go get the trailer." I figured I could suck up doing things his way for now and along the road trip I could condense and repack so by the time we rolled through Montana the trailer would be returned and we'd be arriving our final destination the way I had wanted to leave Virginia. My actual, genuine buy-in to his plan happened a good hour after every U-Haul in a 100-mile radius closed. Although there was a U-Haul less than 10 minutes away, JG was compelled to get my full buy-in of the trailer plan right when I told him to get it. He told me, "you said 'go get the trailer' begrudgingly."

Looking back on it, how adorable is it that he wanted me to believe he was right?

I threw away JG's Star Wars popsicles that were in the freezer. I was so obsessed with cleaning out the kitchen I didn't even think twice. I felt bad when I realized that he didn't even had one yet, and that when he bought them he was serious about eating them and that they weren't just our BBQ gag favor.

So I bought Indy, our snake, a travel case. It's a nice canvas one with mesh screens that you'd expect to see a chihuahua in. It's pink. I like it. Then, the boys and I bought sunglasses today at Old Navy while JG was in Home Depot returning the excess flooring and tile and weird odds and ends we didn't end up using for the rennovations. I even bought sun glass pouches. I like the pouches. Mine is pink.

Know your audience

So as we're leaving the book signing JG says.

"He reads our blog." 

And I feel like a jerk because Mr. Moore knows I would have preferred to be packing for the move.

Today is the day before our "final out" at our unit and this weekend we leave for Washington. The biggest angst about the move has been figuring out where we would live. Why? Privatized housing discriminates against most pets that aren't either feline or canine. I find this particularly ironic as our pet snake who pees in a cage (and her pee crystalizes at that) is zero property risk wheras dogs and cats have been known to chew base boards, claw carpeting, tinkle on the carpet or ruin blinds. So after a month of trying to figure out finances of living off base or on base with a mortgage here in Vigrinia and no prospective renters yet, we have friends in Spokane who will take our ball python, Indy, so we can move into base housing.

In other developments this week I am married to the Air Force's Print Journalist of the Year and number one feature writer. Also, he placed second in the photojournalist category. Way to go, JG! Kisses.

Christopher Moore

If I didn't have WiFi right now waiting with JG I'd be going CRAZY. His favorite author, Christopher Moore, is going to do a book reading and signing in about 20 minutes. JG is reading his newest release, BITE ME, as I'm blogging. And not that there's anything wrong with blogging - I love you all - but there's about a million more things that need to get done before the move. We leave in five days. SIGH.

We went to Mr. Moore's book signing last year when he released FOOL. About now, if JG were reading over my shoulder he'd make a 'single guy' joke relating to the timing of the book release with our wedding. Yes, Christopher Moore got an invitation. No, he didn't come. He signed my copy of Lamb. I was only about halfway through it when he signed it. He cared enough to ask how I liked it. I said "so far, so good" and that's how he signed it.

Yesterday JG and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We started the day by taking the kids to the "boss's house." (This is what JG likes to call the White House.) It was the annual Easter Egg Roll and we were almost first in line. We were able to get tickets because JG had deployed last year. Next to the income tax return it was the second-best perk to him being deployed. The kids had a blast.

SIDENOTE: It just occurs to me I'm the only one here with a laptop. It will probably be rude, especially sitting in the front row, if I don't put it away while he speaks :UNSIDENOTE

As a kid I remember seeing the White House Easter Egg Roll featured on the ABC/CBS nightly news (Dad would switch back and forth between the two over the years, but never NBC). Anyway - I imagined that the "roll" would have been at least 50 feet or so. I seemed as if it were only five, but JG is convinced it was more like 25.

After that Zachary did hula-hooping and then both of the boys did Basketball and Tennis "phonics." JG walked one of the volunteer tennis coaches over to me and introduced me. Turns out she was Billie Jean King. She was not wearing a name tag. If she was I honestly wouldn't know who she was anyway. You could tell she was really having a blast working with the kids. I overheard her tell another parent that they (not sure exactly who "they" is) just started a 95-year-old and up tennis league. If only I had that much spunk now! :)

Then we went over to another sporting area and the boys played catch. Edward decided it was easier to play catch without a glove. It was cute.

We ran into some friends while we were there. The Zachary family drove up from Florida to attend. Stacia was so cute showing our Zachary her service coat nametag :) The Lapetoda family commuted in from Maryland. JG says I gave him a nasty look when I saw him conversing and taking photos of a blonde. I think April saw it too - she teased me. It was funny - which brings me to .... So the other day I was reading Cosmo at the salon and it said not all women want to steal your style, your job and your man. Well, there's enough of them to warrant caution.

SIDENOTE: Is there anyone else is this crowd NOT reading his book? :UNSIDENOTE

He's here. GTG.

Camping out at home

The laptop is on a folding table and I'm sitting on a blow-up mattress. Any minute the contractor will start rennovations and I'm stuck wondering what color paint to do the livingroom. Home Depot made an appointment for us to purchase the other half of our materials this afternoon. We bought the first half Saturday and was a little dissappointed their 10 percent military discount is capped at $200.

I found an exotic pet boarder in Maryland today. Wondering if long-term boarding may be an option for Indy. The contractor who runs Fairchild Air Force Base's privitized housing won't allow "large constrictor snakes." Indy may look intimidating to a person who doesn't like or understand snakes, but trust me, she's no anaconda.

The movers came last week and hauled away most of our belongings. I have a few kitchen essentials, four suitcases of clothes and odds and ends that, fingers crossed, will fit in the back of the truck.

Next weekend JG and I celebrate our one-year anniversary - hopefully by next Monday we wont't be too exhausted to enjoy it.

Crunch Time

The movers will be here in less than 48 hours. And not only will they be "here" they will be at our 10x20' storage unit. Almost everything in the storage unit is already boxed, but not everything is marked. And not everything here at the house is separated into the "we" move and "they" move piles. I feel disorganized. I have more boxes of "things to go to other things" than I know what to do with. And, believe it or not, I feel like I'm running out of boxes. We've never had a box shortage.

I'm wondering how much stuff we can fit in the back of truck as I'm debating on packing two or three PJ sets for each kid.

Sigh. Back to work.

30 Days Away

That's right. In less than 30 days we'll be driving cross country to our new assignment, stopping to see the Air Force Museum and Mount Rushmore along the way.

Between now and then we have more things to do than we have time for and it's beginning to take its toll. This morning JG and I went to Bolling Air Force Base to take care of some outprocessing and we stopped at Starbucks before heading back to work. I tell JG that sitting there "relaxing" is stressing me out because we have so much to do.

Possible Orders Pending

JG and I just got notice we might be moving to ... Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. We requested early reporting so I can still go on my deployment this summer. We could be moving as early as April.

Remember how some of my very first blog posts revolved around all of the bathroom remodeling catastrophes? Well, the bathrooms still aren't fixed and that needs to happen ASAP, among other things, to make this place rentable after we leave.

The contractor is coming today to give us an estimate. Wish me luck!

One Thousand Million

"That's how much snow we have," said Edward. The local news is calling it a blizzard. The picnic table in the backyard is no where to be found ... buried under 18 inches of snow. I have the most wonderful husband who has taken our beloved dog JuJu outside all day to do her business and I've been in the house nice and warm.

Today was productive. It had to be. We lost last weekend all together. After Zachary got the flu, it hit Edward, then me, then JG. By the time Thursday night came around I was starved. Ofcourse that was the night that everyone was at the grocery store.

So, last month I turned 32. I unwrapped a pink Wii fit cover and the movie "Julie and Julia." Then, JG suprised me with a shopping trip to Best Buy and we walked out of there with one thing - a Kitchen Aid mixer. (Gasp.)

This weekend I finally got to use the Wii Fit Plus I got for Christmas and I took the red Kichen Aid mixer out of the box. I got to try the Kitchen Aid's meat grinder attachment we got as a wedding gift (thanks Rubios) to make chicken maple sausage for breakfast with french toast.

Although the patties, made with chicken breasts, didn't end up dry it lacked the nice fatty, greasy goodness of real sausage. So, tomorrow for lunch, I'll add lots of garlic and ginger to the mix, brown it up and make eggrolls.

I did have a moment of panic when the sausage was being cooked ... the electricity flickered four or five times. Luckily it didn't go out. The sausage was saved. And, believe it or not, I didn't break anything today. (Big smile at JG.)

Friday Reflections

So much has happened in the last six weeks I don't even know where to begin. It's snowing ... I guess we can start there. It's the beautiful kind of snow, but it's not going to last long with rain projected for later this week.

Zachary was up all night sick. I'm hoping he's going to pass out for a nap here shortly. JG got up with him at least once an hour all night long ... poor Zachary hunched over or on the toilet. Most people blame being sick on the last thing they ate ... we had Five Guys so it HAS to be a virus and not a food-born illness.

JG reenlisted yesterday to serve another four years in the Air Force. This decision did not come lightly in the midst of the hardest time in our career field I've seen in 13 years. On the way to pick up the kids for the ceremony I broke something. Anticipating the boys and another passenger I immediately opened the trunk to put in my gym bag to make room for another one of JG's colleagues who wanted to witness our family's committment. The key was stuck going in so I shoved it in hard, popped the bag in, shut the trunk in a hurry, slid into the drivers seat and starting to put on my seatbelt as I crank the engine. Well, it didn't crank, it was stuck. I pull out the key thinking I may have put the wrong one it. But, no, it was the right one, crooked and all. WHAT?

As I bring the key upstairs to my office where we have a drawer full of hammers I wonder if someone tried breaking into our trunk and that how the key thingy broke. I pass by our deputy director in the hall and show him the damaged key. The colonel did a really good job, but unfortunately it didn't work, the HOV lane turned into 3 passengers only and I only had about 15 minutes to make it to the Air Force Memorial. I was so bummed we wouldn't be able to have our boys there. My husband drove to work that day and had the other car key on him. So, with car filled with moral support and the presiding officer he hands off the key and I say "I'll see you there."

Usually, when I break something, it's far worse than I first realize. So, as I'm in the elevator going down into the parking garage I hoped that I didn't bust the ignition by forcing the broken key in it too hard. But, luckily, the car started without incident and I was on my way. Seven of us, freezing cold, stood underneath the three spires of the Air Force Memorial in 20-degree weather.

Also, yesterday, I found out that I'm going to the NCO Academy in April - a six-week course in Alabama. Two weeks of Combat Skills Training happen two weeks after I return from there and about a week later I'll be on my six-month deployment. I can't tell you how relieved I am that I have firm dates to plan around.

I've come to the realization that we're not going to have a sense of "normal" between now and the time that I leave. JG made the comment the other day that he doesn't feel "home" yet. There's been a lot of adjusting for all of us since he's been back. I'm so thankful that we get to spend our first anniversary together. To make up missing the reenlistment to the kids, maybe we'll go visit the Air Force Memorial on the day our family became official.

Home and back agan ...

I'm home!!!