Sunday, June 29, 2008

Where's J?

He's Here!

I realize that J has been oddly absent from bloggie world for the past few days, and I figured you'd want to know where he's been.

He's busy working! If only temporarily, he has a job with some responsibility in a field he truly enjoys. Theatre tech.

J was hired to be the sound manager for a production of Les Miserables (school edition) at the local high school. He's working with the private production company ProjectDayDream. Hopefully he'll be thought of for the next production the company does (Disney's Aladdin Jr.) His passion for theatre is a terrific creative outlet for him and shines through ~ even after long rehearsals.

J's gf, Sam, is in the production as well, playing two roles as part of the ensemble. Sam has been a part of this company for 9 years and is a dancer/choreographer par excellance. In addition to modeling, dance is her primary interest and the career field she'd like to pursue in the future.

Closing performance is this afternoon (followed by a family BBQ in honor of V.)


Joshua and Sam...

Break a Leg!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

SHE'S HOME!




Airport, out to dinner and home to an enormous squish from J and a good romp and snuggle with Mooch.

As I write she is happily disgorging her suitcase, showing J all the nifty stuff she brought home.

Life is good.

Random recent pics

6/25 I went to my first Tiger game at Comerica Park! We won!



MidSummer bonfire

Puff the magic... steam hole cover?


Lofton and Thomas - Tech School Roomies.

Hannah & J in a cherry tree!


Yep, J Golfs!


Pleeze Don't Squeeze... Tillie and Hannah!
Now really... What fun is warehouse shopping if you can't climb on the Toilet Paper?

Friday, June 27, 2008

Sky Watch Friday & Faith to the rescue

In honor of V's graduation from Tech School yesterday, today's Sky Watch pic is from her Basic Training graduation weekend.

I love the simple swoosh of clouds against the blue San Antonio sky and the evident breeze through the palm fronds.
~~~~~

On another front...

I spent my entire morning trying to find transportation and a motel room for three wayward Tech School grads, V included. It seems they were told that they could not stay on base in their dorm rooms, but told too late to get a room at the base hotel. Well, shoot then. Now what?!

Their plan? Camp out in the Sant Maria airport. Ummm, there's a flaw in the plan... the airport, like most, CLOSES for a while over night!

Yes, I know she needs to learn to be a big girl and there are two other Airmen (males) with her, but there's also each person's two weeks worth of luggage, important documents, carry-ons and the most precious cargo ~ THEMSELVES ~ to consider! My kid was NOT going to sleep on the streets if *I* could help it!

I talked to Faith with Santa Maria Cab Service and she was a DOLL. Not only would she be happy to pick them up at 4:30 am tomorrow, she'd recommend a safe, nice, mom & pop motel for the night.

You take a freaked out AF mom and get a nice, cab-driving woman named Faith on the line and tell me THAT wasn't a hint?! No way. I had Faith. What more did I need?

I called the suggested motel (and called and called until 8am PST) and heard the voice of a sweet lady named Diana. She must be a mom because she "got it" right away. I made a room reservation for the Airmen and they can split it 3 ways and pay in cash when they arrive.

Of course then V texts to see if I can find them a rental car so they can get around, go to a restaurant, etc. After all they have all day. They'll arrive in Santa Maria around noon.

Leaping into action with the best of intentions I get some guy with a thick accent at the Avis call center. Grrrr. I'm very good with accents, really I am, but this guy and the cell phone did not make for an understandable connection. Two calls later and a different person to talk to and I had an e-mailed confirmation of a mid-sized car at a good price.

I called Faith back to say thank you. She didn't know what to say. She didn't need to say anything. I heard her smile.

At least I now know they have a safe place to spend the night and get some shut-eye, if they can (!), before they all travel HOME on Saturday.

~~~~~

Lastly today, please hold a special place in your heart for CopperPom. Her son is quite ill and she and her family can use all the positive energy we can generate.

To Copper's Little Pom ~
I am sending you light, to heal you, to hold you
I am sending you light to hold you in love.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

A1C V

Congratulations Graduate
A1C THOMAS, MMT

Today is the first full day V puts on her new rank: Airman First Class Select, and will get to wear her stripes AND her missileer patch!


Today she and her 10 classmates/wingmen will don their dress blues and march to the graduation stage, be announced by name and rank, receive their graduation certificate and be "pinned" with the shiny silver missileer pin.

I wish I was there to see it all, but I am bursting with pride for her from here... and she'll be home in 55 hours for a HUGE MOM-SQUISH!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Who's Counting?

82 Hours 'til V arrives!!!


...and I can HUG the stuffin' out of her!!


Good news came her way with her orders. (I swear this girl is 'golden' and the AF is Divinely meant to be her path.)

At her permanent duty base (Minot AFB, ND) she could have been in one of two Squadrons. Either Missle Operations or Missle Maintenance. I thought that Operations was working to support missle readiness and Maintenance was missle facilities maintenance. Big oops on mom's part!

Operations personnel are those that work on the vehicles and in workshops that support the actual Maintenance of the missles.

Both roles are vital to the success of the mission, but her heart lies in her hands-on work with the missle. V was worried that she'd be stuck in the back of a workshop changing oil and repairing cables until she was chosen by a missle team. Being both female and small she feared that it could be quite some time before someone realized her capability and dedication to her training.

Not So! She, and another Airman who is a friend of hers, were both chosen for the Missle Maintenance Squadron!!! Oh happy day!

Here are the details:

The 91st Maintenance Group is the maintenance backbone of the 91st Space Wing. The group was originally activated as the 91st Maintenance and Supply Group on November 10, 1948. Today, the group is responsible for providing maintenance and logistics support for the wing’s ICBM fleet. The two squadrons assigned to the group are the 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron and 91st Maintenance Operations Squadron.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tagged!

Tonjia tagged me so, whether you like it or not, here you go!

1. There is absolutely nothing you can do (short of harming my kids ~ and they're big enough to fend for themselves now) to make me eat a pickled beet. Nothing.

2. My parents had three girls. Once I grew old enough to realize that this meant the end of the family name from this particular branch, and that thought made me sad, I decided to do something about it. Now my middle name is hyphenated with my maiden name and so are my kids'.

3. I have always thought ~ and continue to think ~ that I have cute toes.

4. What I miss most from my childhood are the Passover Seders we had at Uncle Avrum and Aunt Clara's house when my Zeyde was alive. That means I would have been about 5 or 6 years old, but I remember moments from them, like snapshots of memories. Even after Zeyde passed, those were the best nights, best music to sing, best foods and best family time of the year.

5. I bite the cuticles around my finger nails.

6. The aloe plants in my kitchen all started from one small plant I gave to my mother in law when T and I were dating (circa 1983ish). She didn't take very good care of it but it hung on for years until... 1994 when it was given back to me on the occassion of her move to AZ.
I nursed it back to health, propogated it, my sister Julie had it transplanted for me as a present one year, and now there are at least 20 "babies", most in homes of friends, but several here too. All from that one momma plant, that I STILL HAVE!

7. I'm an English snob. I appreciate accurate word usage and spelling too. I know I don't always utilize the most perfect grammar when writing here, but when speaking I often back up and correct myself.
What grates me the most? Dangling participles and the phrase, "Where are you at?" Ahhh! Even typing it makes me cringe the cringe of a thousand little deaths! What the heck ever happened to, "Where are you?" as an acceptable question?

7.5 (Bonus! Lucky you, eh?) I don't believe that "popular use" is a good reason for proper spelling to change. The word 'alright' does not exist!

Here are the rules of the Tag Game:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. {done}
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. {done}
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. {7?! Nope 6, and that's my final answer.}
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. {ok, if I must}

TAG! You're IT!
Sharon
Avivah
Susan
Diana
Stefani
Galatea