Christmas Eve

It's the day before the day...the day before the celebrated birth of our Savior...what a great thing happened by His birth, what a greater thing resulted for us in His death.

We went to two Christmas Eve services today. One was rockin' and enjoyable, but the second was traditional and more to my liking, but both proclaimed the good news and the fact that God keeps His promises. I loved all the music, the scriptures and the children dressed in their Christmas finery. We of course had our traditional Christmas Eve pizza and we went to the beach for a little bit. How could we not, it's 75o here, it's beautiful and unbelievable to me that it is December 24th. My friends and family back home are looking at ice and snow and much cooler temps then we are that's for sure!

The pies are baked, the noodles are drying and the sweet potatoes are candied, now all that is left is to fill the stockings then off to bed. I am ready, it's been somewhat of a tough week. The loss of a great friend and huge influence in my life has brought a bit of a heavy heart to me, but I know I can rejoice in the fact that we will see each other again. I find comfort in that and am so grateful for her Godly example to me, she was a true gem.

Merry Christmas! I hope the season has true meaning for you, that you take time to really savor the moments of family and friends no matter what your situation, it's not about the tinsel, the gifts or all that other stuff, it's about the day Christ was born, celebrate that and don't worry about the rest! Remember He is the real reason for the season!!

Today is the day...

SHE will be here this evening, we are not very patiently waiting for that time to come...we are soooo ready for her to be here already.

Being out of town this week helped the days go by, now today we are trying to stay busy and get through the day until she arrives. With the storm in the east I am so glad we had her connect in Atlanta and not Dulles as many of the flights were. So far no delays are reported even though it is snowing in her departure city. It is even cool and windy here today, so praying for traveling mercies until she has her feet on the ground right here in sunny FLORIDA!

More later!

Thursday Thoughts!

Oh my, cooler weather has arrived and that is after we were on the beach in 88o weather yesterday. It's been rainy more then not this past week, it's like one day it's warmer then usual and sunny, then rain sets in for the day. Weirdness, maybe this is winter Florida style. It's the dampness I am not fond of and we have had plenty. But the warm days thrown in make it doable...especially since my NE friends have just had THREE snow days and it was -9 at 10 a.m. this morning, yeah, I am not complaining :)

Even lil'blue had a snow day yesterday.

It's already after 8 and it's been a week already, so I am thinking early to bed this evening. We had the honor of being able to attend the retirement ceremony of MiB's brother on Tuesday. Wow, ARMY STRONG, he's been all over the world, he knows five languages and went from green to gold and served our country proudly, he is now a retiree. Seems unbelievable! He's a great guy and was an asset to the USA, he will continue to serve but will no longer wear the rank of a major; he will be serving in one of the "stans". He will continue to make a difference, we are proud of him, thanks for your dedication and service MM!

Thoughts:

• I like lemon bars!
• I really need to watch my eating better...
• LilBlue will arrive in 10 days :) if you were counting.
• Hmmm...retirement, maybe not as far off as I once thought!
• I am thinking sand is not as bad as snow, but snow is prettier!

DECEMBER...and already the 3rd!

Well, December is here, believe it or not...I enjoy the Christmas holidays, but seems like they have come quickly this year.

I do have all my shopping done with the exception of picking up a few more stocking stuffers, all gifts are wrapped minus one, which is waiting on some attention from MiB before proceeding and the house is decorated except the main tree which we will do the night lil'blue arrives so it's not an issue that the holidays are here, it's that Decmeber is here; it just seems like the year has gone by too quickly.

I am super excited for lil'blues arrival in just 16 more days-(not that I am counting or anything :), we will have her for 15 short days, so much to do, share, create in so little time...but we will be living each day to the fullest!

Thursday Thoughts!

• Lots to do in so many areas
• Being pulled in ALL directions
• Everyone seems to want some of me
• I feel a lil' teensy weensy bit OVERWHELMED
• I'm so thankful we celebrate the true reason for the season

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Blessings abound, take time to be thankful and savor all that you are blessed with, the list is endless...

Thankfulness

Tomorrow is the day, I absolutely love, love, love Thanksgiving, it is a great day always spent with those we enjoy, sometimes with family we love. This year it will our first without lil'blue in our midst, that is tough; she will be in MO with the family so it's all good in the big scheme of things but we will still miss her...I am so thankful that MiB is here, there have been several years he has been away. It is a dreary day here in FL and the fact that we will not be spending Thanksgiving with family makes me a bit sad. MiB is still en route to be home for tomorrow. He had to stop in at the SMART dealer for a back glass latch fix and is now on his way home from MCO after his second "L.A." trip this month or third depending on how you look at it.

When I think about being thankful I think in terms like how blessed I am. I have been provided a very nice house to live in with great A/C, I have a bed to sleep in with wonderfully soft sheets, two cars in my garage that are paid for, no real worries. I am wonderfully blessed by a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a great family. All things but I am blessed through them, I am also blessed by my surroundings...the beauty of God's creation like the ocean across the street, palm trees in our front yard, the alligator in the pond out back (okay, maybe not him) but definitely the manatees over at the marina!

I am a fortunate American, I love our country, I hope others take time to be thankful for all that they have. We are a nation who lives in abundance. We are a nation at war. I try to not get wrapped up in the materialism that bombards me every single day; it's hard. And I am not even one that would be considered a materialistic person; however, sometimes the media can really suck us in. It's a constant struggle to remember our abundant wealth, to be content with what we have, to love each other and not things. It is one of my goals to do more with less, by living below our means and be thankful for all things in all circumstances, it's not easy, it's downright hard on some days, but I continue to make it a priority.

One time my second sister said Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because it is all the great food and family time without the hoopla of the gift giving frenzy that Christmas brings. On many levels I agree with her. Unfortunately, I have come to kind of dread the Christmas gift giving tradition, seems the real meaning of the season has gotten lost in the commercialism of America.

Anyway, my noodles are drying, the pies are baked, the sweet potatoes are candied and I am taking a quick cyber break. Tomorrow we will take food over and serve to the on duty Defender's then go on over to serve our nation's best and brightest Airmen in the dining facility before coming home to sit down to an evening gathering with "three doors down" and anyone else who was invited that chooses to join us. We will eat way too much I know, but I can't wait! It will be yummy :)

Tonight we are attending the inter-faith Thanksgiving service at the chapel followed by a pie social, it is usually a great service since so many different faiths come together for this event and are represented. I am excited to go, it's always good to get together to be thankful for all that we have been provided and to worship the one who has provided it all!

So I wish you a HAPPY, HAPPY Thanksgiving and remember at my house there will be no turkeys, only a fabulous ham :)

Oh my...

yeah, well, it's not Thursday and here I am posting, you are surely as shocked as I am!

I missed last week since we were in L.A. and I wanted to atleast note we are back. Well, maybe I should clarify that "we" as in we were back and one of us has gone again...back to L.A. but not the one in California, the other L.A. the one that we affectionately call lower Alabama. That's right MiB is back in Montgomery he was there a few days before we left, and now is back. A lot of things are wrapping up before the holidays really kick in that he needs to attend. As a matter of fact if it would not have been Thanksgiving week, I would have went as well. Maybe next time :)

So the California trip was good, less jaw dropping this time since it was my second go 'round, but it was still a great time, learned some new things and got to have Sprinkles again!!!! And believe it or not the cupcake eating made me think of this lady, who is always so super sweet and pops in on me regulary with encouraging, uplifting words! Thanks Susie.

BTW I had three of those super delicious cupcakes over three days this year...carrot, which by far was my favorite, pumpkin, close second, lemon and milk chocolate, good, very good, but nothing to really get overly excited about! Whoops, guess I had four!!!! It was all I could do NOT to tear into the ones we brought home for "three doors down" Their flavors were strawberry, which I have never had, pumpkin, chocolate marshmallow and milk chocolate.

On top of that we stopped back in at this little piece of heaven where I enjoyed with my MiB a Passionfruit/Coconut swirl with toppings of blueberry, strawberry and pomegranate seeds. Oh, it was wonderfully delicious.

We also had great burgers and fries at the Beverly Hills Diner on Thursday night, which is on the corner of Santa Monica and Beverly Drive. For the middle of BH it was a great little place with just what we were looking for, nice semi greasy burgers and crispy, hot, fat fries. They also had milkshakes that looked incredibly good, but we knew we wanted PinkBerry so we passed, which was really tough cause the people behind us had one and they were HUGE.

Lunch on Friday was another treat for our tastebuds as we dined with the Bird on Italian fare. Soooo good, I was totally impressed with this place, without a doubt the best I have had since leaving Italy. DaPasquale's nailed not only the food but the cappuccino, it was fabulous! We will definitely go back if we have the opportunity.

On Thursday evening after our diner meal we also strolled down Rodeo Drive which was pretty neat. They already have their Christmas decorations up so it was very nice to take it all in with the holiday visuals and especially in the evening hours. By far we loved the penguins in the fountain with their holiday ties on the best, that was super cute! But the late breaking news is that when we went back to stroll on Friday afternoon we actually made a purchase at the COACH store...yeah, I know, I couldn't believe it either; and get this, it wasn't even for me!! MiB needed a new wallet so we came out with one that should last awhile. He doesn't get it until Christmas but so worth the wait...it's a very nice wallet.

The sad thing about this trip is that I took pictures only with my phone so I don't have any uploads, but the good news is that a new camera is on the top of my Christmas list so I think MiB will need to go shopping...

Enough from me; I am so tired and so ready to be in my jammies and do some before bedtime reading before I slip off into dreamland. It's been a long day and I am very much looking forward to a good night's sleep. Night!

Oh Happy DAY!

It's once again Thursday, but it is not just ANY Thursday, it is the day after Veteran's day, which I am very proud of the Veteran's in my life, one of whom has a birthday today...Happy Birthday J! I know you are celebrating BIG and having all the sweets A will allow, which probably include but are not limited to, cake, pie, cobbler, ice cream, probably even someone brought you donuts this morning and without a doubt if there is pudding to be had I know you are having some :) I am so honored to know you and pleased that you have been such a huge part of my life from as far back as I can remember. I am thrilled that you are my dad's best friend, you two are a riot and it's always fun when we are all together, I am only sad that you no longer live in Nevada but it is what it is and the best part is we will all spend eternity together. Again I wish you a very, very HaPpY bIrThDaY today and as many more as the Lord sees fit to bless you with!!!!

I am in the midst of packing for the Cali trip...this is no small undertaking when you consider every day of this trip has me in two different wardrobes. The dress for the conference each day is business attire, then each evening is another style from Sunday night's smart casual, to Monday evening being semi formal, then on Tuesday is it semi casual, Wednesday is cocktail attire, then Thursday it is back to smart casual. Friday is the all out formal for the AFA sponsored AF Ball. It is so hard to really know what to take that will work because even with the guidance I am given there will be those who really dress to the nines and those who have on totally inappropriate attire (like the guy who wore shorts and flip flops to the smart casual event). I try to be comfortable in my skin and in the mix of what qualifies for the guidelines given me by protocol and not embarrass myself! Of course, I am also trying to mix and match my wardrobe pieces but the shoes for each type of clothing is really throwing me off. However, I think I am finally getting it narrowed down! Also we are touring the Boeing facility on Thursday morning and the requirements for that little adventure are long and tedious!! No exposed skin between your pants and your shoes, no perfume, no open toed shoes, no hair accessories, no clothing that sheds, heels that are less then 2 inches and that have at least a one inch minimum surface to name a few and on top of that we will put on "clean suits" and will not be allowed to take notes, purses or electronic equipment to include a camera. I cannot remember the last time I had so many rules for a tour! Sometimes, I wish I had a uniform like MiB then there would be no question of what to wear for the majority of events!!!!

Anywho, I am really looking forward to the trip; even though it is a full schedule it is a fun one! MiB will be briefing this year and that is always fun for me to get to be in on! There will be much to be learned, lots to bring back, along with friendships to rekindle and new ones to forge. What a great way of life the USAF provides, we know it's a small world and each year of this life in the blue we are amazed at how much smaller it gets! How neat it is to see who we will know and who we will get to know.

Oh, and we musn't forget we are again privileged to be able to stay at that swanky hotel again this year!!! The one that we had a room in the pool cabana, with our own "pool boy" who brought me water while I napped on the lounges. Oh my, I am looking forward to that again, what a place!

Thoughts:

• I don't like turkey :(
  
• I really am a traditionalist...
• I am enjoying a cup of Earl Gray!
• I love the brisk fall like weather we are having today!
• I am a petite, which makes clothes shopping challenging.
  

Thursday Thoughts!

So what does a girl say on the day after her birthday? Not much...it was a pretty low key affair, I baked a lovely carrot cake in the a.m. had coffee with a new friend, then piddled in the afternoon. Dinner was in, my choice, since it had been nearly two weeks since we have been able to sit down and eat at our own table, I though it was a great idea! Menu was my choice as well, meatloaf, mashed potatoes w/gravy, and corn, YUMMY, comfort food. It was nice to get phone calls, texts and cards throughout the day, but the best part was just sitting at the table enjoying easy conversation and yummy food. The schedule has been really full the last few weeks so those times have been fewer and fewer and with the upcoming holiday season they may become extinct for the time being.

The days are still quite warm here, but I know the calendar shows we are in November. I really like it, however, it is a bit odd. Although I did pull out a denim jacket the other day while I ran out to an evening meeting. I didn't really need it for the outdoor environment, but with the A/C in the building it was nice to have.

I find myself wondering what I do, but then I look at my calender and see I do many things because there are many things listed on it, but some days I wonder what I really do...something I have been pondering amongst the many meetings, volunteer commitments, social engagements, church, graduations, proclamations, "fill in the blank" drives, promotions, tours, launches, retirements, etc.that I attend. I do feel like sometimes my garage door goes up and down more then the stock market as I dash in and out going to and fro and at the end of the day I wonder what did I do today? It is my intent to do those things that be glorifying to my God. So I smile as often as possible, give an encouraging word, hopefully, bring a smile to someone else, lighten a load, lend a hand, offer experience and be a friend to the friendless. I do not aim to be in the midst of the hubbub, I prefer the background, I so do not want to make someone else feel uncomfortable, or unworthy or out of sorts because of my presence, I desire to be approachable, friendly and received with no pretenses. These are not easy things to achieve, these are not extraordinary things that most of us would not want, but I find myself struggling to keep my life in perspective, to not get up in arms over things that are out of my control, to be gracious in my many circumstances, to be positive, to be a good role model. I trust God for my wisdom, strength and my salvation and I find it incredible that others make it in life without Him, I know I could not, I don't even want to try, I thank God that He loves me, day in and day out in spite of my many shortcomings.

My thoughts today are...

• I am thankful for life!
• I am thankful for a new friend.
• I am thankful for getaway trips!
• I am thankful for iced pumpkin spice coffee :)
• I am thankful for the protocol staff who keeps me in line!

November 1st

I am in utter disbelief as November has somehow rolled into my world this year and I can't even begin to believe it's here, but the calender assures me it is. I think the weather has something to do with it. Last night we sat out under the night sky in 77o weather at "three doors down" and enjoyed the fire pit party. We spent the earlier part of the evening helping out down at the South Chapel Harvest Party. What a fun event, of course, seeing the adorable little ones as bees, pumpkins, Spiderman, Batman, Robin, "old married couple", Supergirl, pirates, clowns, was the best part of all, they were sooooo super cute. We enjoyed it, I think those in attendance did too since there was an abundance of free snow cones, popcorn, hot dogs, soda!

I feel like I have lost a few weeks so the quick rap is that we had a blast with our guests two weeks ago. We did long lunches, exteded beach walks, sightseeing, shopping, card playing nightly, ate lots of skittles and hot tamales, and enjoyed a lot of laughs, along with a girls morning of manis and pedis. It was a week that went by all too quickly. I miss them, I miss the closeness of family; being in NE spoiled me since it was just a short 4.5 hour drive, we are so much farther away and I feel the disconnect all too much. In fact I got an email from one of the second sisters this week and it was so sad that we have not chatted since summer. I know life is rolling along on their end just as it is on mine and our worlds have not intersected lately, it makes my heart heavy! I do try to keep up with "the littles" and I talked to them often at Gigi's and this week of course one just breathed into the phone (I was told she grinned while we were talking) and the other excitedly told me he was "tree now"! I miss them...I miss them all! I'm also all too aware that they are walking through some tough stuff as they try to tie up loose ends from Papa's passing, not an easy tasks...

Anyway onto this week, I had the opportunity to "ride along" with MIB to the panhandle this week and enjoy a few days away. What a great getaway!! I savored the few days away, just the two of us with very little commitments to see to, it was awesomeness at its best. I love getting these little taste of our retirement future!

Beach time is still high on our to do list and the agenda most days is head out after work, the weather has been so conducive for this, then home for a quick, light dinner, before a quiet evening and early to bed to do it all over again. Since MIB is in marathon training mode, runs take place in the early morning hours to beat the heat so our bedtime has moved up significantly, evening beach going helps us to wind down and call it an evening very easily. In fact, as soon as I get this post done we are heading out to enjoy the sand and surf today! So that's a wrap...and we are outta here :)

Until next time!

YouWho it's Thursday!

In just under 48 hours the plane will touch down with our guests for a week, we are so excited to finally be having guests. I know, I know, it is HOT here in the summer and no one wanted to come, but the truth is there was a big blue/green/gray/brown/silver ocean to cool you; it was awesome to be at the ocean on those sweltering days. I know we will get some ocean time in next week as well!!

It's been steady this week, just enough things in the day to keep me out of the house for at least a few hours everyday, which made it somewhat challenging preparing for our visitors. But there are no worries, I have most of the cobweb downs and rearranged the dust so it is all good! We have a lot more room in this house and it is not uncommon for me to not even go upstairs for several days at a time. Really, before I went up to clean I cannot even remember the last time I went up there...hmmm, I bet it was when I ran up there to retrieve something off the printer; that is really all I go up there for! That's bad...I hope to start spending some more time up there as that is where I have located all my scrap booking supplies. Anyway, when I did go up there this week to spiff things up I was not thrilled to find several dead bugs...yeah, one dead wasp, two dead flies and several dead earwigs I think that is what they are called and one very alive silverfish, YUCK, I am not one who I would consider afraid of bugs but I still don't like them, especially in my house!

So on Saturday night we will be dining at Cheesecake Factory, yuuuuuummmmy! I cannot believe mySherry has never been. This I found unbelievable and made it my mission to be take her while she is here! Then on to our hotel for a relaxing/restful evening with some pool time I imagine and then Sunday, it is "SEAWORLD, here we come"!

Then we will head back to Cocoa Beach and spend the week beachin' it, shopping, long lunches out, late night conversations and games I am sure it will be mucho funo! Looking forward to it! I am sooooo excited! Of course, we will do some touristy things in the area as well but mainly just hang out and relax.

Thursday Thoughts!

• I love my MIB
• It's raining and I love it!
• I miss my family most this time of year.
• It's hard to be so far away from family...
• I got a $2.49 pumpkin at Aldi this week!!

Ahhh Thursday!

Since it's Thursday, that means tomorrow is F R I D A Y :)

I mean who doesn't like the weekend, right? MiB has been gone this week to "the Hill" and returned today, yeah!!! It was a good visit from the emails I got and I am sure I will hear more about it when we get to sit down and have dinner or lunch or coffee on the beach together this weekend. However, I just returned home and found MiB laid out in the bed...not good, he is feeling crummy, he is nauseous, severely nauseous, along with a headache. He doesn't have a temp to the touch but he says he is having episodes of sweating, then feeling chilled. Lord, please don't let it be the flu, especially the pig kind...while I don't want him to be ill at all, I pray that it is just a gastrointestinal viral bug that bit him and nothing more and it will pass on by quickly, very quickly. In Jesus name, AMEN. And really, I do not think at all it is the swine flu, but everyone seems to think that is what someone has the minute they hear anyone is sick. His symptoms at this point would lead one to believe it is a classic stomach virus.

I have many thoughts swirling around in my head this afternoon...this morning I joined others from the community to pay respect to a fallen soldier from Satellite Beach. It was a humbling, sobering experience. We held out our flags as the breeze made them wave while the black hearse made it's way down South Patrick Drive. They were waving goodbye. While the southbound lanes were closed, northbound lane drivers immediately pulled over and came to a stop when they realized what was happening. Some drivers even exited their vehicles to stand in silence as the family cars along with the Patriot Guard made their way to the funeral home. There was a long procession of vehicles, it was painfully silent as the cars continued to file by.



This makes me sad, he was so young. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country. I am so proud to be an AMERICAN, I am proud to be a military wife. I think about the fact that this time last year my own MiB was serving in the same country that this young soldier died in. It seems to get more dangerous by the day, I am thankful, I am grateful for those who continue to fight to keep our country free and to help others seek freedom for their countries as well, we are a great nation and today many were reminded we are a nation at war, a war that is deadly, a war that is costly in human lives. I am sad that many people in our country do not seem to realize we are at war. We live our lives with such careless disregard to this fact, it is not like the other wars we have been in, it is a feeling I find hard to describe.

On a different note here are my Thursday thoughts:

• Tomorrow is F R I D A Y :) TGIF


• I ordered more blueberry coffee :0)


• The youth group pumpkins arrive tonight :p


• I like dried cranberries, walnuts and raisins!


• There is a pink flamingo party this weekend!

Hope you have a fantabulous weekend! I plan to!

A walk down engagement lane...

It was 25 years ago today that I said "YES" when MiB asked me to marry him...I knew he was the one for me and I wanted to keep him so when he asked I was definitely saying yes!!! We picked out the ring together at the local jewelry store and then he went to ask my dad if he could marry me before he would let me have it. That was a memorable evening for us, my dad didn't just give a "sure" or even "yes" it was a nearly 2 hour speech which MiB still vividly recalls to this day :) He often recalls bits and pieces to LilBlue and other young ones we encounter. I would say there are no secrets in our marriage, no magic potions, just a lot of honesty that has gotten us through the years. Our life is not a fairytale no matter what Ms Vada says/thinks but it is often magical because we still work very hard to make it that way. We have, fortunately, been blessed with good Godly examples of marriages. I was the product of the big "D" and wanted no part of that, who would, and in reality I don't think anyone plans for that; however, it is something that happens. I do not think anyone is immune from that possibility and if you do feel that way, IMO you are already at a disadvantage, all marriages are vulnurable, period.

So what has sustained us? Like I said there is no magic potion that I am aware of...but there is a lot of patience, lots of unconditional love, laughter and a love of God, not in that order... We try to honor each other every day, we try to keep it fresh and new, we try to not fall into ruts, (I had my first surfing lesson yesterday, I wouldn't try that for just anyone!), we keep God first and balance all the other demands in our life. We are pulled in many directions with MiB's job, we make the choice to do those things we can do together before we choose those things we do separately, some people think we are joined at the hip, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing :) and we really aren't, we each have some different interests that we keep up with but we do try to make sure we aren't consumed by them. We try to heed that advice given to us from those who have succeeded, such as

• NEVER, ever, ever go to bed mad
• Treat each other as you are still dating
• Do not speak poorly of your mate to anyone

Don't kid yourself, we have had our own set of ups and downs...we have not always kept to the solid advice give but we have tried. We have also done marriage retreats, couples weekends and rented ears...all to make sure we stayed on solid ground. We have worked through some deep issues, we have had "moments", we are human, life is not always a cake walk and far from perfect but we try to continue to grow together in our marriage and we continually give God the glory for our life. It's worked for us and we have thankfully avoided a marriage on the rocks. I pray daily for MiB and I know he does the same for me, we pray together, we worship together, we do life together, we do not live separate lives and live under the same roof, we do it together, ALL of it, the good, the better and the best~

I am so glad I said, YES" all those years ago!

143 MiB :)

Thursday Thoughts...

Another week, another blog entry...maybe I should do more...maybe I should do less. There is so much more I could do...but so much less I get done...

Fall has officially arrived everywhere but here, we are still quite warm; however, they say we will be getting a cold front from the midwest soon. We'll see, but I am not thinking there will be any frost on the pumpkin, mold maybe but not frost!

Our traveling adventures will begin again now that cooler weather is around the corner. In fact, we start off with having company in a couple weeks and will do some local things in O and here around our area with them. Then MiB and I head to the Panama City area for a few days where I am just the tagalong but will enjoy the surroundings! After that we have a few days at home before we head out to California for two weeks. I am really excited to get to go back to Cali where we will spend a week exploring the southern part of the state before heading up to L.A. for our conference. I wanted to go across the border but there are restrictions on MiB preventing us from doing that so we will be skipping it this time. There will be plenty of other things to do so no worries!

This week has been busy, but good, with lots of sand between my toes time so life is good!

Thoughts:

• Pumpkins make me smile!
• Pumpkin coffee is a great treat.
• Pumpkin pie is a favorite of mine.
• Pumpkins just scream F A L L in my book.
• Pumpkins are orange (couldn't resist the obvious)

Until I write again...

IT'S REALLY OVER!!!

That is my personal ORI ending slogan, which is ORI backwards and I could not be more glad...while the ORI is a great thing, it's also a tiring thing and so, again, I am glad It's Really Over! If you keep the BIG picture in mind, ORIs are great, they are beneficial, they tell us what we are doing right and wrong, they show us where we get it and where we need to improve, they show where the process is working and were the process is broken...we had some broken processes, we aren't doing it all right and we need to improve, this is a truth for any organization if they take an in depth look at themselves,;so this should really be no huge surprise and it wasn't to those who look at things with open, honest eyes. However, the what happens next is the real cliffhanger. Will we continue to carry on or will we admit the errors of our way and make changes to "do it right"? Will we blow off what the Inspectors said we need to/should do or will we incorporate their findings into our new routines? Will we become even better or will we just continue to maintain? It's really up to the individual in many respects, but it is also up to our leadership, to continue to follow up on these "findings" and make sure we are all reading on the same sheet of music to move forward to being better! Only time will tell if we "do it right" for the future, but here's hoping we do!

Today the celebratory picnic is going on, then tomorrow is a reward day off, I hope everyone takes advantage of this and spends some time with their families, who probably feel somewhat neglected after the last several weeks of inspection madness. But it is now over, time to regroup and recharge and start on the next chapter of life here on the space coast. It's all good, we passed! We got the best score to date in our command, we are rockin'!

We are also trying to get another rocket in the air and at first the weather was not cooperative, now it's a fuel line leak, so here's looking to tomorrow for our next successful launch! The space business is definitely booming here!

So thoughts of this Thursday...

• Days off are NEVER overrated.
• My MiB is loving this surfing gig!
• Cheesecake is a favorite of mine!
• We are trying out a LifeGroup on Sunday...
• I love to read and have been getting in some pages lately :)

Ciao!

Hmmmm, Thursday :)

Well, well, well...what a busy week we have had. It's been long hours for MiB with the big look that they are having and with that comes calls for help, "can you pick me up, I am stranded", "would you bring water, it's hot and who knows how long we will be out here", "be on the lookout for (fill in the blank), call me if you see anything" and the list goes on. In some ways it's fun, there is a lot more excitement around here, although the long hours and lack of sleep are starting to make us weary. But we know the end is near, in fact, I would say we are now in the fourth quarter and hopefully the post game atmosphere will be celebratory. Hard to say at this point.

Anyway, I am looking forward to getting back to our more normal routine of meals together, bumming around at the beach in the evenings, lazy weekend mornings if we choose. I am also starting to plan the week for our company in October, SeaWorld here we come :) Furthermore, I am attempting to make final decisions for our CALI trip in November as well. And finally, I need to see if we are still on as the host for MiBs side of the family for Christmas this year. Fun stuff for the fall, which is my favorite time of the year. However, I am not sure how fall-like it will be here???

Thoughts:

• I got a new beach chair :)
• Zuchinni muffins are one of my favs.
• I'm so glad I take time to pray daily.
• I can still run pretty fast when I need to!
• The weekend is too far away this week...

Thoughts on Thursday

Another Thursday has rolled around, I seriously wonder where the last week went, it's crazy how quickly life is going by, it's also kind of scary.

We so enjoyed a great 4 day weekend, the adventure to Orlando was fun, we stopped at an outlet mall, regular mall, IKEA, Cheesecake Factory (YUUUUUUMMY) and a few others, it was a great day. Then we did check out the SurfFest in CB. It was a happening place, I think that is all I will say about that. Again, it was a great weekend. I think we will head back over to hit IKEA for a few things with the BIG car, since we were in the SMART there was no room to really bring anything home from there.

So tonight I hope to see another shuttle landing, but right now the weather is not looking favorable. I am thrilled to have finally found a set of linens I like for our bedroom. I went with sage green. I am still getting that room together and it is much harder then I anticipated but I am still working it as often as my non creative brain allows!

Thoughts:

• I like FL
• I do not like sand in my car
• Visitor's are scheduled for Oct :)
• College girl seems to be doing well
• I like to cook; cooking for 2 is harder then for 3

Thursday Thought returns :)

Please forgive my absence...it's been an unbelievable three weeks in my world!

To recap we have had a rocket and shuttle launch here at the Cape, which both were amazing. The Delta GPS rocket launch was the best one I have seen to date! The morning sky was the most amazing backdrop for the contrails of the rocket as it went into orbit. I do wish I would have had my camera; however, I was out for my morning run and cameraless... The night launch of the shuttle Discovery was super cool even if we did go through three scrubs or so and a whole lot of lost sleep before it finally got off the ground around midnight last Friday night. It literally lit up the nightsky into daylight!

Just hanging out waiting w/others from the court.

MiB and me!

Engine Ignition

An amazing sight!

Lighting up the night sky

In other news, we also had the honor and privilege of hosting the most senior ranking enlisted guy in the USAF at our base and in our home for dinner. That was a pretty big undertaking from the beginning and I am soooo glad Lil'Blue was still here to assist me with that evening; it went off without a hitch!

Speaking of Lil'Blue we put her on the plane back to the midwest for college and she is now attending classes as a full fledge college girl. She si settling in and so far it seems to be going very smoothly for her. This big house seems even bigger now. We are trying to stay busy and not focus on being empty nesters, I'll get back with you on how that works out...

MiB has loved the waves created by the two tropical storms. In fact he absolutely loved the playdates with Bill and Danny as they provided "doubleoverheads"! He is enjoying ever free minute on the beach he can!

We have been attending several functions and doing some fun out and about things as well as we continue to explore and get to know our new church and community. In fact this past Sunday night we had church on the beach followed by a time of baptism. Pretty awesome to see people baptized in the ocean!
Right now we are in the beginning stages of an indepth look at our base, so stress is a bit high and I for one will be glad when 23 September rolls around and it will all hopefully be O V E R. For those of you who are my military friends, read that as we are having an ORI!

We are looking forward to a "family day" tomorrow along with the Labor Day holiday on Monday. Since it is a day off we are taking the SMART in for it's first year engine upgrade and oil change so we will get to explore northern O for part of the day. Then head back to our area and hopefully, for MiBs sake, go to a surfing festival. I mean, seriously, who knew they had those? However, the weather may or may not cooperate so we may or may not go.

So my long awaited thoughts for today!

• Take time to love
• Enjoy what you have...
• Never, ever think you know it all!
• His mercies are new EVERY morning
• Attempt to learn something NEW everyday.

Thursday Thoughts!

Well, what a week we have had...the sad news is that one of our own has lost her husband to that horrible C word, a young couple, just starting to live their lives with a great future in the blue. It so saddens my heart. I hurt and yet, I did not know really know them, yet they are part of our family and we grieve with them.

The time we have is never certain, love the ones you love deeply and daily. I am so thankful for life, a healthy one at that, I think I take too many things for granted but I think that is true for many.

My thoughts...

• Be thankful
• Live life daily
• Never say never
• Take care of the little things
• Make life worth living, because it is

Thinking I have had some great moments this week, some down moments, some uncertain moments, but through it all I have trusted that He is in control. I pray that those I love trust that He is in control as well. I am so thrilled to know that even when life as I know it on this earth draws to a close I still have eternity to look forward to, and that is such an optimistic outlook that makes me smile to think of. And to one day be able to see again those fellow believers who have gone on before me how cool is that?

Well, yeah, it is Thursday...

Okay, it's been a tough week, looks like it's going to get even more tough as the minutes tick on, so my thoughts are this...

• Trust in Him
• Keep the faith
• Prayer is powerful
• Continue on for the greater good
• Don't let things out of your control get you down

All good things that are easy to type up and harder to live...it's looking to be a bit of a valley time here in the land of blue, hoping for an escalator up the mountain, but the reality is it could be a long road out. I am lacing up my hiking boots, filling up my water bottle, gathering my rations and I am ready to tackle that climb; one step at a time. When I do reach the top, or wherever it is I am going, I may or may not like what I see, it may or may look like what I thought it would, it may be a big hill or an enormous mountain that I am climbing. In all actuality I am not sure what I am climbing, but I know that I am climbing up and I am going up and I am going to do it one step at a time. I have such a wealth of emotions and reservations about blogging them at all, but decided, "go for it" and I pray you will pray for us as you read this, we are in need of guidance and direction. Often times things are not as they seem, this is one of those times.

To clear any doubts, the marriage is as solid as ever, the daughter is doing as good as ever, this is a blue thing and it's tough to think that the blue is fading...

ER Visit for LilBlue

We had a very pleasant day yesterday, just a laid back chillaxin day, stayin' cool and out of the heat; then movies last night, all was well in our world. When we left the theater the day had cooled down so we went for a walk on the river. It was very dark since it is the turtle nesting season and all exterior lighting must be turtle friendly. That is a wonderful thing; however, turtle friendly lighting is not very bright. So LilBlue took a spill while going to fill up the water bottle and we ended up in the ER for five hours. Thankfully, her ankle is NOT broken, but very bruised with a good sprain and extremely sore!

An ICEE makes everything better :)

So we will be out of commission for the next few days and takin' it real easy, then we have to get some things accomplished before she is off to school...

More excitment...

as if the shuttle landing today was not enough excitement in my life, MiB called and wanted us to come and watch as he was tasered today...well, I don't think this sounds too incredibly fun, but I am usually a good sport on such things so off we went to watch...I would not classify it as fun, as it really looked liked it kind of hurt and I definitely wasn't going to do it even though they offered.

He did it and we watched it and here are the pictures, how sick are we?!?

I don't know what we are planning for this evening but I don't think I can take much more excitement then this :)

Their down!!!!!!!

It was such an exciting moment to hear the sonic booms as the shuttle broke through the earth's atmosphere and then landed at 10:48 a.m. this morning, wow! We were able to see the "speck" shortly after the booms as they lined up for the landing. They were very quiet as they made their way down the runway and then the crowd cheered as they quietly made their way gliding into view in front of us. While the landing runway is only visible for a few hundred yards to the gathered spectators it was enough to make you thrilled you came. What a great experience, well down Endeavour crew!

Thursday Thoughts!

Wowsa, what a week it has been! Again, it has been a full and productive week. Tomorrow we will go to see the shuttle land, another first for us and we are pretty excited. Things are still going full speed and while it looked like they would slow down, I think it will be a bit longer, perhaps until we get LilBlue off to school. Not sure, it may get even worse after that, we will see.

Thoughts are:

• I like A/C!
• Manatees rock!
• The water is way awesome!
• Florida heat can be oppresive!
• Summer is going by too quickly!

I will hopefully have pictures of the landing tomorrow. Then I hope I will be able to upload them...maybe blogger is done being quirky, I have not had any trouble this week getting in and so I am hoping it is a glitch that has been fixed!

Night

Saturday Summary...

I don't know about you, but I have been having mucho difficulty getting "in" to post, on some occasions I have not even been able to view my page. Not sure what is up, but I don't think it is just me because I also tried to read other pages and had trouble as well, I even tried on our desktop and MiBs laptop no go. So anyway, I am in now and going to try to get a post posted :)

It's been a great week in our world, lots going on and it's all been good! PTL! We finally have all the changes done on "the street" and we are gearing up to WOW some higher ups with our exceptional Airmen here; blow them out of the water with a launch experience and then show them how we do all other facets of our mission right! It's going to be long days, longer nights but a rewarding end when it's over...

In other news of note, I have been cleared to enter the "I Dream of Jeanie" building! :) Not sure of the date and of course I doubt I will have pictures since it is a most secure facility but I will share when I do. I really do not know what they do in there, but I know it is very important, their motto is "In God we trust, all others we monitor!" I am honored they are going to arrange for me to enter :) Thanks LAO!

Highlights from the week:

• MiB used the new surfboard!
• LilBlue tried surfing...remains to be seen if she likes it!
• Poolside was lovely this week
• The "shirts" here are an AWESOME bunch
• I got a haircut :)
• Housing privatization is not as great as they try to make it sound :(
• New SNCOs have big shoes to fill...
• Brunch x2 with the "street ladies" was so much f u n!

I tried to upload some pics from this week to no avail...oh well! Life is good, God is great!

My little Surfer Boy...

SURF's UP dude...

The new board!

Putting the fins on!

Loading it on the car for the ride home in it's very own travel bag!

A week or so ago MiB was able to go surfing with a "new friend" who we will now call LAUNCH...mind you he has wanted to do this for years...well, he got up and rode a wave and now he has the bug and a board. So there are many surfing adventures ahead for him and his "new friend" :)

More surfing pictures to follow as I plan to go witness this new venture for myself in the very near future with camera in hand! In the meantime the surfboard is very nice looking and will even get to hang on the wall inside our home if he gets some nice looking hangers for it!

HANG TEN!

Shuttle BLAST OFF!

Since we needed to pick up LilBlue at the airport we really did not think we would see the launch at all...however, we did make it back to CCAFS and watched the lift off just outside the gate. While it was an awesome thing to see, I am looking forward to the next one and being much closer!

NO GO...

Getting our directions from the DIrector giver!
MiB in front of the countdown clock when we arrived!
Me in the Apollo/Saturn V Center

Well, unfortunately the FL weather just did not cooperate this evening for the launch of the Shuttle. However, we did make it further then yesterday, we were so close, we almost made it, then it was scrubbed, maybe tomorrow, if not they will try again on Tuesday. If it is Tuesday we will be watching it from our home as we have a gathering at our home and it would be best not to change it.

We were at the Apollo/Saturn V Center for the launch today, it was an awesome spot to get to be in. Neat facility with lots to look at while we waited for the launch and it was a nice retreat from the heat. This is the best place to stay updated on the Shuttle launch if you are interested.

Shuttle Update

The launch for this evening has been scrubbed, right now they are aiming to try again tomorrow around 7:15ish. Weather is the issue, there were lightening strikes very near Endeavour in a nasty storm that moved throught yesterday afternoon so they are rechecking lots of things to make sure all is well with all systems.

So since our plans for the day have changed we are getting some household chores accomplished and planning to do Saturday services this evening.

Until we know more...

Dinner

Insalata Caprese

Thanks to a new Sam's membership, we bought some pretty decent mozzarella cheese, then a BIG thanks to CG for the homegrown GA tomatoes that provided our dinner tonight. It was sweet memories of Italy. We also had some baked sweet onions that were yummy as well. I love summer and home grown tomatoes. Can't wait to try the seedless watermelon in the next couple of days that was left on the porch with all the other garden goodies.

Looks like we will head to the movies tonight, if we can stay awake. It's been a long, busy week and I am glad for the weekend to be upon us so we can just sit back and relax for a bit.

Right now the shuttle launch is only a 40% go due to weather, so we shall see, we are supposed to leave around 4:00 p.m. to head up to the viewing area.

Thursday Thoughts

It's time again to get some thoughts...

• I am going to be glad for Friday...
• LilBlue drives up to NE tomorrow
• Looking forward to the shuttle launch!
• Being around Airmen can be exciting and exhausting.
• Standards are important and if you don't think so, ask MiB

Tomorrow will be a welcome day, I am ready for the weekend! I have spent this week with our newest Airmen to the base and while it has been fun, it has been a long week and I will be ready for the break of the weekend.

With the scheduled launch of Endeavour, we will be at the KSC and I am pretty stoked about that :) This is closer then the usual viewing area so how cool is that? I will hopefully have pictures to post when we return. I have been told traffic will be crazy up and down the A1A and it will take hours to get home but I think it will be worth it.

First Run

MiB is running in a racing series this year as he preps for the Disney Marathon in January. The first one was over the 4th weekend, can you say hot and sticky. A couple hours before race time it is pouring buckets, then it tapered off and at the the gun it was a light sprinkle to nothing and humid. Did I mention humid? as in just breathing you were getting a drink of water...but fun times are built on memories such as these!

He took 2nd in his age division which garnered us a way cool red, white and blue beach towel and the team he ran with took 2nd in the open teams division! Way to go CAV Runners; what a great way to start off the season!

All done!
The humbling picture with the grey haired gentleman finishing before MiB!

Accepting 2nd place for CaVRunning Team

Enjoying a tomato and onion pie after the race!

Happy Birthday America!

It's the 4th of July, however you choose to celebrate be safe and take a moment at least to be thankful that you live in a great and free country. Freedom is something we take for granted, but we shouldn't it has come at a very high cost and it continues to cost our nation much. I am proud to be married to the MiB who serves our nation!

Boom, Boom, Ahhhh...God Bless America!

Thursday Thoughts!

Big week this week in our house, lots of things going on, meeting new people, finding new places to eat and shop, all in all the settling in has been pretty good and it still continues. Still need a hair stylist, haven't found a really good dry cleaner and still need a favorite Mexican Restaurant, cause the ones we have tried haven't been to our liking, but we have several more to try so we are still hopeful! On the plus side we have found a church, a tailor and we really like the French Cafe just down the street!

Thursday Thoughts!

• Beach clean up IS very necessary!
• Walgreens is literally on every other corner here...
• I am hoping to snag some home grown 'maters for the 4th!
• I am learning to learn names very quickly and I am good with names but this is insane~
• Getting soaked in the rain is not fun, but at least when everyone gets soaked you can all laugh together!

Until the next entry, enjoy your day!

Sea Turtles are AMAZIIIING!!!

Last night we got to have the most amazing adventure we have had in a while...we were guests on a permitted turtle walk on the Cape Canaveral coast. There was a very informative program in which we learned a lot about the various species of sea turtles. The really amazing thing is that it just so happened that the turtle patrol had that morning found a hatched leatherback nest in which two hatchlings had not made it out and into the water so we were treated to seeing them, and holding them, it was sooooo cool. They were very soft and felt like velvet; it was neat, neat, neat! This is only the second time they have had hatchlings on hand for a scheduled turtle walk. Only two permitted turtle walks are held per year and we were thrilled to get this unique opportunity!

It was then time for the waiting game. We waited for the call on a nesting turtle sighting and we waited and waited and waited... And then the phone finally rang; a loggerhead sea turtle had come ashore and was beginning to nest and dig her clutch for depositing her eggs. In the next twenty minutes or so we would be able to go out and watch as she deposited the eggs, on average around 120 of them. They are about the size of ping pong balls. So we went to the 16th causeway and made our way down the beach waiting a safe distance until Martha, our guide, got word from Angy the turtle spotter, to proceed. Before we could approach the nesting turtle she had to be in the zone and laying the eggs or she would return to the sea without nesting, but once she has made the nest, dug the clutch and starts depositing eggs she will finish. This loggerhead was on the top end of her species size scale, she was 3.5-4 feet long, she was huge IMO!

Getting to receive the leatherback hatchling!
Oh, I am so amazed and thrilled to get to cuddle the hatchling!

MiB got to hold the hatching too!

Not a great picture, we could not use flash or flashlights, except for a couple turtle friendly ones, but this is a picture of the loggerheard as she is depositing her eggs in the clutch that she dug! INCREDIBLE. I already thought sea turtles were awesome, loved the ones in Finding Nemo, Crush and Squirt, but this was over the top amazingly coolio!

Art, hmmm, I do like it!

Since our new home is so much larger then what we are used to we have a lot of bare walls. We thought some art on those bare walls would help; I really wasn't sure, but now that it is on the walls it certainly does make a difference, a huge difference! So thank you E&S for helping to make our walls look soooo much better!

Lil Blue's European Adventure room
Family Room

Dining Room

They are all very unique and add a focal point to each room they are in!

LIFT OFF!

The weather was perfect for a launch! I so enjoyed hanging out with the Chaplain before the launch. Our small group actually stayed in the MCR (Mission Control Room) until about 4 minutes before the launch then we quickly made our way to the upper deck of the patio area for the outdoor viewing. It was really neat and great to get to watch it travel all the way across the sky! We then went back inside to watch the replays from the launch pad view cam...way cool, to see that!

Hangin' with the Chaplain on the patio!
LIFT OFF!

Up and Away

Traveling across the sky!

So very neat to see and since it was only my second one the "ahhh" factor is definitely still there! Totally, totally cool :)

Ahhhh....

It's been a long day, not a bad one mind you, just a long one in the fact that it was jammed pack and nonstop...long so to speak. So tonight when we finally got home and as I was getting dinner started I turned and my eye was immediately caught by the view right outside my kitchen window; it made me pause and just be thankful. Thankful for being able to have a long day, that I have the strength to get through any day; thankful that I am fortunate enough to live in a country that is free. I am humbled by the setting sun and know that my days are numbered and that I have been able to live another one and wonder if I have lived it worthy enough...I am a child of the King, but don't always live like it, I fall short, but He still loves me. The view was gorgeous, the picture does not do it justice, it was a masterpiece created by the mighty hand of God. It gave me that warm feeling that only a beautiful sight created by God himself can give and made me stop and smell the roses so to speak, to be grateful for the life I have been given. How blessed I am!

Have a great weekend, take time to be thankful for the views in your world!

It's Thursday!!!

So it's Thursday again and I am thinking, WOW, LilBlue has only been gone two days and it already seems like forever...

Thoughts for Thursday

• Found three new thrift shops today!!!
• Summer HAS arrived, translate: IT'S HOT here!
• I'm ready for some homegrown 'maters anytime now.
• I love walking on the beach pretty much anytime I choose to.
• I am thrilled to find a great selection of petite clothing at most stores!

Since MiB has a CivMil function to attend this evening that leaves me with some downtime. My bathtub has been calling me since I arrived and tonight I will answer that call :) I really need a good foot soak and some bubbles so me and my bathtub will be spending some quality time together tonight. The bathtub in this new house looks awesome...see?

:)

Off she goes...

LilBlue headed to MO today, on her own, flying for the first time by herself...she made it just fine, safe and sound. Tomorrow is the orientation and registration at the college. Her SIM will be there, what is a SIM you may ask? It is her Stand In Mom, which is my cousin, which we call mySherry. There are no worries with mySherry in the picture.

Of course she will return in a few weeks and then we will do the BIG send off, but we aren't going to think about that right now...

Over and out!

1-2-3 Blast Off!

The good news is the rocket launch was utterly awesome...the bad news is there are no pictures...the good news is there is another launch next week...there is no more bad news :)

I will try to get pictures at the next launch. It was our first launch and since it was off, on, off then back on again, they picked up the T count at -4:00 minutes and counting so we rushed to the outer viewing platform and by the time we got in place and had our binnoculars out, it was blasting off towards the moon before we could snap a picture. It was also very cloudy so the rocket was only viewable for a short amount of time, then it was in the clouds, we saw it again for a split second and then it was in the clouds again. Hopefully, next time I will be more prepared and ready to get a picture! While we did not feel it in our chest like they said we would the space shuttle we could feel the earth move and that was a unique feeling that was quite awesome. Looking forward to the next one and being a little more prepared.

Thursday Thoughts!

F L O R I D A

While I am thrilled to be here, it is a different pace then I anticipated and the community is much more mature then I was expecting as well; therefore I have made some observations that I will share!

• There are NOT orange trees everywhere!
• A lot of people here cannot see over the steering wheel.
• There are many people here that have very little or no hair.
• What hair they do still have is in various shades of gray/blue.
• I understand why our insurance premiums more then doubled.

Later today we are going to see the Atlas V rocket launch today! It will be exciting and I will post some pictures later from this adventure! And if you should be wondering, the 101 class at the church was really good and we think this will be the place for us. They are mission minded and definitely think outside the walls which is something we like and feel is important so now we will be looking at small groups to try out and find our niche!

Scrubbed...

The shuttle launch was scrubbed...who knew it would be scrubbed not once but TWICE. Anywho, the latest and greatest is that the new launch date will be on 11 July. I will keep you posted and if you are planning to be here we will have all three guests rooms open as LilBlue will be back in MO going through orientation for school this fall, getting her classes, going to the VCYF and visiting the Bud in NE.

In other news I will be going to my first rocket launch tomorrow afternoon. I understand I will be close enough to "feel it in my chest" which sounds pretty exciting and scary all in one, I will let you know about that afterwards and post some pictures as well. We will be viewing the launch from on top of the MOC. I wish I could tell you what that stood for but then I would have to kill you so I can't :) Actually, I do not even know what it stands for but I am planning to find out tomorrow, then I will fill you in; but I do know I am not allowed to have any food or drink while I in this facility so it must be one of those sanitized environments!

I think we are going to enjoy the pool this afternoon and then we have a 101 class at the church we have been going to this evening so we can learn all about it and see if we still want to sign on. The last couple churches we have gone to have had these classes and while I understand it, it is such a change from the old days of going to a new church for awhile, checking out the Sunday School classes to see if you like it enough to walk the aisle to "move your letter". I think I am what some would consider old school :)

Cape Canaveral Tour

Today I got to tour the Cape...it was pretty cool, okay, it was a lot cool. I have pictures but cannot upload them because I was in top secret areas...okay, not really, well, maybe I was, I don't know!

Anyway, the tour was outstanding and Mr D. was a great guide! Here are a few photos from the many we took!

Yeah, well, this here base I am at is the base that "the Jeannie" was at and her master often was at the Cape.

Many things here are NASA even though the range is run by the USAF, we have a great relationship with those space types at NASA and it all works well. Afterall, we are space types as well, we just don't launch the manned spacecraft, but you can thank the USAF everytime you use your GPS cause that is one of the things we do keep your satellites in place to make that thing work!

Our tour guide, was a wealth of info, I especially enjoyed learning about the partnership with the primates and how intelligent they were and how much they furthered our endeavors in the space arena. That was really amazing!

I really think lighthouses are awesome and until today I never knew that the USAF owns a lighthouse. Pretty nifty, I am hoping to be able to go in it before we leave...it is under renovation but hopefully it will be open before our time is up here.

It is off to bed for me...we have a launch in the morning (you may have heard about it, it's that big one called the Space Shuttle :) It will be o dark thirty before I know it and since we are actually going to the Cape for the launch I want to be ready, have I mentioned that the perks with this job the MiB has here are pretty fantabulous!!!!! Well they are :)