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.