I will never forget this last week. And I use the term "week" loosely, because everything really started last Wednesday night, but today is the first day I have had to really decompress and process everything. Last Wednesday afternoon, I left work on a gorgeous afternoon, giving my sore legs a break and actually not working out after a couple days of great running in preparation for the Prague Half Marathon on April 1st. I planned to get a good night's sleep and run an 8-miler after work the next day. I Skyped with Martin, and we talked about how excited I was to go to Dublin that weekend with a group of our friends, and then to go visit him in Madrid the next weekend.
At 10:13pm, my phone rang, waking me up after about an hour of sleep. It was my swing shift forecaster, telling me there was a recall of the Crisis Action Team (CAT), a group consisting mostly of base leadership, but which I am a part of to provide weather info as needed. Recalls are done occasionally for exercises and drills, so needless to say, I was not thrilled to get a call in the middle of the night. Hoping it was just a drill and I wouldn't need to report, I called the command post and asked if they had more information. The controller told me he could not give any more info, but it was a full CAT recall and the report time was 11:00pm. I looked at my phone for the time. 10:18pm. I live 35 minutes from the base, and I was in my pjs in bed, half asleep. You do the math. AHHH!!! Next came a flurry of activity as I scrambled for uniform pieces, hair elastics, car keys, etc., then sped like crazy to make it to the command post with about 90 seconds to spare.
I can't go into detail about everything that happened after that point, but if you have watched the news lately, you have some idea. The next several days passed in a blur of activity mixed with periods of waiting... and almost no sleeping. It didn't seem real. The moment I remember most clearly was the end of a conversation with our vice wing commander, when I expressed my amazement at everything that was going on. He just smiled at me and said "Yep... you'll remember this the rest of your life."
There's a lot more I wish I could write about, but there will be a time when this is all history that it will be appropriate. Needless to say, I didn't go to Ireland last weekend, and I am not in Madrid this weekend. Still hoping for Prague and Sintra... but now I'm getting ahead of myself. In the middle of all the craziness, Martin came home from Spain early. This was awesome, until he found out less than 24 hours later that he was leaving again, for an undetermined amount of time. He woke me up from a dead sleep after a long night shift to tell me he was deploying... but then said he wanted to leave me with something... and pulled out a diamond ring!!! He asked me if I would marry him, and I believe my response was something like "Is this a dream?!?" (Remember, I was OUT.) Once I convinced myself that I was actually awake, I squealed "YES!!!" and began a sort of happy dance that alternated between hugging him, bouncing around the room, and giggling as I stared in disbelief at the gorgeous sparkling ring on my finger.
So that's the big news, everyone... I'M ENGAGED!!! :-D It turns out that Martin's plan had been to propose at the finish line of our half marathon in Prague, but when he learned that he would be leaving so soon, he decided to pop the question before he left. He got my Dad's work number from my cell phone and called him that morning to ask if he could propose to me. (Probably the last thing Daddy was expecting to hear at work... but thanks for saying yes!!! :-) ) I have been asked a couple times already if we've set a date, and the answer is definitely not, haha. Martin left less than 24 hours after proposing, and we've only talked twice for a total of about 10 minutes since. Also, so much is up in the air right now about deployments for both him and for me, so it would be pointless to start talking timelines.
I'm SOOOOO excited and happy to be able to share this news with you! I'm not advertising it on Facebook yet, because I want to give Martin more time to get in touch with all of his family members (he talked to his parents right away, but didn't get much farther due to his deployment processing). However, I figured it was safe to tell you because I think I can count my blog readers on my fingers, hehe. :-) I wish more of you knew Martin already, but I can't wait to introduce him to you! Aaaand along those lines, I have already started thinking about a post to tell our story... there's a teaser for you! ;-)
Good List:
1. Martin. I love my fiance!!! :-D
2. The F-15E aircrew from Lakenheath who ejected over Libya are safe.
3. American Idol + DVR. (One is necessary for the other.) I got to catch up this morning, and though I nearly had a heart attack over the most recent results, I can honestly say I love this show. Go Scotty, Paul, James, and Pia!!!
4. Seeing my weather flight members take on challenges and new things and excel at them.
5. Uncle Ben's Brown and Wild Rice. Especially mixed with sauteed mushrooms, baby corn, and broccoli.
6. Finding a running buddy for tomorrow's 9-miler!
7. Great conversations over Proverbs 2:1-8 at OCF last night.
8. My bed. I appreciate it even more after trying to take a nap on my cold office floor one night last weekend.
9. Dreaming about weddings and dresses. :)
10. Hope.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Morning Drive
What an absolutely PERFECT morning. Have you ever been so inspired on your drive to work that you just can't wait to get there and put pen to paper (well, fingers to keyboard...) and write about it? That's how I felt this morning. First of all, my music choice for the drive could not have been better. Rascal Flatts "Feels Like Today" album is just amazing... I'm pretty sure it's scientifically impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to that CD. :-)
The sun was up! Just after sunrise has got to be the most beautiful angle for light across landscapes, and this morning was just STUNNING. The fields have been growing so they are like carpets of bright green, and when the sun hits them it is like they light up from within, like each leaf is glowing the most vibrant green you can imagine. The sky was an incredible shade of blue with wispy cirrus clouds that looked like they had been sculpted with a paintbrush, like the ethereal paintings we saw in Rome. One shortcut that I take through a small town takes me past a playground and soccer field lined by tall trees, and this morning the sun was filtering through the trees so that you could see each individual ray of light falling across the playground and field, lighting up the grass and reaching out towards me. It was so gorgeous I actually found myself holding my breath, and then bouncing up and down in my seat with joy and excitement just thinking about it.
I wished I had a camera, but the incredible thing about this scenery is that I am so blessed to live here and experience this beauty every time the sun rises. You know, there are some days I'm not thrilled with the bumpy, muddy farm roads, cars parked in the street in the small towns, and the 35 minutes it takes me to drive to work. But then there are mornings like today where I wouldn't trade my drive for the world. For those 35 minutes, I am part of a painting, part of this landscape that transcends time, part of these villages and winding roads traveled by people for centuries before I became a speck on this earth. It's like finding a part of myself, a dream I didn't even know existed until I found it.
I LOVE England. I may never be able to explain why, even to myself, but I know I have never felt so ALIVE, like the world held so many possibilities, like every day held the chance to be inspired. I think I lost sight of that over the last couple months, and I don't want to do that again no matter what happens. Martin told me a few times that he was worried I was letting the situation at work change who I was, and how I approached life. I hated hearing that, and I hated even more that I was afraid it was true. Maybe God showed me this morning that his gifts have been here the whole time, and that's what I should remember when times are bad, that God is always good. When I was enroute to Louisiana with dreams of Germany shattered, God was already planning the joy I would find in England. While I spent every minute outside of work the last few months dreading the next workday, God was planning this morning's sunrise.
But I think the most important lesson is that I found joy in Louisiana, too, once I let God show it to me. So what joy have I missed out on over the last few months? How much of that can I rediscover now that it's over? This is such an exciting thought, to view every person and every moment as a form of beauty, a part of my life story.
And, no better day than today for... a Good List! :-)
Good List:
1. Martin. He deserves a lot of credit for putting up with me over the last couple months, for encouraging me even when I was too frustrated to listen, and inspiring me to set goals and go after them. He is TDY in Spain this month, but thanks to Skype I still get to "see" him almost every day! :-)
2. USAA. Not only do I have a new credit card gaining airline miles, but they provide travel insurance so I can get my money back for an airline ticket if I get deployed before going home in May.
3. American Idol. I have NEVER watched this show before, but I watched the top 24 perform last week and am now hopelessly addicted. I actually had a dream last night that I met Scotty McCreery and told him how much I wanted him to win.
4. Random hilarious office conversations.
5. Girl Scout cookies! Martin brought home a box of Samoas one day before he left... they were gone by the next day. Oops.
6. Sunshine.
7. This video produced by neighboring RAF Mildenhall's wing staff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBbi1jsoSMg If you're not in the Air Force, you probably will not think it is funny, but I laughed my butt off. The best part? The tall Col is the leader of my OCF Bible Study!
8. Travel plans. I was talking to my friend Laura yesterday about our plan of attack for Dublin next weekend. Must-sees are the castle and a tour of the Guinness factory!
9. Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Triscuits.
10. Amy's blog. Yes, I would love to go running in Carlisle with you! ;-)
The sun was up! Just after sunrise has got to be the most beautiful angle for light across landscapes, and this morning was just STUNNING. The fields have been growing so they are like carpets of bright green, and when the sun hits them it is like they light up from within, like each leaf is glowing the most vibrant green you can imagine. The sky was an incredible shade of blue with wispy cirrus clouds that looked like they had been sculpted with a paintbrush, like the ethereal paintings we saw in Rome. One shortcut that I take through a small town takes me past a playground and soccer field lined by tall trees, and this morning the sun was filtering through the trees so that you could see each individual ray of light falling across the playground and field, lighting up the grass and reaching out towards me. It was so gorgeous I actually found myself holding my breath, and then bouncing up and down in my seat with joy and excitement just thinking about it.
I wished I had a camera, but the incredible thing about this scenery is that I am so blessed to live here and experience this beauty every time the sun rises. You know, there are some days I'm not thrilled with the bumpy, muddy farm roads, cars parked in the street in the small towns, and the 35 minutes it takes me to drive to work. But then there are mornings like today where I wouldn't trade my drive for the world. For those 35 minutes, I am part of a painting, part of this landscape that transcends time, part of these villages and winding roads traveled by people for centuries before I became a speck on this earth. It's like finding a part of myself, a dream I didn't even know existed until I found it.
I LOVE England. I may never be able to explain why, even to myself, but I know I have never felt so ALIVE, like the world held so many possibilities, like every day held the chance to be inspired. I think I lost sight of that over the last couple months, and I don't want to do that again no matter what happens. Martin told me a few times that he was worried I was letting the situation at work change who I was, and how I approached life. I hated hearing that, and I hated even more that I was afraid it was true. Maybe God showed me this morning that his gifts have been here the whole time, and that's what I should remember when times are bad, that God is always good. When I was enroute to Louisiana with dreams of Germany shattered, God was already planning the joy I would find in England. While I spent every minute outside of work the last few months dreading the next workday, God was planning this morning's sunrise.
But I think the most important lesson is that I found joy in Louisiana, too, once I let God show it to me. So what joy have I missed out on over the last few months? How much of that can I rediscover now that it's over? This is such an exciting thought, to view every person and every moment as a form of beauty, a part of my life story.
And, no better day than today for... a Good List! :-)
Good List:
1. Martin. He deserves a lot of credit for putting up with me over the last couple months, for encouraging me even when I was too frustrated to listen, and inspiring me to set goals and go after them. He is TDY in Spain this month, but thanks to Skype I still get to "see" him almost every day! :-)
2. USAA. Not only do I have a new credit card gaining airline miles, but they provide travel insurance so I can get my money back for an airline ticket if I get deployed before going home in May.
3. American Idol. I have NEVER watched this show before, but I watched the top 24 perform last week and am now hopelessly addicted. I actually had a dream last night that I met Scotty McCreery and told him how much I wanted him to win.
4. Random hilarious office conversations.
5. Girl Scout cookies! Martin brought home a box of Samoas one day before he left... they were gone by the next day. Oops.
6. Sunshine.
7. This video produced by neighboring RAF Mildenhall's wing staff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBbi1jsoSMg If you're not in the Air Force, you probably will not think it is funny, but I laughed my butt off. The best part? The tall Col is the leader of my OCF Bible Study!
8. Travel plans. I was talking to my friend Laura yesterday about our plan of attack for Dublin next weekend. Must-sees are the castle and a tour of the Guinness factory!
9. Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Triscuits.
10. Amy's blog. Yes, I would love to go running in Carlisle with you! ;-)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Inspection = DONE!!!
WE PASSED!!!!!!!! Thank you, God. I'm not sure it has entirely hit me yet. I'm writing this in my office on Friday afternoon. After sending my people home early on this gorgeous weather day, I'm just hanging out before OCF tonight at Mildenhall. We got the results of the inspection last night, and the official outbrief to the Wing Commander was this morning. So throughout the afternoon, I have had various levels of leadership wandering into our office grinning from ear to ear and congratulating us, but I'm still kind of in a daze. I'm not sure I'll believe it until I have time to relax this weekend and realize I don't have a dark cloud over my head anymore, that I don't have to constantly stress and worry about work.
Martin left yesterday for a month-long TDY, so my plans for the weekend include sleep, chick flicks, and more sleep. Yay! I should probably also get a run in, since my half marathon training has been up and down so far. I'm really excited to start the spring-summer travel season, because I already have so much planned! Looking forward to these trips has been one thing getting me through the last couple months.
The weekend after St Patrick's Day (18-20 March), I am headed to Dublin with a group of friends. I'm interested to see how differently the day is celebrated in Ireland, and I have heard it is beautiful there. We won't be close enough to the Blarney Stone, so I'll have to plan another trip there to kiss it! The next weekend... Martin's TDY is in Spain, a short train ride from Madrid, so we are going to meet in Madrid for the weekend! I scored a pretty awesome deal on a fancy hotel in the middle of the city, so it should be a great experience with hopefully warm weather. Then the first weekend in April (Martin comes home 31 March), we are running the Prague Half Marathon! We are taking leave the following Monday to give us an extra day for sightseeing after the race on Saturday. The second weekend in April is a 3-day thanks to a Family Day for school Spring Break, so we are tentatively (as in tickets have not been bought yet) heading to Sintra, Portugal. Never heard of it? Type it into Google and hit Images, you'll figure out pretty quickly what the draw is. :-)
Last but certainly not least on the "already-planned" list is a trip home to the good old U.S. of A. in May for Lisa's graduation from the University of Virginia. Still haven't bought those plane tickets (amazing how it will probably cost more than all of my European tickets combined), but I'm getting more confident that I won't be short notice deployed, so I'll probably get them in the next couple weeks. I'm also hoping for a reunion with college roommates Carrie and Jamie on that trip!
Let's see, what else is going on... I think I found a Master's degree program I am actually interested in, which is a pretty big deal I guess. It is from Penn State via their World Campus program, which is awesome because even if I deploy or move while I'm in the program it won't affect my progress. It is a Masters of Education in Earth Sciences, so the courses are mostly a variety of earth sciences with a few education courses and a capstone project. I've talked to two professors via email who lead the program, and I was really excited by their responses about how the program would work for me as a military member. The only hurdle now is financing, because there are a few different options for getting money from the AF, and I have to figure out what is the best combination of those... Penn State is not cheap! I have an appointment at the base education center on Monday to get some advice.
That's about it for now, except for the tragic news of the Lakenheath airmen shot in Germany. It's a very sad and scary thing for everyone on the base, so please pray for the families of the airmen and the Lakenheath community.
Martin left yesterday for a month-long TDY, so my plans for the weekend include sleep, chick flicks, and more sleep. Yay! I should probably also get a run in, since my half marathon training has been up and down so far. I'm really excited to start the spring-summer travel season, because I already have so much planned! Looking forward to these trips has been one thing getting me through the last couple months.
The weekend after St Patrick's Day (18-20 March), I am headed to Dublin with a group of friends. I'm interested to see how differently the day is celebrated in Ireland, and I have heard it is beautiful there. We won't be close enough to the Blarney Stone, so I'll have to plan another trip there to kiss it! The next weekend... Martin's TDY is in Spain, a short train ride from Madrid, so we are going to meet in Madrid for the weekend! I scored a pretty awesome deal on a fancy hotel in the middle of the city, so it should be a great experience with hopefully warm weather. Then the first weekend in April (Martin comes home 31 March), we are running the Prague Half Marathon! We are taking leave the following Monday to give us an extra day for sightseeing after the race on Saturday. The second weekend in April is a 3-day thanks to a Family Day for school Spring Break, so we are tentatively (as in tickets have not been bought yet) heading to Sintra, Portugal. Never heard of it? Type it into Google and hit Images, you'll figure out pretty quickly what the draw is. :-)
Last but certainly not least on the "already-planned" list is a trip home to the good old U.S. of A. in May for Lisa's graduation from the University of Virginia. Still haven't bought those plane tickets (amazing how it will probably cost more than all of my European tickets combined), but I'm getting more confident that I won't be short notice deployed, so I'll probably get them in the next couple weeks. I'm also hoping for a reunion with college roommates Carrie and Jamie on that trip!
Let's see, what else is going on... I think I found a Master's degree program I am actually interested in, which is a pretty big deal I guess. It is from Penn State via their World Campus program, which is awesome because even if I deploy or move while I'm in the program it won't affect my progress. It is a Masters of Education in Earth Sciences, so the courses are mostly a variety of earth sciences with a few education courses and a capstone project. I've talked to two professors via email who lead the program, and I was really excited by their responses about how the program would work for me as a military member. The only hurdle now is financing, because there are a few different options for getting money from the AF, and I have to figure out what is the best combination of those... Penn State is not cheap! I have an appointment at the base education center on Monday to get some advice.
That's about it for now, except for the tragic news of the Lakenheath airmen shot in Germany. It's a very sad and scary thing for everyone on the base, so please pray for the families of the airmen and the Lakenheath community.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
TGIS
Thank Goodness It's Sunday (in case anyone was wondering)... Since we are working Saturdays now, Sundays are my only day of relaxation, and I am in a much better mood after actually sleeping a significant number of hours, and not waking up to an alarm. Holy cow, was this week ridiculous. I feel kind of like a bug that just keeps getting stepped on over and over again... and you know, if I had the choice, there were a couple points this week where I may have just thrown in the towel and walked away... but it's not a choice, and I can't do that for the sake of other people, so I'm still here and still going.
I have decided that I am not doing anything with the Cabrio until after the inspection. This week showed me that life is enough of an emotional roller coaster right now in the first place, I don't need to be adding to the stress. I had originally thought that the car was one thing I could get done while Martin was gone, but realized that there are more positive things I can do and occupy my mind with. I've spent this morning relaxing on the couch and posting our Rome pictures (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=614366&id=701905001&l=fb046d8214), and it's about time to get busy cleaning again.
As the very observant Amy pointed out last entry, I did change the background on the blog. :) I didn't take the picture, but it reminded me a lot of typical scenery driving through England, so I liked it. It has been pretty gray and cloudy recently (which I guess is good, I haven't felt trapped inside), but there have been a couple clear mornings with beautiful beginnings of sunrises on my drive to work, when the light is first starting to stretch across the sky and change the colors from dark to light blue. That's all for now, there is clean laundry to put away, mail to sort, bathrooms to clean...
I have decided that I am not doing anything with the Cabrio until after the inspection. This week showed me that life is enough of an emotional roller coaster right now in the first place, I don't need to be adding to the stress. I had originally thought that the car was one thing I could get done while Martin was gone, but realized that there are more positive things I can do and occupy my mind with. I've spent this morning relaxing on the couch and posting our Rome pictures (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=614366&id=701905001&l=fb046d8214), and it's about time to get busy cleaning again.
As the very observant Amy pointed out last entry, I did change the background on the blog. :) I didn't take the picture, but it reminded me a lot of typical scenery driving through England, so I liked it. It has been pretty gray and cloudy recently (which I guess is good, I haven't felt trapped inside), but there have been a couple clear mornings with beautiful beginnings of sunrises on my drive to work, when the light is first starting to stretch across the sky and change the colors from dark to light blue. That's all for now, there is clean laundry to put away, mail to sort, bathrooms to clean...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Car Donation
I don't know if I can do it. Have you seen Toy Story 2? The scene where cowgirl doll Jessie sings a song called "When Somebody Loved Me"? If not, I'm about to post the Youtube link. If you can watch this and not shed a tear, then you might as well stop reading this post now, because you won't understand emotional attachment to an inanimate object. Here's the video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px0j1EHF8Y0. Eyes still dry? If yes, you probably don't care how I feel about my car. If no... well then, maybe you'll understand.
Yes, I know cars are made out of metal and plastic. They don't have emotions or feelings. But I've always felt like cars have personalities, and when one comes into my family, I connect with it. This will make my parents laugh, but I am reminded of a time when I was little when they decided to buy a newer, bigger camping trailer (RV), and sell our old one. I was devastated. I cried, threw a fit, and swore I would never sleep in the new one... I would rather sleep in our Suburban than betray our trusty old trailer by abandoning it for a new one. Crazy? Maybe, and of course I got over it and have many great camping memories with the new trailer, but the point is, I felt like I was losing a friend.
And so that is why I am struggling with the idea of losing my VW Cabrio. My mind says that donating it to a charity is a noble thing, that it's the best possible thing to do with a car when the estimate to fix the transmission is 3 times what the car is valued. But my heart says I am sending a friend to death row... that the life will be crushed out of it and its worth will only be its weight in scrap metal... and no one will ever love it again like I have loved it for the last 6 years.
That car has been with me through the most turbulent 6 years of my life. I've cried, laughed, dreamed, sang, loved, prayed... LIVED in it. I'll save the specific memories for the tribute blog, but it has been a constant through so many changes, something that has always been mine, like a part of me. I said earlier that I've always felt like cars had personalities, and maybe I also feel like the Cabrio is the type of personality I'd want to be... cute, fun, vibrant, unique. So maybe it's not in the best mechanical shape anymore... the personality is still there, right? How can I let that go?
I don't know what I'm going to do. You all probably think I'm seriously losing it anyway.
Yes, I know cars are made out of metal and plastic. They don't have emotions or feelings. But I've always felt like cars have personalities, and when one comes into my family, I connect with it. This will make my parents laugh, but I am reminded of a time when I was little when they decided to buy a newer, bigger camping trailer (RV), and sell our old one. I was devastated. I cried, threw a fit, and swore I would never sleep in the new one... I would rather sleep in our Suburban than betray our trusty old trailer by abandoning it for a new one. Crazy? Maybe, and of course I got over it and have many great camping memories with the new trailer, but the point is, I felt like I was losing a friend.
And so that is why I am struggling with the idea of losing my VW Cabrio. My mind says that donating it to a charity is a noble thing, that it's the best possible thing to do with a car when the estimate to fix the transmission is 3 times what the car is valued. But my heart says I am sending a friend to death row... that the life will be crushed out of it and its worth will only be its weight in scrap metal... and no one will ever love it again like I have loved it for the last 6 years.
That car has been with me through the most turbulent 6 years of my life. I've cried, laughed, dreamed, sang, loved, prayed... LIVED in it. I'll save the specific memories for the tribute blog, but it has been a constant through so many changes, something that has always been mine, like a part of me. I said earlier that I've always felt like cars had personalities, and maybe I also feel like the Cabrio is the type of personality I'd want to be... cute, fun, vibrant, unique. So maybe it's not in the best mechanical shape anymore... the personality is still there, right? How can I let that go?
I don't know what I'm going to do. You all probably think I'm seriously losing it anyway.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
January Cleaning
Disney's Aladdin is on TV as I am writing this... what a classic! Hopefully it doesn't distract me too much from much-needed cleaning, since I've been fairly productive so far today. This is only the third day I've had off from work this month, so I'm enjoying it even though I have a lot to do around the house. When you're at work all day every day, the house goes downhill pretty fast.
I'm not going to lie, work has made life not so much fun this month. It's frustrating, because I used to love going to work, and now I dread it. And I hate that. There is so much pressure from so many people to fix everything before the inspection. I can't focus on anything else, though there is so much I want to do outside of inspection prep. I want to do new things with my people, get them involved with the flying squadrons, give them the opportunities they deserve... but we can't do any of that now. It's depressing for me and I know it is depressing for them. Somehow we just have to make it through the inspection... somehow.
Two days before Christmas, Martin's house flooded after a pipe burst in his attic. It was a huge mess, and the landlord's insurance company is still working to determine the extent of the structural damage. In the meantime, he can't live there, so he has been staying with me since Christmastime. That has been nice, because at least I have had him to come home to after long days of work. However, he left on Thursday for a 3-week TDY with his squadron, so I'm on my own again for a while. I'm looking at it as a positive thing, though, I have a list of things I want to get done before he gets back. Finally getting all the Christmas decorations away, knocking out another SOS test, and at least making some headway in the "box room" are at the top of the list.
Another goal is to catch up on posting pictures on Facebook, since I hadn't done that since the TACEVAL. So far, I've made albums from Top Gear Live in London (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=610344&id=701905001&l=32dce4d42e) and our tropical vacation in Tenerife, Canary Islands (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=610724&id=701905001&l=305d74bd13). More to come!
On another positive note, it's getting lighter here! We're getting about 3 minutes more of daylight every day, which doesn't sound like a lot, but is definitely becoming noticable. When I drive to work, if it's not too early, I can see the beginning of the sunrise. Better get back to cleaning, but not without one more thing...
Good List:
1. Sleep. Especially chances to catch up on it.
2. Warm chocolate chip cookies.
3. Fantasy football playoffs! I'm second in our league (and beating Martin!) with two weeks to go. Come on Steelers and Bears...
4. Glee on British cable. I don't have to wait until the DVD for Season 2! We're a few weeks behind, but at least it's in progress. :)
5. Cassette tape MP3 adapter for the Honda. Yay music in the car again!
6. Long hot showers.
7. Vodafone Passport. I can talk to Martin while he is TDY in Italy and not pay an arm and a leg. :)
8. Chicken tikka naan from my local kebab shop.
9. Making plans for after the inspection.
10. Old and new friends in OCF Bible study. The group dwindled a bit last summer/fall, but the family is getting stonger again. :)
I'm not going to lie, work has made life not so much fun this month. It's frustrating, because I used to love going to work, and now I dread it. And I hate that. There is so much pressure from so many people to fix everything before the inspection. I can't focus on anything else, though there is so much I want to do outside of inspection prep. I want to do new things with my people, get them involved with the flying squadrons, give them the opportunities they deserve... but we can't do any of that now. It's depressing for me and I know it is depressing for them. Somehow we just have to make it through the inspection... somehow.
Two days before Christmas, Martin's house flooded after a pipe burst in his attic. It was a huge mess, and the landlord's insurance company is still working to determine the extent of the structural damage. In the meantime, he can't live there, so he has been staying with me since Christmastime. That has been nice, because at least I have had him to come home to after long days of work. However, he left on Thursday for a 3-week TDY with his squadron, so I'm on my own again for a while. I'm looking at it as a positive thing, though, I have a list of things I want to get done before he gets back. Finally getting all the Christmas decorations away, knocking out another SOS test, and at least making some headway in the "box room" are at the top of the list.
Another goal is to catch up on posting pictures on Facebook, since I hadn't done that since the TACEVAL. So far, I've made albums from Top Gear Live in London (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=610344&id=701905001&l=32dce4d42e) and our tropical vacation in Tenerife, Canary Islands (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=610724&id=701905001&l=305d74bd13). More to come!
On another positive note, it's getting lighter here! We're getting about 3 minutes more of daylight every day, which doesn't sound like a lot, but is definitely becoming noticable. When I drive to work, if it's not too early, I can see the beginning of the sunrise. Better get back to cleaning, but not without one more thing...
Good List:
1. Sleep. Especially chances to catch up on it.
2. Warm chocolate chip cookies.
3. Fantasy football playoffs! I'm second in our league (and beating Martin!) with two weeks to go. Come on Steelers and Bears...
4. Glee on British cable. I don't have to wait until the DVD for Season 2! We're a few weeks behind, but at least it's in progress. :)
5. Cassette tape MP3 adapter for the Honda. Yay music in the car again!
6. Long hot showers.
7. Vodafone Passport. I can talk to Martin while he is TDY in Italy and not pay an arm and a leg. :)
8. Chicken tikka naan from my local kebab shop.
9. Making plans for after the inspection.
10. Old and new friends in OCF Bible study. The group dwindled a bit last summer/fall, but the family is getting stonger again. :)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Cars
One significant event was left out of my year-end summary... I added another fun car to the family! :-) The new one is the replacement for the '97 VW Cabrio, which has had multiple mechanical problems and finally hit the point of costs adding up more than the value of the car. I still have the Cabrio, as I am working on import tax paperwork before I can legally transfer it in the UK. I think I have decided that I will be donating it to a UK charity, who will fix it up and sell it at an auction to raise money. I debated trying to sell it myself, but didn't really feel comfortable selling a potentially dangerous (bad transmission) car, even if I didn't ask much money for it. Donating to charity just seems like the right thing to do... I don't need the money, and I will be happy knowing that a car I have loved for the last 6 years will be benefitting others now. I plan on giving it a good wash and a final photo shoot before it goes, so you can expect a blog entry with all the great memories I have had with the Cabrio. :-)
And in case anyone was wondering... yes, I still have the bright yellow '79 Mini! It is great fun to drive, but not really the safest car in winter (lightweight, tiny tires, tiny tread, no airbags) or on major highways, so I needed a replacement for the Cabrio as a daily driver. So... what is it, you ask? Drumroll please...
And in case anyone was wondering... yes, I still have the bright yellow '79 Mini! It is great fun to drive, but not really the safest car in winter (lightweight, tiny tires, tiny tread, no airbags) or on major highways, so I needed a replacement for the Cabrio as a daily driver. So... what is it, you ask? Drumroll please...
Ta-da! My new baby, a 1992 Honda CRX, better known as a Del Sol in the US. It is a UK-spec (right hand drive) 2-seater coupe with removable hardtop roof, so I'm not giving up having a convertible! It is in excellent condition inside and out, and so much fun to drive. Martin, who is a "car guy" and does all his own mechanical work on his two prized Nissan Skylines, checked it out with me before I bought it and agreed it was a great little car for a good price. I bought it in November and have been driving it on and off with the Cabrio, to become my primary car after I say goodbye to the Cabrio within the next month or two. And yes, for anyone who is counting, that means I currently own 3 cars for one person... what can I say? I am (proudly) my father's daughter... ;-)
Since you're probably tired of car talk, I have a couple other interesting bits of information to share. First, I signed up for a half marathon! Martin and I both wanted a goal race to get us back into serious training, so we picked the best combination possible - a race in a city we already wanted to visit! We will be running the Prague Half Marathon in the capital city of the Czech Republic on April 2nd. Excited!!! Running is such a great excuse (as if we needed one) to travel.
The other bit of news is somewhat related in the sense that I may be able to start looking at fall marathons... I happened to find out yesterday that the only deployment tasking for a weather officer in my "bucket" this year has already gone to another base. So... unless that person is disqualified for some reason (not outside the realm of possibility by any means), chances are I am not going anywhere. I'm slightly torn as to how I feel about the news... a deployment would be a great experience for me and good for my career, but I can't say I'm disappointed to be spending more time in England instead of a desert. I'm happy that it means I will likely get to come home in May for Lisa's college graduation, and hopefully see some extended family and friends at the same time. I'm not buying tickets yet, as things change very quickly in the Air Force, but it's nice to have some kind of indication instead of just waiting and wondering.
Since you're probably tired of car talk, I have a couple other interesting bits of information to share. First, I signed up for a half marathon! Martin and I both wanted a goal race to get us back into serious training, so we picked the best combination possible - a race in a city we already wanted to visit! We will be running the Prague Half Marathon in the capital city of the Czech Republic on April 2nd. Excited!!! Running is such a great excuse (as if we needed one) to travel.
The other bit of news is somewhat related in the sense that I may be able to start looking at fall marathons... I happened to find out yesterday that the only deployment tasking for a weather officer in my "bucket" this year has already gone to another base. So... unless that person is disqualified for some reason (not outside the realm of possibility by any means), chances are I am not going anywhere. I'm slightly torn as to how I feel about the news... a deployment would be a great experience for me and good for my career, but I can't say I'm disappointed to be spending more time in England instead of a desert. I'm happy that it means I will likely get to come home in May for Lisa's college graduation, and hopefully see some extended family and friends at the same time. I'm not buying tickets yet, as things change very quickly in the Air Force, but it's nice to have some kind of indication instead of just waiting and wondering.
I'll end with a Good List today...
Good List:
1. Cars (the movie). Just a coincidence that is the title of today's blog. Martin and I happened to catch it on TV last night, and wow... what an outstanding movie. I had forgotten how good it was. Absolutely brilliant writing, and the best combination of hilarious and heartwarming you will ever find.
2. Using a George Foreman grill as a panini press.
3. Running. So excited to get going again!
4. The Hielan Coo (Highland Cow) hat I got in Edinburgh for New Years. Warm, fuzzy, and adorable... pictures to come!
5. Long emails.
6. Nintendo DS. Martin got me one for Christmas, and it is SO much fun... I will never be bored on a train or plane again!
7. Bed.
8. Amazon.com sales.
9. Long fuzzy warm socks. Thanks Mom! :)
10. Excitement of a new year and things to come!
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