So I've been wondering a long time what on earth I'd leave on top of this blog. I considered using a Psalm or even lyrics from "Blest Be the Tie That Binds"... lol! I think I'll just be my normal self.
This morning I woke up around 6:30, and ever since I'm been doing the last little things. Trimmed my nails, washed my bed... wrote the last post. :) I need to make my room a little more usable, get a wedding picture printed for my Grandma, and put together what I am taking and what I'll want right away after boot. Otherwise... I'm ready. I'm excited and can't wait for the adventure. I'm sad to be leaving, but I know this will be good for me.
To my family and friends, and my extended family across the country, all I can say is I'll miss you, and I love you!
December is not too far off!
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers... they will strengthen me.
Jp
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Happy Tales
When I woke up, Mom was just preparing to leave to pick up Dad from the cruise ship. He had been on the cruise to Alaska for a week with his Mom and sister, and a few other relatives. So I kept myself busy doing a couple tasks I wanted done before I leave. Updated the movie spreadsheet and created the Facebook album of the last two trips. By the time I did that, Mom, Dad and Grandma had just returned... so I quickly changed out of my pajamas. :)
We did a little bit of prep for the party... Mom had already done little things along the way, like make the salmon dip, bake the cookies & lemon bars, and prepare the lettuce. We had to get the veggie tray together and slice the tomatoes... and things like that.
Meg & Jason came early to help get things ready and soon after, Andie, Nathan & the kids arrived. Tom and Bette came next. They're *long*time friends of my parents... and Tom was in the Navy himself for a stint. Aunt Penny, Uncle Don and Don's sister Linda were right after them. This was our group for lunch... it was a grand time. As people left, more came! Jason's parents, and later, our friends, the Mayfields. I was able to fit in a walk with the poor dog... so much food and people and baby bunnies (that Andie brought over), he was going crazy. :)
By 6 pm, most had gone. I wanted to go to my church one more time and Mom & Dad shared it with me. It was a wonderful sermon on remembering the incredible holiness of God, and how that's the best thing to be reminded of... as for the last few weeks they had been reading First Corinthians, and how we should keep ourselves morally and sexually pure ("Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1). The sermon itself focused on Isaiah's encounter with God (Isaiah 6: 1-8) and how he instantly saw how incredibly unholy he was. Loved how the pastor took this and brought it back to the cross: how we see God's holiness through his intense hatred of sin - enough to kill his son, and then his perfect grace in the long-standing offer of forgiveness to anyone who will accept it. It was the perfect reminder at the perfect time.
Back at home we enjoyed "My Favorite Wife" (Cary Grant) for a barrel of laughs. But saying goodnight was a little more meaningful... a couple tears were shed as Mom and I hugged for a few moments. Puppy joined in the crying as he lay at our feet, waiting to play... and we couldn't help but laughing. :)
And then it was one more wonderful talk with Mike before bed, and my last sleep as I live here. sigh
Sweet dreams,
Jp
We did a little bit of prep for the party... Mom had already done little things along the way, like make the salmon dip, bake the cookies & lemon bars, and prepare the lettuce. We had to get the veggie tray together and slice the tomatoes... and things like that.
Meg & Jason came early to help get things ready and soon after, Andie, Nathan & the kids arrived. Tom and Bette came next. They're *long*time friends of my parents... and Tom was in the Navy himself for a stint. Aunt Penny, Uncle Don and Don's sister Linda were right after them. This was our group for lunch... it was a grand time. As people left, more came! Jason's parents, and later, our friends, the Mayfields. I was able to fit in a walk with the poor dog... so much food and people and baby bunnies (that Andie brought over), he was going crazy. :)
By 6 pm, most had gone. I wanted to go to my church one more time and Mom & Dad shared it with me. It was a wonderful sermon on remembering the incredible holiness of God, and how that's the best thing to be reminded of... as for the last few weeks they had been reading First Corinthians, and how we should keep ourselves morally and sexually pure ("Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1). The sermon itself focused on Isaiah's encounter with God (Isaiah 6: 1-8) and how he instantly saw how incredibly unholy he was. Loved how the pastor took this and brought it back to the cross: how we see God's holiness through his intense hatred of sin - enough to kill his son, and then his perfect grace in the long-standing offer of forgiveness to anyone who will accept it. It was the perfect reminder at the perfect time.
Back at home we enjoyed "My Favorite Wife" (Cary Grant) for a barrel of laughs. But saying goodnight was a little more meaningful... a couple tears were shed as Mom and I hugged for a few moments. Puppy joined in the crying as he lay at our feet, waiting to play... and we couldn't help but laughing. :)
And then it was one more wonderful talk with Mike before bed, and my last sleep as I live here. sigh
Sweet dreams,
Jp
Saturday, September 18, 2010
One Day, Back & Gone, Two Days Alone With Mom
First day "back" (Thursday) I slept in a good bit (and I needed it!) and then took off on a drive with Meg to visit a couple on Camino Island that were interested in taking my horse (they changed their minds today). But we had a nice drive together... that and lunch at "Duck-In Burgers" :) Mom trimmed my hair when I got home, and I squeezed a shower in before she and I took off for a night at the Seattle Symphony. It was a tribute to the music of Paul McCartney, and sounded like fun. And it was! The words were a little hard to hear at times, and I'm unfamiliar with them, but the music as you all know is swell!
And Friday morning (yesterday), Mom and I went on a two-day trip out to the Washington peninsula... the very north-westernmost tip of it... to the Makah Indian Reservation. We saw the museum there when we arrived at 4pm. Fascinating! A mud slide had buried a 500+ year old Makah village and preserved countless artifacts that even led to the restoration of fishing rights for the locals. The museum had hand-carved canoes and lots of original pieces of tools, art, weaving and toys that told a rather thorough story of the people from Washington.
From there we drove out to the short hike that would take us out to the very tip of Washington at Cape Flatterey. The view was as fabulous as I've heard it was... and better than any picture could show. Although we saw lots of sun on the 4-hour drive over, the rain hit when we got to the trail. The trees covered us most of the way while we were hiking and we were able to see quite a bit when we got there, but when we left the rain and clouds had descended on us. We decided it wouldn't be worth much to get a motel in one of the tiny Indian towns, so we drove back to Port Angeles and arrived around 9pm. It was straight to bed for us both!
Today (Saturday) we took our time getting up and happened across a silly old movie on the Fox Movie Channel while we were packing up. Then we had an *outstanding* breakfast at the cafe next door... I had corned-beef hash, eggs with cheese and a small pancake. Mmm! Mom and I dawdled around Port Angeles, exploring and going back to that small research marine life center we went to last September! This year they had a Giant Pacific Octopus in the tank that used to have a Basket Sea Star. It was fun to look in again, and I got a couple more pictures. We had gone to the same "Crab House" restaurant for lunch on the way over, yesterday, so for lunch today, we went to the Mexican restaurant we had for dinner last year... :) and it was still good!
Sitting at the ferry terminal waiting for the ferry, Mom read the Bible and when we got on (since we had a good place to look outside) we stayed in the car and sang a couple hymns out of the hymnal. :) Overall, I'd say I'm having a good send-off.
And I am finally back from a whirl-wind, fun-filled, beautiful summer that I will never forget.
Jp
PS... Mom had a double feature from Netfilx at home, both with Claudette Colbert and Fred McMurray: tonight's surprise delight was "No Time for Love"... hilarious and fun, but the title didn't make much sense.
And Friday morning (yesterday), Mom and I went on a two-day trip out to the Washington peninsula... the very north-westernmost tip of it... to the Makah Indian Reservation. We saw the museum there when we arrived at 4pm. Fascinating! A mud slide had buried a 500+ year old Makah village and preserved countless artifacts that even led to the restoration of fishing rights for the locals. The museum had hand-carved canoes and lots of original pieces of tools, art, weaving and toys that told a rather thorough story of the people from Washington.
From there we drove out to the short hike that would take us out to the very tip of Washington at Cape Flatterey. The view was as fabulous as I've heard it was... and better than any picture could show. Although we saw lots of sun on the 4-hour drive over, the rain hit when we got to the trail. The trees covered us most of the way while we were hiking and we were able to see quite a bit when we got there, but when we left the rain and clouds had descended on us. We decided it wouldn't be worth much to get a motel in one of the tiny Indian towns, so we drove back to Port Angeles and arrived around 9pm. It was straight to bed for us both!
Today (Saturday) we took our time getting up and happened across a silly old movie on the Fox Movie Channel while we were packing up. Then we had an *outstanding* breakfast at the cafe next door... I had corned-beef hash, eggs with cheese and a small pancake. Mmm! Mom and I dawdled around Port Angeles, exploring and going back to that small research marine life center we went to last September! This year they had a Giant Pacific Octopus in the tank that used to have a Basket Sea Star. It was fun to look in again, and I got a couple more pictures. We had gone to the same "Crab House" restaurant for lunch on the way over, yesterday, so for lunch today, we went to the Mexican restaurant we had for dinner last year... :) and it was still good!
Sitting at the ferry terminal waiting for the ferry, Mom read the Bible and when we got on (since we had a good place to look outside) we stayed in the car and sang a couple hymns out of the hymnal. :) Overall, I'd say I'm having a good send-off.
And I am finally back from a whirl-wind, fun-filled, beautiful summer that I will never forget.
Jp
PS... Mom had a double feature from Netfilx at home, both with Claudette Colbert and Fred McMurray: tonight's surprise delight was "No Time for Love"... hilarious and fun, but the title didn't make much sense.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Back, Again
Last night I forgot to change my alarm back to Eastern time. At least I was more ready to go than on Monday... I think I was off by 6:30, after several goodbye hugs. I already miss you, Linda & James!
It was so easy to find the car return. Gosh, I love their system here! All the rental companies are in one big garage connected to the airport by a elevated train. Super easy! I printed my ticket out at a kiosk, and in seconds I was ready to go. The lines were already quite long for security, but they know how to cope with it here. I think it's one of the country's busiest airports.
Ate some snacks for breakfast as I was waiting... bought a club wrap for lunch on the plane... and a neck pillow from the Atlanta Zoo gift stand... it was a lion. I thought I'd take it on my way to Chicago as well and give it to the USO when I arrive so some kid can use it. Good sleep is worth money! :)
That pillow was so good, I nearly slept through take-off; and I did get a solid hour in after that. Ate my lunch when I woke up, then thought I'd trot online. Even though the cost for Internet on the flight coming (same airline) was only $5.00, the cost going back was inexplicably $13.00. I thought that a little too pricey for checking Facebook. :)
So instead I read the random assortment of chat logs I had saved on my little machine... that, and reading through my list of favorite verses took most of the rest of the 5 hour flight! Logs from January, March, April and June... and this weekend. :)
Mom was waiting for me when I landed. Walked outside and into the car. :) We were able to share a bit of a lunch before I zoomed off to Bellevue for my final Navy workout. It was a good 1.5 hour workout. But the traffic coming home at 5:30 was horrendous. 148th Street was a parking lot, both ways. I had first tried SR-520, but the ramp wasn't moving at all. Strangely enough, I didn't mind. It was gently raining outside, and I just drank in the coolness and listened to the pitter-patter on my car. I soaked it in, thought a bunch about all sorts of stuff and prayed. Back at home, I quickly changed out of my nasty, wet, grass-covered clothes and had a snack with Mom (dinner will be later with the FC). Wow, did that feel good!
Even though my time home is running out, I have peace about it. I'm excited and ready and simply glad that I can do what I'm doing.
Jp
It was so easy to find the car return. Gosh, I love their system here! All the rental companies are in one big garage connected to the airport by a elevated train. Super easy! I printed my ticket out at a kiosk, and in seconds I was ready to go. The lines were already quite long for security, but they know how to cope with it here. I think it's one of the country's busiest airports.
Ate some snacks for breakfast as I was waiting... bought a club wrap for lunch on the plane... and a neck pillow from the Atlanta Zoo gift stand... it was a lion. I thought I'd take it on my way to Chicago as well and give it to the USO when I arrive so some kid can use it. Good sleep is worth money! :)
That pillow was so good, I nearly slept through take-off; and I did get a solid hour in after that. Ate my lunch when I woke up, then thought I'd trot online. Even though the cost for Internet on the flight coming (same airline) was only $5.00, the cost going back was inexplicably $13.00. I thought that a little too pricey for checking Facebook. :)
So instead I read the random assortment of chat logs I had saved on my little machine... that, and reading through my list of favorite verses took most of the rest of the 5 hour flight! Logs from January, March, April and June... and this weekend. :)
Mom was waiting for me when I landed. Walked outside and into the car. :) We were able to share a bit of a lunch before I zoomed off to Bellevue for my final Navy workout. It was a good 1.5 hour workout. But the traffic coming home at 5:30 was horrendous. 148th Street was a parking lot, both ways. I had first tried SR-520, but the ramp wasn't moving at all. Strangely enough, I didn't mind. It was gently raining outside, and I just drank in the coolness and listened to the pitter-patter on my car. I soaked it in, thought a bunch about all sorts of stuff and prayed. Back at home, I quickly changed out of my nasty, wet, grass-covered clothes and had a snack with Mom (dinner will be later with the FC). Wow, did that feel good!
Even though my time home is running out, I have peace about it. I'm excited and ready and simply glad that I can do what I'm doing.
Jp
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
One More Goodbye
I did make it on time this morning! In fact, I set my alarm for 5 so I could fall back asleep and still get there with plenty of time! :)
Here we are at breakfast...
Julie's friend took our picture and then I drove them to the Academy where they are student teachers. It's an internship that completes their teaching degree; Julie is working with First Graders.
I've decided to take it easy today and not go to Louisiana. :) It'd be an extra 5-6 hours of driving for just a quick look. I think my body would appreciate a slow day (only a five-hour drive back to Atlanta). That way I'll get more time with Linda and James too... sounds too good to pass up.
Jp
PS... It's now nearly 2pm (central) and I'm stopping for a little lunch at Panera Bread! Mmm... tortilla soup! Tuskegee is close by and I'm going to visit the National Historic Site for the WWII airmen.
I forgot to mention on the post about coming down here yesterday... I saw cotton fields for the first time! They were harvesting even! Coming back today I saw them at a different angle and it looked like fields of snow! Wow!
PPS... Had a wonderful evening with Linda and James! They had dinner for me... and we watched some of the news, an episode of Jeopardy, and three episodes of Pie in the Sky from Netflix. Another great time!
PS... It's now nearly 2pm (central) and I'm stopping for a little lunch at Panera Bread! Mmm... tortilla soup! Tuskegee is close by and I'm going to visit the National Historic Site for the WWII airmen.
I forgot to mention on the post about coming down here yesterday... I saw cotton fields for the first time! They were harvesting even! Coming back today I saw them at a different angle and it looked like fields of snow! Wow!
PPS... Had a wonderful evening with Linda and James! They had dinner for me... and we watched some of the news, an episode of Jeopardy, and three episodes of Pie in the Sky from Netflix. Another great time!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Return to Space
Didn't even hear the alarm this morning! I'm so glad Linda woke me up... I instantly jumped awake when I heard my name. Another not-so-fun dream. Waking up was a joy!
The GPS took me directly south to I-285, and from there it was a straight shot to I-85 towards Montgomery, AL, where I peeled off on I-65 towards Pensacola. There wasn't much traffic to speak of anywhere. Stopped at the first rest stop in Alabama at 8 am to eat my snack breakfast, and didn't get gas until after Montgomery. I listened to 50's music from Mike the whole time, besides the one disc of the Bible I put it... with Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians & 1 Thess. on it. I'll have to go back and read them in the book again though, because the last few words of each chapter were cut off. That's the first disc that's happened to.
Drove straight to the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola and ate my tuna salad snack lunch in the parking lot at 11:40. Spent just over three hours there . Since I had just seen the Moon series with Linda and James, I thought it proper to take in IMAX: HUBBLE at the museum. This focuses on the last Hubble shuttle mission to repair and update the telescope for a very long time. It was almost like another Moon episode, but the astronauts played themselves. It was real footage from the 2009 flight. I was expecting a lot of hypothetical talk about origins of the universe (from an opposite point of view than my own), and while there was a tiny bit in there, it wasn't the focus. This was all about the science and what the lens could do. In one scene they simulated a flight through space at trillions of miles per second, zooming in on the Orion nebula with unbelievable detail. It was so neat to watch the three stars in Orion's belt come at you one by one and it suddenly made me notice how far they were apart. Don't ever think of that when I look at the night sky. Looks like a solid sphere of dots surrounding our planet. What made me shed tears at the end was the way they looked back at earth after surveying the farthest reaches of space the telescope could see... and the narration mentioned how perfect the earth was for us and how unlikely it is for us to find another like it. And although the universe's vastness (mentioned just before) made me ponder God's infinity, this final point struck me over the head with how much he loves and provides for us. I wiped my eyes as I went out to go on a free trolley ride out to the open-air hanger out back.
They had dozens of planes of all types parked out there. Helicopters, patrol planes, bombers (including my favorite B-25), sea planes (naval aviation, you know), jets, fighters, transports, trainers... lots of them. Not only that, but sometimes the sarcastic tour director was drowned out by trainer planes streaking overhead. Had a great time, even though it was kinda hot (open-air windows for AC). Under the display F-14 in front there are a couple statues... I took a self-portrait with the "American Bluejacket":
So all that was left now was the gigantic museum itself. So big I barely knew where to start! I loved how they had the front ends of jets sitting around so a person could climb in and see what it feels like... I tried out the F-4 Phantom cockpit (Blue Angel markings) and I was very impressed.
They had a neat exhibit on planes that had crashed and sank into Lake Michigan during WWII training flights off of small carriers that were converted from river boats. A couple of the planes they restored and had on display in the gallery, but a couple they had displayed in a dark room with low lights twinkling on them to make them look underwater. In that room they played a film from the History channel about those training missions.
On the original deck of a WWII carrier (they had the original wood as the floor of the one part of the museum!) there was a re-enlistment ceremony for a lady Navy Ensign. On the other side of the museum, under the Blue Angel display, there was a retirement ceremony going on for a Master Chief Petty Officer. Lots of folks in uniform... it almost felt as long as I was there that I was already in the Navy myself. When I left the museum about 3pm (central time), I suddenly remembered that I wasn't in yet. For the last two-plus hours I had had nothing going through my head but Navy-this and Navy-that. It's a little hard to explain, but I felt relief when suddenly remembering the rest of my life. I got rather immersed in there. :)
They had a wonderful gift store... I found the "Heritage" poster that I really love. I restrained myself from buying a t-shirt or two (plenty of time for that later) and I piled in my car and drove off to check in to the Campus House hotel at Pensacola Christian College. Got there an hour before I was to meet Julie, so I had time to relax for a second, settle in and get the free Wi-Fi set up. And that last one took a half-hour with two visits to the front desk. The system here doesn't support Firefox... eeeek... and I had some problems because the filtering system wasn't letting me on any website... it got fixed though.
I picked up Julie about 5:15 and we headed out to the Olive Garden for dinner together. Had a lovely, long talk about all sorts of things, including her plans after this year (it's her last semester). She took me up to her dorm room so I could see it, then we drove back to the hotel where we looked at a bunch of my trip pictures for a while. Because there are curfews here (yikes!) she had to be back by ten and our visit came to an end. Although she gets up early for breakfast, I promised to try my hardest to make it on time (speaking of sleeping through my alarm...).
It was marvelous to see her again, and to finally see what this crazy college looks like :)
Jp
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Perfect Days with My Friends
I pulled up to Linda and James's house in my yellow VW Bug rental car around 5:30. The flight got in a little ahead of schedule, so I took the long way around, stopping by to see the Kennesaw Battlefield. Got there just in time to pop in the door, look at a couple things, and get a patch and brochure.
Oh, it was so lovely to see Linda again! I was greeted with hugs and by Willow's barks :) James soon came home and we headed off to one of their favorite local Italian eateries where I experienced lobster ravioli, on recommendation. Yum!!! On the way home we stopped for ice cream and I enjoyed a rather big, single strawberry in a waffle cone! Back at home, we started watching "From the Earth to the Moon". Although made back when Remember WENN was still on, I hadn't seen any of it before. It was a small education for me, I enjoyed it so much!
Saturday we had a full schedule! We left just after 8am for the Farmer's Market. James & Linda had some veggies and fruits to grab and we also sampled the chicken pot pie (like last year) along with cheeses, bacon, jellies, breads, sausages, etc. Love downtown Marietta!
From there we headed directly to "Hair Day". At first mention the evening before, I was confused... but it was a wonderful time to meet and chat with James & Linda's "extended family"... their good friends for many years. Everyone was very friendly and very interested in my big adventure next week. I even got to meet Daniel in person, after meeting him on chat a few weeks ago! Although many folks come to this to get a haircut from the lady in the group that's a hair stylist (there were over a dozen people there), it's a great excuse to get together, chit-chat, and share some brunchy snacks (everybody brings some) and then a lunch... this time delicious buttered fettuccine and a tasty chicken dish with salad.
We made a pit-stop at home, and then headed off to the Atlanta History Museum. But on the way we stopped in at the hobby shop to meet some more friends! The guy there (an alumnus of Oklahoma) chatted with us for a long time about his six months in the Navy before he got out because they messed up his contract. Lots of neat stories... and some friendly advice about various things. It was great hearing him and James talk about things! Especially officers and uniforms! :)
The Atlanta History Museum had an outstanding temporary exhibit from the Library of Congress on Abraham Lincoln. I was floored with the number of original documents and notes for super-famous speeches. They had two life-masks and original photographs of the man himself. Aside from the Lincoln room downstairs, there were the permanent exhibits of the Civil War upstairs. One focusing on where the Battle of Atlanta was fought and how the city has changed. The other displayed the weapons, fortifications, equipment and experience of the soldiers who fought it. We didn't have time to see the exhibits on Atlanta sports (96 Olympics, local athletes) and the outside things, but we did look through "Metropolitan Frontiers", which featured early area history from an original log cabin through the early 20th century with a buggy and old fire engine to the modern city. I especially loved the Civil War features. I haven't been to a museum so close to the Southern heart before. In 2005, I only got as far south as Appomattox, VA. Linda's post mentions other things about this visit as well.
We were pretty famished by the time we left (at closing). I was treated out to the Colonnade (we went there last year too... and for good reason!) and I heartily enjoyed a chopped steak as we talked about our dogs and whatever else. There was a side trip to B & N after this. I was close to getting yet another WWII book, this one having the whole front pages of newspapers (some from foreign countries) covering the entire war. Maybe some other time :)
On the way home we were chased and caught by a massive thunderstorm with pelting rain and lighting that lit up the sky every few seconds. Almost like a strobe light, and nothing like I've seen before. During chat back home we watched three or four more episodes of the Moon show... and I wrote three or four sentences of this post. LOL
As for today (Sunday the 12th), we got off to the Daisy Festival in good time and we even had little stops on the way for breakfast and short errands. This was my first time to Stone Mountain, and I was a little excited to see Lee, Jackson & Davis. One of the strangest monuments I know of, but very impressive given the size. We got a close parking place and headed out to the maze of booths. Thank goodness they were in the shade! The sun was burning bright, but the hardwoods gave us more than enough cover. The walk back to the car after we were done was extraordinarily hot, even though it was short. As for the fair, it was massive! Hundreds of booths on both sides of several loops of paved paths. Lots of art and food... we had so many little bites it's impossible to remember them all. And so many cute pictures and figurines. There were lots of people, but it flowed along just fine. I passed up several little moose figurines, but did buy a flat, stained, wooden ornament with the USN logo cut out of it. Here's Linda's other post...
After nearly four hours of walking around, we were all up for a sit-down at a food place. Linda and James took me out to "Folks", a great southern-style restaurant. Had trout with rice and red beans. Had to stop by the grocery store afterwords, and I was able to get a few things for the next couple days.
We came home afterwords and I started catching up on this. :) Linda shared some WENN convention pictures with me before we had dinner and started watching the rest of "Earth to the Moon". And as we watched I was very pleasantly surprised with a few pictures on Facebook that Linda took of me. :)
My overall feeling from the trip:
I feel like one of the family (((Linda & James))) :)
Jp
Oh, it was so lovely to see Linda again! I was greeted with hugs and by Willow's barks :) James soon came home and we headed off to one of their favorite local Italian eateries where I experienced lobster ravioli, on recommendation. Yum!!! On the way home we stopped for ice cream and I enjoyed a rather big, single strawberry in a waffle cone! Back at home, we started watching "From the Earth to the Moon". Although made back when Remember WENN was still on, I hadn't seen any of it before. It was a small education for me, I enjoyed it so much!
Saturday we had a full schedule! We left just after 8am for the Farmer's Market. James & Linda had some veggies and fruits to grab and we also sampled the chicken pot pie (like last year) along with cheeses, bacon, jellies, breads, sausages, etc. Love downtown Marietta!
From there we headed directly to "Hair Day". At first mention the evening before, I was confused... but it was a wonderful time to meet and chat with James & Linda's "extended family"... their good friends for many years. Everyone was very friendly and very interested in my big adventure next week. I even got to meet Daniel in person, after meeting him on chat a few weeks ago! Although many folks come to this to get a haircut from the lady in the group that's a hair stylist (there were over a dozen people there), it's a great excuse to get together, chit-chat, and share some brunchy snacks (everybody brings some) and then a lunch... this time delicious buttered fettuccine and a tasty chicken dish with salad.
We made a pit-stop at home, and then headed off to the Atlanta History Museum. But on the way we stopped in at the hobby shop to meet some more friends! The guy there (an alumnus of Oklahoma) chatted with us for a long time about his six months in the Navy before he got out because they messed up his contract. Lots of neat stories... and some friendly advice about various things. It was great hearing him and James talk about things! Especially officers and uniforms! :)
The Atlanta History Museum had an outstanding temporary exhibit from the Library of Congress on Abraham Lincoln. I was floored with the number of original documents and notes for super-famous speeches. They had two life-masks and original photographs of the man himself. Aside from the Lincoln room downstairs, there were the permanent exhibits of the Civil War upstairs. One focusing on where the Battle of Atlanta was fought and how the city has changed. The other displayed the weapons, fortifications, equipment and experience of the soldiers who fought it. We didn't have time to see the exhibits on Atlanta sports (96 Olympics, local athletes) and the outside things, but we did look through "Metropolitan Frontiers", which featured early area history from an original log cabin through the early 20th century with a buggy and old fire engine to the modern city. I especially loved the Civil War features. I haven't been to a museum so close to the Southern heart before. In 2005, I only got as far south as Appomattox, VA. Linda's post mentions other things about this visit as well.
We were pretty famished by the time we left (at closing). I was treated out to the Colonnade (we went there last year too... and for good reason!) and I heartily enjoyed a chopped steak as we talked about our dogs and whatever else. There was a side trip to B & N after this. I was close to getting yet another WWII book, this one having the whole front pages of newspapers (some from foreign countries) covering the entire war. Maybe some other time :)
On the way home we were chased and caught by a massive thunderstorm with pelting rain and lighting that lit up the sky every few seconds. Almost like a strobe light, and nothing like I've seen before. During chat back home we watched three or four more episodes of the Moon show... and I wrote three or four sentences of this post. LOL
As for today (Sunday the 12th), we got off to the Daisy Festival in good time and we even had little stops on the way for breakfast and short errands. This was my first time to Stone Mountain, and I was a little excited to see Lee, Jackson & Davis. One of the strangest monuments I know of, but very impressive given the size. We got a close parking place and headed out to the maze of booths. Thank goodness they were in the shade! The sun was burning bright, but the hardwoods gave us more than enough cover. The walk back to the car after we were done was extraordinarily hot, even though it was short. As for the fair, it was massive! Hundreds of booths on both sides of several loops of paved paths. Lots of art and food... we had so many little bites it's impossible to remember them all. And so many cute pictures and figurines. There were lots of people, but it flowed along just fine. I passed up several little moose figurines, but did buy a flat, stained, wooden ornament with the USN logo cut out of it. Here's Linda's other post...
After nearly four hours of walking around, we were all up for a sit-down at a food place. Linda and James took me out to "Folks", a great southern-style restaurant. Had trout with rice and red beans. Had to stop by the grocery store afterwords, and I was able to get a few things for the next couple days.
We came home afterwords and I started catching up on this. :) Linda shared some WENN convention pictures with me before we had dinner and started watching the rest of "Earth to the Moon". And as we watched I was very pleasantly surprised with a few pictures on Facebook that Linda took of me. :)
My overall feeling from the trip:
I feel like one of the family (((Linda & James))) :)
Jp
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
On the Internet
Another slow day at home. There is a list of a few things that needed to get done that I mostly completed: I got a car rental for Atlanta for a good price... that was great! Planned a bit of the one-night trip I'm taking with Mom on the 17th... we're going to see the tip of Washington on the Makah Reservation at Cape Flattery. Planned and invited people to an open house send-off party for me on the 19th... from 2-5pm with hamburgers and snacks being served. After conferring with my recruiter, I decided to get my teeth assessed at least, and thankfully got a quick appointment squeezed in for Thursday morning. It was renewing the car insurance that got put off yet again.
I spent way too much time messing around on Facebook. It makes me wonder if I'm ever going to learn how to spend time wisely when I don't have somewhere to go. :) Dad treated Mom and I out to the Olive Garden, and although delicious, my stomach has shrunk so much I was barely able to make a dent in the dish I got! Back at home we watched "The Doughgirls" 1944... I think that was the screwiest of screwballs I've ever seen. And that was Eve Arden's fault. :)
We finished the day with a little Bible reading and a bit of prayer. That calmed my spirit like nothing else can. There are so many things right now that could make me go crazy if I continued to worry about them, instead of trusting the Lord like I should. An excellent reminder at the perfect time.
Jp
I spent way too much time messing around on Facebook. It makes me wonder if I'm ever going to learn how to spend time wisely when I don't have somewhere to go. :) Dad treated Mom and I out to the Olive Garden, and although delicious, my stomach has shrunk so much I was barely able to make a dent in the dish I got! Back at home we watched "The Doughgirls" 1944... I think that was the screwiest of screwballs I've ever seen. And that was Eve Arden's fault. :)
We finished the day with a little Bible reading and a bit of prayer. That calmed my spirit like nothing else can. There are so many things right now that could make me go crazy if I continued to worry about them, instead of trusting the Lord like I should. An excellent reminder at the perfect time.
Jp
Monday, September 6, 2010
Relaxable Day
I ended up not going on that run a couple of the recruit guys were planning for today. I woke up with my period... a week early. With how emotional I'm feeling (you know you're in trouble when "aww" moments from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air almost make you cry), Mom thinks its the stress of everything. (yep, I agree)
So today was having a nice breakfast with everyone, watching the above-mentioned TV show with the FC, playing Phase 10 with the FC (finishing 2nd), having a dinner of fresh brook trout (that Dad caught on their trip this weekend) and corn-on-the-cob (that they bought at a market there), and then watching a very funny and endearing "Bachelor Mother" (1939, Ginger Rodgers, and a very young David Niven). What a hoot! I loved how she said upon getting fired in the beginning, "How hard is it for a girl to join the Navy?", when thinking of things she could do.
A day with the family is just what the doctor ordered.
Jp
So today was having a nice breakfast with everyone, watching the above-mentioned TV show with the FC, playing Phase 10 with the FC (finishing 2nd), having a dinner of fresh brook trout (that Dad caught on their trip this weekend) and corn-on-the-cob (that they bought at a market there), and then watching a very funny and endearing "Bachelor Mother" (1939, Ginger Rodgers, and a very young David Niven). What a hoot! I loved how she said upon getting fired in the beginning, "How hard is it for a girl to join the Navy?", when thinking of things she could do.
A day with the family is just what the doctor ordered.
Jp
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Hiking and Hangin'
A wonderfully, full day! And a great way to say goodbye for now to one of my dearest friends (met when we were six or seven years old). Chaya and I decided to go for a hike, so I thought Twin Falls would be a descent one, not far off I-90 past North Bend. It was four miles round trip, with a 1,200 ft. elevation gain. She was dog-sitting, so we had three dogs with us... and it made it even more fun! :) Being Labor Day weekend, the small parking lot was rather crowded, even though we got there rather early a little after 10 am (when we left after noon, the cars lined the road out to the highway). There were lots of families with kids and dogs, so the trail had to be shared.
This is the upper (smaller) part of the double falls... and just a patch of the bright green we saw everywhere. I suppose I should show you the big, lower one as well...
And then a nice stranger took our picture at the same viewpoint as the pic on the left. After the hike, the owner of two of the dogs returned early, so we went and dropped them off. That was pretty close to home, so we stopped by so I could change my sweaty clothes, and grab a bite to eat at our neighborhood Subway. But this wasn't the end! We went back to the apartment by Green Lake to look through our respective trip pictures before heading off to her church in Ballard.
And although thinking mostly about the pastor's speaking style to begin (I was still feeling it from public speaking the day before), I was duly impressed with the message. It was on the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke (there's Luke again... that's what Dad's breakfast group is reading. I think I should read Luke again.) and I hadn't paid much attention to it before because I knew the story so well. I hadn't realized how Jesus turned the Lawyer's question around in the end. It was a wonderful thing to point out: how we are supposed to be good "neighbors" ourselves.
Chaya drove me home afterwords, prayed over my joining the Navy and hugged me goodbye. Gosh, I will miss you, dear!
Jp
This is the upper (smaller) part of the double falls... and just a patch of the bright green we saw everywhere. I suppose I should show you the big, lower one as well...
And then a nice stranger took our picture at the same viewpoint as the pic on the left. After the hike, the owner of two of the dogs returned early, so we went and dropped them off. That was pretty close to home, so we stopped by so I could change my sweaty clothes, and grab a bite to eat at our neighborhood Subway. But this wasn't the end! We went back to the apartment by Green Lake to look through our respective trip pictures before heading off to her church in Ballard.
And although thinking mostly about the pastor's speaking style to begin (I was still feeling it from public speaking the day before), I was duly impressed with the message. It was on the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke (there's Luke again... that's what Dad's breakfast group is reading. I think I should read Luke again.) and I hadn't paid much attention to it before because I knew the story so well. I hadn't realized how Jesus turned the Lawyer's question around in the end. It was a wonderful thing to point out: how we are supposed to be good "neighbors" ourselves.
Chaya drove me home afterwords, prayed over my joining the Navy and hugged me goodbye. Gosh, I will miss you, dear!
Jp
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Sharing WENN
It went really well! I was able to share two episodes, "On the Air" and "A Rock and a Soft Place". Started out sharing a few words about why the show was important and after the episode, a few more about the show in general. Unfortunately, they record these meetings, so I can't pretend that I did this flawlessly... :) They had a big screen available for the viewing, and the sound came through wonderfully. I sat at the table up front with a mike and one of the club officers interviewed me a little like at conventions. After the pilot, the club "radio historian" was asked to comment (he owns a set himself), and shared how it did and did not imitate real radio stations. Also mentioned how the show has an aspect of sadness underneath, since little stations like WENN were all but gone by 1949. He loved Mackie the most and mentioned how Chris Murney's acting was brilliant.
It was a bunch of fun. If you haven't heard me say it before, this was a regular monthly meeting of the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound. It was my first meeting, although I've been to 2 of their showcase specials. They were very welcoming, and it was a good thing there were only about thirty people (half their usual crowd, due to the holiday) as this was my very first public speaking experience outside the classroom. And lots of people hadn't ever seen the show before, including the club president. I handed out a sheet with links to Linda's site and the episodes that Erich put up, so that people could see the rest of the show. What neat things to be able to share! Thanks!
It was very satisfying to hear people enjoying the episodes... there were lots of laughs. People seemed to love Mr. Eldridge and Mr. Foley the most.
Meg came along to support me... and I was so glad Jason and her were there, even if they did take pictures of me. :)
Jp
From the REPS website:
It was a bunch of fun. If you haven't heard me say it before, this was a regular monthly meeting of the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound. It was my first meeting, although I've been to 2 of their showcase specials. They were very welcoming, and it was a good thing there were only about thirty people (half their usual crowd, due to the holiday) as this was my very first public speaking experience outside the classroom. And lots of people hadn't ever seen the show before, including the club president. I handed out a sheet with links to Linda's site and the episodes that Erich put up, so that people could see the rest of the show. What neat things to be able to share! Thanks!
It was very satisfying to hear people enjoying the episodes... there were lots of laughs. People seemed to love Mr. Eldridge and Mr. Foley the most.
Meg came along to support me... and I was so glad Jason and her were there, even if they did take pictures of me. :)
Jp
From the REPS website:
REMEMBERING REMEMBER WENN
"Remember Wenn" aired on AMC in the late 1990s for four seasons. The show was a whimsical look at life behind the scenes at station WENN broadcasting during the golden age of radio. The series had satirical soap opera element when behind the mike and featured a fascinating look at live radio production of the day with versatile radio actors and a sound effects man among the regular characters.
See an episode of the show followed by series information and anecdotes presented by Jennifer Payne.
Next Monthly Meeting Saturday, September 4th 2-4pm
Norse Home Social Hall
Next Monthly Meeting Saturday, September 4th 2-4pm
Norse Home Social Hall
Friday, September 3, 2010
Spiders - 1, Jen - 0
Yesterday I spent a couple hours at the Everett Naval Station running and swimming and generally getting very tired... which is a great feeling. I remembered how I hate running, but not as badly when I don't have to go over the same ground six times (on a 1/4 mile track). After a dinner of leftovers back home, Mom and I relaxed and watched "Houseboat" 1958, with Cary Grant. Another fun romantic comedy; it's sort of like the Sound of Music, but without the Nazis.
Next morning I woke up wide awake a quarter after 4am after a bad dream where I kept running into spiders in the house. I had to screw up the courage to kill them, one by one. I think the total was eight or nine of them... anyway, spiders are one of my ridiculous fears. Makes no sense, but there you have it.
Never did fall back asleep. Read in Psalms, thought about lots of things, but never did relax enough. I heard Dad get up around six, so I got up to eat breakfast with him. Forgot Friday's are his Men's Bible Study/breakfast at Denny's day, but he invited me along anyway. It ended up being him and just one other friend. Small world... this is the guy who was recently widowed and has found a new wife through some church connections... and she's from Moore, OK (just north of Norman). So we talked about lots of things... :)
Not too long after getting back home Mom & Dad were going to take off for a weekend trip with my oldest sister's family. The Pup was going too, and he figured it out too soon, so I took him on a series of two long walks to get him relaxed enough... LOL
Once they were gone, I was alone for the first time in a *long* time. I hardly knew what to do with myself. Did a bit of laundry, then a couple tasks at the grocery store, then took myself out to lunch. And it was here that I figured out my problem. The ice water gave me shooting pains up and down the left side of my face. Two of my teeth had somehow become hyper-sensitive. The best I can guess is that I cracked them a little while I was worrying about killing spiders.
Back at home even luke-warm water gave me a similar pain. So we'll see how this goes. I've never had anything like this before, and I just happen to be between insurance policies at the moment.
My big event for the day was a trip up to ride my horse in Carnation. I was surprised to see Meg's car there when I arrived! Her and Jason just happened to be visiting at the same time. So we were able to take the horses out on the trail a bit. Roo was really a pain though. He'd just stop and then refuse to go on, or turn and refuse to turn back. Just my luck with horses :) It's because he hasn't been ridden in so long.
But we had a wonderful visit with our friends... and Meg and Jason went out to dinner with me afterwords and we had a good visit ourselves.
Jp
Next morning I woke up wide awake a quarter after 4am after a bad dream where I kept running into spiders in the house. I had to screw up the courage to kill them, one by one. I think the total was eight or nine of them... anyway, spiders are one of my ridiculous fears. Makes no sense, but there you have it.
Never did fall back asleep. Read in Psalms, thought about lots of things, but never did relax enough. I heard Dad get up around six, so I got up to eat breakfast with him. Forgot Friday's are his Men's Bible Study/breakfast at Denny's day, but he invited me along anyway. It ended up being him and just one other friend. Small world... this is the guy who was recently widowed and has found a new wife through some church connections... and she's from Moore, OK (just north of Norman). So we talked about lots of things... :)
Not too long after getting back home Mom & Dad were going to take off for a weekend trip with my oldest sister's family. The Pup was going too, and he figured it out too soon, so I took him on a series of two long walks to get him relaxed enough... LOL
Once they were gone, I was alone for the first time in a *long* time. I hardly knew what to do with myself. Did a bit of laundry, then a couple tasks at the grocery store, then took myself out to lunch. And it was here that I figured out my problem. The ice water gave me shooting pains up and down the left side of my face. Two of my teeth had somehow become hyper-sensitive. The best I can guess is that I cracked them a little while I was worrying about killing spiders.
Back at home even luke-warm water gave me a similar pain. So we'll see how this goes. I've never had anything like this before, and I just happen to be between insurance policies at the moment.
My big event for the day was a trip up to ride my horse in Carnation. I was surprised to see Meg's car there when I arrived! Her and Jason just happened to be visiting at the same time. So we were able to take the horses out on the trail a bit. Roo was really a pain though. He'd just stop and then refuse to go on, or turn and refuse to turn back. Just my luck with horses :) It's because he hasn't been ridden in so long.
But we had a wonderful visit with our friends... and Meg and Jason went out to dinner with me afterwords and we had a good visit ourselves.
Jp
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Cleaning House
Yesterday I didn't do much. I was tired and a little downcast all day long. I had stayed up too late for the third time in a row and had a tiring dream on top of it. Loved the rain outside though. Walked the dog in the cool freshness that always follows and that helped me feel better. And for some evening fun with the parents, we watched "Hail the Conquering Hero" from 1944... and we all loved it. Very cute!
Today I procrastinated on my WENN presentation (LOL! at least it's not too complicated!) by going through the rest of the drawers in my room and clearing a bunch of stuff out. I'm being pretty ruthless, but not to a point where I don't have anything left. Somehow, there's more floor space and everything is a lot more organized. :)
And this was all before today's Navy meeting.
As for the rest of the night, I'm planning on walking the dog under our partly-cloudy, pink sky... and I might even convince myself to do some conglomeration of exercises.
Jp
Today I procrastinated on my WENN presentation (LOL! at least it's not too complicated!) by going through the rest of the drawers in my room and clearing a bunch of stuff out. I'm being pretty ruthless, but not to a point where I don't have anything left. Somehow, there's more floor space and everything is a lot more organized. :)
And this was all before today's Navy meeting.
As for the rest of the night, I'm planning on walking the dog under our partly-cloudy, pink sky... and I might even convince myself to do some conglomeration of exercises.
Jp
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