Well now, not sure how well I can jump back into blogging, but I'll give it a go.
I've been away for the last nine months due to my ship's deployment to the Middle East. It was a serious growing experience for me, being stuck with the same group of people for the whole time... and was good and bad.
I suppose what I have to say about it I'll say on my Navy Blog and keep to tradition and try and keep these two separate. Don' t know if I had much success at that in the past, even. But whateves!
As to being a normal person again, the first day and a half back I stayed with my dear friends Kristin and Dan in Chesapeake... they treated me royally. Went out to a great little Mexican restaurant called Burrito Perdito, then crashed at their house. Got my phone service restored later on at a store because they had "recycled" my number even though I told them to keep it. But it turned out for the best I guess... I don't have a contract now, and I got a cheaper plan too.
Next day Dan took me for a ride on his Harley Davidson around the country back-roads... I had never been on a motorcycle before... it was SO MUCH FUN! It was like flying on the ground, and Dan said I behaved just like Kristin does when I spread my arms out while we roared along.
That afternoon I got on a plane that flew me to Dallas just in time to catch the next plane with my husband to Seattle. Our reunion consisted of a brief hug and kiss, then not long to wait in a dwindling line to board the plane... then some cuddling, I admit, before I fell fast asleep for a good portion of the journey. Poor Michael had to deal with lots of snow in Norman to get on his plane.
It was absolutely heaven to see my family again.
Jw
Showing posts with label airplanes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label airplanes. Show all posts
Friday, November 21, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Aaahhhhhhh! Relief. And Merry Christmas, Too.
In CLT (Charlotte) on my way to SEA(ttle).
Christmas
break was wonderful!!!! It was a breath of fresh air to be with my
husband and family again! This time, he got there before me by an
evening, and left just after my flight. It was fun to have our roles
reversed like that for once. As you can see, I had a great view out my window over the Cascades.
The first night, we had dinner at Chan's Place (this time with Dad, Meg/family along too), then Mom took Mike and I out to Benaroya Hall
for a Seattle Symphony performance of Handel's Messiah. Although a
little sleepy (I didn't make it all the way through the five-minute
"Amen" at the end), we all thoroughly enjoyed it! KING OF KINGS AND LORD
OF LORDS, indeed!
Sunday morning (well, late morning), we had a quick breakfast and went to Church with my parents for my sister and niece's Christmas Concert in which they sang beautifully. The rest of the day was taken up relaxing at home, playing games and singing some more.
Monday was a relaxing morning, and was typical of the rest of the week: nice long breakfast, take the dog on a walk around the block (circling the park) and then start the day. That afternoon, we all went on a cruise on Lake Washington with Argosy, taking off from downtown Kirkland. This was to sail around during a simply gorgeous sunset and listen to the Dickens Carolers. We all went out to Pizza Bank afterwords for a wonderful dinner. 
Even though I was terribly sick Monday night lasting all the way through Christmas Eve, I had a decent Christmas Eve. I just didn't eat anything except about four crackers. Didn't feel at all like going to Church, so we missed out on that fine tradition... but we did still have a family gathering and Christmas story reading, and massive carol sing-a-long. Meg gave me a copy of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe that she had found cheap (I have a collection of different editions of the book), and while still laying down on the couch, I read the excerpt with Father Christmas out loud to everyone, which was lots of fun. LONG LIVE THE TRUE KING.
By
Christmas morning, I was completely recovered from my 24-hr flu, and
took part in our traditional Christmas breakfast with a glad heart. The day was fabulous and fun, and I took a lot of pictures of my little niece, Jonna. As for presents, my Darling found a new book of Tintin art for me that arrived just on time, Christmas Eve, from Amazon. Meg gave me useful and fun things to take along on deployment and some beautiful ornaments, Andie knit Mike and I scarves in our school colors, Mom and Dad, besides Messiah and the boat cruise, gave us gift cards, and to me, a set of tiny little glass sea animals! 
The day after Christmas was our last full day home. Mike and I picked up our friend Julie for a little ferry ride to Bremerton and back, then our traditional "new year's" dinner at Ivar's on the Seattle waterfront. Besides the uncanny calm of Puget Sound, that night when we pulled back in to Seattle, there was a massive fog bank looming over the entire waterfront, blocking out the bright lights of the city. As we drew in closer, the tall buildings disappeared into blackness, and soon we could see nothing at all. Gradually, lights from the other ferry boat came into view as we pulled in, but you couldn't tell you were in a city at all!
Bremerton (above) and my Dungeness Crab salad at Ivar's (below)
So, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Happy New Year!
Jw
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
One Week Home in Washington
Tuesday, May 28, arrived 11 am. Took a first look at my boxes downstairs, and relaxed with my parents as people came over to visit. Had a fantastic dinner of crab, trout and shrimp that Dad had caught. It was so good to be back! And how I loved holding my niece Jonna for the first time! How cute she is!
Wednesday, May 29, helped Mom with delivering fliers for their church outreach all afternoon... their weren't enough people, so Mom and I took care of the Everett School District nearly single-handedly with the help of my phone. Enjoyed a spaghetti dinner at home with Meg and Jason, then Bach at Leipzig at the Taproot Theater in north Seattle with just Mom and Dad. Continued on Highway 99 and I-5 to the airport afterwords to pick up Mike!
Thursday, May 30, was a partly cloudy day, but Mike and I decided that afternoon would be a good time to go take a ferry ride anyway. We did a round-trip route from Edmonds to Kingston, stopped for a fine snack at the Main Street Ale House, just as it began to rain. We returned to a fabulous dinner of chicken, corn-on-the-cob, and fried red potatoes that Mom and Dad prepared with the whole family.
Friday, May 31, Dad's idea of seeing the Museum of Flight at Boeing in Seattle was a good one! Not only was it free for all three of us because of my military status, but it was more interesting than ever. I had been once, many years ago, when I was only interested in the military. It has a broad spectrum of exhibits though, and I enjoyed them all, from the original Boeing Factory barn to Air Force One (Eisenhower to Nixon). That afternoon we went and looked at my brother's new apartment, and back at home monitored the next big tornado that hit Oklahoma... delaying a Washington Huskies softball game in the World Series tournament. That night Mom took us out to a Pizza Bank dinner with Andrea, Beckie and Micah.
Saturday, June 1, Mom, Andrea, Beckie and Micah, and Mike and I, all went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (in Tacoma), enjoying the beautiful sun... and having to buy hats to shield our faces... we saw the whole place, loved the "Rocky Shores" exhibit best. I thought of this zoo on our last visit, chiefly because of the ferry to Vashon Island just next to the park, which none of us had ever ridden before. This also included a different ferry on the north side of the island back to West Seattle. It was a very long day, and we loved every minute, but we were so tired! We took Mom out to Chan's Place that evening before going over to spend a little time with Meg and Jonna.
Sunday, June 2, we took it easy, since we'd been doing a lot the last two days. We walked the dog twice, did separate things (played with the dog, did computer work, and I went through my boxes downstairs to pick out the things I wanted shipped to Virginia. Lots of people came over for lunch (soup and sandwiches), the Huskies won a softball game against Missouri, and then everyone had lots of strawberry shortcake. The Huskies ended up playing the Sooners in Oklahoma for the softball World Series tournament that night, but we couldn't watch it all as it started late, and there was a lovely evening to spend with Meg, Jason and Jonna. Met up at Spud Fish and Chips, then ate our take-out at Juanita Bay Park... and then walked the boardwalk and found a bald eagle up on a tall post, a couple beavers chewing on the lilies not far from us, a lone baby duck making its way along the shore, and several other ducks who came flying in. It was so perfect! That night we watched a film I had been interested in a while... a 2008 film about the occupied Netherlands... Winter in Wartime. I liked it.
Monday, June 3, we had plans to go to Seattle, but I just couldn't bear the thought of traipsing all over when all I wanted was to relax at home, walk the dog, rest, and finish up with my boxes. It was another beautiful day... and we enjoyed these simple things too. That evening we all headed for Issaquah for my brother's softball game (he's on his church's team).
Tuesday, June 4, we had another nice, slow morning, but we also had to pack ourselves up. We had to leave at 12:30, so at least we could enjoy the first half of the day at home. Mom and Dad drove us... and we got through check-in and security pretty fast. American let us check three bags for free (Military) and security let us skip the line (same reason). This gave us time to enjoy a perfect view of the Olympic Mountains out the great big glass window on the food court. We enjoyed Ivar's clam chowder and cod for our lunch before going to our gate. Also picked up a little present for our neighbors in Norman who were watching the animals. It was a fine trip back.
Jw
Wednesday, May 29, helped Mom with delivering fliers for their church outreach all afternoon... their weren't enough people, so Mom and I took care of the Everett School District nearly single-handedly with the help of my phone. Enjoyed a spaghetti dinner at home with Meg and Jason, then Bach at Leipzig at the Taproot Theater in north Seattle with just Mom and Dad. Continued on Highway 99 and I-5 to the airport afterwords to pick up Mike!
Thursday, May 30, was a partly cloudy day, but Mike and I decided that afternoon would be a good time to go take a ferry ride anyway. We did a round-trip route from Edmonds to Kingston, stopped for a fine snack at the Main Street Ale House, just as it began to rain. We returned to a fabulous dinner of chicken, corn-on-the-cob, and fried red potatoes that Mom and Dad prepared with the whole family.
Friday, May 31, Dad's idea of seeing the Museum of Flight at Boeing in Seattle was a good one! Not only was it free for all three of us because of my military status, but it was more interesting than ever. I had been once, many years ago, when I was only interested in the military. It has a broad spectrum of exhibits though, and I enjoyed them all, from the original Boeing Factory barn to Air Force One (Eisenhower to Nixon). That afternoon we went and looked at my brother's new apartment, and back at home monitored the next big tornado that hit Oklahoma... delaying a Washington Huskies softball game in the World Series tournament. That night Mom took us out to a Pizza Bank dinner with Andrea, Beckie and Micah.
Saturday, June 1, Mom, Andrea, Beckie and Micah, and Mike and I, all went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (in Tacoma), enjoying the beautiful sun... and having to buy hats to shield our faces... we saw the whole place, loved the "Rocky Shores" exhibit best. I thought of this zoo on our last visit, chiefly because of the ferry to Vashon Island just next to the park, which none of us had ever ridden before. This also included a different ferry on the north side of the island back to West Seattle. It was a very long day, and we loved every minute, but we were so tired! We took Mom out to Chan's Place that evening before going over to spend a little time with Meg and Jonna.
Sunday, June 2, we took it easy, since we'd been doing a lot the last two days. We walked the dog twice, did separate things (played with the dog, did computer work, and I went through my boxes downstairs to pick out the things I wanted shipped to Virginia. Lots of people came over for lunch (soup and sandwiches), the Huskies won a softball game against Missouri, and then everyone had lots of strawberry shortcake. The Huskies ended up playing the Sooners in Oklahoma for the softball World Series tournament that night, but we couldn't watch it all as it started late, and there was a lovely evening to spend with Meg, Jason and Jonna. Met up at Spud Fish and Chips, then ate our take-out at Juanita Bay Park... and then walked the boardwalk and found a bald eagle up on a tall post, a couple beavers chewing on the lilies not far from us, a lone baby duck making its way along the shore, and several other ducks who came flying in. It was so perfect! That night we watched a film I had been interested in a while... a 2008 film about the occupied Netherlands... Winter in Wartime. I liked it.
Monday, June 3, we had plans to go to Seattle, but I just couldn't bear the thought of traipsing all over when all I wanted was to relax at home, walk the dog, rest, and finish up with my boxes. It was another beautiful day... and we enjoyed these simple things too. That evening we all headed for Issaquah for my brother's softball game (he's on his church's team).
Tuesday, June 4, we had another nice, slow morning, but we also had to pack ourselves up. We had to leave at 12:30, so at least we could enjoy the first half of the day at home. Mom and Dad drove us... and we got through check-in and security pretty fast. American let us check three bags for free (Military) and security let us skip the line (same reason). This gave us time to enjoy a perfect view of the Olympic Mountains out the great big glass window on the food court. We enjoyed Ivar's clam chowder and cod for our lunch before going to our gate. Also picked up a little present for our neighbors in Norman who were watching the animals. It was a fine trip back.
Jw
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sweet Christmas At Home
I had two days after we pulled in from our long underway to rest and recuperate before it was time to get on a plane for a long flight across the country. The afternoon we pulled in, I drove three of my friends to their respective places. My friend from food service on the ship needed a ride to the mobile phone store nearby, so I took her. She then took me out for dinner... and I picked Mike's Pizza (she had never been!) before I dropped her back on base. Took care of some errands after that... got my dress uniforms fitted with my new rank, and picked up some breakfast stuff at Food Lion. It was so exciting to be free for once!
The next day, Thurs. Dec. 20th, the Navy gave to me as a free day off work. I slept in like you wouldn't believe, ate breakfast at home, wasted time at the NEX, and stocked up on snacks for the next underway. I was supposed to have a dentist appointment, but I had forgotten to get my record off the ship. After finding out it was hopeless, I set off for downtown. Had Chipotle for lunch (discovered one in Ghent... just north of downtown) then decided on the spur of the moment to head to MacArthur Center Mall and take in The Hobbit (3 hrs) and Lincoln (2 hrs) back to back. I had to laugh when I needed a bathroom break in the middle of The Hobbit. I enjoyed it, although it had an abnormal obsession with orcs and wolves. I intentionally went to Lincoln 15-20 minutes late (stopped in B&N around the corner to kill time) so I wouldn't have to sit through seven trailers as I had to for the first film. I ended up seeing one and a half by the time I returned! This movie was great! It was only about the passing of the 13th amendment, and I was very impressed with Daniel Day Lewis... and I loved how they ended with his 2nd inaugural address after he died... so it could end on a hopeful note. I had a burger at Chili's in the mall for dinner, picked up a couple things at Walmart on the way home, then finally crashed. I think I fell asleep on the couch after talking with Mike.
Checked onto leave when I left the Quarterdeck at 1pm on the 21st. By the time I got home I was absolutely wasted... probably stayed up way too late. Slept for 3 hours solid until the guy from the housing office came by to change my lightbulbs. He turned out to be married to a big Narnia fan, and he started talking C.S. Lewis trivia after he saw my collection of Narnia pictures at the top of the stairs. After all that, I got in the car, returned my broken frame to Walmart, and treated myself to Red Lobster one more time. :)
My plane didn't leave until after noon on the 22nd, so I had plenty of time to sleep, eat breakfast at home, clean up a little and pack before my friend from the ship came to drive me to the airport. It was my first time flying out of Norfolk... and I enjoyed its small and easily navigable halls before my flight. Found out that I could check both my bags for free on Delta... so I had to get a pair of headphones, as all that was in my bag. Burger King made a good lunch, and soon I was onto Atlanta. The four-hour ATL-to-SEA flight went by pretty well too... I watched nearly the entire Husky bowl game for free on the little screen at my seat. That was a great diversion. Got in at 6pm Pacific, found my family waiting for me, and soon we were off home. A spaghetti dinner, backgammon and Phase 10 games awaited me there, as well as my puppy. We returned to the airport at around 11:30 for Michael's plane, and he got in on the very same one as my brother's friends... so we met up again, and my brother changed his plans and came home with us.
The 23rd: Ahh! Relaxation! Finally at home with my husband and my family! How long we all had been anticipating it! After a leisurely breakfast, we were driven to my family's church for a Christmas music concert. My niece had some speaking lines and sang in the children's choir, so we enjoyed it very much. And miracle of miracles, my friend Julie was there too! Apparently, her family goes there too! We sat together and planned a day that we could get together again. Back at home, we took the dog for a walk, had a late lunch with the family, then packed into the car again for a trip to Everett and the Olympic Ballet's Nutcracker. I had been to it a few years ago, and remembered it without a love story... but they changed it this year, just in time for Mike to see it and think that everyone in the Northwest is obsessed with Drosselmeyer. :) Mom and Mike picked up a pizza for dinner when we got home.
Christmas Eve: Quiet morning... breakfast, dog-walking, finished Christmas shopping... lol. Took off for lunch in Woodinville with the Hertzbergs just before 1pm, then met up again at Canyon Hills Church for a wonderful candlelight service. Back at home (and after finishing the Thai take-home dinner) we gathered in the living room for putting ornaments on the felt wreath and singing Christmas hymns and songs.
Christmas Day! It came so fast this year! Traditional breakfast and gift opening, except without the relatives! Gramma Payne was laid up from falling the other week. Thankfully, we were able to drive out to Monroe and visit her and my Aunt & Uncle at their house that evening. For the ease of all, Mom and I planned a chicken dinner and it was waiting for us when we got home. Crispy red potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and cranberry sauce completed the meal. It was so, very nice! As for the gifts, ours were very popular with the niece and nephew (which is always a lot of fun to watch) and Mike surprised me with the next season of Tintin, just released. I opened my package from Linda, also, which contained lots of good surprises! Thanks! And my sister cross-stitched a gorgeous 1 Cor. 13 passage and the family had it framed! They'll be shipping it soon!
Dec. 26th (New Year's Eve observed): Mike and I had our usual morning which included a lovely walk around the park with the dog. Julie soon came over in her rental car and picked us up for a day downtown together. After finally finding a suitable place to park the car, we poked around Pike Place Market, watching the salmon-throwing, and munching on a couple donuts. Then we stopped by the Old Curiosity Shop on our way to the Bremerton Ferry for a two-hour, round-trip, walk-on ride. Lots of time to sit and chat, or get up and drink in the bracing winter wind. Back in Seattle, we walked over to the brand-new Ferris wheel on the waterfront... the Great Wheel of Seattle. Then it was time for our annual special dinner at Ivar's... and Julie and I both got the big bowl of seafood! So good! And filling! She drove us back home as it began to rain, and only stayed long enough for me to help her find her way out of my confusing neighborhood! :) We finished the evening with a viewing of Bolt, which was fun to introduce to Mike.
Dec. 27: Another nice, easy day with not too many plans. At 1pm everyone gathered in Lynnwood at the Alderwood Mall for a family portrait. It ended up going off very easily and painlessly... our photographer learned quickly that I needed to be surprised with the flash if she was going to get one with my eyes open. :) Did a little shopping after that... my darling Michael bought me a Washington Huskies winter hat, then we picked up a few things at Fred's on the way home. We ate tacos, played games, and watched a couple of fun movies, starting with Bachelor Mother (1939, Ginger Rogers, David Niven) before dinner and finishing with The Artist afterwords.
Our last day came way too soon! Friday, the 28th, started as all the others, but ended extremely well. Mom treated my sisters and I and Mike out to the Chinese restaurant Chan's Place (while the other guys all participated in my brother's LAN party) and then took us all to a production of Fiddler on the Roof in Issaquah! It was wonderfully fun! I even enjoyed walking the small-town main street in the freezing cold with the full moon overhead, arm-in-arm with my husband.
Our flights out on Saturday morning were so near together, I was able to sit with him at his gate. We had breakfast together while he waited, and we waved goodbye until he disappeared from view and boarded. I was glad to be able to see his plane taxi from my concourse, opposite his. Now we're just waiting until next time. :)
Jw
The next day, Thurs. Dec. 20th, the Navy gave to me as a free day off work. I slept in like you wouldn't believe, ate breakfast at home, wasted time at the NEX, and stocked up on snacks for the next underway. I was supposed to have a dentist appointment, but I had forgotten to get my record off the ship. After finding out it was hopeless, I set off for downtown. Had Chipotle for lunch (discovered one in Ghent... just north of downtown) then decided on the spur of the moment to head to MacArthur Center Mall and take in The Hobbit (3 hrs) and Lincoln (2 hrs) back to back. I had to laugh when I needed a bathroom break in the middle of The Hobbit. I enjoyed it, although it had an abnormal obsession with orcs and wolves. I intentionally went to Lincoln 15-20 minutes late (stopped in B&N around the corner to kill time) so I wouldn't have to sit through seven trailers as I had to for the first film. I ended up seeing one and a half by the time I returned! This movie was great! It was only about the passing of the 13th amendment, and I was very impressed with Daniel Day Lewis... and I loved how they ended with his 2nd inaugural address after he died... so it could end on a hopeful note. I had a burger at Chili's in the mall for dinner, picked up a couple things at Walmart on the way home, then finally crashed. I think I fell asleep on the couch after talking with Mike.
Checked onto leave when I left the Quarterdeck at 1pm on the 21st. By the time I got home I was absolutely wasted... probably stayed up way too late. Slept for 3 hours solid until the guy from the housing office came by to change my lightbulbs. He turned out to be married to a big Narnia fan, and he started talking C.S. Lewis trivia after he saw my collection of Narnia pictures at the top of the stairs. After all that, I got in the car, returned my broken frame to Walmart, and treated myself to Red Lobster one more time. :)
My plane didn't leave until after noon on the 22nd, so I had plenty of time to sleep, eat breakfast at home, clean up a little and pack before my friend from the ship came to drive me to the airport. It was my first time flying out of Norfolk... and I enjoyed its small and easily navigable halls before my flight. Found out that I could check both my bags for free on Delta... so I had to get a pair of headphones, as all that was in my bag. Burger King made a good lunch, and soon I was onto Atlanta. The four-hour ATL-to-SEA flight went by pretty well too... I watched nearly the entire Husky bowl game for free on the little screen at my seat. That was a great diversion. Got in at 6pm Pacific, found my family waiting for me, and soon we were off home. A spaghetti dinner, backgammon and Phase 10 games awaited me there, as well as my puppy. We returned to the airport at around 11:30 for Michael's plane, and he got in on the very same one as my brother's friends... so we met up again, and my brother changed his plans and came home with us.
The 23rd: Ahh! Relaxation! Finally at home with my husband and my family! How long we all had been anticipating it! After a leisurely breakfast, we were driven to my family's church for a Christmas music concert. My niece had some speaking lines and sang in the children's choir, so we enjoyed it very much. And miracle of miracles, my friend Julie was there too! Apparently, her family goes there too! We sat together and planned a day that we could get together again. Back at home, we took the dog for a walk, had a late lunch with the family, then packed into the car again for a trip to Everett and the Olympic Ballet's Nutcracker. I had been to it a few years ago, and remembered it without a love story... but they changed it this year, just in time for Mike to see it and think that everyone in the Northwest is obsessed with Drosselmeyer. :) Mom and Mike picked up a pizza for dinner when we got home.
Christmas Eve: Quiet morning... breakfast, dog-walking, finished Christmas shopping... lol. Took off for lunch in Woodinville with the Hertzbergs just before 1pm, then met up again at Canyon Hills Church for a wonderful candlelight service. Back at home (and after finishing the Thai take-home dinner) we gathered in the living room for putting ornaments on the felt wreath and singing Christmas hymns and songs.
Christmas Day! It came so fast this year! Traditional breakfast and gift opening, except without the relatives! Gramma Payne was laid up from falling the other week. Thankfully, we were able to drive out to Monroe and visit her and my Aunt & Uncle at their house that evening. For the ease of all, Mom and I planned a chicken dinner and it was waiting for us when we got home. Crispy red potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and cranberry sauce completed the meal. It was so, very nice! As for the gifts, ours were very popular with the niece and nephew (which is always a lot of fun to watch) and Mike surprised me with the next season of Tintin, just released. I opened my package from Linda, also, which contained lots of good surprises! Thanks! And my sister cross-stitched a gorgeous 1 Cor. 13 passage and the family had it framed! They'll be shipping it soon!
Dec. 26th (New Year's Eve observed): Mike and I had our usual morning which included a lovely walk around the park with the dog. Julie soon came over in her rental car and picked us up for a day downtown together. After finally finding a suitable place to park the car, we poked around Pike Place Market, watching the salmon-throwing, and munching on a couple donuts. Then we stopped by the Old Curiosity Shop on our way to the Bremerton Ferry for a two-hour, round-trip, walk-on ride. Lots of time to sit and chat, or get up and drink in the bracing winter wind. Back in Seattle, we walked over to the brand-new Ferris wheel on the waterfront... the Great Wheel of Seattle. Then it was time for our annual special dinner at Ivar's... and Julie and I both got the big bowl of seafood! So good! And filling! She drove us back home as it began to rain, and only stayed long enough for me to help her find her way out of my confusing neighborhood! :) We finished the evening with a viewing of Bolt, which was fun to introduce to Mike.
Dec. 27: Another nice, easy day with not too many plans. At 1pm everyone gathered in Lynnwood at the Alderwood Mall for a family portrait. It ended up going off very easily and painlessly... our photographer learned quickly that I needed to be surprised with the flash if she was going to get one with my eyes open. :) Did a little shopping after that... my darling Michael bought me a Washington Huskies winter hat, then we picked up a few things at Fred's on the way home. We ate tacos, played games, and watched a couple of fun movies, starting with Bachelor Mother (1939, Ginger Rogers, David Niven) before dinner and finishing with The Artist afterwords.
Our last day came way too soon! Friday, the 28th, started as all the others, but ended extremely well. Mom treated my sisters and I and Mike out to the Chinese restaurant Chan's Place (while the other guys all participated in my brother's LAN party) and then took us all to a production of Fiddler on the Roof in Issaquah! It was wonderfully fun! I even enjoyed walking the small-town main street in the freezing cold with the full moon overhead, arm-in-arm with my husband.
Our flights out on Saturday morning were so near together, I was able to sit with him at his gate. We had breakfast together while he waited, and we waved goodbye until he disappeared from view and boarded. I was glad to be able to see his plane taxi from my concourse, opposite his. Now we're just waiting until next time. :)
Jw
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Another Lovely, Long Weekend
Happy Memorial Day, indeed! Had a wonderful visit with my darling husband Michael, this time in his home and hometown.
The flight ended up getting to Denver with time for me to get a personal pan supreme pizza at Pizza Hut, and still get to the next terminal via the train in time for boarding. This flight was one of the most fun I've had in a while. Sat next to an Army PFC (E-3) and an Air Force Master Sergeant (E-7)... and between us, we talked the entire hour-or-so flight into Oklahoma City about our respective experiences. Derek, the PFC, worked on communications antennas out in the field, had been in the Army for a couple years, been deployed to Afghanistan, and had been missing his family for over a year and a half! He was on his way to see them! He mentioned how hard it was getting to stay in. In both their branches they called it "chaptering" a person when they get administratively separated. Caleb, the Master Sergeant looked about ten years younger that he actually was, so we were both shocked to learn that he was an E-7. He works with radar, and talked a lot about leadership. Very fun conversations!
It was so good to see Michael again! Even if it only was three weeks since we were together last. He had a chocolate shake for me from Brahms, waiting in the car. We stopped to pick up dinner at Jimmy Johns at Campus Corner in Norman, then went home and relaxed together.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at Jimmy Egg... couldn't decide between pancakes and an omelet, but I ended up not needing too since small pancakes came with the omelet I ordered! :) Good as ever! We had gone there after coming back from the honeymoon in September.
Continued on to the Fred Jones Museum of Art on campus, especially to see their private collection of Disney animation cells, many of them autographed. Interestingly, they used my very favorite in advertising it... Aurora in the forest with the animals. But there were a couple other galleries that we hadn't seen before, so the trip was definitely worth it. Mike recognized "Spring in the Steppe" from a poster in the law school, and we both admired our favorite by Daniel Ridgway Knight, "Early Morning on the Ozie".
Managed another trip to the Duck Pond, east of campus behind the football stadium. What gets me every time is how this was where the Husky Band ate lunch, that first time I came to Norman, in 2006 (two years before I knew Mike!). We were quickly deprived of the loaf of bread we brought, predominately from the goslings and the very pushy geese. There was also a mommy mallard with 13 babies! They got a good share too. In order to catch the last planetarium show at the science center (by the zoo) we got take out from La Baguette for lunch and hurried the half-hour north to make it just in time for the 4pm show. It was geared for kids, but we enjoyed it too... the last one I had seen was at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago last January.
Since we were there, we saw the Zoo for a little while too. Loved how the bears were active on the Oklahoma Trail exhibit... the pair of them were swimming when we walked up and they got out, shook and and rubbed themselves on trees... and we loved the badger, the prairie dogs, the river otters, the bison, the eagles, the bats, the owls, etc. :)
Back in Norman we stopped at Homeland for some very fresh Salmon and corn-on-the-cob for dinner, and while we ate, we watched Crocodile Dundee for some laughs. Late at night we took the dog for a romp around the North Oval on campus.
Sunday was great! Church in the morning, great to visit again, then Interurban for brunch. Gathered ourselves together then drove the hour-plus down to Lawton to visit Mike's friend Kay (who also loves aquariums) and then Judy & Dickie and then drive with them to meet Connie at Salas, a local Mexican restaurant. Stayed a while longer at Judy's afterwords and had a long, leisurely conversation. Back at home we took the dog out again... it was very late by the time we fell asleep.
We had two old reliables for meals on Monday. Cracker Barrel for brunch, and Red Lobster for dinner, just before we had to head to the airport around 7. Right after brunch we headed north to the historic town of Guthrie, just to see the old buildings from the state's first capital and look around. We poked our heads in an interesting antiques store (finding some Donald Duck & Rocky and Bullwinkle comics) and just browsed. Stopped in a chocolate shop as well and enjoyed a few home-made treats! The town's Carnegie Library building was being used for the Frontier Museum, but it was closed Mondays & Holidays. Stopped in a little restaurant for some lemonade and to shield ourselves from the blistering hot weather. Then we drove back to Norman for dinner. Listened to a Burns & Allen episode about Jack Benny on the way to the airport, so we really didn't think about parting until we got there. What a wonderful time we had together!
My plane was delayed for about a quarter-hour on the runway due to a massive thunderstorm that popped up just as we were getting ready to go. It pelted down rain and we could see quite a bit of lighting in the distance. When we finally took off, I could see the massive cloud bank to our right... flashes of lighting and even bolts sometimes going off like crazy. Amazed how smooth the ride was... we even could take off our belts as we leveled out... with the huge cloud not far away. Abruptly, we passed the edge of it, heading out into the completely serene west with the sunset ahead of us. Mike told me that he had loads of rain and hail by the time he got home too. What a time to fly! Flew straight to LAX, reading all the comics, finishing God Without Religion and starting An Illustrated History of Anti Submarine Warfare. :)
Jw
The flight ended up getting to Denver with time for me to get a personal pan supreme pizza at Pizza Hut, and still get to the next terminal via the train in time for boarding. This flight was one of the most fun I've had in a while. Sat next to an Army PFC (E-3) and an Air Force Master Sergeant (E-7)... and between us, we talked the entire hour-or-so flight into Oklahoma City about our respective experiences. Derek, the PFC, worked on communications antennas out in the field, had been in the Army for a couple years, been deployed to Afghanistan, and had been missing his family for over a year and a half! He was on his way to see them! He mentioned how hard it was getting to stay in. In both their branches they called it "chaptering" a person when they get administratively separated. Caleb, the Master Sergeant looked about ten years younger that he actually was, so we were both shocked to learn that he was an E-7. He works with radar, and talked a lot about leadership. Very fun conversations!
It was so good to see Michael again! Even if it only was three weeks since we were together last. He had a chocolate shake for me from Brahms, waiting in the car. We stopped to pick up dinner at Jimmy Johns at Campus Corner in Norman, then went home and relaxed together.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at Jimmy Egg... couldn't decide between pancakes and an omelet, but I ended up not needing too since small pancakes came with the omelet I ordered! :) Good as ever! We had gone there after coming back from the honeymoon in September.
Continued on to the Fred Jones Museum of Art on campus, especially to see their private collection of Disney animation cells, many of them autographed. Interestingly, they used my very favorite in advertising it... Aurora in the forest with the animals. But there were a couple other galleries that we hadn't seen before, so the trip was definitely worth it. Mike recognized "Spring in the Steppe" from a poster in the law school, and we both admired our favorite by Daniel Ridgway Knight, "Early Morning on the Ozie".
Managed another trip to the Duck Pond, east of campus behind the football stadium. What gets me every time is how this was where the Husky Band ate lunch, that first time I came to Norman, in 2006 (two years before I knew Mike!). We were quickly deprived of the loaf of bread we brought, predominately from the goslings and the very pushy geese. There was also a mommy mallard with 13 babies! They got a good share too. In order to catch the last planetarium show at the science center (by the zoo) we got take out from La Baguette for lunch and hurried the half-hour north to make it just in time for the 4pm show. It was geared for kids, but we enjoyed it too... the last one I had seen was at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago last January.
Since we were there, we saw the Zoo for a little while too. Loved how the bears were active on the Oklahoma Trail exhibit... the pair of them were swimming when we walked up and they got out, shook and and rubbed themselves on trees... and we loved the badger, the prairie dogs, the river otters, the bison, the eagles, the bats, the owls, etc. :)
Back in Norman we stopped at Homeland for some very fresh Salmon and corn-on-the-cob for dinner, and while we ate, we watched Crocodile Dundee for some laughs. Late at night we took the dog for a romp around the North Oval on campus.
Sunday was great! Church in the morning, great to visit again, then Interurban for brunch. Gathered ourselves together then drove the hour-plus down to Lawton to visit Mike's friend Kay (who also loves aquariums) and then Judy & Dickie and then drive with them to meet Connie at Salas, a local Mexican restaurant. Stayed a while longer at Judy's afterwords and had a long, leisurely conversation. Back at home we took the dog out again... it was very late by the time we fell asleep.
We had two old reliables for meals on Monday. Cracker Barrel for brunch, and Red Lobster for dinner, just before we had to head to the airport around 7. Right after brunch we headed north to the historic town of Guthrie, just to see the old buildings from the state's first capital and look around. We poked our heads in an interesting antiques store (finding some Donald Duck & Rocky and Bullwinkle comics) and just browsed. Stopped in a chocolate shop as well and enjoyed a few home-made treats! The town's Carnegie Library building was being used for the Frontier Museum, but it was closed Mondays & Holidays. Stopped in a little restaurant for some lemonade and to shield ourselves from the blistering hot weather. Then we drove back to Norman for dinner. Listened to a Burns & Allen episode about Jack Benny on the way to the airport, so we really didn't think about parting until we got there. What a wonderful time we had together!
My plane was delayed for about a quarter-hour on the runway due to a massive thunderstorm that popped up just as we were getting ready to go. It pelted down rain and we could see quite a bit of lighting in the distance. When we finally took off, I could see the massive cloud bank to our right... flashes of lighting and even bolts sometimes going off like crazy. Amazed how smooth the ride was... we even could take off our belts as we leveled out... with the huge cloud not far away. Abruptly, we passed the edge of it, heading out into the completely serene west with the sunset ahead of us. Mike told me that he had loads of rain and hail by the time he got home too. What a time to fly! Flew straight to LAX, reading all the comics, finishing God Without Religion and starting An Illustrated History of Anti Submarine Warfare. :)
Jw
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday
After getting back close to 4, I decided to go to the library for the last hour or so they were open. They see pretty caught up on the regular stuff, so I put back the new books and straightened out the holds shelves.
Afterwards I got a turkey burger to go at the grill across the street and returned home. Watched some more Foyle's War this morning, so then I watched The Big Sleep that my Darling had sent, and then organized myself for today's flight to Norman. Right now I'm waiting for my slightly delayed plane. My landlady was very nice and drove me here.
Jw
Afterwards I got a turkey burger to go at the grill across the street and returned home. Watched some more Foyle's War this morning, so then I watched The Big Sleep that my Darling had sent, and then organized myself for today's flight to Norman. Right now I'm waiting for my slightly delayed plane. My landlady was very nice and drove me here.
Jw
Friday, December 16, 2011
Waiting and Waiting
This week I spent most of my time at home watching movies to make the time go by faster. Finished watching the film "Whales" on Monday while I had some tuna helper.
Tuesday night I watched Garden State from what I picked up at the library on Sunday, instead of Jane Eyre, which I waited to watch until after we graduated and had our celebratory breakfast at Perry's on Wednesday morning. Good thing too! Because it was 3 hours and 48 minutes long! It was the Masterpiece Theatre version from 1996. I loved it! Went to the library again that night to return the movies and volunteer for a while. When I was leaving, I noticed there was to be a concert starting in a few minutes in the community room... the Peninsula Singers were putting on a Christmas show, complete with an audible version of Carol of the Bells and ranging from some Hanukkah songs to the famous passages from Handel's Messiah. I loved their medley with Home for the Holidays, Let it Snow, & I'll be Home for Christmas. But while I volunteered, I picked up three more movies that I really wanted to see... and I watched last year's Robin Hood with Russell Crowe between talking to Mike. Thursday afternoon it was 2009's Up in the Air, with George Clooney, and then that night I saw a live radio play of It's a Wonderful Life at the Cygnet Theater in Old Town. Boy, I loved that! The costumes, the actors, the set! I sat in the dead center a few rows back. And the guy who played Jimmy's role spoke with certain inflections at certain times just like Jimmy did in '46.
Friday was a wild one. Got home at 11am... all checked out from the Navy and good to go for the next seventeen days! I managed to eat lunch, finish all my laundry, clean my room, do my dishes, watch A Newsreel History of the Third Reich (from the 1941 eastern front), return all three movies to the library, send a package of presents home via the post office, and pack, all before my friend Hibbard came to take me to the airport around 5:45. Whew! And United was not busy at all, so I went right through. Free checked bag for being in the military, and there were only a couple people at security... so I had tons of time to talk to Meg on the phone, as well as my Darling before they boarded us. And they gave me priority that way too... there were about 40 military flying this first leg, from SD to SF. A non-eventful flight... it was so short, and then I talked to Mom while charging my phone waiting for the final flight. And I slept my way through all of that one. :)
Tuesday night I watched Garden State from what I picked up at the library on Sunday, instead of Jane Eyre, which I waited to watch until after we graduated and had our celebratory breakfast at Perry's on Wednesday morning. Good thing too! Because it was 3 hours and 48 minutes long! It was the Masterpiece Theatre version from 1996. I loved it! Went to the library again that night to return the movies and volunteer for a while. When I was leaving, I noticed there was to be a concert starting in a few minutes in the community room... the Peninsula Singers were putting on a Christmas show, complete with an audible version of Carol of the Bells and ranging from some Hanukkah songs to the famous passages from Handel's Messiah. I loved their medley with Home for the Holidays, Let it Snow, & I'll be Home for Christmas. But while I volunteered, I picked up three more movies that I really wanted to see... and I watched last year's Robin Hood with Russell Crowe between talking to Mike. Thursday afternoon it was 2009's Up in the Air, with George Clooney, and then that night I saw a live radio play of It's a Wonderful Life at the Cygnet Theater in Old Town. Boy, I loved that! The costumes, the actors, the set! I sat in the dead center a few rows back. And the guy who played Jimmy's role spoke with certain inflections at certain times just like Jimmy did in '46.
Friday was a wild one. Got home at 11am... all checked out from the Navy and good to go for the next seventeen days! I managed to eat lunch, finish all my laundry, clean my room, do my dishes, watch A Newsreel History of the Third Reich (from the 1941 eastern front), return all three movies to the library, send a package of presents home via the post office, and pack, all before my friend Hibbard came to take me to the airport around 5:45. Whew! And United was not busy at all, so I went right through. Free checked bag for being in the military, and there were only a couple people at security... so I had tons of time to talk to Meg on the phone, as well as my Darling before they boarded us. And they gave me priority that way too... there were about 40 military flying this first leg, from SD to SF. A non-eventful flight... it was so short, and then I talked to Mom while charging my phone waiting for the final flight. And I slept my way through all of that one. :)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
A Fariy Tale Trip
I was distracted when I sat down on the plane. Picked a window seat in the second to last row on the starboard side of the plane. Thought I'd have the whole row to myself for a while, but a Marine from Pendelton told a friend over the phone that he just made it in time, and he took the aisle seat. I always have big plans for reading books when I fly, but of course, I did not want to think about anything but home. It was a little chilly, so I covered my legs with my fleece blanket and stayed in my new Washington microfiber coat as I flipped through the Southwest airlines magazine. They had an article about Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades of the past... with some neat old pictures too. And there was an excerpt of Jennifer Grant's new book about growing up with her father Cary, and their Thanksgiving memories. One funny anecdote... one time when they were having roast duck, and the ducks were hanging up inside, Cary tied a necktie around one, noting they should dress the place up more. :)
Okay... so I'm on the way to Las Vegas. The plane had a stop there before continuing on to Seattle. I followed Orion out my window throughout the short flight. He drifted forward, especially when we finally made the turn east after flying right over my new house! Camp Pendleton was a big black spot along the coast... and there were lots of empty spaces of blackness below as we flew over the desert. Thin stripes of highways connected the spots of light... it looked as if they were giant bridges over huge bodies of water; but once in a while a little light would give it away for what it was. I loved the thin, low, blanketing clouds over LA. It looked like snow covering the blue & orange-yellow lights. A very busy, lonely highway stretched all the way to Vegas... many people were on their way... but Vegas itself was enormous! Stretching out for miles. The famous strip of casinos was very near the airport, so even though I couldn't de-plane, I did see quite a bit of the city.
The next flight was exactly two hours... and I think I remember being awake for about 15 minutes of it. Propped my head against the side of the plane with my blanket and was fast asleep, waking up as we began our decent into my beautiful Pacific Northwest.
My bag was waiting for me, but we were almost a half-hour early. Mom, Dad & Meg were on there way, only about 15 minutes away. It was much colder than Cali... in the 30's! What a breath of fresh air! They soon got me and we got home quick. Took me a while to fall asleep though... I was so excited to be there.
Woke up between 8 and 9 both mornings. Dad cooked cheese omelets, we played a satisfying set of Backgammon games, then Meg beat me at Phase 10. One of the neatest surprises was a phone call from Zac! I haven't spoken with him since August, so it was a rare treat indeed! Then we set up the house for the big dinner, moved tables and chairs around. Then I took Spiffy for a walk around our 1/2 mile block.
Andie, Nathan, Beckie & Micah had arrived when we got back. And we helped Mom with some of the last minute food... fruit salad, Brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes. Grandma Payne, Aunt Penny and Uncle Don soon followed, as well as Tom and Bette, long-time friends of our family. Dinner was magnificent... Mom had cooked the turkey the day before (just when I had called in the morning, actually) and Dad had carved and put into the serving trays. He said Spiffy helped out too. :) We had stuffing, gravy, sweet cornbread, jellied cranberries, rolls, sweet potato pie, and other sides. It was all so good, but desert was waiting... Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan & Lemon Meringue pies.
I had a piece of pumpkin before we started the Bingo game though; couldn't wait. Bingo is a long-time tradition of ours... I hadn't done it for a long time though! It sort of went by the wayside while Meg was in Kalamazoo and Miami. Loved it though... and Beckie (7 yrs old) and Micah (5 yrs old) are just at the age now where it's getting to be a lot of fun. Mom and Meg had wrapped pieces of candy, gum, packets of nuts or beef jerky and put them in a big bag. Dad calls out the numbers, and whoever gets a Bingo, gets a wrapped prize. We keep going until the prizes are gone, and then everyone unwraps their hoard, then trades with people for the things they like best. It's wild fun while lots of people sing (or shout) out "Bingo" in choruses.
Then we had desert in earnest. I had some Apple, and a little more Pumpkin as well. People trickled away, and there was lots of chit-chat. My grandma is doing pretty well for being a few short months away from turning 98! We got to visit, and that was really nice. Later on, Meg, Dad and I played Phase 10, and although starting off ahead, Meg finished us off again. :)
When everyone had left, Mom & Dad & I watched a couple episodes of Monk, as they've been re-watching the series. They were in the last few episodes of season three. Ironically, one of them was "... Goes to Vegas". :) The opening scenes were a deja vu moment for me, as it was an aerial shot of the strip. Oh, and the other was Natalie running for school board against Harold.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday! It was the *perfect* fall day... 45 degrees, sunny & crisp. Shared a breakfast of oatmeal with Mom & Dad & Jason (Meg was out shopping with her other family). But first, Dad & I had worked at taking down the extra tables and starting the dishes. It was a leisurely meal, and just what I wanted the day to be like. Took the dog for a long walk after all was settled. We cut through the park to the right, came back around on the street, then cut through the park again to the left, and then continued on the sidewalk to home. He was a worn out little boy after he got his walk cookie. :)
Meg and I wanted to do Half Price Books and Tree Top Toys in downtown Redmond together, just like old times. We did, and it turned out to be a 4 or 5 hour adventure! I found a present for someone at the toy store, as well as some new releases of Carnegie Dinosaurs... :) Sold my John Paul Jones book back at Half Price (which I had listened to on audio from the library in SD) and found the whole set of BBC Narnia on DVD for $15! Yay! I have my own copy now! Then we decided to check out Value Village down the street, and there I found three totally unrelated items: a finely painted duck decoy for decor... a pair of Vietnam-era green dungarees that match my green coat... and a beautiful, padded, light brown vinyl office chair that I'd like to have in my home someday. So I got them all. And Mom can now use it at her desk until I am able to drag such a thing along with me somewhere. We even returned to Tree Top because they called to tell Meg they actually did have more Breyer stablemates in stock, and she ended up getting a few.
Played Phase 10 again when we got home, but interrupted it for a lovely dinner prepared by Mom & Dad. Rainbow trout fried in olive oil, gourmet mac'n cheese, leftover Brussels sprouts and cranberries, cucumbers, and potatoes. Watched two more Monks while we had pie and milk... season 3 finale & season 4 premiere. Finished the game after that... I was 3 phases ahead and only had 5 points, compared to her 300! One out of three, as they say... but I went out big!
Then to cap off this wonderful holiday, I played with current members of the Husky Band for their last rally of the season... the Naked Rally (lots of people with only boxers, briefs & bras - not me) before tonight's Apple Cup against Washington State. Dan was a rookie my 3rd year in the band... and this year, he returned for a 6th season! How nice to play with somebody I know! I didn't know how much I'd remember, but even "Bow Down to Washington" (fight song) came out pretty well. Louie Louie, Tequila, Walk This Way, Everybody's Everything, Johnny Q, You Can Call Me Al, FBG, Johnny's Mambo, Africano and even Polynesian Paralysis came back. Oh, and Free Ride, where we make a sideways W with our horns while playing... It all came back in an instant. There were three new tunes, but they are all hits on the radio now... so since I'm familiar with them from duty driving, I followed along pretty easily. With over an hour of playing, my chops were pretty tired by the time we got back to Red Square (center of campus is all brick) so I just called Mike and let him listen along for a song or two. It had been over a year-and-a-half since I had last played with the band. What fun!
Mom & Dad dropped me off at the regular meeting place on campus, then continued on to SeaTac to pick up our renter Christina from the airport. They did make a special trip to come pick me up at 10:30ish, so that was really nice of them. While I waited for the band to show up at 8:45 (arrived at 8:25) the father of a kid in band who was coming invited me to sit in his minivan to stay warm. What a nice guy!
Got home, and crashed in bed. Finished reading Song of Solomon with my own Lover over the phone. Through this book we each read our own parts, and while I was at home I used Andie's old 1984 large print NIV from when she was a kid. The new testament falls out, it was so loved.
Perfect, perfect, perfect! It was worth much more than I paid to share these precious two days with my family. Got up at 4:30 this morning, had a hot egg and toast waiting for me on the table after I finished getting ready. Parting was easier this time, since I'll be back in a mere 3 weeks time. Hugged and waved goodbye, went right through to my gate, started this post, and promptly fell asleep on the plane. Had the row to myself, so I angled myself comfortably with my blanket for a pillow. The flight from Sacramento to San Diego, however, was crowded. Got an exit row seat and worked on this post for practically the entire hour. Got a taxi right away, and was sitting in my room exactly 30 minutes after touchdown. Only $15 total, so that was alright too.
Thank the Lord for this blessing!
Jw
Okay... so I'm on the way to Las Vegas. The plane had a stop there before continuing on to Seattle. I followed Orion out my window throughout the short flight. He drifted forward, especially when we finally made the turn east after flying right over my new house! Camp Pendleton was a big black spot along the coast... and there were lots of empty spaces of blackness below as we flew over the desert. Thin stripes of highways connected the spots of light... it looked as if they were giant bridges over huge bodies of water; but once in a while a little light would give it away for what it was. I loved the thin, low, blanketing clouds over LA. It looked like snow covering the blue & orange-yellow lights. A very busy, lonely highway stretched all the way to Vegas... many people were on their way... but Vegas itself was enormous! Stretching out for miles. The famous strip of casinos was very near the airport, so even though I couldn't de-plane, I did see quite a bit of the city.
The next flight was exactly two hours... and I think I remember being awake for about 15 minutes of it. Propped my head against the side of the plane with my blanket and was fast asleep, waking up as we began our decent into my beautiful Pacific Northwest.
My bag was waiting for me, but we were almost a half-hour early. Mom, Dad & Meg were on there way, only about 15 minutes away. It was much colder than Cali... in the 30's! What a breath of fresh air! They soon got me and we got home quick. Took me a while to fall asleep though... I was so excited to be there.
Woke up between 8 and 9 both mornings. Dad cooked cheese omelets, we played a satisfying set of Backgammon games, then Meg beat me at Phase 10. One of the neatest surprises was a phone call from Zac! I haven't spoken with him since August, so it was a rare treat indeed! Then we set up the house for the big dinner, moved tables and chairs around. Then I took Spiffy for a walk around our 1/2 mile block.
Andie, Nathan, Beckie & Micah had arrived when we got back. And we helped Mom with some of the last minute food... fruit salad, Brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes. Grandma Payne, Aunt Penny and Uncle Don soon followed, as well as Tom and Bette, long-time friends of our family. Dinner was magnificent... Mom had cooked the turkey the day before (just when I had called in the morning, actually) and Dad had carved and put into the serving trays. He said Spiffy helped out too. :) We had stuffing, gravy, sweet cornbread, jellied cranberries, rolls, sweet potato pie, and other sides. It was all so good, but desert was waiting... Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan & Lemon Meringue pies.
I had a piece of pumpkin before we started the Bingo game though; couldn't wait. Bingo is a long-time tradition of ours... I hadn't done it for a long time though! It sort of went by the wayside while Meg was in Kalamazoo and Miami. Loved it though... and Beckie (7 yrs old) and Micah (5 yrs old) are just at the age now where it's getting to be a lot of fun. Mom and Meg had wrapped pieces of candy, gum, packets of nuts or beef jerky and put them in a big bag. Dad calls out the numbers, and whoever gets a Bingo, gets a wrapped prize. We keep going until the prizes are gone, and then everyone unwraps their hoard, then trades with people for the things they like best. It's wild fun while lots of people sing (or shout) out "Bingo" in choruses.
Then we had desert in earnest. I had some Apple, and a little more Pumpkin as well. People trickled away, and there was lots of chit-chat. My grandma is doing pretty well for being a few short months away from turning 98! We got to visit, and that was really nice. Later on, Meg, Dad and I played Phase 10, and although starting off ahead, Meg finished us off again. :)
When everyone had left, Mom & Dad & I watched a couple episodes of Monk, as they've been re-watching the series. They were in the last few episodes of season three. Ironically, one of them was "... Goes to Vegas". :) The opening scenes were a deja vu moment for me, as it was an aerial shot of the strip. Oh, and the other was Natalie running for school board against Harold.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday! It was the *perfect* fall day... 45 degrees, sunny & crisp. Shared a breakfast of oatmeal with Mom & Dad & Jason (Meg was out shopping with her other family). But first, Dad & I had worked at taking down the extra tables and starting the dishes. It was a leisurely meal, and just what I wanted the day to be like. Took the dog for a long walk after all was settled. We cut through the park to the right, came back around on the street, then cut through the park again to the left, and then continued on the sidewalk to home. He was a worn out little boy after he got his walk cookie. :)
Meg and I wanted to do Half Price Books and Tree Top Toys in downtown Redmond together, just like old times. We did, and it turned out to be a 4 or 5 hour adventure! I found a present for someone at the toy store, as well as some new releases of Carnegie Dinosaurs... :) Sold my John Paul Jones book back at Half Price (which I had listened to on audio from the library in SD) and found the whole set of BBC Narnia on DVD for $15! Yay! I have my own copy now! Then we decided to check out Value Village down the street, and there I found three totally unrelated items: a finely painted duck decoy for decor... a pair of Vietnam-era green dungarees that match my green coat... and a beautiful, padded, light brown vinyl office chair that I'd like to have in my home someday. So I got them all. And Mom can now use it at her desk until I am able to drag such a thing along with me somewhere. We even returned to Tree Top because they called to tell Meg they actually did have more Breyer stablemates in stock, and she ended up getting a few.
Played Phase 10 again when we got home, but interrupted it for a lovely dinner prepared by Mom & Dad. Rainbow trout fried in olive oil, gourmet mac'n cheese, leftover Brussels sprouts and cranberries, cucumbers, and potatoes. Watched two more Monks while we had pie and milk... season 3 finale & season 4 premiere. Finished the game after that... I was 3 phases ahead and only had 5 points, compared to her 300! One out of three, as they say... but I went out big!
Then to cap off this wonderful holiday, I played with current members of the Husky Band for their last rally of the season... the Naked Rally (lots of people with only boxers, briefs & bras - not me) before tonight's Apple Cup against Washington State. Dan was a rookie my 3rd year in the band... and this year, he returned for a 6th season! How nice to play with somebody I know! I didn't know how much I'd remember, but even "Bow Down to Washington" (fight song) came out pretty well. Louie Louie, Tequila, Walk This Way, Everybody's Everything, Johnny Q, You Can Call Me Al, FBG, Johnny's Mambo, Africano and even Polynesian Paralysis came back. Oh, and Free Ride, where we make a sideways W with our horns while playing... It all came back in an instant. There were three new tunes, but they are all hits on the radio now... so since I'm familiar with them from duty driving, I followed along pretty easily. With over an hour of playing, my chops were pretty tired by the time we got back to Red Square (center of campus is all brick) so I just called Mike and let him listen along for a song or two. It had been over a year-and-a-half since I had last played with the band. What fun!
Mom & Dad dropped me off at the regular meeting place on campus, then continued on to SeaTac to pick up our renter Christina from the airport. They did make a special trip to come pick me up at 10:30ish, so that was really nice of them. While I waited for the band to show up at 8:45 (arrived at 8:25) the father of a kid in band who was coming invited me to sit in his minivan to stay warm. What a nice guy!
Got home, and crashed in bed. Finished reading Song of Solomon with my own Lover over the phone. Through this book we each read our own parts, and while I was at home I used Andie's old 1984 large print NIV from when she was a kid. The new testament falls out, it was so loved.
Perfect, perfect, perfect! It was worth much more than I paid to share these precious two days with my family. Got up at 4:30 this morning, had a hot egg and toast waiting for me on the table after I finished getting ready. Parting was easier this time, since I'll be back in a mere 3 weeks time. Hugged and waved goodbye, went right through to my gate, started this post, and promptly fell asleep on the plane. Had the row to myself, so I angled myself comfortably with my blanket for a pillow. The flight from Sacramento to San Diego, however, was crowded. Got an exit row seat and worked on this post for practically the entire hour. Got a taxi right away, and was sitting in my room exactly 30 minutes after touchdown. Only $15 total, so that was alright too.
Thank the Lord for this blessing!
Jw
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Ah, Another Weekend
Friday we got out really early from class. I was walking to my car at 2pm... and I thought, "Gee, I should do something with all this time off...", but all I wanted to do was sit down in my room relax. Watched "Decision Before Dawn", because I couldn't remember how it ended. And then I watched the live stage version of "Les Miserables" and enjoyed it a whole bunch.
Saturday I was barely here at home. After breakfast, I decided to drive up north. Ended up going to the Flying Leatherneck's Museum at MCAS Miramar. Loved it! Small, but interesting; and they sure had quite a few jets and planes outside! Two of the folks in the store were prior service Sailors, and we talked quite a bit about our various experiences. The lady was a Dental Tech, and the older gentleman had a unique experience, being an aviation guy who ended up with a weapons safety qualification and then hand-picked to help out a destroyer with an exercise. Talked about weathering out a typhoon on DDG 14 (that's a hundred DDG's ago!) and walking on the bulkheads while it rolled! Yikes!
Drove a bit south and west to the Rose Canyon nature trail. Another canyon walk, just like the one I did at Tecolote a few weeks ago. Took lots of pictures, saw a couple cottontails and few birds... and explored the riverbed off the trail a little. The sun was going down though, so I couldn't stay too long. Back in the car, I stopped at a Target nearby and found an $18 space heater for my little room.
And then the evening's event: the opening performance of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in its 14th year at the Old Globe. Incredibly, Amanda Naughton was again performing without my prior knowledge. And this was the fourth time I've seen her act at the Globe. She played "Grandma Who", but still looked as young as ever under her white, curled wig. She screeched her lines like any grandma would, but her singing voice was as clear and beautiful as ever.
I loved it! Watched the cartoon online during chat when I got back, and realized I liked the play much better! The costumes and set pieces were all in black, red & white, except for the Grinch's green fur. This followed the book more closely, as that's how they appeared in print. Loved the attention to detail!
Today after church, Laramie and I went to the USS Midway museum. I think this was my fourth time seeing it, but that's not bad. :) We went to the flight deck first, then took the guided Bridge tour and then looked below. We had to park the car in Seaport Village, because the Midway's lot was closed due to the sailboat races in the bay for "America's Cup". What a day to go!
Laramie wanted to do some Christmas shopping at the big NEX on 32nd street, so we went there afterwords. I got the next installment of MHQ and another screen protector for my phone (just in case). And then we had dinner together at the food court. Don't be shocked: I had only had a small breakfast bagel and a small lunch after church... so I had a little lobster taco from Rubio's, a small hamburger with lots of veggies from Five Guys, and a delicious piece of pizza from Famiglia's for a grand total of $12.69. There were too many choices... and I was hungry! They also have Subway, IHOP & Panda Express... what a neat food court!
Cleaned up my room a bit when I got home... time to go back to regular life for another three days. Gee, life is so hard. ;)
Jw
Saturday I was barely here at home. After breakfast, I decided to drive up north. Ended up going to the Flying Leatherneck's Museum at MCAS Miramar. Loved it! Small, but interesting; and they sure had quite a few jets and planes outside! Two of the folks in the store were prior service Sailors, and we talked quite a bit about our various experiences. The lady was a Dental Tech, and the older gentleman had a unique experience, being an aviation guy who ended up with a weapons safety qualification and then hand-picked to help out a destroyer with an exercise. Talked about weathering out a typhoon on DDG 14 (that's a hundred DDG's ago!) and walking on the bulkheads while it rolled! Yikes!
Drove a bit south and west to the Rose Canyon nature trail. Another canyon walk, just like the one I did at Tecolote a few weeks ago. Took lots of pictures, saw a couple cottontails and few birds... and explored the riverbed off the trail a little. The sun was going down though, so I couldn't stay too long. Back in the car, I stopped at a Target nearby and found an $18 space heater for my little room.
And then the evening's event: the opening performance of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in its 14th year at the Old Globe. Incredibly, Amanda Naughton was again performing without my prior knowledge. And this was the fourth time I've seen her act at the Globe. She played "Grandma Who", but still looked as young as ever under her white, curled wig. She screeched her lines like any grandma would, but her singing voice was as clear and beautiful as ever.
I loved it! Watched the cartoon online during chat when I got back, and realized I liked the play much better! The costumes and set pieces were all in black, red & white, except for the Grinch's green fur. This followed the book more closely, as that's how they appeared in print. Loved the attention to detail!
Today after church, Laramie and I went to the USS Midway museum. I think this was my fourth time seeing it, but that's not bad. :) We went to the flight deck first, then took the guided Bridge tour and then looked below. We had to park the car in Seaport Village, because the Midway's lot was closed due to the sailboat races in the bay for "America's Cup". What a day to go!
Laramie wanted to do some Christmas shopping at the big NEX on 32nd street, so we went there afterwords. I got the next installment of MHQ and another screen protector for my phone (just in case). And then we had dinner together at the food court. Don't be shocked: I had only had a small breakfast bagel and a small lunch after church... so I had a little lobster taco from Rubio's, a small hamburger with lots of veggies from Five Guys, and a delicious piece of pizza from Famiglia's for a grand total of $12.69. There were too many choices... and I was hungry! They also have Subway, IHOP & Panda Express... what a neat food court!
Cleaned up my room a bit when I got home... time to go back to regular life for another three days. Gee, life is so hard. ;)
Jw
Monday, March 14, 2011
Back in the Saddle Again (an incredible weekend)
The first thing I did Saturday morning after renting the car (and finding myself with a lovely, long-lost freedom yet again) I had Denny's on Rosecrans St. before heading off to the middle of the bottom of California for the Blue Angel's 2011 opening show at their home base of NAF El Centro. Zac had arrived already... Yuma being just 50+ miles away. We enjoyed their many displays, were surprised at finding a Star Wars legion and a British Army Airborne unit (with Blackhawk copter) there. The Brits sold me a picture book of British Airborne history (along with their unit patch) for just $1! Loved the displays and the aerobatics. They even had the same B-17 that we saw in AZ last March! One of the best airshows I've been to. We had a little lunch together, and watched the F-18's and F-16's with awe. The Angel's show at the end was impressive as always. I've never been quite so close up to them before. El Centro is a fantastic place for this sort of thing because there is nothing but bright sky in all directions. :)
That night I stayed at a local motel to rest and avoid the setting sun in my eyes for the two-hour drive back. It was great to take it easy! Tried out their pool, but that was outside and un-heated. Ouch! it was cold! :) I got in all the way, but I didn't stay long. The people who came in while I was in were not surprised that I was from Seattle. Took a shower to help heal my sun-burned arms after that, then had an In & Out burger across the street, with their fresh french fries and a chocolate shake. Mm, mmm! During the brief chat I watched a Myrna Loy movie, did a little puzzle at the table, and relaxed on the queen bed.
Sunday, I did everything I contemplated the night before, and then some. Just adore the drive over the mountains... really neat rocks. Stopped in El Cajon for gas and a quick grilled chicken sandwich at the Denny's I've been to before. Drove straight to Balboa Park, got there 5 min. before the film "Ocean Oasis" (about Baja California) began. Beautiful music and sweeping scenes. They ended with footage of the diver/narrator swimming with and hanging onto a huge manta ray! Wow! Then took in the rest of the museum; but the Facebook pics do not account for the photography exhibits on the top two floors. One of aerial photographs of the American West... and the other of "colors of water". The most interesting pieces were B/W images from Washington... :)
Then across the street from the museum at the children's theater, they had a used book sale. Among a couple paperbacks and an interesting Nat Geo Mag, I found THIS for 50 cents!!! Happened to find it at the last second as I was thinking about checking out.
With my last few hours I volunteered at the library for one, got a sausage/mushroom/green pepper pizza across the street, ran into a friend from Great Lakes, drove both of us back to the base, unloaded everything and had dinner, and then drove off to explore the Point Loma Naval Base on the peninsula... the lighthouse on the tip was closed, so I'll have to go back. Bought a long-sleeve PT shirt at the NEX to protect my poor arms, then returned the car. Used the USO shuttle for a ride back to base, and was suddenly hit with my return to car-less-ness. :(
It was certainly a fun-filled, exciting weekend... with much to be thankful for... but I sure do miss my family.
Jp
That night I stayed at a local motel to rest and avoid the setting sun in my eyes for the two-hour drive back. It was great to take it easy! Tried out their pool, but that was outside and un-heated. Ouch! it was cold! :) I got in all the way, but I didn't stay long. The people who came in while I was in were not surprised that I was from Seattle. Took a shower to help heal my sun-burned arms after that, then had an In & Out burger across the street, with their fresh french fries and a chocolate shake. Mm, mmm! During the brief chat I watched a Myrna Loy movie, did a little puzzle at the table, and relaxed on the queen bed.
Sunday, I did everything I contemplated the night before, and then some. Just adore the drive over the mountains... really neat rocks. Stopped in El Cajon for gas and a quick grilled chicken sandwich at the Denny's I've been to before. Drove straight to Balboa Park, got there 5 min. before the film "Ocean Oasis" (about Baja California) began. Beautiful music and sweeping scenes. They ended with footage of the diver/narrator swimming with and hanging onto a huge manta ray! Wow! Then took in the rest of the museum; but the Facebook pics do not account for the photography exhibits on the top two floors. One of aerial photographs of the American West... and the other of "colors of water". The most interesting pieces were B/W images from Washington... :)
Then across the street from the museum at the children's theater, they had a used book sale. Among a couple paperbacks and an interesting Nat Geo Mag, I found THIS for 50 cents!!! Happened to find it at the last second as I was thinking about checking out.
With my last few hours I volunteered at the library for one, got a sausage/mushroom/green pepper pizza across the street, ran into a friend from Great Lakes, drove both of us back to the base, unloaded everything and had dinner, and then drove off to explore the Point Loma Naval Base on the peninsula... the lighthouse on the tip was closed, so I'll have to go back. Bought a long-sleeve PT shirt at the NEX to protect my poor arms, then returned the car. Used the USO shuttle for a ride back to base, and was suddenly hit with my return to car-less-ness. :(
It was certainly a fun-filled, exciting weekend... with much to be thankful for... but I sure do miss my family.
Jp
Saturday, February 12, 2011
With Navy Friends
After "work" on Friday (which was only getting my Phase 3 liberty signed off on), and after lunch at the galley, my friend Witte and I, along with 3 guys decided to go explore. We visited the bigger NEX across the highway and then got on a military shuttle to downtown. Explored a huge mall for several hours... I got strawberry & chocolate ice creme at Ben&Jerry's, a blue-flowered, button-up, long-sleeve shirt at Amer. Eagle, and got plastered in a game of giant checkers (pieces are about a foot in diameter... had to be kicked around :). When we were done, we wandered around Fourth Street and found an excellent place for dinner. The Rock Bottom Brewery. Had fancy mac'n cheese with tender chicken and crunchy stuff on top. And then we managed to find a taxi back to base.
Today I got a ride from a friend of mine from ATT school to the air show at the Island Air Station on Coronado's Naval Base. He and a friend of his (who came as well) are both fleet returnees, 2nd classes who are having to re-classify and get a different rate, are a little older and are fun to hang out with. We went to Denny's for breakfast and got little things at the NEX nearby before leaving. And I think we took too long! The traffic was horrible! We were stuck still on the base while planes flew by... but at least we could see them all! I saw a B-17 in flight for the first time, along with a WWII F4 Wildcat... and lots of others.
By the time we were out among the exhibits, the grand finale flew overhead... 30+ Hornets in a long formation (almost like Independence Day) and a few others... Prowlers and Hawkeyes. Very neat. We had something to eat and looked around at the jets. Cole showed us how he worked on the Hornets for his previous job... and that was pretty neat. He was so excited about them. The drive back went much faster, and when we returned to Point Loma we went out for some fish and shrimp tacos at a swank place that they've discovered nearby. I think I shall have to go back there. :)
Jp
Today I got a ride from a friend of mine from ATT school to the air show at the Island Air Station on Coronado's Naval Base. He and a friend of his (who came as well) are both fleet returnees, 2nd classes who are having to re-classify and get a different rate, are a little older and are fun to hang out with. We went to Denny's for breakfast and got little things at the NEX nearby before leaving. And I think we took too long! The traffic was horrible! We were stuck still on the base while planes flew by... but at least we could see them all! I saw a B-17 in flight for the first time, along with a WWII F4 Wildcat... and lots of others.
By the time we were out among the exhibits, the grand finale flew overhead... 30+ Hornets in a long formation (almost like Independence Day) and a few others... Prowlers and Hawkeyes. Very neat. We had something to eat and looked around at the jets. Cole showed us how he worked on the Hornets for his previous job... and that was pretty neat. He was so excited about them. The drive back went much faster, and when we returned to Point Loma we went out for some fish and shrimp tacos at a swank place that they've discovered nearby. I think I shall have to go back there. :)
Jp
Friday, December 17, 2010
A Muddle of Two Days
or "How I Escaped From Crazy Land".
Thursday morning was exciting... I even went to breakfast. We had three hours of school and an hour of "field day" in the classroom. When they finally let us out of the building, I went to lunch before returning to muster at noon. Since it was my duty day, I volunteered to join a working party that was needed at the Bldg. 3 Legal Investigations office for "moving stuff". Lasted less than an hour, and then it was back to the building for another muster. Stayed inside the whole day... Packed for the trip and took an hour's nap. After that, had pizza delivered, and then took a lay-awake-nap, singing myself hymns and praying. Soon it was the muster at 2000 (8pm) for sweepers. I mopped the female passageway... it was loud with people's music blaring and excited voices as people cleaned their rooms, packing up stuff to go home with. Another hour later it was the expiration of liberty muster... my fifth for the day. That was fast, as usual, and our LPO said some nice things as he's leaving for a new duty station. I talked on the phone for the remainder of the day, until getting into my blues at 2330 for my job as Messenger of the Watch from midnight to 0200. The guy who was supposed to relieve me at 0145 payed me off $10 to take his 45 minutes until the watch was secured for the holiday stand-down beginning at reveille at 0230. He caught me on the quarterdeck just before our pizza came and I was on my way to buy a bag of Sun chips from the vending machines (because it was taking so long).
Watch went by rather smoothly. Had conversations with the Petty Officer of the Watch and with the 1st Deck Sentry... before the Chief came in and yelled at him to stand back in the p-way where he was supposed to. :(
They played a song about going home over the 1MC for reveille, and then we got our leave chits signed. Hung out in the lounge, lay down and tried to block out the Adam Sandler movie someone had put on. It worked until I heard Rupert Holmes singing the Pina Colada Song... lol!
That got over, and then they stuck in Avatar. We got almost to half-way through when we decided to go catch a bus to the airport (0730). Left at 0800, and arrived at 0845 a second later. :) I did a lot of napping this morning, causing me to be very disorientated most of the time.
It was odd to be back at the airport where it all began. But it was nice to see it in the day-time. The USO was very friendly... had lots of free snacks and drinks, but it was also pretty crowded. They only had 6 recliners (and they were taken) and a couple dozen comfy chairs in front of a big screen TV with football on (and they were all taken too). So I sat out in the hall for a while, and then came back to grab a seat at a table that had been vacated. About 1030, the CO and CMC from the Training Center came in to talk with Sailors and make sure they were being treated right. So I had a quick conversation with Captain Olinger! She's very nice! When she found out I had such a late flight, she had somebody find out about getting an earlier standby one for me. A little while later I had a free back massage! Gee, they think of all the important things here! Soon after that I took my bags to the next terminal and checked in (checking both my sea bag and backpack for free) and made my way to the gate and relaxed. I was worried, because the flight was full, but I ended up getting on! This was a full FIVE hours earlier than my scheduled one at 9pm. Thank God!
It wasn't the most comfortable flight, but I really didn't care! I nodded to sleep off and on, catching a few hours of semi-rest. :) Getting back to Seattle was so wonderful! My bags were there just fine, and Mom and Dad arrived just a couple minutes after I walked outside into the much warmer winter night air. I wasn't giddy with happiness as I imagined, when getting off the plane... some of that was because I was so tired, but some because being in the military drains much of a person's giddiness away from them. I was all smiles though, hugging my parents there and petting my puppy when we got home. That was really nice!
After a home-made meatloaf and baked potato dinner (with pie afterwords), I took the dog on our old route in the cold night air. It was only partly cloudy, so I could see the moon and Jupiter very well. Back home I dried the dishes as mom washed and then we sang a few songs together by the light of the Christmas tree. Ahhhhhhhhh! And then I soon realized how hard my mattresses have been in the Navy. :)
Jp
Thursday morning was exciting... I even went to breakfast. We had three hours of school and an hour of "field day" in the classroom. When they finally let us out of the building, I went to lunch before returning to muster at noon. Since it was my duty day, I volunteered to join a working party that was needed at the Bldg. 3 Legal Investigations office for "moving stuff". Lasted less than an hour, and then it was back to the building for another muster. Stayed inside the whole day... Packed for the trip and took an hour's nap. After that, had pizza delivered, and then took a lay-awake-nap, singing myself hymns and praying. Soon it was the muster at 2000 (8pm) for sweepers. I mopped the female passageway... it was loud with people's music blaring and excited voices as people cleaned their rooms, packing up stuff to go home with. Another hour later it was the expiration of liberty muster... my fifth for the day. That was fast, as usual, and our LPO said some nice things as he's leaving for a new duty station. I talked on the phone for the remainder of the day, until getting into my blues at 2330 for my job as Messenger of the Watch from midnight to 0200. The guy who was supposed to relieve me at 0145 payed me off $10 to take his 45 minutes until the watch was secured for the holiday stand-down beginning at reveille at 0230. He caught me on the quarterdeck just before our pizza came and I was on my way to buy a bag of Sun chips from the vending machines (because it was taking so long).
Watch went by rather smoothly. Had conversations with the Petty Officer of the Watch and with the 1st Deck Sentry... before the Chief came in and yelled at him to stand back in the p-way where he was supposed to. :(
They played a song about going home over the 1MC for reveille, and then we got our leave chits signed. Hung out in the lounge, lay down and tried to block out the Adam Sandler movie someone had put on. It worked until I heard Rupert Holmes singing the Pina Colada Song... lol!
That got over, and then they stuck in Avatar. We got almost to half-way through when we decided to go catch a bus to the airport (0730). Left at 0800, and arrived at 0845 a second later. :) I did a lot of napping this morning, causing me to be very disorientated most of the time.
It was odd to be back at the airport where it all began. But it was nice to see it in the day-time. The USO was very friendly... had lots of free snacks and drinks, but it was also pretty crowded. They only had 6 recliners (and they were taken) and a couple dozen comfy chairs in front of a big screen TV with football on (and they were all taken too). So I sat out in the hall for a while, and then came back to grab a seat at a table that had been vacated. About 1030, the CO and CMC from the Training Center came in to talk with Sailors and make sure they were being treated right. So I had a quick conversation with Captain Olinger! She's very nice! When she found out I had such a late flight, she had somebody find out about getting an earlier standby one for me. A little while later I had a free back massage! Gee, they think of all the important things here! Soon after that I took my bags to the next terminal and checked in (checking both my sea bag and backpack for free) and made my way to the gate and relaxed. I was worried, because the flight was full, but I ended up getting on! This was a full FIVE hours earlier than my scheduled one at 9pm. Thank God!
It wasn't the most comfortable flight, but I really didn't care! I nodded to sleep off and on, catching a few hours of semi-rest. :) Getting back to Seattle was so wonderful! My bags were there just fine, and Mom and Dad arrived just a couple minutes after I walked outside into the much warmer winter night air. I wasn't giddy with happiness as I imagined, when getting off the plane... some of that was because I was so tired, but some because being in the military drains much of a person's giddiness away from them. I was all smiles though, hugging my parents there and petting my puppy when we got home. That was really nice!
After a home-made meatloaf and baked potato dinner (with pie afterwords), I took the dog on our old route in the cold night air. It was only partly cloudy, so I could see the moon and Jupiter very well. Back home I dried the dishes as mom washed and then we sang a few songs together by the light of the Christmas tree. Ahhhhhhhhh! And then I soon realized how hard my mattresses have been in the Navy. :)
Jp
Monday, March 8, 2010
A Few More Details
From Sunday the 7th:
We slept in pretty well... didn't wake up til 10. It had been such a nice chat the night before... and a perfect day.
But as I looked out the window all I saw was an oppressive, grey mass covering the entire sky. The asphalt was slick black from rain, and sure enough it was indeed precipitating... in Arizona! For some reason I was shocked because I thought that it was always sunny here! LOL
I forgot to mention on Saturday that after the ball game we did have a tiny run in with a little rain as we were waiting for him to get his haircut. But that only lasted a matter of a few minutes and was off and on.
After a while we packed up all our stuff, checked out and went to Denny's for breakfast. I had an "Ultimate Omelet", and I loved it again. As we sat, we pondered what to do. Our plans had included going to an open air wildlife park... and a scenic drive at South Mountain Park, just south of Phoenix. But there was close to no visibility, and it started to pour. We kicked around the idea of going to a movie, but it was rejected. Zac had a bit of congestion and a headache, so he was thinking he might want to go back to Yuma earlier than 5PM. We decided to go to the Air Force museum in Mesa, and then they would drop me off at the hotel where I was meeting Rita.
It was around noon when we finished eating, and it took about a half-hour to get to the museum. I was very impressed with it! They had two hangars (thank goodness it was all inside!) full of planes and memorabilia from WWII. They had a B-26, a few P-51's, several other planes, and then an F4 Phantom and a MiG in the first (besides many engines and displays and the largest 48 star flag that I've ever seen) and then in the operational hangar they had a fully restored and operational B-17G open to climb into and walk through! Still being restored and only available to look at was a veteran B-25 from the Mediterranean theater, and a smaller transport plane. Now, I read "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" when I was a teenager, so I have a special love for B-25's. It was in great condition (as far as I could tell) and was very neat to touch. We ended up spending two full hours wandering around all the history; and they even had a very pretty patch in the gift shop. :)
Getting to the hotel was very easy (thank you Google!) and I didn't mind just sitting in their lobby. I mean, if you have to wait around for a while, doing it in a swank hotel lobby sitting on a leather couch with free Internet is the way to go. I posted the pictures (in the last post) and read for a moment before Rita came. She wanted to meet here because the hotel has a lot of throw-back architecture to 1912, when Arizona became a state. We walked around for a while, looking in shop windows and talking.
We ate at the hotel restaurant (AJ's Cafe) and had dinners that they served back in 1912... I had a grilled salmon with rice and veggies and it was delicious! The dinner included a fresh greens salad to start and also a piece of ice creme cake to finish... wow! what a good choice of restaurant! We sat at our booth and talked quite a bit longer until it was time to go. On the way to the airport it was still pouring in spots with lightning flashing in the sky once and a while, just to our right. What strange weather! It's always fun for me to see storms in flat places in the country. By us there are so many hills and trees that it's impossible to get the same wide open experience.
I was so tired! I mostly slept on the plane, but it was an on and off, uncomfortable sleep. I listened to movie music on my mp3 player, and I was so tired that I fell asleep right when the Imperial March came on. And as on the way down, I missed the beverage service because I was dead to the world. Meg and Jason picked me up, and let me tell you, lying down in bed at home felt soooooooo good. :)
Jp
We slept in pretty well... didn't wake up til 10. It had been such a nice chat the night before... and a perfect day.
But as I looked out the window all I saw was an oppressive, grey mass covering the entire sky. The asphalt was slick black from rain, and sure enough it was indeed precipitating... in Arizona! For some reason I was shocked because I thought that it was always sunny here! LOL
I forgot to mention on Saturday that after the ball game we did have a tiny run in with a little rain as we were waiting for him to get his haircut. But that only lasted a matter of a few minutes and was off and on.
After a while we packed up all our stuff, checked out and went to Denny's for breakfast. I had an "Ultimate Omelet", and I loved it again. As we sat, we pondered what to do. Our plans had included going to an open air wildlife park... and a scenic drive at South Mountain Park, just south of Phoenix. But there was close to no visibility, and it started to pour. We kicked around the idea of going to a movie, but it was rejected. Zac had a bit of congestion and a headache, so he was thinking he might want to go back to Yuma earlier than 5PM. We decided to go to the Air Force museum in Mesa, and then they would drop me off at the hotel where I was meeting Rita.
It was around noon when we finished eating, and it took about a half-hour to get to the museum. I was very impressed with it! They had two hangars (thank goodness it was all inside!) full of planes and memorabilia from WWII. They had a B-26, a few P-51's, several other planes, and then an F4 Phantom and a MiG in the first (besides many engines and displays and the largest 48 star flag that I've ever seen) and then in the operational hangar they had a fully restored and operational B-17G open to climb into and walk through! Still being restored and only available to look at was a veteran B-25 from the Mediterranean theater, and a smaller transport plane. Now, I read "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" when I was a teenager, so I have a special love for B-25's. It was in great condition (as far as I could tell) and was very neat to touch. We ended up spending two full hours wandering around all the history; and they even had a very pretty patch in the gift shop. :)
Getting to the hotel was very easy (thank you Google!) and I didn't mind just sitting in their lobby. I mean, if you have to wait around for a while, doing it in a swank hotel lobby sitting on a leather couch with free Internet is the way to go. I posted the pictures (in the last post) and read for a moment before Rita came. She wanted to meet here because the hotel has a lot of throw-back architecture to 1912, when Arizona became a state. We walked around for a while, looking in shop windows and talking.
We ate at the hotel restaurant (AJ's Cafe) and had dinners that they served back in 1912... I had a grilled salmon with rice and veggies and it was delicious! The dinner included a fresh greens salad to start and also a piece of ice creme cake to finish... wow! what a good choice of restaurant! We sat at our booth and talked quite a bit longer until it was time to go. On the way to the airport it was still pouring in spots with lightning flashing in the sky once and a while, just to our right. What strange weather! It's always fun for me to see storms in flat places in the country. By us there are so many hills and trees that it's impossible to get the same wide open experience.
I was so tired! I mostly slept on the plane, but it was an on and off, uncomfortable sleep. I listened to movie music on my mp3 player, and I was so tired that I fell asleep right when the Imperial March came on. And as on the way down, I missed the beverage service because I was dead to the world. Meg and Jason picked me up, and let me tell you, lying down in bed at home felt soooooooo good. :)
Jp
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Wowzers!
The B-17G "Sentimental Journey"
At the Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum in Mesa, AZ.
A self-guided walk-through of the plane...
So neat!
Through the tail door, around outside
and under the belly:
Jp
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