Yes, I am a couple days late on the Christmas greetings, but better late than never, right? We had Christmas Eve Day off from work, so I baked cookies for my neighbors, cleaned the front sitting room, and did laundry before going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at the base chapel. The service was beautiful, and I saw a lot of people I knew - even the wing commander was there with his family.
Christmas Day was wonderfully busy. Jose and Janice invited everyone over for dinner at 3pm, so my family and I planned to have "Christmas morning" over Skype at 1pm my time (8am their time). I woke up early and finished putting my new futon together, baked 5 dozen pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and whipped up a sweet potato casserole.
This was the first year I was not with my family for Christmas, which was sad, but through the wonders of modern technology, we were still able to watch each other open gifts via Skype video feed under Christmas trees on different continents. Thankfully, both my package of gifts for them and their package of gifts for me arrived in time for the big day. It was fun to watch them open the gifts I sent - even Oreo the cat got one!
Christmas was the occasion of so many of my favorite family memories growing up. For most of my childhood, it was spent in PA with grandparents and cousins. My sister Lisa and I always shared a bedroom, and this was even more fun when we got to sleep in the semi-finished basement of my mom's parents' house. There was a storage area full of games, including a pinball machine I played for hours. Lisa and I hosted dances for our Barbies, where Barbies and Kens swayed to Disney songs played over and over on a cassette player. We slept on cots in the basement, and of course I thought it was hilarious to rig Lisa's so that it would collapse when she sat on it. On Christmas morning, I would wake up early and then wake up Lisa, so we could anxiously wait together for the seconds, minutes, and sometimes hours to drag by until 8am when we were allowed to go upstairs and look at the tree.
Christmas afternoon and dinner was always at my dad's parents' house, where all of our cousins stayed. With six girls, Barbies were a constant presence, and Amy always made up the best stories for us to play with them. It's fun to think back on how the gifts, games, and interests changed as we grew up. One thing that never changed was sitting at the "kids' table" in the kitchen for dinner... Melanie was the only one of us who ever graduated to the adult table in the dining room. I think after that it just made sense space-wise to keep the other 5 of us in the kitchen, no matter how old we were. :) Then there was black forest cake (which all the kids thought was gross) for Grandpa's Dec 25th birthday, and so many different flavors of ice cream that I got to play waitress and write down what everyone wanted on a notepad. So many good times, I could go on and on down Memory Lane when it comes to Christmas.
This year, Christmas was at Jose and Janice's with my weather flight "family". The food was amazing, thanks to everyone bringing their specialties. We had great times and lots of laughter with each other and the kids. It was our last get-together before Kim deploys tomorrow, and one of the last before Robin/Bobby and Greg PCS in January, so no one was really in a hurry to leave. We played games, watched movies, played with the kids, watched football, etc. until almost midnight.
This week is going to be crazy at work with one of our fighter squadrons headed out the door for a deployment. I'm briefing a predeparture brief tomorrow morning, then departure briefs at un-Godly hours of the morning (really more like the middle of the night) on two other days this week, so I may be on a mids-type schedule. Nobody's really talked about New Year's Eve, but I am sure there will be a gathering somewhere. Looking forward to Penn State vs. LSU in the Capital One Bowl!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
SNOW!!!
When I woke up this morning, there was approximately 3" of snow on the ground... as I write this, it has just stopped snowing for the third time... and I'm up to almost 5" accumulation!!! Woohoo! I LOVE snow. Always have, probably always will. My earliest memories of snow are mostly from Christmases at my grandparents' houses in PA, since coastal VA rarely gets a good blanketing. However, on the rare occasion that we did get snow at home, we definitely took advantage of it... I remember building quite a few snowmen in the yard with my sister, and sledding at Bunny Hill with a line of parents at the bottom catching kids who might fly too far and land in the river. Sledding in PA was an adventure as well... when my cousins and I flew down the hills of Dickinson Law School campus, there were sometimes less people on the sled or tube at the bottom than there were at the top. :)
And of course, 4.5 years at Penn State added plenty of wonderful snow memories. Freshman year, it snowed on Halloween, the earliest I had ever seen snow in my life. I remember dancing around outside with a friend from Georgia who was just as excited. Snow at Penn State brought so many fun things. There were snowball fights in BDUs with the AFROTC crowd, and band practices with no hope of seeing the yard lines on the field. Snowmen dotted the quads of every dorm area. I played snow football the first time it snowed almost two feet, and experienced the wonder of being tackled into a sea of white powder. There were several tailgates and football games in the snow, skiing and snow tubing at Mount Tussey... I could go on and on.
So yesterday was the beginning of my snow memories in England. We made a bet in our office a few weeks ago about when the first snow would be observed at Lakenheath, plus or minus one day. In technical terms, snow had to be encoded as the type of precipitation in the official RAF Lakenheath weather observation for it to count. Most people picked a day in January; I picked Christmas (for fun), and Greg picked December 18th. Go figure. Haha. Now we all owe him a Coke, but I'm not too disappointed because I am so excited to see the snow!
I was actually working the desk in the weather station when the snow started yesterday, and boy did things get crazy fast. Visibility dropped to 1/2 mile, winds gusted up to 35kts 3 hours before we were expecting them, the SOF was calling trying to recover jets that had taken off, the phone was ringing off the hook... lucky for me Greg was there to help out, because I didn't even have time to be excited about the snow starting. The first bit was over in about half an hour, and we didn't see the serious snow start until around 7pm, when I was happily back home with my car safely in the garage. I ran around and took some pictures, then went to bed just after 9pm expecting to wake up at 5am to a couple inches outside. Instead, I was woken up by my cell phone ringing at 10pm... delayed reporting in the morning, no flying, so no need to open the weather station, don't show up till 11am. Woohoo! Took a couple more pictures, looked at some weather stuff on the computer, and went back to sleep.
I woke up at 6:30am and was thrilled to see the 3" white blanket over everything outside. After it started getting lighter, I put on all my snow gear and went outside to take pictures. I also had to go to the post office, so that gave me a wonderful excuse to walk through town and see everything covered in snow. Here is a picture of my house from across the street, complete with the Christmas tree lit up in the front bay window:
When I got to town, I saw a lot of snow-covered cars and people trying with varying levels of success to uncover them, get them started, or move from their parking spaces. Made me extra thankful for my garage. Here is a pretty picture of the clock in my town square:
On the walk back to my house, my phone rang again, this time it was the squadron DO: don't come to work at all today, and pass the message to the rest of the weather flight. Yippee!!! So then I got to call a few other people with the good news. When I got back to my house, the sun had risen and the snow looked even prettier in the daylight. I set about making a snowman in the backyard, but had to compromise with a small one since the snow was really dry and powdery, not good for packing. Here is my little guy, I still think he is pretty cute:
So the rest of the morning and early afternoon has been spent enjoying the snow, taking pictures, watching two more inches fall from the sky, baking some yummy mesquite chicken for lunch, and beginning to put together my futon that was delivered (in a box) this week. Greg's going-away dinner is tonight, and I really hope that everyone still shows up for it... the roads should be much better after people have been driving on them all day. I'm going to see if I can finish the futon before I have to get ready and venture out. Wish me luck, and if you want to see all my England snow pictures, check them out here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=355523&id=701905001&l=9bf3067ae4
And of course, 4.5 years at Penn State added plenty of wonderful snow memories. Freshman year, it snowed on Halloween, the earliest I had ever seen snow in my life. I remember dancing around outside with a friend from Georgia who was just as excited. Snow at Penn State brought so many fun things. There were snowball fights in BDUs with the AFROTC crowd, and band practices with no hope of seeing the yard lines on the field. Snowmen dotted the quads of every dorm area. I played snow football the first time it snowed almost two feet, and experienced the wonder of being tackled into a sea of white powder. There were several tailgates and football games in the snow, skiing and snow tubing at Mount Tussey... I could go on and on.
So yesterday was the beginning of my snow memories in England. We made a bet in our office a few weeks ago about when the first snow would be observed at Lakenheath, plus or minus one day. In technical terms, snow had to be encoded as the type of precipitation in the official RAF Lakenheath weather observation for it to count. Most people picked a day in January; I picked Christmas (for fun), and Greg picked December 18th. Go figure. Haha. Now we all owe him a Coke, but I'm not too disappointed because I am so excited to see the snow!
I was actually working the desk in the weather station when the snow started yesterday, and boy did things get crazy fast. Visibility dropped to 1/2 mile, winds gusted up to 35kts 3 hours before we were expecting them, the SOF was calling trying to recover jets that had taken off, the phone was ringing off the hook... lucky for me Greg was there to help out, because I didn't even have time to be excited about the snow starting. The first bit was over in about half an hour, and we didn't see the serious snow start until around 7pm, when I was happily back home with my car safely in the garage. I ran around and took some pictures, then went to bed just after 9pm expecting to wake up at 5am to a couple inches outside. Instead, I was woken up by my cell phone ringing at 10pm... delayed reporting in the morning, no flying, so no need to open the weather station, don't show up till 11am. Woohoo! Took a couple more pictures, looked at some weather stuff on the computer, and went back to sleep.
I woke up at 6:30am and was thrilled to see the 3" white blanket over everything outside. After it started getting lighter, I put on all my snow gear and went outside to take pictures. I also had to go to the post office, so that gave me a wonderful excuse to walk through town and see everything covered in snow. Here is a picture of my house from across the street, complete with the Christmas tree lit up in the front bay window:
When I got to town, I saw a lot of snow-covered cars and people trying with varying levels of success to uncover them, get them started, or move from their parking spaces. Made me extra thankful for my garage. Here is a pretty picture of the clock in my town square:
On the walk back to my house, my phone rang again, this time it was the squadron DO: don't come to work at all today, and pass the message to the rest of the weather flight. Yippee!!! So then I got to call a few other people with the good news. When I got back to my house, the sun had risen and the snow looked even prettier in the daylight. I set about making a snowman in the backyard, but had to compromise with a small one since the snow was really dry and powdery, not good for packing. Here is my little guy, I still think he is pretty cute:
So the rest of the morning and early afternoon has been spent enjoying the snow, taking pictures, watching two more inches fall from the sky, baking some yummy mesquite chicken for lunch, and beginning to put together my futon that was delivered (in a box) this week. Greg's going-away dinner is tonight, and I really hope that everyone still shows up for it... the roads should be much better after people have been driving on them all day. I'm going to see if I can finish the futon before I have to get ready and venture out. Wish me luck, and if you want to see all my England snow pictures, check them out here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=355523&id=701905001&l=9bf3067ae4
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Great Weekend
It's Sunday afternoon, and I am sitting on my couch in sweatpants and slippers with my laptop and a new Napster playlist... I'd say it was a great ending to the weekend, but there are still a couple more good things to come today (church and run). :)
Friday afternoon, I got to do a presentation about the Scientific Method and how it is used in weather to a 4th/5th grade class at the base elementary school. The 23 kids were full of energy and had so many funny questions and comments about weather. After my talk, I took them outside to use a couple of our "fun" pieces of hand-held equipment. They loved blowing in the kestrel to see how high they could get the wind reading and pointing the laser range finder at everything in sight. When I got back to the office, I found it dark and everyone gone... and an email from our squadron commander authorizing early release before the holiday party, since it was too foggy for the jets to fly and the airfield closed. Sweet!
The party was a blast. The Mildenhall O-Club was all decorated for Christmas, food was great, and it was so fun to see everyone all dressed up and in holiday spirits. The weather flight all got a table together, and one of the first events of the evening was a contest to determine which table got to go through the food line first. Guess what the contest was? Making a gingerbread house! Fun, but when you're only given 10 minutes, it gets crazy. Kim and Greg and I took on the task for the table, and of course much hilarity ensued in the next 10 minutes, but we ended with a fairly decent-looking house... see picture below:
Unfortunately, after time was called and the Sq/CC started walking around to judge the houses... someone bumped the table. You guessed it. Here's the "after" picture, hehe:
I stood outside, entranced, until the clouds began breaking up and it disappeared... only a few minutes at most. I had to smile to myself as I walked back in. How cool is it when God allows us to have glimpses like that of His beauty? Was it a coincidence that my concentration on cleaning was broken at just the right moment? I think not. So add that to the never-ending list of God's blessings in my life. :)
Friday afternoon, I got to do a presentation about the Scientific Method and how it is used in weather to a 4th/5th grade class at the base elementary school. The 23 kids were full of energy and had so many funny questions and comments about weather. After my talk, I took them outside to use a couple of our "fun" pieces of hand-held equipment. They loved blowing in the kestrel to see how high they could get the wind reading and pointing the laser range finder at everything in sight. When I got back to the office, I found it dark and everyone gone... and an email from our squadron commander authorizing early release before the holiday party, since it was too foggy for the jets to fly and the airfield closed. Sweet!
The party was a blast. The Mildenhall O-Club was all decorated for Christmas, food was great, and it was so fun to see everyone all dressed up and in holiday spirits. The weather flight all got a table together, and one of the first events of the evening was a contest to determine which table got to go through the food line first. Guess what the contest was? Making a gingerbread house! Fun, but when you're only given 10 minutes, it gets crazy. Kim and Greg and I took on the task for the table, and of course much hilarity ensued in the next 10 minutes, but we ended with a fairly decent-looking house... see picture below:
Unfortunately, after time was called and the Sq/CC started walking around to judge the houses... someone bumped the table. You guessed it. Here's the "after" picture, hehe:
We came up with a really great story about how a tornado hit (we're the weather table, get it?), but since we are such good forecasters, everyone was warned and got out safely. The Sq/CC laughed, but apparently didn't buy it... we had to wait a while to eat. Fun times anyway though. :) Another highlight of the evening was a Christmas trivia quiz, which our table almost won. The question was asked, "What were the three gifts brought by the wise men to the baby Jesus?", and I blurted out "Goldfrankincenseandmyrrh!"... and was immediately met with 9 deer-in-the-headlights looks, a pause, and an "Um, can you spell that?" Haha. At the end of the night, CeCe (one of our forecasters) won the grand prize drawing, a 32" LCD TV. So overall, we had an outstanding party.
Saturday, I was up early to get the house ready for my housewarming party. I had to concede the desk room early to a "box room", since there was no way I was going to completely eliminate all boxes from the house in 12 hours. So now I can say all but one room of the house is unpacked... as long as I leave out the part about not being able to walk in the room because there are so many boxes.
The frantic cleaning/box-moving/decorating/baking day did have one welcome interruption, however. Around 8:30am, I was sitting on the floor of my upstairs bathroom, folding towels into a drawer, when I happened to glance up at the window... and saw a gigantic rainbow so bright that it shone through the frosted glass. There was a mad scramble to find my camera before dashing outside in my slippers, and WOW. Pictures, and even the video I took, do not do this rainbow justice. It was HUGE, arcing across the entire sky, and brighter than any rainbow I have seen before in my life, like it was actually made of colored lights shining out of the clouds. Unbelievable. Plus, there was even a hint of a second rainbow above it. Like I said, pictures do not do it justice, but here it is from the back door of my conservatory... see the very faint second line at the top right?
I stood outside, entranced, until the clouds began breaking up and it disappeared... only a few minutes at most. I had to smile to myself as I walked back in. How cool is it when God allows us to have glimpses like that of His beauty? Was it a coincidence that my concentration on cleaning was broken at just the right moment? I think not. So add that to the never-ending list of God's blessings in my life. :)
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I hope everyone who came over had a good time, because I loved every minute of it. From grilling to s'mores to kids running around the backyard screaming (hopefully my neighbors will forgive me for that) to playing hide-and-seek to just hanging out and talking, it was awesome. In the aftermath, there is a little bit of mud of my beige carpet, my Christmas tree ornaments have been completely rearranged by two one-year-olds; paper plates, plastic silverware, cans, and bottles are cluttered on every horizontal surface downstairs, and I desperately need to vaccumm... but oh so worth it. :) I was so busy running around that I didn't really take many pictures, and the few that I have are of the kids, but that's okay. I'll take memories over pictures any day.
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Well, it is time for me to change and get to church (it is a contemporary service, but sweatpants and slippers might get some strange looks), so I'll stop rambling. Hope you all had a great weekend too!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Must clean
This will have to be short and sweet, because I have wayyyy too much to do in the next 48 hours, but I needed a break on the couch after work... and I decided I should write something in case I don't actually sit down with my computer again until Sunday. :)
My housewarming party is Saturday (that would be the day after tomorrow), and my house currently looks like a bomb went off. You think I'm joking. There are shopping bags and random packages of food for the party all over the kitchen counters. My couch is covered with packing paper and an odd collection of Christmas gifts still to be wrapped and mailed tomorrow (I am currently half sitting on the packing paper). There are 5 rolls of wrapping paper and a half-unrolled roll of bubble wrap scattered across the living room floor. The loveseat is holding about 15 picture frames of varying sizes, some still to be matched with pictures to hang up. And did I mention the Christmas tree is still surrounded by boxes, and you can barely walk in the desk room without tripping over a box? Yikes. But I am still happy that my party is Saturday, because it will force me to take care of all of the above issues. I've always said that I pack best under pressure (how I rationalize waiting until the last minute to pack for a trip), so I suppose it would make sense that I unpack best under pressure as well. Right?
No work on the house will be done tomorrow, because it will be a long busy day at work directly followed by the squadron Christmas party at the Mildenhall Officers' Club. Looking forward to that, as the whole weather flight is going and I always enjoy time with that crowd. Our new flight chief (Greg's replacement) arrived this week, so it will be a good chance to get to know him. He is a Penn State fan, so he is definitely starting out well in my book. :) It is just a little sad to think that him being here means Greg is leaving. And then Robin so soon in January... but as I mentioned in the last entry, I am trying to focus on enjoying these last few weeks and events with them instead of being sad, so I will just stop with that thought.
As much as I would like to continue sitting on the couch/packing paper, I really need to get moving on wrapping these gifts and then cleaning up the disaster area... sorry this was a short and boring post, I'll post on Sunday with pictures from Fri/Sat!
My housewarming party is Saturday (that would be the day after tomorrow), and my house currently looks like a bomb went off. You think I'm joking. There are shopping bags and random packages of food for the party all over the kitchen counters. My couch is covered with packing paper and an odd collection of Christmas gifts still to be wrapped and mailed tomorrow (I am currently half sitting on the packing paper). There are 5 rolls of wrapping paper and a half-unrolled roll of bubble wrap scattered across the living room floor. The loveseat is holding about 15 picture frames of varying sizes, some still to be matched with pictures to hang up. And did I mention the Christmas tree is still surrounded by boxes, and you can barely walk in the desk room without tripping over a box? Yikes. But I am still happy that my party is Saturday, because it will force me to take care of all of the above issues. I've always said that I pack best under pressure (how I rationalize waiting until the last minute to pack for a trip), so I suppose it would make sense that I unpack best under pressure as well. Right?
No work on the house will be done tomorrow, because it will be a long busy day at work directly followed by the squadron Christmas party at the Mildenhall Officers' Club. Looking forward to that, as the whole weather flight is going and I always enjoy time with that crowd. Our new flight chief (Greg's replacement) arrived this week, so it will be a good chance to get to know him. He is a Penn State fan, so he is definitely starting out well in my book. :) It is just a little sad to think that him being here means Greg is leaving. And then Robin so soon in January... but as I mentioned in the last entry, I am trying to focus on enjoying these last few weeks and events with them instead of being sad, so I will just stop with that thought.
As much as I would like to continue sitting on the couch/packing paper, I really need to get moving on wrapping these gifts and then cleaning up the disaster area... sorry this was a short and boring post, I'll post on Sunday with pictures from Fri/Sat!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
December?
I feel like I skipped a page or two... or four... in my calendar. Where did the months of August - November go??? The fact that it is actually December is bittersweet for so many reasons. I LOVE the Christmas season!!! Lights started going up on houses on my street this past week, and I was so excited to put up my tree in the round bay window of my front sitting room that looks like it was made just for that purpose. I listened to Christmas music and danced around and sang along while adding the star and stringing the lights. I even ran outside when I was done to see how it looked in the window - so pretty! :) I will upload a picture when I am done adding ornaments, train, etc. And I have a fireplace to hang stockings!!!
Also, the Christmas season brings Christmas carols at church, the Advent wreath, holiday parties with all the awesome people/groups here, putting together Christmas gifts, baking cookies... who wouldn't love all of that? And I am finally having a housewarming party this Saturday with the weather flight, since my house is near move-in completion save for the few boxes left to take care of this week and a little more decorating and picture-hanging that must take place. With a little luck, my futon might even come in to the furniture store this week, which would complete my house's furniture intake. Depending on where I move next, I will probably have to offload some of it before I go... but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, for now my house is perfectly furnished (minus the incoming futon). :)
So, what's the "bitter" part of my bittersweet December? Well, it's twofold, actually. First of all, too many good friends are leaving. Cody and Jenn left on 1 Dec, Greg leaves 24 Dec, and Robin and Bobby leave 11 Jan. Too many goodbyes in too short a time frame, if you ask me. As close as this weather flight has been, it scares me that we're losing so much of the "family". I try to remind myself that I felt this way about leaving Barksdale... I loved the people of the 26 OWS so much, I worried that I'd never be able to love another group the same way. And in part, that's true, but not in a bad way... I have completely fallen in love with the people of this weather flight, but it's as different as the people themselves are from the people of the OWS. Does that make any sense? I guess my point is that I want to believe I will love the people coming in to the flight next spring and summer as much as I love the ones who are leaving, but it's really hard to see that now while saying goodbye.
Part two: I feel like my time here is running out too quickly. I didn't understand when Lt Col D said that same thing 2 months into his 2-year assignment at the 26th, but now 4+ months into my 2-year assignment here... I feel like a giant hourglass is gushing sand and I can't find anything to plug the hole. The possibility is out there for the hole to be narrowed and the sand to flow more slowly, if I can talk the assignments officer into extending me to 3 years, but I can't count on that. She was open to the idea when we talked at the conference in September, but said we'd talk again in the spring. So I have until then to build my case. Anyway, point is, there is entirely too much here to experience in two years, and I'm scared that I'm going to miss something.
Wow, believe it or not, this is not supposed to be a depressing entry. It is impossible to be depressed when I still have so many people and so much to be thankful for at this point in life. If there is one thing that England has taught me, it is how humbling it is to be given so much every day that I don't deserve. It's like my eyes have been fine-tuned to how beautiful life and love and people are, and I don't think that is going to go away when I leave England... at least I will pray that it doesn't. I mean, I felt that way before, and this is a really awful analogy but the only one I can think of... it's like I am seeing things about life in HD now that I didn't realize were not well-defined before. Have you ever watched a standard definition channel after an HD channel and wondered "did it always look this bad?" The answer is no, it didn't, because you couldn't possibly have known what HD looked like before you saw it. Geez, I have probably completely lost you... all I am trying to say is that I think my perspective on life is growing, and that's a good thing.
Bed time here, I have tomorrow off since I worked Saturday, so the goal is to vanquish those last boxes. Good night all!
Also, the Christmas season brings Christmas carols at church, the Advent wreath, holiday parties with all the awesome people/groups here, putting together Christmas gifts, baking cookies... who wouldn't love all of that? And I am finally having a housewarming party this Saturday with the weather flight, since my house is near move-in completion save for the few boxes left to take care of this week and a little more decorating and picture-hanging that must take place. With a little luck, my futon might even come in to the furniture store this week, which would complete my house's furniture intake. Depending on where I move next, I will probably have to offload some of it before I go... but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, for now my house is perfectly furnished (minus the incoming futon). :)
So, what's the "bitter" part of my bittersweet December? Well, it's twofold, actually. First of all, too many good friends are leaving. Cody and Jenn left on 1 Dec, Greg leaves 24 Dec, and Robin and Bobby leave 11 Jan. Too many goodbyes in too short a time frame, if you ask me. As close as this weather flight has been, it scares me that we're losing so much of the "family". I try to remind myself that I felt this way about leaving Barksdale... I loved the people of the 26 OWS so much, I worried that I'd never be able to love another group the same way. And in part, that's true, but not in a bad way... I have completely fallen in love with the people of this weather flight, but it's as different as the people themselves are from the people of the OWS. Does that make any sense? I guess my point is that I want to believe I will love the people coming in to the flight next spring and summer as much as I love the ones who are leaving, but it's really hard to see that now while saying goodbye.
Part two: I feel like my time here is running out too quickly. I didn't understand when Lt Col D said that same thing 2 months into his 2-year assignment at the 26th, but now 4+ months into my 2-year assignment here... I feel like a giant hourglass is gushing sand and I can't find anything to plug the hole. The possibility is out there for the hole to be narrowed and the sand to flow more slowly, if I can talk the assignments officer into extending me to 3 years, but I can't count on that. She was open to the idea when we talked at the conference in September, but said we'd talk again in the spring. So I have until then to build my case. Anyway, point is, there is entirely too much here to experience in two years, and I'm scared that I'm going to miss something.
Wow, believe it or not, this is not supposed to be a depressing entry. It is impossible to be depressed when I still have so many people and so much to be thankful for at this point in life. If there is one thing that England has taught me, it is how humbling it is to be given so much every day that I don't deserve. It's like my eyes have been fine-tuned to how beautiful life and love and people are, and I don't think that is going to go away when I leave England... at least I will pray that it doesn't. I mean, I felt that way before, and this is a really awful analogy but the only one I can think of... it's like I am seeing things about life in HD now that I didn't realize were not well-defined before. Have you ever watched a standard definition channel after an HD channel and wondered "did it always look this bad?" The answer is no, it didn't, because you couldn't possibly have known what HD looked like before you saw it. Geez, I have probably completely lost you... all I am trying to say is that I think my perspective on life is growing, and that's a good thing.
Bed time here, I have tomorrow off since I worked Saturday, so the goal is to vanquish those last boxes. Good night all!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Pictures
Not only did I finally post the last two sets of France pictures, but here is one from the 5K I ran with my flight the weekend after I got back:
We were missing a few people, but I was really happy with the turnout and all the families and kids that showed up to walk the course. My run time wasn't bad either for as little as I have been running lately: 26:56, which is better than a 9-min mile pace for 3.1 miles. We went to lunch afterwards and then had game night at Jose's house later... great day with awesome people! :)
So, back to France. Monday was the day of the shuttle launch, so after my shift ended at noon, I took off to sightsee before coming back for the launch around 8:30pm. Thanks to a Wikipedia article on "castles in France", I found one only 45 minutes north of Istres on the edge of the Alps, called Chateau des Baux. The drive there was gorgeous, and as I got closer and closer to the massive mountains, I was actually bouncing up and down in my seat. It was sooooo exciting to be off on my own with my trusty camera, to be free to explore every inch of the site and take in all the views as slowly as I wanted. My other team members were either working or didn't want to go. With the exception of the two trips I initiated, all they did on their off time was sit in their hotel rooms and watch movies. I will save going off on a tangent now, but that mindset is something I will never understand. The world is so big, and we only have one lifetime to experience it!
Chateau des Baux was an incredible site to explore because there were so many different parts of the castle, like rooms and stairwells and towers and tunnels - so exciting! And the view from the top was just breathtaking. I couldn't even begin to guess how far you can see, it felt like hundreds of miles, even with the haze. I took somewhere around 200 pictures that day, but only posted about a quarter of them (the best, of course!) here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=346357&id=701905001&l=fc040b2563
It was really cool to feel like a part of the shuttle launch that evening. We listened to radio chatter from all the different parts of the Istres TAL team out on the airfield making all of their preparations and checks to be ready for the shuttle in the case of a landing. We had NASA's video feed from Cape Canaveral on one of the laptops and it was really cool to hear the official countdown and the responses from the crews on our airfield. When it launched, we all held our breath as we heard Houston controllers announce the opening of the TAL window. We cheered the shuttle through the next few minutes, then cheered even louder when closing of the TAL window was annouced as it successfully entered orbit. Operations at Istres were officially over, so we cleaned up our equipment and headed back to the hotel before leaving the next day.
On Tuesday, my other three team members had flights out around 7:00 in the morning. My flight was at 8:20pm. I had to ride to the Marseille airport with them since neither of our rental cars were in my name, but there was no way I was sitting in an airport for 13 hours. I rented a car myself at the airport and took off for another castle on my list, the Chateau d'If, on an island off the coast of Marseille. Unfortunately, my Garmin took me straight through downtown Marseille traffic... and the car I rented was a stick shift, since it would have cost almost $200 more for an automatic. Obviously, I have gotten much better at the stick while driving Mini, but I am still really slow shifting from a stop to first, and I get nervous when other cars are behind me. Not to mention, I learned to drive stick on the other side of the car AND the other side of the street! There were a lot of tense moments and whispered prayers between the airport and finally finding a parking garage near the harbor, but I made it without causing an accident or hitting a pedestrian... a major miracle, in my opinion.
After parking the car and breathing a huge sigh of relief, I walked along the Old Harbor until I found the dock with boats headed out to the castle. I must say, I had a bad first impression of Marseille from Friday's visit, but the Old Harbor area was beautiful! Lots of traffic still, but gorgeous sailboats in the harbor, cafes with outdoor seating lining the square, old buildings and churches with beautiful architecture down every side street. There were people selling fish laid out on tables along the pier, looking like they had just been caught a few minutes ago. I glanced over at one vendor just as he whacked the head off a big fish with a huge knife... not my favorite image of the day, hehe. I bought my boat ticket, then wandered around the harbor taking pictures until it was time to board.
It was a gorgeous day in Marseille, clear skies and sunny with just that pesky haze that seemed to hover over that part of the country. I picked a seat at the back corner of the top of the boat, and was rewarded with a beautiful view of the city laid out on the coastline as we pulled farther and farther away. The wind was blowing my hair, it smelled so fresh, and the water was a brilliant shade of teal. The area actually reminded me a lot of the views of Greece I have seen in movies. The buildings were not bright white, but the layout of the city across hills and the color of the water were very similar. I'll have to go to Greece sometime and compare. :)
The Chateau d'If is on a very small island and was used as a prison for most of its existence, kind of like the medieval French version of Alcatraz. It was this castle that inspired Alexandre Dumas to write "The Count of Monte Cristo" in 1844. The book has been made into a movie several times over, but supposedly most of the filming used a castle on an island near Malta that was somewhat bigger. Chateau d'If is a relatively small castle, but in extremely good condition with lots of signs about the history of the castle, who was held in which cell, etc. Also, the view from the roof was amazing - 360 degrees of open water, the Marseille coastline, and other islands. When the boat came back, its next stop was one of those islands, called the Ile de Frioul. I explored a good bit there as well, and have a video from the rocky coast of that island here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=app_2392950137&ref=profile&id=701905001#/video/video.php?v=362319605001
And, pictures from the whole day are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=346744&id=701905001&l=45bd4e1a34
Overall, France was an awesome adventure and I would definitely go back to that area. I also want to see Paris and how different it is. For now, though, I am thrilled to be back in England with the holiday season in full swing and so many good times with great people. Back to work tomorrow after the 4-day break!
We were missing a few people, but I was really happy with the turnout and all the families and kids that showed up to walk the course. My run time wasn't bad either for as little as I have been running lately: 26:56, which is better than a 9-min mile pace for 3.1 miles. We went to lunch afterwards and then had game night at Jose's house later... great day with awesome people! :)So, back to France. Monday was the day of the shuttle launch, so after my shift ended at noon, I took off to sightsee before coming back for the launch around 8:30pm. Thanks to a Wikipedia article on "castles in France", I found one only 45 minutes north of Istres on the edge of the Alps, called Chateau des Baux. The drive there was gorgeous, and as I got closer and closer to the massive mountains, I was actually bouncing up and down in my seat. It was sooooo exciting to be off on my own with my trusty camera, to be free to explore every inch of the site and take in all the views as slowly as I wanted. My other team members were either working or didn't want to go. With the exception of the two trips I initiated, all they did on their off time was sit in their hotel rooms and watch movies. I will save going off on a tangent now, but that mindset is something I will never understand. The world is so big, and we only have one lifetime to experience it!
Chateau des Baux was an incredible site to explore because there were so many different parts of the castle, like rooms and stairwells and towers and tunnels - so exciting! And the view from the top was just breathtaking. I couldn't even begin to guess how far you can see, it felt like hundreds of miles, even with the haze. I took somewhere around 200 pictures that day, but only posted about a quarter of them (the best, of course!) here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=346357&id=701905001&l=fc040b2563
It was really cool to feel like a part of the shuttle launch that evening. We listened to radio chatter from all the different parts of the Istres TAL team out on the airfield making all of their preparations and checks to be ready for the shuttle in the case of a landing. We had NASA's video feed from Cape Canaveral on one of the laptops and it was really cool to hear the official countdown and the responses from the crews on our airfield. When it launched, we all held our breath as we heard Houston controllers announce the opening of the TAL window. We cheered the shuttle through the next few minutes, then cheered even louder when closing of the TAL window was annouced as it successfully entered orbit. Operations at Istres were officially over, so we cleaned up our equipment and headed back to the hotel before leaving the next day.
On Tuesday, my other three team members had flights out around 7:00 in the morning. My flight was at 8:20pm. I had to ride to the Marseille airport with them since neither of our rental cars were in my name, but there was no way I was sitting in an airport for 13 hours. I rented a car myself at the airport and took off for another castle on my list, the Chateau d'If, on an island off the coast of Marseille. Unfortunately, my Garmin took me straight through downtown Marseille traffic... and the car I rented was a stick shift, since it would have cost almost $200 more for an automatic. Obviously, I have gotten much better at the stick while driving Mini, but I am still really slow shifting from a stop to first, and I get nervous when other cars are behind me. Not to mention, I learned to drive stick on the other side of the car AND the other side of the street! There were a lot of tense moments and whispered prayers between the airport and finally finding a parking garage near the harbor, but I made it without causing an accident or hitting a pedestrian... a major miracle, in my opinion.
After parking the car and breathing a huge sigh of relief, I walked along the Old Harbor until I found the dock with boats headed out to the castle. I must say, I had a bad first impression of Marseille from Friday's visit, but the Old Harbor area was beautiful! Lots of traffic still, but gorgeous sailboats in the harbor, cafes with outdoor seating lining the square, old buildings and churches with beautiful architecture down every side street. There were people selling fish laid out on tables along the pier, looking like they had just been caught a few minutes ago. I glanced over at one vendor just as he whacked the head off a big fish with a huge knife... not my favorite image of the day, hehe. I bought my boat ticket, then wandered around the harbor taking pictures until it was time to board.
It was a gorgeous day in Marseille, clear skies and sunny with just that pesky haze that seemed to hover over that part of the country. I picked a seat at the back corner of the top of the boat, and was rewarded with a beautiful view of the city laid out on the coastline as we pulled farther and farther away. The wind was blowing my hair, it smelled so fresh, and the water was a brilliant shade of teal. The area actually reminded me a lot of the views of Greece I have seen in movies. The buildings were not bright white, but the layout of the city across hills and the color of the water were very similar. I'll have to go to Greece sometime and compare. :)
The Chateau d'If is on a very small island and was used as a prison for most of its existence, kind of like the medieval French version of Alcatraz. It was this castle that inspired Alexandre Dumas to write "The Count of Monte Cristo" in 1844. The book has been made into a movie several times over, but supposedly most of the filming used a castle on an island near Malta that was somewhat bigger. Chateau d'If is a relatively small castle, but in extremely good condition with lots of signs about the history of the castle, who was held in which cell, etc. Also, the view from the roof was amazing - 360 degrees of open water, the Marseille coastline, and other islands. When the boat came back, its next stop was one of those islands, called the Ile de Frioul. I explored a good bit there as well, and have a video from the rocky coast of that island here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=app_2392950137&ref=profile&id=701905001#/video/video.php?v=362319605001
And, pictures from the whole day are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=346744&id=701905001&l=45bd4e1a34
Overall, France was an awesome adventure and I would definitely go back to that area. I also want to see Paris and how different it is. For now, though, I am thrilled to be back in England with the holiday season in full swing and so many good times with great people. Back to work tomorrow after the 4-day break!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving
I know, I know, I still have not posted pictures or a blog about the second half of the France trip... it's coming! Probably tomorrow while I am relaxing at home instead of feeling compelled to wake up at 4am to go shopping... can't say I am too disappointed that Black Friday doesn't really exist in England. I have many many great memories of Black Friday shopping with my mom (and in later years, sister), and it's funny to think that they start with KayBee toy stores and then turn to JC Penney or Best Buy as I got older. I even went early-bird shopping by myself the last two after-Thanksgivings in Shreveport... not as much fun, but the sense of accomplishment for scoring great deals was still there. This year, there is no pressure to take advantage of the deals, so I can sleep in. :) Plus, Amazon.com is having specials all week online, and I got a comforter set for less than half price yesterday from the comfort of my couch.
Which reminds me... I have TV and internet in my house now!!! It's very appropriate that this is Thanksgiving week, because I am so very thankful to be able to write a blog on my couch instead of at the library, gchat with my mom while baking cookies, and learn the wonders of DVR. I just feel more connected to the outside world, especially people back in the States now.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving today; I am looking very much forward to dinner this afternoon with my weather flight family. I am making sweet potato casserole (with marshmallows!), broccoli cheese casserole, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. And yes, this means I need to get moving on those fairly soon. Tomorrow, I am hanging out with the OCF family and doing a "leftover" themed dinner, hehe. Can't wait to spend time with them again after missing two Fridays in a row. So basically, I am spending these two days with my favorite groups of people over here and couldn't be happier. No surprise that being thankful is coming so easily to me.
However, like I mentioned in my last blog, life is not always happy, and I was saddened to find out this morning that two families I know and love back in the States lost loved ones yesterday. They are not connected in any way, but both families now have to deal with grief and loss while it must seem that the world around them is caught up in a happy holiday season. At the same time, I know without a doubt that these are strong families who will lean on God, each other, and the support of so many friends and family who love them to get through these hard times. I will be praying for them as I know so many others will be.
Which reminds me... I have TV and internet in my house now!!! It's very appropriate that this is Thanksgiving week, because I am so very thankful to be able to write a blog on my couch instead of at the library, gchat with my mom while baking cookies, and learn the wonders of DVR. I just feel more connected to the outside world, especially people back in the States now.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving today; I am looking very much forward to dinner this afternoon with my weather flight family. I am making sweet potato casserole (with marshmallows!), broccoli cheese casserole, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. And yes, this means I need to get moving on those fairly soon. Tomorrow, I am hanging out with the OCF family and doing a "leftover" themed dinner, hehe. Can't wait to spend time with them again after missing two Fridays in a row. So basically, I am spending these two days with my favorite groups of people over here and couldn't be happier. No surprise that being thankful is coming so easily to me.
However, like I mentioned in my last blog, life is not always happy, and I was saddened to find out this morning that two families I know and love back in the States lost loved ones yesterday. They are not connected in any way, but both families now have to deal with grief and loss while it must seem that the world around them is caught up in a happy holiday season. At the same time, I know without a doubt that these are strong families who will lean on God, each other, and the support of so many friends and family who love them to get through these hard times. I will be praying for them as I know so many others will be.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
God is Good.
Being busy causes a dual problem… not only do I not have time to blog, but when I finally do, I have wayyyy too much to write about. I still haven’t even posted pictures from my last two days in France when I took two amazing solo sightseeing adventures. I will hope to get to that this week and then maybe write more about them when I do.
For now, what’s really on my mind is how incredible God’s blessings have been in my life lately. I started thinking about this after successfully driving a stick shift car in Marseille city traffic without causing an accident or hitting any of the pedestrians who regularly step into traffic without looking. You think I’m joking, but I consider this a serious miracle. I also thought about it while sitting on the rocky shoreline of an island off the coast of Marseille, enjoying the solitude and sounds of crashing waves while marveling at the view across the water of the city spread out below the massive forms of the Alps in the distance. Who would have ever thought I would have opportunities like this? It was one of those moments I almost felt like pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
Then, this week, I found out that a tough situation in a friend’s life that I have been praying about took a major step in the right direction. I was so happy to hear about this that a random stranger in line ahead of me later that day asked what I was smiling so much about. I think it is even more exciting when God answers a prayer for a friend than it is when He blesses something in my own life.
Also, I have just been unbelievably blessed by the people I have had the privilege of getting to know and spend time with here. I think about it every time I look around the living room at OCF meetings and know what a real family that group is, with every role including mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers to learn from and just share life with. I have the same feeling when I spend time with my weather flight… I love all of them individually, but also as a group, when I see the bonds and relationships that hold the team together and make us all better than we are on our own.
Before I left for France, I had lunch with two friends from OCF. It was two days before I was supposed to leave, and my orders and travel arrangements were in chaos. I had woken up at 4am to do laundry on base before work, only to find the change machine in the laundromat broken and not enough quarters to do my laundry. So, as you might imagine, I was a little bit stressed and not really in the most joyous mood. After venting about all this to my friends, one of them told me that when things like this happen to him, he takes a minute to think about how blessed he is in the areas of life that really matter, most of all how incredible it is to be loved and saved by God. “The rest is just details, right?” I had to agree with him, and it definitely had me looking at the laundromat issue with a different perspective. I’ve thought back to this conversation several times in the last week and a half, because it just makes so much sense in light of everything else I have talked about in this entry. Life is never going to be perfect, and it’s not always going to be happy… but I do believe it is the most beautiful and exciting gift that God has given us, and I want to live it that way.
You know what's even more amazing? That God gives us that gift even though we don't deserve it. I'll make this personal and switch from "we" to "I". I have messed up a lot of things in life. I have made bad decisions, I have been selfish, and I have hurt people I care about. While I still struggle to forgive myself for some of these things, I know that God already has forgiven me, even though that is a hard thing to wrap my mind around. The gift of salvation, the gift of life, the gift of love... all of these given just by His grace, not by anything I have done or ever could do. Crazy, isn't it? But true. And I want to love the people in my life like that, unconditionally.
For now, what’s really on my mind is how incredible God’s blessings have been in my life lately. I started thinking about this after successfully driving a stick shift car in Marseille city traffic without causing an accident or hitting any of the pedestrians who regularly step into traffic without looking. You think I’m joking, but I consider this a serious miracle. I also thought about it while sitting on the rocky shoreline of an island off the coast of Marseille, enjoying the solitude and sounds of crashing waves while marveling at the view across the water of the city spread out below the massive forms of the Alps in the distance. Who would have ever thought I would have opportunities like this? It was one of those moments I almost felt like pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
Then, this week, I found out that a tough situation in a friend’s life that I have been praying about took a major step in the right direction. I was so happy to hear about this that a random stranger in line ahead of me later that day asked what I was smiling so much about. I think it is even more exciting when God answers a prayer for a friend than it is when He blesses something in my own life.
Also, I have just been unbelievably blessed by the people I have had the privilege of getting to know and spend time with here. I think about it every time I look around the living room at OCF meetings and know what a real family that group is, with every role including mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers to learn from and just share life with. I have the same feeling when I spend time with my weather flight… I love all of them individually, but also as a group, when I see the bonds and relationships that hold the team together and make us all better than we are on our own.
Before I left for France, I had lunch with two friends from OCF. It was two days before I was supposed to leave, and my orders and travel arrangements were in chaos. I had woken up at 4am to do laundry on base before work, only to find the change machine in the laundromat broken and not enough quarters to do my laundry. So, as you might imagine, I was a little bit stressed and not really in the most joyous mood. After venting about all this to my friends, one of them told me that when things like this happen to him, he takes a minute to think about how blessed he is in the areas of life that really matter, most of all how incredible it is to be loved and saved by God. “The rest is just details, right?” I had to agree with him, and it definitely had me looking at the laundromat issue with a different perspective. I’ve thought back to this conversation several times in the last week and a half, because it just makes so much sense in light of everything else I have talked about in this entry. Life is never going to be perfect, and it’s not always going to be happy… but I do believe it is the most beautiful and exciting gift that God has given us, and I want to live it that way.
You know what's even more amazing? That God gives us that gift even though we don't deserve it. I'll make this personal and switch from "we" to "I". I have messed up a lot of things in life. I have made bad decisions, I have been selfish, and I have hurt people I care about. While I still struggle to forgive myself for some of these things, I know that God already has forgiven me, even though that is a hard thing to wrap my mind around. The gift of salvation, the gift of life, the gift of love... all of these given just by His grace, not by anything I have done or ever could do. Crazy, isn't it? But true. And I want to love the people in my life like that, unconditionally.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Salon-de-Provence
Thanks to the wonderful gift that is Google Maps, I picked a destination for Saturday's outing: Chateau de l'Empiri, a castle in a city called Salon-de-Provence about 30 minutes northeast of Istres. After Friday's incident, I was highly tempted to take off and explore by myself, but decided that the right thing to do was to ask if any of my teammates wanted to go with me. Two of the three did, so we set off mid-morning. When we got to the city, I immediately noticed the difference from Marseille (which by the way, I spelled wrong yesterday and have now corrected). There were beautiful trees lining the streets and sidewalks, and the buildings were lighter and cleaner, more intricate and uniquely designed, and set back from the street with gardens and parks on almost every block. We found a parking area without too much trouble, and as we began walking through the city streets, I found myself thinking that THIS was what I expected France to be like. Cafes with decorative outdoor seating, colorful shops with big front windows, bakeries with amazing smells drifting out, people walking around carrying baguettes (seriously), fountains surrounded by flowers... I was happy and we weren't even at the castle yet. :)
The Chateau de l'Empiri is a fairly small castle, built in the 10th century, lived in by various royalty, and now houses a military history museum. Unfortunately it was closed that afternoon, but the courtyard afforded some pretty amazing views in all directions, I especially liked the one looking out towards the mountains. Photo album link is at the the end, of course, but here is a picture of the castle from the courtyard, French flag flying from the tower:
Thanks to the bird's-eye-view, we were able to pick out several other impressive buildings in the city, and set off to find them up close. Just below the castle was a small 12th century church called Eglise Saint-Michel, which had very simplistic architecture but was beautiful in the sense that it blended so well with the surrounding buildings and had a fruit stand in front of it, like it was part of daily life in the city. There was a historical site marker next to it that explained how much of the church's congregation had moved to the Saint-Laurent Cathedral, which did not entirely surprise me when we found it later. Here's a picture:
Gorgeous, and while we were standing outside, the bells in the tower started ringing (you can see this in the picture if you look closely)! As we walked around the front, the doors were standing open and it appeared that a service had just ended, since there were people standing around in the parking lot chatting and only a few were left inside, taking pictures at the front of the church after what appeared to have been a baptism. Since apparently photography was allowed, we took a couple pictures of the impressive interior as well. We walked around the city for a while longer taking in the scenery, and though I could have spent all day exploring, the guys decided that there wasn't much else to see and it was time to go. Grrr... but rather than drag them around, I agreed to go back since I needed to take a nap before working a mid anyway.
The Chateau de l'Empiri is a fairly small castle, built in the 10th century, lived in by various royalty, and now houses a military history museum. Unfortunately it was closed that afternoon, but the courtyard afforded some pretty amazing views in all directions, I especially liked the one looking out towards the mountains. Photo album link is at the the end, of course, but here is a picture of the castle from the courtyard, French flag flying from the tower:
Thanks to the bird's-eye-view, we were able to pick out several other impressive buildings in the city, and set off to find them up close. Just below the castle was a small 12th century church called Eglise Saint-Michel, which had very simplistic architecture but was beautiful in the sense that it blended so well with the surrounding buildings and had a fruit stand in front of it, like it was part of daily life in the city. There was a historical site marker next to it that explained how much of the church's congregation had moved to the Saint-Laurent Cathedral, which did not entirely surprise me when we found it later. Here's a picture:
Gorgeous, and while we were standing outside, the bells in the tower started ringing (you can see this in the picture if you look closely)! As we walked around the front, the doors were standing open and it appeared that a service had just ended, since there were people standing around in the parking lot chatting and only a few were left inside, taking pictures at the front of the church after what appeared to have been a baptism. Since apparently photography was allowed, we took a couple pictures of the impressive interior as well. We walked around the city for a while longer taking in the scenery, and though I could have spent all day exploring, the guys decided that there wasn't much else to see and it was time to go. Grrr... but rather than drag them around, I agreed to go back since I needed to take a nap before working a mid anyway.24-hour operations began at 8pm last night, with a weather balloon launch every 12 hours and observations every hour. The other observer, Scott, worked 8pm to midnight and then I took over from midnight to noon. It was just a little bit creepy being all by myself in the middle of the night in a warehouse on a deserted French air base, but it actually wasn't bad at all. As an observer, my only function is to take a weather observation once an hour. Taking an ob takes 15 minutes at the absolute most, so there is obviously a lot of downtime to fill. The warehouse has wifi, so I brought my laptop and blared music while surfing Facebook and catching up with friends and family on G-chat. Not too bad, huh? :) All I had to do was set my phone alarm to remind me to take an ob at the required times. Also, one of the team members brought a case of DVDs, so I was set for 12 hours.
The original plan was to sightsee more after my shift, but I had to compromise and push that off until tomorrow when I will have more successfully adjusted my sleep schedule - I was ready to crash after not sleeping a whole lot yesterday afternoon. Launch is tomorrow at 8:28pm local, so that gives me a good 8-hour block after shift to go explore, take a nap, and come back for launch. Assuming everything goes well (which is the current forecast), we will then be done with ops and I can sleep like a normal person tomorrow night. My flight back is Tuesday evening, so I may even get another chance to see something that day. France is nice, but I will be ready to come back to England... I miss it and my house and my weather flight. Almost time to head to work, so here's the photo album link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=341572&id=701905001&l=babccbdc9c
Friday, November 13, 2009
Marseille
The first thing I have to tell you is a funny story about my French usage. I went running this morning with Dan, our team leader, and when I got back I went to the front desk to ask for some bottled water. They had several brands of water including the sparkling type, so instead of using the word for "water", I specifically asked if I could have an "Evian". I have a cold right now so my voice sounds funny, and when the word came out, it sounded more like "avion"... which is unfortunately the word for "airplane". Oops. So the lady gave me a confused look and repeated "Avion?" Embarrased, I just pointed to the bottle of water, and she realized that I was in fact not requesting an airplane. Oh well, I tried.
So then our team went over to Istres Air Base to check out our equipment and learn how to use it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this facility looks like something from another decade. Old computers, old equipment, in the middle of nowhere. Makes me curious about how normal weather ops are carried out for aircraft that use the base regularly. The US does not have any assets or personnel here, but it is an active base for the French Air Force (and yes, I realize I am leaving that wide open for jokes about the French military). I didn't ask yet if I was allowed to take pictures, but I will in the next couple days if I can. Point is, if the US Space Shuttle ever really did have to land here, I have a feeling there would be a LOT of shortfalls identified in facilities, communication, security, etc.
We begin round-the-clock operations at about 8pm local time tomorrow (Saturday), which is 48 hours prior to the scheduled shuttle launch. Weather at Cape Canaveral on Monday looks good for the moment, but there is precip forecasted on Tuesday, so I hope that system doesn't move in early or that the launch isn't delayed for other reasons, because then it would get pushed until at least Wed. Weather here also looks good for Monday, though it it supposed to be cloudy and rainy the next 2 days. I will be trading 12-hour shifts with the other observer, and we agreed on a schedule today. To allow both of us free time in the daylight and night time, he is going to work noon to midnight and I will work midnight to noon. So he will start taking obs tomorrow at 8pm, I'll take over at midnight, then on the last day he will work the last 8 hours from noon until launch. Good news is that the work center has wifi, so I can take my laptop over there to keep me entertained in the middle of the night, plus our weather balloon operator brought her external hard drive with a ton of movies on it. It hadn't really occurred to me that taking one ob an hour for 12 hours leaves a lot of time to be bored...
Wow, I hadn't thought this was going to be a long post, but I haven't even gotten to Marseille yet. From the base, we went to a French supermarket to buy food for our rooms, so we don't have to eat out all the time, and for while we are on shift. That was an adventure in itself... even with some knowledge of French, it was hard to find things and read labels and really know what you were buying. I had the same feeling I had in the train station in Germany... I'm really lucky to be living in England and experiencing the European culture without a language barrier. So after a more or less successful shopping trip, we took the stuff back to our hotel, ate lunch, and then left to sightsee in Marseille.
As the most motivated explorer in the group, I looked up a few tourist attractions online and the others agreed on them. Marseille is just under an hour from Istres, and parts of the drive are really pretty as you pass a big lake on one side and then come out along the coast on the other. The landscape is mostly rocky hills, and lots and lots of houses and buildings in city-ish layouts. The contrast to England is as striking as it is from the air, and I must admit I prefer England's rural setting and small towns. The architecture here is not what I expected either - the buildings are all yellowish beige with orangeish tiled roofs. As ignorant as this may sound, picture an Olive Garden restaurant, and that's what they look like. The guy on the team from Vicenza (Army post in Italy) told me that this is a Mediterranean style, and that northern parts of France look more like English architecture.
When we got to Marseille, it definitely felt like a city. Tall buildings and apartment complexes line the streets, giving them the canyon-ish look. Lots of traffic, and no parking to be found anywhere. We found the first site we were looking for, the Palais Longchamps, but after circling the block three times and not finding a place to park, we ended up parking at a train station over half a mile away and then trying to find our way back to it walking through the city streets. Along the way, we did find a gorgeous church on one corner, pictured below.
So then our team went over to Istres Air Base to check out our equipment and learn how to use it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this facility looks like something from another decade. Old computers, old equipment, in the middle of nowhere. Makes me curious about how normal weather ops are carried out for aircraft that use the base regularly. The US does not have any assets or personnel here, but it is an active base for the French Air Force (and yes, I realize I am leaving that wide open for jokes about the French military). I didn't ask yet if I was allowed to take pictures, but I will in the next couple days if I can. Point is, if the US Space Shuttle ever really did have to land here, I have a feeling there would be a LOT of shortfalls identified in facilities, communication, security, etc.
We begin round-the-clock operations at about 8pm local time tomorrow (Saturday), which is 48 hours prior to the scheduled shuttle launch. Weather at Cape Canaveral on Monday looks good for the moment, but there is precip forecasted on Tuesday, so I hope that system doesn't move in early or that the launch isn't delayed for other reasons, because then it would get pushed until at least Wed. Weather here also looks good for Monday, though it it supposed to be cloudy and rainy the next 2 days. I will be trading 12-hour shifts with the other observer, and we agreed on a schedule today. To allow both of us free time in the daylight and night time, he is going to work noon to midnight and I will work midnight to noon. So he will start taking obs tomorrow at 8pm, I'll take over at midnight, then on the last day he will work the last 8 hours from noon until launch. Good news is that the work center has wifi, so I can take my laptop over there to keep me entertained in the middle of the night, plus our weather balloon operator brought her external hard drive with a ton of movies on it. It hadn't really occurred to me that taking one ob an hour for 12 hours leaves a lot of time to be bored...
Wow, I hadn't thought this was going to be a long post, but I haven't even gotten to Marseille yet. From the base, we went to a French supermarket to buy food for our rooms, so we don't have to eat out all the time, and for while we are on shift. That was an adventure in itself... even with some knowledge of French, it was hard to find things and read labels and really know what you were buying. I had the same feeling I had in the train station in Germany... I'm really lucky to be living in England and experiencing the European culture without a language barrier. So after a more or less successful shopping trip, we took the stuff back to our hotel, ate lunch, and then left to sightsee in Marseille.
As the most motivated explorer in the group, I looked up a few tourist attractions online and the others agreed on them. Marseille is just under an hour from Istres, and parts of the drive are really pretty as you pass a big lake on one side and then come out along the coast on the other. The landscape is mostly rocky hills, and lots and lots of houses and buildings in city-ish layouts. The contrast to England is as striking as it is from the air, and I must admit I prefer England's rural setting and small towns. The architecture here is not what I expected either - the buildings are all yellowish beige with orangeish tiled roofs. As ignorant as this may sound, picture an Olive Garden restaurant, and that's what they look like. The guy on the team from Vicenza (Army post in Italy) told me that this is a Mediterranean style, and that northern parts of France look more like English architecture.
When we got to Marseille, it definitely felt like a city. Tall buildings and apartment complexes line the streets, giving them the canyon-ish look. Lots of traffic, and no parking to be found anywhere. We found the first site we were looking for, the Palais Longchamps, but after circling the block three times and not finding a place to park, we ended up parking at a train station over half a mile away and then trying to find our way back to it walking through the city streets. Along the way, we did find a gorgeous church on one corner, pictured below.
Of course, I was up the steps and inside before anyone could stop me, where I was greeted by a sign in French requesting that visitors be silent while inside the sanctuary. I quickly stepped back outside to mention this to my teammates, as well as the fact that we probably weren't supposed to take pictures inside either. That is common in a lot of religious buildings in England, and considering the silence request, I assumed it was the same here. The inside looked a lot like an English church or cathedral, the layout in the shape of a cross with cavernous arched ceilings and massive stained glass windows. There were several displays along the side walls, but as all the placards were in French, I was the only one in the group who took any time to look at them. One of them stopped me in my tracks as I read it: a framed verse of Scripture in French, from the book of John about how Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in Him has eternal life. As I stood there in the darkened church, flickering candlelight reflected on the glass over this familiar verse in another language, it struck me as a beautiful example of how God trancends language and culture and geography. God is so much bigger than the American institutionalized church or any denomination, and so is His love for people and His power. Very cool thought, and I really wanted to record the moment for myself... I hadn't actually seen a sign forbidding photography, so I quickly looked around, didn't see anyone, pulled out my camera and snapped a quick shot with no flash. That picture is in my photo album linked at the end.
We left the church and finally found the original destination, the Palais du Longchamps, which houses the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Natural History. Some more beautiful architecture and fountains, check out the photo album for those. From the top of the stairs, you have a great view across the city to another site I had looked up - the Notre Dame de Garde, a beautiful church perched on the highest point in Marseille. I was hoping to visit it after we were done looking around the Palais grounds, but when we got back to the car, the other three team members said they wanted to go back to the hotel. Seriously? It was just past 3pm, and we had only left the hotel at noon. I was irritated, but couldn't trump a 3-to-1 vote. This is one reason I enjoy exploring by myself so much... no one tells me when I have to leave. Plus, I have been lucky in the travel buddies I have had in the past - Greg in Germany and Cassie in Ely were very agreeable to my pace.
So I consoled myself by planning to go somewhere else tomorrow. I have the keys to one of our two rental cars, so I'm going exploring whether the others want to go with me or sit in their hotel rooms all day until we have to work tomorrow night. I have not decided where yet, I need to do a little more searching on Google maps. I just don't understand people who can sit still when there is so much to see in the world. I should probably end this marathon post now with the link to my photo album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=340666&id=701905001&l=85a94bdf20 Enjoy!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Made it!
Well, after two days of doubt about whether I would actually get here or not, I hopped on a flight out of London Stansted this afternoon and landed in Marseilles just before 8pm local time (one hour ahead of England). It was cloudy most of the way here so I couldn't see anything, but it cleared up for the last 20 minutes or so of the flight. The first thing I noticed was how much more France looks like the US from the air than it does England. Lots of lights everywhere, more developed, big lighted buildings and parking lots, bright neon signs, etc. I'm not sure I really expected that, since Germany was more like England in the feeling that you walked into a storybook instead of a modern city. Obviously, London is the exception in England, but I am almost as far as you can get from Paris here and it still looks like sprawling cities instead of cozy little towns.
My mom suggested that I get a French phrase book to help brush the cobwebs off my four years of high school French, so I picked one up in the airport and started reading it on the plane. It really surprised me how much of it was familiar, and how much I could come up with on my own when I started thinking about various topics. I also could read (or at least get the general idea) of a lot of the signs and advertisements in the airport. By the time our four-person team got checked into the hotel and thought about dinner, it was almost 10pm... so guess where we ended up? McDonald's. Yeah... what is it with me and getting stuck at American restaurants on my first night in foreign countries? Popeye's my first night in England, McDonald's my first night in France... Germany was the exception, dinner in the German restaurant near Edelweiss that first night was the best food I had all week there. Okay, I digress, back to French. So anyway, we go to McDonalds, and none of the staff spoke English. My other team members resorted to pointing at pictures, but I was actually able to order in French and even succeeded in asking to switch my ranch sauce for mustard. So that was kind of cool. :)
I wish I had an interesting picture or two to post for you, but to be completely honest, I haven't really seen anything too exciting yet. The drive from Marseilles to Istres was all in the dark. The view from my hotel room is of a parking lot. The room is nice, I suppose I could take a picture of that. But tomorrow's plan is to go over to the base in the morning to make sure our equipment is all set up and that we all know how to use it, then spend the rest of the day exploring. We don't start 24-hour ops until Saturday afternoon. The other observer and I will be trading 12-hour shifts, and I'm kind of hoping he will let me volunteer for mids so I can explore during the day (with some sleep in there somewhere). Tomorrow morning, I am going running with our team leader, since I opened my big mouth and said I should go and he jumped in and wanted to go with me. So now I have to go. Haha. Serves me right.
That reminds me of one important thing I learned earlier today. After my last minute reservations were made this morning, our site commander called to make sure everything was set. While talking about return trip arrangements, he mentioned that 19 Nov is the latest they will push the launch before they will just scrub it until Dec so it doesn't run into the Thanksgiving holiday. I thought that was very nice to let everyone go back to their families, and I will get to run the 5K with my weather flight! So that was good news.
Okay, I need to get to bed since it is actually 11:30pm here though my computer thinks it is 10:30. Should have pictures after tomorrow!
My mom suggested that I get a French phrase book to help brush the cobwebs off my four years of high school French, so I picked one up in the airport and started reading it on the plane. It really surprised me how much of it was familiar, and how much I could come up with on my own when I started thinking about various topics. I also could read (or at least get the general idea) of a lot of the signs and advertisements in the airport. By the time our four-person team got checked into the hotel and thought about dinner, it was almost 10pm... so guess where we ended up? McDonald's. Yeah... what is it with me and getting stuck at American restaurants on my first night in foreign countries? Popeye's my first night in England, McDonald's my first night in France... Germany was the exception, dinner in the German restaurant near Edelweiss that first night was the best food I had all week there. Okay, I digress, back to French. So anyway, we go to McDonalds, and none of the staff spoke English. My other team members resorted to pointing at pictures, but I was actually able to order in French and even succeeded in asking to switch my ranch sauce for mustard. So that was kind of cool. :)
I wish I had an interesting picture or two to post for you, but to be completely honest, I haven't really seen anything too exciting yet. The drive from Marseilles to Istres was all in the dark. The view from my hotel room is of a parking lot. The room is nice, I suppose I could take a picture of that. But tomorrow's plan is to go over to the base in the morning to make sure our equipment is all set up and that we all know how to use it, then spend the rest of the day exploring. We don't start 24-hour ops until Saturday afternoon. The other observer and I will be trading 12-hour shifts, and I'm kind of hoping he will let me volunteer for mids so I can explore during the day (with some sleep in there somewhere). Tomorrow morning, I am going running with our team leader, since I opened my big mouth and said I should go and he jumped in and wanted to go with me. So now I have to go. Haha. Serves me right.
That reminds me of one important thing I learned earlier today. After my last minute reservations were made this morning, our site commander called to make sure everything was set. While talking about return trip arrangements, he mentioned that 19 Nov is the latest they will push the launch before they will just scrub it until Dec so it doesn't run into the Thanksgiving holiday. I thought that was very nice to let everyone go back to their families, and I will get to run the 5K with my weather flight! So that was good news.
Okay, I need to get to bed since it is actually 11:30pm here though my computer thinks it is 10:30. Should have pictures after tomorrow!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
France This Week!
Apologies again if you thought I disappeared... I'm working on getting internet in the house so I can post more at my convenience rather than the library's or cafe's. I leave for France on Thursday, and my hotel advertises free wifi, so hopefully I can continue my updates from there. I'm getting excited about the trip, though it worries me that the site team leader seemed fairly clueless when I talked to him last week. I don't like disorganization when it comes to travel arrangements and orders and important details. But assuming all of those issues get ironed out, the current plan is to leave here and arrive in Istres on Thursday, training with the weather team on Friday, begin 24-hour ops on Saturday, shuttle launches on Monday, come home on Tuesday.
Here is a basic overview of what I will be doing there: Istres Air Base is one of three Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) sites for the US Space Shuttle after it launches from Cape Canaveral, FL. If there is a problem during launch and the shuttle needs to land, it will land at one of these sites. The weather team provides 24-hour weather observations beginning 48 hours before a scheduled launch. For the shuttle to launch, weather must be "green" for landing at one or more TAL site. We'll be providing that info to the Kennedy Space Center. If the shuttle launch is delayed, we get stuck at the TAL site until it launches. Obviously, there are worse places to be "stuck" than the French Riviera... I just want to be back before the 21st to run a 5K with the weather flight, and then of course Thanksgiving. :)
So this week will basically be spent getting ready for that trip. The house is getting closer and closer to set up. I was fairly productive this weekend assembling two beds and getting rid of some more boxes. I tried to buy a TV but the BX was out of the one I wanted, so I have a rain check. House phone line will be activated tomorrow, and then I can get TV/internet/phone service. The Mini has had some trouble starting this past week, so it has an appointment tomorrow at a garage specializing in restoring classic Minis, which I'll take advantage of to get it thoroughly checked out and a few smaller "cosmetic" issues taken care of as well. I'm getting better at driving it, and it's so cute and yellow you just have to smile when you see it. :)
I also picked out my next two goal races this past week. Since I can't get into the London Marathon this coming April (if you would like to hear me gripe about this in detail, let me know, but for now I will refrain), I picked the Edinburgh Marathon in Scotland in May. It has a reputation for incredible scenery as well as a fast course, which will be a nice change from running up and down the mountains of Big Sur (but don't get me wrong, I will be doing Big Sur again when I'm back in the States in a few years). As a warm-up race, I picked the Dover Half Marathon in Feb, which I already know will be incredible scenery based on my previous visit. I'm really excited to finally have races and dates to plan for, so I will be setting specific training plans soon. For now, time for me to run to church, so that's all for now!
Here is a basic overview of what I will be doing there: Istres Air Base is one of three Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) sites for the US Space Shuttle after it launches from Cape Canaveral, FL. If there is a problem during launch and the shuttle needs to land, it will land at one of these sites. The weather team provides 24-hour weather observations beginning 48 hours before a scheduled launch. For the shuttle to launch, weather must be "green" for landing at one or more TAL site. We'll be providing that info to the Kennedy Space Center. If the shuttle launch is delayed, we get stuck at the TAL site until it launches. Obviously, there are worse places to be "stuck" than the French Riviera... I just want to be back before the 21st to run a 5K with the weather flight, and then of course Thanksgiving. :)
So this week will basically be spent getting ready for that trip. The house is getting closer and closer to set up. I was fairly productive this weekend assembling two beds and getting rid of some more boxes. I tried to buy a TV but the BX was out of the one I wanted, so I have a rain check. House phone line will be activated tomorrow, and then I can get TV/internet/phone service. The Mini has had some trouble starting this past week, so it has an appointment tomorrow at a garage specializing in restoring classic Minis, which I'll take advantage of to get it thoroughly checked out and a few smaller "cosmetic" issues taken care of as well. I'm getting better at driving it, and it's so cute and yellow you just have to smile when you see it. :)
I also picked out my next two goal races this past week. Since I can't get into the London Marathon this coming April (if you would like to hear me gripe about this in detail, let me know, but for now I will refrain), I picked the Edinburgh Marathon in Scotland in May. It has a reputation for incredible scenery as well as a fast course, which will be a nice change from running up and down the mountains of Big Sur (but don't get me wrong, I will be doing Big Sur again when I'm back in the States in a few years). As a warm-up race, I picked the Dover Half Marathon in Feb, which I already know will be incredible scenery based on my previous visit. I'm really excited to finally have races and dates to plan for, so I will be setting specific training plans soon. For now, time for me to run to church, so that's all for now!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Fog
Today was very exciting, so I hope you will find this a better entry than the last one. It started out with the most beautiful morning I have seen since I have been here, and probably ranks in my top three ever with the sunrises in the mountains of CO Springs and Germany. When I left my house, it was in dense fog. Call me crazy, but I LOVE fog. It reminds me of camping in the Shenandoah mountains of VA, and I love how mysterious everything looks taking shape as you get closer. It's like you're in your own little world and everything else is just briefly slipping in and out. Also, since we set our clocks back last weekend, the sun had already risen for my drive, so the fog was lit up and sometimes you could see the blurry shape of the sun poking through on my left as I drove south. Then, as I made the last turn onto the road that goes around the north end of the runway to the base gate, all of a sudden the fog was behind me, the sky was a brilliant blue and there were beautiful wispy cirrus clouds stretching across it. The trees along the road made a corridor of incredible fall colors, with the sun lighting up all of the bright reds, oranges, and yellows. England makes me wish I was a photographer. Or that I could take pictures while driving without driving off the road or causing an accident.
After lunch, Greg took me on a tour of all of the fighter squadrons' buildings, since I am now moving more into my role as their main contact for weather support. They have some pretty cool setups and facilities, and the walls are covered with past and present pictures of aircraft over impressive background scenery. (For the record, if the unbelievably gorgeous poster of an F-15 formation over the White Cliffs of Dover was to disappear from the lobby of the 493rd sometime in the next two years, I have NO idea who could be behind it...).
When we got back, we were over in base ops talking to them about taking me across the flight line to the helo squadron's headquarters when a call came in about an in-flight emergency; an F-15 had an engine malfunction and was coming in to land in 5 minutes. One of the guys, LB, jumped up to go out and respond to it, and Greg asked him if I could go with him. He said yes! So we ran outside, jumped in the base ops pickup truck and flew down the flightline towards the north end of the runway. As we were driving, LB explained that we were supposed to watch where the plane hit the runway, then follow it all the way down to the side area where fire crews and crash recovery crews would meet it. The purpose was to look for FOD (anything that might have fallen off the aircraft) and to clear the runway as soon as possible for other aircraft to land. When the plane landed just past where we were waiting, LB pulled out and stepped on the gas and we sped along like a chase vehicle as the plane taxiied to the designated area. It was so exciting! When the plane came to a stop, firefighters in silver spaceman-looking suits jumped out of the waiting trucks and cleared the area before anyone else could approach. After the situation was under control, LB drove me around some different areas of the airfield and explained a lot of things about the pavement, the airfield signs, the different areas, and the procedures that are followed in certain situations. It was all so interesting, and I learned a lot about how weather affects ground crews as well as aircraft operations.
Tomorrow should be a fun day too. Not only is it Friday, but the weather flight is doing a group run (my idea) at PT tomorrow, then there is a wing awards luncheon where Greg and Cody (one of our forecasters) are up for wing-level awards after winning at the OG level, then a squadron hail and farewell in the afternoon complete with families and kids in costumes, then OCF meeting! Plans for the weekend are still undecided, but I'm excited about tomorrow. That's all for now!
After lunch, Greg took me on a tour of all of the fighter squadrons' buildings, since I am now moving more into my role as their main contact for weather support. They have some pretty cool setups and facilities, and the walls are covered with past and present pictures of aircraft over impressive background scenery. (For the record, if the unbelievably gorgeous poster of an F-15 formation over the White Cliffs of Dover was to disappear from the lobby of the 493rd sometime in the next two years, I have NO idea who could be behind it...).
When we got back, we were over in base ops talking to them about taking me across the flight line to the helo squadron's headquarters when a call came in about an in-flight emergency; an F-15 had an engine malfunction and was coming in to land in 5 minutes. One of the guys, LB, jumped up to go out and respond to it, and Greg asked him if I could go with him. He said yes! So we ran outside, jumped in the base ops pickup truck and flew down the flightline towards the north end of the runway. As we were driving, LB explained that we were supposed to watch where the plane hit the runway, then follow it all the way down to the side area where fire crews and crash recovery crews would meet it. The purpose was to look for FOD (anything that might have fallen off the aircraft) and to clear the runway as soon as possible for other aircraft to land. When the plane landed just past where we were waiting, LB pulled out and stepped on the gas and we sped along like a chase vehicle as the plane taxiied to the designated area. It was so exciting! When the plane came to a stop, firefighters in silver spaceman-looking suits jumped out of the waiting trucks and cleared the area before anyone else could approach. After the situation was under control, LB drove me around some different areas of the airfield and explained a lot of things about the pavement, the airfield signs, the different areas, and the procedures that are followed in certain situations. It was all so interesting, and I learned a lot about how weather affects ground crews as well as aircraft operations.
Tomorrow should be a fun day too. Not only is it Friday, but the weather flight is doing a group run (my idea) at PT tomorrow, then there is a wing awards luncheon where Greg and Cody (one of our forecasters) are up for wing-level awards after winning at the OG level, then a squadron hail and farewell in the afternoon complete with families and kids in costumes, then OCF meeting! Plans for the weekend are still undecided, but I'm excited about tomorrow. That's all for now!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Still Unpacking
I don't have much incredibly interesting to say today, but I thought I should write something since I hadn't in a while. I did not go on any adventures this weekend, as I am continuing to unpack the house. I have also spent time TV- and furniture-shopping. So, kind of boring, but I suppose it must be done... my friends here are making fun of me for still not having my house unpacked after living in it for 2 months.
The highlight of the weekend was watching my Penn State Nittany Lions beat up on Michigan 35-10 last night, which I got to see thanks to AFN and another "game night" with the weather flight. By far the best PSU-Michigan game I have ever watched. :D This past week also included some fun times and great conversations with people in the flight... it makes me sad to think that most of this crew will be gone by January. But I'm not going to let that stop me from enjoying the time with them that I have now, and I'm looking forward to making plenty of memories going into the holiday season.
Time for me to get going, as I need to hit the gym, get home, and shower before Jose and his Hummer help me pick up a bookcase for the house this evening (neither Cabrio or Mini is built for carrying a 6-foot-tall bookcase). Mon-Wed of this week I am stuck in a training class that will likely be very boring, but at least it is football playoff week so I'll see people in the evenings. Maybe I'll come up with something more exciting to write about next time. :)
The highlight of the weekend was watching my Penn State Nittany Lions beat up on Michigan 35-10 last night, which I got to see thanks to AFN and another "game night" with the weather flight. By far the best PSU-Michigan game I have ever watched. :D This past week also included some fun times and great conversations with people in the flight... it makes me sad to think that most of this crew will be gone by January. But I'm not going to let that stop me from enjoying the time with them that I have now, and I'm looking forward to making plenty of memories going into the holiday season.
Time for me to get going, as I need to hit the gym, get home, and shower before Jose and his Hummer help me pick up a bookcase for the house this evening (neither Cabrio or Mini is built for carrying a 6-foot-tall bookcase). Mon-Wed of this week I am stuck in a training class that will likely be very boring, but at least it is football playoff week so I'll see people in the evenings. Maybe I'll come up with something more exciting to write about next time. :)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Productivity
The lingering travel high from Dover on Monday allowed me to stay home this weekend and make some much-needed progress in the house. On Saturday, I finally found my bag of tools (silly me, why didn't I think to look in a box from my bedroom labeled stuffed animals and shoes?) and put together the loft for my twin mattress, my computer desk, and a small bookshelf. Putting together the loft and desk by myself was no small undertaking, as those who have helped me in the past can attest to. Especially the loft... I had to engineer a tower of boxes to the exact height to hold one end of the heavy top frame in place while I got all the hardware in place to hold it up. But I did it! Then I finished organizing the kitchen this morning... it is quite possible I was more productive in the house over the last two days than I have been in the entire month I have lived there. :)
Saturday night, Jose had the weather flight over for a game night... as in, the board type. I think more time was spent just hanging out, eating, and watching football, hehe. But it was great, he built a fire in the fireplace and it was nice to just sit in his huge living room with everyone. It is definitely starting to feel like winter here. I will have to get brave and build a fire in one of my own fireplaces one of these days. I loooove walking down my street and smelling everyone's fires. :)
I must sadly report the demise of my cell phone yesterday... turns out that dropping them in water is bad. I tried the "bowl-of-rice" method to dry it out (if you don't know what I mean, you're not alone... the girl in the cell phone store looked at me like I had two heads when I tried to explain), but it only halfway worked... it can turn on and make calls, but the people on the other end can't hear me, and they sound to me like they are talking through wax paper. To make a long story short, it means I got a new phone today. It is bright yellow, so at least there is a somewhat happy ending to this story.
One other thing that has been on my mind lately is how much I love my drive to and from work. I'll be honest, there were a couple times after I moved into the house that I wondered if living 35 minutes from work was the right decision. And yes, sometimes it would be a lot more convenient to live closer. But then there are so many reasons that I have come to love about the route: I have seen some of the most incredible sunrises and sunsets of my life... the drive is mostly north/south through farmland, so I can watch the sun rise or set the whole time without ever getting blinded. I love that I pass a field full of fluffy sheep... and one of them is black. I love that most of the houses in the villages I drive through have been there since before the Constitution was signed. I love that I regularly pass tractors and horse-drawn carriages. I love that sometimes shallow fog sits in the fields on both sides of the road, and I can just make out a horse or cow through it. I love the abandoned old red double-decker bus in a field and how iconic it looks. I love the isolated church that looks so mysterious rising out of a bed of shallow fog. And when it's dark and I can't see these things, I devote that time to praying (with my eyes open, of course, hehe). That's 35 uninterrupted minutes I can spend talking to God... and I always get home before I run out of people and things to pray about.
This week starts out with an OG run tomorrow morning, so I better get home and rest up... the OG/CC does not take it easy on those!
Saturday night, Jose had the weather flight over for a game night... as in, the board type. I think more time was spent just hanging out, eating, and watching football, hehe. But it was great, he built a fire in the fireplace and it was nice to just sit in his huge living room with everyone. It is definitely starting to feel like winter here. I will have to get brave and build a fire in one of my own fireplaces one of these days. I loooove walking down my street and smelling everyone's fires. :)
I must sadly report the demise of my cell phone yesterday... turns out that dropping them in water is bad. I tried the "bowl-of-rice" method to dry it out (if you don't know what I mean, you're not alone... the girl in the cell phone store looked at me like I had two heads when I tried to explain), but it only halfway worked... it can turn on and make calls, but the people on the other end can't hear me, and they sound to me like they are talking through wax paper. To make a long story short, it means I got a new phone today. It is bright yellow, so at least there is a somewhat happy ending to this story.
One other thing that has been on my mind lately is how much I love my drive to and from work. I'll be honest, there were a couple times after I moved into the house that I wondered if living 35 minutes from work was the right decision. And yes, sometimes it would be a lot more convenient to live closer. But then there are so many reasons that I have come to love about the route: I have seen some of the most incredible sunrises and sunsets of my life... the drive is mostly north/south through farmland, so I can watch the sun rise or set the whole time without ever getting blinded. I love that I pass a field full of fluffy sheep... and one of them is black. I love that most of the houses in the villages I drive through have been there since before the Constitution was signed. I love that I regularly pass tractors and horse-drawn carriages. I love that sometimes shallow fog sits in the fields on both sides of the road, and I can just make out a horse or cow through it. I love the abandoned old red double-decker bus in a field and how iconic it looks. I love the isolated church that looks so mysterious rising out of a bed of shallow fog. And when it's dark and I can't see these things, I devote that time to praying (with my eyes open, of course, hehe). That's 35 uninterrupted minutes I can spend talking to God... and I always get home before I run out of people and things to pray about.
This week starts out with an OG run tomorrow morning, so I better get home and rest up... the OG/CC does not take it easy on those!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dover
This past weekend had a very low point and a high point. I'm not going to talk about the low point in this entry... maybe later. The high point was my trip to Dover on Monday, our day off for Columbus Day. I found out on Friday night at OCF that a couple in the group, Mike and Jody, were going down there for the weekend with their 3 kids. I mentioned that I was planning a day trip on Monday, so they suggested we meet up at Dover Castle. The weather was gorgeous, as you can see in the picture below:
This was taken from the outer wall of the castle, looking towards the main gate and the keep. The castle was incredible... it was built by Henry II back in the 1100s, but was still used as a fortress up through WWII! There is a massive complex of tunnels under the castle that were used as military headquarters, a hospital, communications center, lookout points... just amazing. I think the thing that impressed me the most was an anti-aircraft gun along one of the outer walls - you won't find many medieval castles with those! Of course, I took tons of pictures inside and outside the castle, so check out the link at the end. I had a great time hanging out with 5-year-old Marrin and 4-year-old Jacob! :)
After we toured the main parts of the castle, Mike and Jody and the kids left, and I went over to the White Cliffs visitor center. From there, there is a 2-mile walk along the cliff tops to the South Foreland Lighthouse, another historic site. It is supposed to be a 40-min walk, but of course I went much slower due to stopping every few feet to take a picture. I have a lot of pics of the same cliffs, but they are just so incredible to look at... the pictures don't even do them justice. They're just so massive and BRIGHT! Here is my favorite picture that I took of them:
This was taken from the outer wall of the castle, looking towards the main gate and the keep. The castle was incredible... it was built by Henry II back in the 1100s, but was still used as a fortress up through WWII! There is a massive complex of tunnels under the castle that were used as military headquarters, a hospital, communications center, lookout points... just amazing. I think the thing that impressed me the most was an anti-aircraft gun along one of the outer walls - you won't find many medieval castles with those! Of course, I took tons of pictures inside and outside the castle, so check out the link at the end. I had a great time hanging out with 5-year-old Marrin and 4-year-old Jacob! :)
After we toured the main parts of the castle, Mike and Jody and the kids left, and I went over to the White Cliffs visitor center. From there, there is a 2-mile walk along the cliff tops to the South Foreland Lighthouse, another historic site. It is supposed to be a 40-min walk, but of course I went much slower due to stopping every few feet to take a picture. I have a lot of pics of the same cliffs, but they are just so incredible to look at... the pictures don't even do them justice. They're just so massive and BRIGHT! Here is my favorite picture that I took of them:
I also found a trail that zig-zagged down the face of one cliff to the beach. Now, let me tell you, this trail was STEEP. It was also uneven and rocky. I felt like a mountain goat going down. Check out my photo album for pics. It was worth it, though, the beach was awesome. Waves crashing on the rocks, salty air blowing in my face, white cliffs stretching as far as I could see. I spent so much time down there that I never even made it to the lighthouse. I had to turn back to get my car before they locked the gate to the parking lot.
I wish I could ramble longer, but the cafe is closing so I must go before I get kicked out. Here is the link to my Dover photo album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=325895&id=701905001&l=2d6845d2b3
And here is the link to a video I took on the beach, turn up your sound so you can hear the waves crashing! http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=318349485001
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Driving My Mini
I'm still in love with my little yellow baby. But we are taking our time getting to know each other. I learned to drive stick somewhere around 9 years ago on my dad's 1974 VW Beetle, then started driving an automatic and have never driven a stick again until now. My refresher driving lesson was on Tuesday night, and it is lucky for me that Greg developed a lot of patience while raising 8 kids, because that first driving attempt was a little, well... rough. I didn't stall it EVERY time I tried to go into first gear from a stop, but it was pretty darn close. Second and third are easier because they flow, but I got pretty frustrated trying to get into first or reverse from a stop. Finally, Greg figured out what I was doing wrong - I was letting the clutch out slowly and starting to add gas, but when I felt it start to shift I was getting excited and letting the clutch go all the way. That was a major breakthrough, but we had to go to the OSS football game, so I didn't get to do much more that night.
So last night, Mini and I spent some quality time together. We had some one-on-one conversation, and I think we understand each other a lot better now. We spent about an hour practicing mostly first and reverse, but eventually getting to second and third too. We're not perfect or even very smooth, but we are at least 200% better than the first night. As soon as I'm done writing this, I'm going back to get it for some more quality time. I told Jose that I had a date with Mini tonight, and he told me to have fun. I said I better, we're already married. ;-)
Work is great. I love the people in my flight and they make the time fun and interesting. I also briefed wing staff twice this week, which was a little intimidating at first but both times went very well. The vice commander was even joking around with me today. Next week I work the forecaster desk on day shift all week, which will be nice to log that time to practice after being certified this Monday. This is a three-day weekend, and although my house is not even close to unpacked, I can't sit still for that long. I am finally going to make the trip to Dover Castle and the White Cliffs on Monday, and I will probably go somewhere closer on Saturday or Sunday but haven't decided where yet. That will leave one day for house stuff. That's not too bad, is it? :)
So last night, Mini and I spent some quality time together. We had some one-on-one conversation, and I think we understand each other a lot better now. We spent about an hour practicing mostly first and reverse, but eventually getting to second and third too. We're not perfect or even very smooth, but we are at least 200% better than the first night. As soon as I'm done writing this, I'm going back to get it for some more quality time. I told Jose that I had a date with Mini tonight, and he told me to have fun. I said I better, we're already married. ;-)
Work is great. I love the people in my flight and they make the time fun and interesting. I also briefed wing staff twice this week, which was a little intimidating at first but both times went very well. The vice commander was even joking around with me today. Next week I work the forecaster desk on day shift all week, which will be nice to log that time to practice after being certified this Monday. This is a three-day weekend, and although my house is not even close to unpacked, I can't sit still for that long. I am finally going to make the trip to Dover Castle and the White Cliffs on Monday, and I will probably go somewhere closer on Saturday or Sunday but haven't decided where yet. That will leave one day for house stuff. That's not too bad, is it? :)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Guess What?
I bought a car. :-D Did I mention I was looking for one? I have been thinking for a while that I wanted a British car, for several convenience and safety reasons. Any drive-up service is on the right side, and when you want to pass a tractor or lorry (semi truck) on a two-lane road, you have to wait until the road curves enough to see around it because you're on the wrong side of the car to look around it (otherwise you risk pulling out into oncoming traffic). Plus, living as far from base as I do, if something ever happened to the Cabrio, it would be a pain to get rides back and forth. So... what kind of car to get? After plenty of online research and reading reviews, I had almost decided on a nice MG convertible. But then, yesterday morning, I drove by the base resale lot and experienced love at first sight. Are you ready for this? (you have probably already cheated and looked at the picture...) So here is my new baby:
Is that not the cutest thing you have ever seen in your life?!?!? It's a restored 1979 Austin Mini 1000, and it is beautiful and shiny and MINE. I called the seller immediately and set up a time to meet them, see the inside, and take a test ride last night. (Small technicality = I can't drive stick yet, but I have been meaning to learn and MSgt B agreed to teach me next week.) Then of course, as with all car issues, I emailed my dad (would have called him, but it was 3am ET). I had to go back to base in the afternoon for commander's call, and as I was excitedly telling MSgt B (who I'm going to refer to as Greg from now on, because it's easier to type) about my date with the yellow Mini, he asked if I knew what to check it for. I said that I had emailed my dad but hadn't gotten a response yet. He then offered to go over to the resale lot with me to check it out while it was still daylight. I felt a little guilty about him taking the time to do that, but he insisted so we went over and he looked it over, pointing out some rust spots underneath and telling me about a few things to look for when the engine was running.
I finally got to talk to my dad later that afternoon, and filled him in on talking to the seller and Greg's assessment of the car. Daddy liked the idea of the Mini, which did not surprise me, since he and my mom had one when they lived here. Plus, it is very comparable to how a VW Beetle is valued in the US, sort of like an icon or collector's item. So I met the sellers last night, got a ride in it, checked all the things I was supposed to check, asked a lot of questions... and I was still in love with it, so I bought it. Well, technically, we are not exchanging the money and keys until Monday, but it is as good as mine. I'm so excited. How much more British can you get than a Mini?
Okay, on to other news: Jose is not deploying to Turkey. Neither am I. There is a Maj somewhere in USAFE who is going instead. So that is very good news for Jose and his family. This week was definitely a lesson for me in how fast and how many times things can change in this business, though. I'm done with my training (yay for no more mid shifts), and my checkride is on Mon and Tues. On Monday, I get to do something else cool: A bunch of our jets are deploying to Turkey, and Greg and I are coming in at 3am to do several mass briefings for them. That should be interesting, as I have not done anything like that yet.
As you may remember, this is weekend #2 of my self-imposed ban on traveling in an attempt to unpack my house. Weekend #1 turned into a hang-out-with-the-weather-flight weekend, which I enjoyed, but it means I have more to do this weekend. Today I made significant progress in the kitchen. It is not done, but getting close. Next week, I really need to get over to Feltwell to request my loaner furniture, because it will be hard to unpack upstairs without a couple wardrobes (you may remember I only have one miniscule closet, in the guest room). I also need to go bed shopping, and put together my twin bed's loft and my computer desk. And buy a TV, get a phone line, get TV and internet service... yeah, that's not all getting done this weekend.
So I am off to do laundry now, what an exciting Saturday night. :) I will just daydream about my Mini...
Is that not the cutest thing you have ever seen in your life?!?!? It's a restored 1979 Austin Mini 1000, and it is beautiful and shiny and MINE. I called the seller immediately and set up a time to meet them, see the inside, and take a test ride last night. (Small technicality = I can't drive stick yet, but I have been meaning to learn and MSgt B agreed to teach me next week.) Then of course, as with all car issues, I emailed my dad (would have called him, but it was 3am ET). I had to go back to base in the afternoon for commander's call, and as I was excitedly telling MSgt B (who I'm going to refer to as Greg from now on, because it's easier to type) about my date with the yellow Mini, he asked if I knew what to check it for. I said that I had emailed my dad but hadn't gotten a response yet. He then offered to go over to the resale lot with me to check it out while it was still daylight. I felt a little guilty about him taking the time to do that, but he insisted so we went over and he looked it over, pointing out some rust spots underneath and telling me about a few things to look for when the engine was running.I finally got to talk to my dad later that afternoon, and filled him in on talking to the seller and Greg's assessment of the car. Daddy liked the idea of the Mini, which did not surprise me, since he and my mom had one when they lived here. Plus, it is very comparable to how a VW Beetle is valued in the US, sort of like an icon or collector's item. So I met the sellers last night, got a ride in it, checked all the things I was supposed to check, asked a lot of questions... and I was still in love with it, so I bought it. Well, technically, we are not exchanging the money and keys until Monday, but it is as good as mine. I'm so excited. How much more British can you get than a Mini?
Okay, on to other news: Jose is not deploying to Turkey. Neither am I. There is a Maj somewhere in USAFE who is going instead. So that is very good news for Jose and his family. This week was definitely a lesson for me in how fast and how many times things can change in this business, though. I'm done with my training (yay for no more mid shifts), and my checkride is on Mon and Tues. On Monday, I get to do something else cool: A bunch of our jets are deploying to Turkey, and Greg and I are coming in at 3am to do several mass briefings for them. That should be interesting, as I have not done anything like that yet.
As you may remember, this is weekend #2 of my self-imposed ban on traveling in an attempt to unpack my house. Weekend #1 turned into a hang-out-with-the-weather-flight weekend, which I enjoyed, but it means I have more to do this weekend. Today I made significant progress in the kitchen. It is not done, but getting close. Next week, I really need to get over to Feltwell to request my loaner furniture, because it will be hard to unpack upstairs without a couple wardrobes (you may remember I only have one miniscule closet, in the guest room). I also need to go bed shopping, and put together my twin bed's loft and my computer desk. And buy a TV, get a phone line, get TV and internet service... yeah, that's not all getting done this weekend.
So I am off to do laundry now, what an exciting Saturday night. :) I will just daydream about my Mini...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
France-bound... but almost not
Boy, have the last 36 hours been nuts. Just before going in to work on Monday night, I found out that I was picked by the USAFE staff to go to Istres, France, for a week in Nov to provide weather support for a space shuttle mission. Awesome, right? I was on cloud nine and trying to gauge how much French I remembered from high school.
So then I worked my mid shift, and just happened to hang around a little later in the morning to finish some online training. Around 8am, Jose gets a call from the USAFE staff that his name is on the short list for a 4-month deployment to Turkey in two weeks. Yeah, two weeks. Awful for someone with two little kids and a pregnant wife. Then two things happen almost simultaneously: Jose gets the call that he is the one going, and he discovers that his deployment cycle is listed wrong in virtual MPF. Turns out, the Turkey deployment is for the cycle that is up now... MY cycle, not his. So then everyone starts telling me that I'm the one going, while trying to figure out which deployment tracking system is right. Chaos reigned for the next several hours as this was being sorted out. Many possibilities were thrown around, but I'll skip to the final outcome, which we did not hear until after lunch... it is my deployment cycle, but the position is for a Maj and they'd take a Capt, but not a Lt. So Jose is going, and he and I are consequently switching deployment cycles.
There are so many implications of these events I could get into, but I really feel bad for Jose's family. Luckily, the weather flight is very close-knit and I am sure we will take care of them. Still, I can only imagine what is like to tell your 4-year old daughter that you're about to miss her birthday and Christmas. I won't lie and say I was hoping I'd go, but it would have been easier for me than him. The kicker is having only two weeks to prepare, most normal deployments have much more notice.
So, for a few hours, France was off, but now it is back on. I have two more mid shifts this week, then my checkride on Mon and Tues to be certified to work the desk. I am slowly getting more confident, so I think it should go well. Some parts of the job are familiar, but there is a lot more interaction with people and on-the-spot questioning than at the 26th. I think I like it, though. For now, it's home and sleep, then OSS football game tonight. I'm excited to watch my team play again (Jose and MSgt B are the coaches), but it is going to be a cold one at 8:30pm! Must remember a blanket...
So then I worked my mid shift, and just happened to hang around a little later in the morning to finish some online training. Around 8am, Jose gets a call from the USAFE staff that his name is on the short list for a 4-month deployment to Turkey in two weeks. Yeah, two weeks. Awful for someone with two little kids and a pregnant wife. Then two things happen almost simultaneously: Jose gets the call that he is the one going, and he discovers that his deployment cycle is listed wrong in virtual MPF. Turns out, the Turkey deployment is for the cycle that is up now... MY cycle, not his. So then everyone starts telling me that I'm the one going, while trying to figure out which deployment tracking system is right. Chaos reigned for the next several hours as this was being sorted out. Many possibilities were thrown around, but I'll skip to the final outcome, which we did not hear until after lunch... it is my deployment cycle, but the position is for a Maj and they'd take a Capt, but not a Lt. So Jose is going, and he and I are consequently switching deployment cycles.
There are so many implications of these events I could get into, but I really feel bad for Jose's family. Luckily, the weather flight is very close-knit and I am sure we will take care of them. Still, I can only imagine what is like to tell your 4-year old daughter that you're about to miss her birthday and Christmas. I won't lie and say I was hoping I'd go, but it would have been easier for me than him. The kicker is having only two weeks to prepare, most normal deployments have much more notice.
So, for a few hours, France was off, but now it is back on. I have two more mid shifts this week, then my checkride on Mon and Tues to be certified to work the desk. I am slowly getting more confident, so I think it should go well. Some parts of the job are familiar, but there is a lot more interaction with people and on-the-spot questioning than at the 26th. I think I like it, though. For now, it's home and sleep, then OSS football game tonight. I'm excited to watch my team play again (Jose and MSgt B are the coaches), but it is going to be a cold one at 8:30pm! Must remember a blanket...
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Catching Up
So... I actually have not fallen off the face of the Earth, though I realize it may have appeared that way. I still do not have internet at my house, and I was too busy at work this week to get to anywhere on base with wifi. I worked swing shifts (3-11pm), but was at work most mornings as well organizing things for the OSS change of command ceremony, which was yesterday afternoon. I was in charge of it with another Lt, and we were both running around like chickens with our heads cut off all week. I ran a few ceremonies while I was at Barksdale, but this one had so many more moving parts, so to speak... we had to work with so many different agencies and people to make it happen. Anyway, I am so glad it is over and I can't wait to get back to other parts of life, like unpacking and setting up my house.
Hmm, where to start my catching up? I keep saying I will tell you about the conference, so maybe I better cross that off the list. Of course, the location was the most obvious highlight, but there were so many other experiences that made it such an awesome week. Pretty much all of the big wigs in AF Weather were there, and hearing their first-hand perspectives on things that are going on within the career field and the AF was very cool. Also, they attended almost all of the evening social gatherings as well, and I had the opportunity to talk to most of them in small groups or one-on-one, which resulted in even more learning experiences. They had plenty of advice and stories to share (sometimes more than I wanted to hear, but I listened anyway). The funny part (to me) was that I didn't even try to seek out those conversations... it was like every time I turned around, there was a Col or Chief pulling me aside (sometimes handing me a drink), and wanting to talk about my career or some other issue. I mentioned this to MSgt B once, and he laughed and said "Well, you are an easy target... you know why, right?" I thought about it for a minute and said "I'm a Lt, I'm a girl, and I actually listen to them?" He laughed again and said that pretty much hit the nail on the head. So, I guess that makes sense. Out of the 80 conference attendees, I was one of 2 Lts and 8 females, so I suppose I stuck out a little bit. Anyway, I thought it was great, I have always liked to hear other people's stories and experiences, and I realize what a unique opportunity it was to talk to all of these people who have done so much in their careers.
I also got the chance to meet one-on-one with the Wx assignments officer, another unique opportunity. She just took the job this summer, so I had not interacted with her before. I was really impressed; she was extremely personable and honest in our conversation. She answered all of my questions about possibilities for my next assignment and beyond, and asked a lot of questions about what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do those things. I really enjoyed that meeting, and it makes me a lot less nervous about what will happen in a year and a half when the time rolls around to make decisions about the future.
It was also great to meet so many other people from wx flights around USAFE. The Spangdahlem flight had 3 members there: a female Capt Flt/CC, the only other Lt at the conference (a guy), and a flight chief from Australia who had an awesome accent plus he was absolutely hilarious. I got to catch up with two former 26 OWSers: our former CC who left a year ago and is now in charge of CENTCOM Wx, and a MSgt who left over a year ago for the Army support post in Heidelberg, Germany. I talked to one of the Sembach OWS Flt/CCs for a while one night, and that was really cool- it's funny how much of that job is the same no matter which hub you are at. It was fun to reminisce about the 26th and compare notes on our jobs. So... I think that pretty much sums up what I wanted to say about the conference. Garmisch and Neuschwanstein were amazing, but the whole experience was so much more.
On to Amy's wedding. It will probably not surprise you to hear that I LOVE weddings. They're so romantic. My favorite part is the look on the faces of the bride and groom as she walks down the aisle... she looks so excited to get down there, and he looks like he can't believe he is lucky enough for her to be walking towards him. (And I felt this way before "27 Dresses" used that idea, hehe.) Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. This wedding was also sort of a family reunion, as it had been almost 4 years since the whole extended family on my dad's side had been together. This includes my dad and his two sisters, who each are married with two girls. So, the "generation" I am a part of is 6 girls, which translated to many hours of playing with Barbies, stuffed animals, and other fun girl things whenever we were together. Sooo many of my childhood memories are from spending Christmas vacations at Grandpa's house with them. Now, 3 of the 6 have graduated from college, and the other 3 are in college. Amy is the first of the 6 to get married. When she walked down the aisle looking so gorgeous and grown up, I leaned over to Lisa and whispered, "We've all come a long way from playing Barbies, haven't we?" She agreed.
I have pictures to upload, but have not quite gotten around to that yet... will post when I do. If you're on Facebook, my cousin Melanie posted hers and tagged me in a few, so you can see them on my profile. I also have pics from the night I spent with Lisa at UVA. She gave me a walking tour of the campus at night, and as much as I have made fun of UVA in the past, they do have a pretty campus. The next morning, we had breakfast with one of her roommates at a bagel shop and then I went back to the house while they went to class. It was fun to be back on a college campus... I miss the days of going to class in gym shorts and a college T-shirt!
I better wrap this up, since I need to go get changed for a going-away dinner for a member of the weather flight. It's at an Italian restaurant in Newmarket, a town I have not explored yet, so I am excited to see a new area. I'm working the mid shift (11pm-7am) next week, which should leave me a lot more time to get things done around the house (maybe get internet?). My plan is to put a temporary hold on weekend sightseeing for this weekend and next weekend to spend some serious time getting the house set up. Right now, it is literally just boxes everywhere in the same places the movers put them 3 weeks ago. Plus, I will be motivated to finish the house so I can start traveling again!
Hmm, where to start my catching up? I keep saying I will tell you about the conference, so maybe I better cross that off the list. Of course, the location was the most obvious highlight, but there were so many other experiences that made it such an awesome week. Pretty much all of the big wigs in AF Weather were there, and hearing their first-hand perspectives on things that are going on within the career field and the AF was very cool. Also, they attended almost all of the evening social gatherings as well, and I had the opportunity to talk to most of them in small groups or one-on-one, which resulted in even more learning experiences. They had plenty of advice and stories to share (sometimes more than I wanted to hear, but I listened anyway). The funny part (to me) was that I didn't even try to seek out those conversations... it was like every time I turned around, there was a Col or Chief pulling me aside (sometimes handing me a drink), and wanting to talk about my career or some other issue. I mentioned this to MSgt B once, and he laughed and said "Well, you are an easy target... you know why, right?" I thought about it for a minute and said "I'm a Lt, I'm a girl, and I actually listen to them?" He laughed again and said that pretty much hit the nail on the head. So, I guess that makes sense. Out of the 80 conference attendees, I was one of 2 Lts and 8 females, so I suppose I stuck out a little bit. Anyway, I thought it was great, I have always liked to hear other people's stories and experiences, and I realize what a unique opportunity it was to talk to all of these people who have done so much in their careers.
I also got the chance to meet one-on-one with the Wx assignments officer, another unique opportunity. She just took the job this summer, so I had not interacted with her before. I was really impressed; she was extremely personable and honest in our conversation. She answered all of my questions about possibilities for my next assignment and beyond, and asked a lot of questions about what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do those things. I really enjoyed that meeting, and it makes me a lot less nervous about what will happen in a year and a half when the time rolls around to make decisions about the future.
It was also great to meet so many other people from wx flights around USAFE. The Spangdahlem flight had 3 members there: a female Capt Flt/CC, the only other Lt at the conference (a guy), and a flight chief from Australia who had an awesome accent plus he was absolutely hilarious. I got to catch up with two former 26 OWSers: our former CC who left a year ago and is now in charge of CENTCOM Wx, and a MSgt who left over a year ago for the Army support post in Heidelberg, Germany. I talked to one of the Sembach OWS Flt/CCs for a while one night, and that was really cool- it's funny how much of that job is the same no matter which hub you are at. It was fun to reminisce about the 26th and compare notes on our jobs. So... I think that pretty much sums up what I wanted to say about the conference. Garmisch and Neuschwanstein were amazing, but the whole experience was so much more.
On to Amy's wedding. It will probably not surprise you to hear that I LOVE weddings. They're so romantic. My favorite part is the look on the faces of the bride and groom as she walks down the aisle... she looks so excited to get down there, and he looks like he can't believe he is lucky enough for her to be walking towards him. (And I felt this way before "27 Dresses" used that idea, hehe.) Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. This wedding was also sort of a family reunion, as it had been almost 4 years since the whole extended family on my dad's side had been together. This includes my dad and his two sisters, who each are married with two girls. So, the "generation" I am a part of is 6 girls, which translated to many hours of playing with Barbies, stuffed animals, and other fun girl things whenever we were together. Sooo many of my childhood memories are from spending Christmas vacations at Grandpa's house with them. Now, 3 of the 6 have graduated from college, and the other 3 are in college. Amy is the first of the 6 to get married. When she walked down the aisle looking so gorgeous and grown up, I leaned over to Lisa and whispered, "We've all come a long way from playing Barbies, haven't we?" She agreed.
I have pictures to upload, but have not quite gotten around to that yet... will post when I do. If you're on Facebook, my cousin Melanie posted hers and tagged me in a few, so you can see them on my profile. I also have pics from the night I spent with Lisa at UVA. She gave me a walking tour of the campus at night, and as much as I have made fun of UVA in the past, they do have a pretty campus. The next morning, we had breakfast with one of her roommates at a bagel shop and then I went back to the house while they went to class. It was fun to be back on a college campus... I miss the days of going to class in gym shorts and a college T-shirt!
I better wrap this up, since I need to go get changed for a going-away dinner for a member of the weather flight. It's at an Italian restaurant in Newmarket, a town I have not explored yet, so I am excited to see a new area. I'm working the mid shift (11pm-7am) next week, which should leave me a lot more time to get things done around the house (maybe get internet?). My plan is to put a temporary hold on weekend sightseeing for this weekend and next weekend to spend some serious time getting the house set up. Right now, it is literally just boxes everywhere in the same places the movers put them 3 weeks ago. Plus, I will be motivated to finish the house so I can start traveling again!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Coming to America
Okay, so I'm already in America, but the song title is more fun. :) I flew home on Wednesday, drove up to UVA to see Lisa yesterday, stayed the night, and the parents are picking us up around noon today for our Ohio road trip to my cousin Amy's wedding... then driving home on Sunday, flying back to England on Monday.
I heard some good advice recently about honesty. Obviously, you all know me, so you probably agree that I am a pretty easygoing person who tries to avoid conflict. I don't like to say or do things that would offend other people. I like people and I like for people to be happy. But... am I keeping people happy at the cost of honesty? The answer, as much as I hate to admit it, is sometimes yes. So, why am I rambling about this self-analysis? Okay, here goes...
I have mixed feelings about being in the US. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely thrilled to be going to Amy's wedding, I couldn't be happier for her and Jon, and I can't wait to see all the extended family again. I loved hanging out with Lisa last night and I'm even looking forward to seven hours in the car with my family. Please don't doubt any of those things. But... when my plane broke through the clouds over Newark on Wednesday, and what was below me was so obviously not England... there was a part of me that didn't want the plane to land. There, I said it. Is that horribly unpatriotic and ungrateful for growing up in the most powerful and free nation in the world? I feel guilty for thinking it, I know that much. I mean, come on, I'm a member of the US military! How's that for irony?
Maybe I'm overanalyzing this. The truth is, I just feel like I left part of my heart in England. I don't know how to explain why I feel so connected to a place. And maybe that's why I'm afraid that saying what I did will offend someone... If I can't even explain why I feel that way, how can I expect anyone else to understand? All I know is that when I'm in England, everywhere I look I see possibilities, stories, mysteries, beauty, history, magic - and I LOVE that. I'm not ready to leave it behind yet. Will I ever be? Not sure, and in the end it won't be my decision to make anyway, so there's no reason to worry about it now.
Sorry, this blog was more like a peek inside my head than a story from my adventures, but I was going with the honesty thing. :) I really do plan on telling you more about the conference, as mentioned in the last blog... at some point!
I heard some good advice recently about honesty. Obviously, you all know me, so you probably agree that I am a pretty easygoing person who tries to avoid conflict. I don't like to say or do things that would offend other people. I like people and I like for people to be happy. But... am I keeping people happy at the cost of honesty? The answer, as much as I hate to admit it, is sometimes yes. So, why am I rambling about this self-analysis? Okay, here goes...
I have mixed feelings about being in the US. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely thrilled to be going to Amy's wedding, I couldn't be happier for her and Jon, and I can't wait to see all the extended family again. I loved hanging out with Lisa last night and I'm even looking forward to seven hours in the car with my family. Please don't doubt any of those things. But... when my plane broke through the clouds over Newark on Wednesday, and what was below me was so obviously not England... there was a part of me that didn't want the plane to land. There, I said it. Is that horribly unpatriotic and ungrateful for growing up in the most powerful and free nation in the world? I feel guilty for thinking it, I know that much. I mean, come on, I'm a member of the US military! How's that for irony?
Maybe I'm overanalyzing this. The truth is, I just feel like I left part of my heart in England. I don't know how to explain why I feel so connected to a place. And maybe that's why I'm afraid that saying what I did will offend someone... If I can't even explain why I feel that way, how can I expect anyone else to understand? All I know is that when I'm in England, everywhere I look I see possibilities, stories, mysteries, beauty, history, magic - and I LOVE that. I'm not ready to leave it behind yet. Will I ever be? Not sure, and in the end it won't be my decision to make anyway, so there's no reason to worry about it now.
Sorry, this blog was more like a peek inside my head than a story from my adventures, but I was going with the honesty thing. :) I really do plan on telling you more about the conference, as mentioned in the last blog... at some point!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Neuschwanstein
Yes, I was there. Have you ever woken up the morning after an incredible night and wondered if it had all just been a dream? That’s kind of how I feel about this entire last week. But on the other hand, I’m still in England, everything around me is still beautiful, and I still have so much left to see and do… is it possible to have a dream within a dream?
I suppose you could say I am feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. That being said, I cannot promise you that this blog will flow in any sort of logical manner, as my brain is going in about a hundred directions at once. Maybe I should talk about Neuschwanstein, as that is one thing that does stand out fairly easily. We got out of the conference around noon on Friday, leaving an entire afternoon and evening open before leaving on Saturday morning. Thanks to a bug in their ears placed not so subtly by myself earlier in the week, our friends from the Mildenhall wx flight (who had rental cars and their families with them) decided to go to Neuschwanstein that afternoon, offering their extra seats to MSgt B and me.
The weather had been absolutely gorgeous the whole week we were there… until Friday. When I woke up that morning and opened my balcony door hoping to see the sunrise on the peaks that I had been enjoying every other morning, I couldn’t even see the mountains. Low cloud ceilings and fog had come in overnight with a vengeance. It was like the lodge was inside a cloud. My enthusiasm only slightly dimmed, I told myself that maybe it would clear out by the afternoon. Well, not so much. It was raining when we hopped in cars and left for the castle just after 1pm.
The drive took about an hour, and actually took us through Austria as a shortcut and then back into Germany, which I had not realized would happen. Having not prepared my already overworked brain for this additional experience, I just sort of stared out the window in shock as we drove through Austria past immense dark silhouettes of mountains disappearing into the pea soup of clouds and fog. I can only imagine how the scenery would have looked on a clear day. Perhaps the clouds were a good thing… if it had been any more beautiful, my head might have exploded.
The rain stopped and the fog had cleared slightly by the time we got close to the castle, but the clouds were still low and thick. Before I expected it, Capt R looked casually up through the windshield and said “Look, there it is.” I couldn’t see it at first because of the angle, but when he turned into the parking lot, I looked up the mountainside and there it was… blurry through the lingering mist and close to the cloud ceiling, but standing there like a physical version of all the pictures I’ve admired and had in my head for the last several years. My trance was broken when Capt R pulled into a parking space and a tree blocked my view, so I turned to look at MSgt B. He was already giving me a knowing smile and said “Yes, it’s really there.”
I jumped out of the car and quickly found a clear area to stand and take some pictures while the others were getting their kids out of the cars and into strollers. MSgt B came over and took my camera to get a couple shots of me with the castle in the background, but I had a hard time turning away from it. When the others were ready, we walked into the little town to the information center to buy our tickets. The winding, tree-lined road up to the castle is pretty steep, and is listed as a 40-minute walk, or you can pay to ride a bus or carriage. We all decided to walk, but the pace of the group with strollers and young kids quickly became a torturous snail’s pace for me. MSgt B took pity on me and we walked ahead, and though I tried to stick to a normal walking pace, we made it up the mountain in half the recommended time. (If you’re starting to think that I owe him big time, you are right, but remember that we are not even at the end of the day yet…)
There is an area just before you get to the castle with a few overlooks, gift shops, and food stands. We waited here for the others and I took pictures from the overlooks despite the view being degraded by clouds and fog. We actually ran into our friends from the Spangdahlem wx flight at this point… I had forgotten they had mentioned possibly going here as well, but it turned out they had tickets for the exact same tour time that we did. Once the Mildenhall families caught up, we all walked up to the castle and took pictures around the outside and front entrance area until it was time for the tour. The ones with strollers decided to stay outside to avoid the hundreds of stairs in the castle, but the rest of us followed the tour guide inside.
It bothers me that you are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle, because I can’t possibly describe everything we saw in there as it deserves, but I know I will not forget any of the rooms after rooms of paintings, woodwork, mosaic tiled floors, arched ceilings, and everything that looked straight out of a royal fairy tale. The tour only covered the main four floors of the castle, because much of the massive building is actually unfinished; Ludwig mysteriously drowned before construction was complete. I asked the tour guide if people are ever allowed up the towers, and she said there are special tours on Mondays and Thursdays that you can request to go up the second-highest tower. Good to know for next time.
The tour ends, not surprisingly, in a hallway with a gift shop. By the time I finished looking out all of the windows (we were still pretty high up) and picking out a painting of the castle for a wall in my house, we had lost the Spang crew. I called Capt R to see where the Mildenhall guys were, and he said they were walking around town with the kids and would probably find a place for dinner soon. Having been here before, he suggested we walk over to a bridge he knew of that had a great view of the castle, then meet them in town for dinner.
After a slight wrong turn that took us down a different trail, we found ourselves looking up (way up) at the bridge we were supposed to be on. Oops. Backtracking, we finally made it to the right spot… and it was worth the hike. This bridge was obviously the spot from which many photographers have captured the castle’s profile, because it was gorgeous even against the persisting gray clouds. The one downside of the view was that there was scaffolding covering the side of the castle facing the bridge, presumably for some kind of restoration work. But I wasn’t too upset, the whole view was still stunning. Without the clouds and fog, I can only imagine what a backdrop it would be, I bet you could see mountains as far as the human eye would allow. It was a difficult scene to tear myself away from, but I reminded myself that I owed it to my travel buddy and that it was probably past time to meet the others for dinner.
We actually made to down to the restaurant before they even ordered, so that worked out really well. After dinner, we walked back to the cars and I looked up for one last view of Neuschwanstein. It was dark by then, but the castle was lit up like a spotlight, and the contrast against the dark mountains was so beautiful it almost took my breath away. I was afraid it wouldn’t show up in a picture, but surprisingly enough, it did.
When we got back to the lodge, almost everyone from the conference was hanging out downstairs in the bar area for one last night before we all left in the morning. That was really fun, and I enjoyed the time with some old friends I knew back at Barksdale who had since moved on to USAFE assignments, plus the multitude of new friends I had met over the week. I hate to gloss over that part, and since I have already made this the longest blog in history, I think I better save it for tomorrow, because the people I met and experiences I had with them deserve more than a quick summary. They are a lot of the reason my brain is having trouble believing I will go back to work tomorrow and MSgt B and I will be the only ones there who know what an incredible week it was. I owe him a lot for sticking with me the whole time, and though he says he enjoyed everything we did too, I recognize that there were a few times he might have preferred hanging out with some of his old friends instead of a bouncing-off-the-walls Lt. So I am thankful to him for that, because he was an awesome travel buddy when he didn’t really have to be.
So, more to come about other aspects of the conference, and here are links to one photo album from the middle of the week http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=309610&id=701905001&l=f13b3b5d21 and one from the day at Neuschwanstein http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=311414&id=701905001&l=752aa4728c. If you actually finished reading to the end of this blog, thank you for sticking with me also! :)
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