Snow in Fayetteville!

I'm sure the cheers of students all over Cumberland County could be heard when the call went out that school had been cancelled on January 20. We received about 4 inches of snow early that morning -- the most I've seen in all our years (over seven in total) here in North Carolina. School was also cancelled the next day -- another big cheer!

Hannah got up early (notice it is still dark) to greet the snow and she took this picture. She was SOOO excited!

The back yard (and the dogs checking it all out)

This white stuff looks vaguely familiar...

Trying to catch snowflakes on the tongue!

Most of the snow was gone by the end of the following day... but we still have some in our freezer!

It's About Time.... (con'd)

December 2008:
The advantage of attending a year-round school is a nice long Christmas break. We took advantage of some of the kids' time off and traveled to Tucson, AZ, to visit Joe's parents for Christmas.

We decided to take in a ski weekend while we were in Arizona, traveling up to Sunrise Ski Resort in Northeastern Arizona. This is the place where Joe learned to ski, and it's also where Joe first took me skiing. Since Nathan and Hannah had never skiied before, we though ski school was a GREAT idea for them. Much to their dismay, it was a lot harder than it looked!

Nathan ready to pack it up and go back to the lodge...

Hannah still smiling after a long day...


Another trip-within-a-trip Joe and I took was to Las Vegas for three days and nights; we met my brother and his wife there to join us in the fun. It was cold in Vegas, but we had a blast! We stayed at Treasure Island this time, but spent a lot of time traveling up and down the strip (thank goodness for the Deuce!) and enjoyed the ambience at the different hotels.

This is us acting goofy at the Luxor...

Us in front of the Eiffel Tower at Paris (not a good pic of me--yuk!)

Between the skiing, Christmas, and our trip to Vegas, it seemed we didn't spend that much time actually in Tucson! Traveling is always fun, but it's also always nice to come back home!

It's About Time...

Okay... I know, I know. It's only been forever since I've updated my blog. I'm ashamed to say it's been five months since I've posted anything. It's been nagging at me, and I've been meaning to post something, and then finally a friend called me out on it (MV!) so now I'm faced with the daunting task of trying to get the blog up to date... so here goes.... (My last update was in August 2008, so I'll try to go month-by-month.)

September 2008: The kids were off school for a couple of weeks, so we traveled back to Missouri to visit family. Had lots of fun, catching up with family and friends. One of the highlights was a trip to Busch Stadium to take in a Cards game with all the cousins; this was Nathan & Hannah's first time in the new stadium.

October 2008: At long last, Joe returned from Iraq on October 5!! It was a day we had been waiting for for SOOO long (15 months, to be exact). We were anticipating a 2:30 pm return, and of course, we got there early, and ended up waiting for hours... the guys didn't arrive until almost 5 pm. But, after 15 months, a couple of hours was worth the wait. I took my camera, but in all the excitement, I only managed to snap a few pics:

Joe is in the very center of the photo, in the front row. This was snapped as the soldiers were marching into the gymnasium, welcomed by lots of cheers and applause by lots of friends and family. The bleachers were packed! It still gives me goosebumps to think about it. Words still don't adequately describe what it's like to actually lay eyes on your soldier after such a long time!

Joe enjoyed several weeks of time at home, and he wasted no time jumping back into some projects around the house. The first major one was to tear up the walkway to the house that had buckled due to what we suspected was a tree root. Our suspicions were confirmed:

Fun with a jackhammer...




That's one big root!

In October, we also had the opportunity to attend a McCain rally here in Fayetteville. The kids had taken an interest in the upcoming election and all the political goings-on (it was hard to escape any of it unless you lived in a bubble) so we decided to take the kids to the rally -- something none of us had ever done before. It was very exciting.

Here is a video of the Straight Talk Express driving directly into the coliseum:

Here's Hank Williams, Jr., warming up the crowd:

Cindy McCain introducing her husband:

The McCains waving to the crowd as they left:

Overall, it was a very interesting experience. The attendees at the rally ranged from the more reserved to the more boisterous. The kids still talk about the woman sitting next to us who kept screaming "NOBAMA!!" at the top of her lungs, which got very annoying.

November 2008: Joe was invited by VFW Post 10630 to speak at the annual Veteran's Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony in Hope Mills. It was a beautiful day, and Joe did a great job!

Here's a link to some more pictures and coverage of the ceremony:

http://www.rollingthunder-nc1.com/veterans_day_ceremony-08.htm

"The Big Guy" & Joe

Another photo from Iraq... you should recognize "The Big Guy" (as Joe refers to him). He visited Joe's unit last week.

Down to 39 days (give or take a few...) until redeployment!!

1st Day of School!

Last Wednesday was our first day of school!! The kids are both going to the same school, a 6-12 year-round classical school. When we first discussed sending the kids to this school, Hannah protested, saying she didn't want to go to school every day of the year. We had to explain that they don't attend school more days than those on a traditional schedule, but they have a shorter summer break, and have 2-3 weeks off at the end of each quarter. Christmas break ends up being quite a bit longer, too, and it gives us more opportunities to travel at off-peak times. The school is essentially a college-prep school, too, focusing on academics. We felt it was just the best choice for Nathan and Hannah, since they were both going to attend new schools anyway, with Hannah beginning middle school, and Nathan starting high school... yes, a freshman in high school! Amazing!!

Joe & Gary

Joe just got back from Ramadi, where he ran into Gary (actor Gary Sinise) in the mess hall. Joe was very impressed -- most celebrities will "pop in" and spend an hour or so shaking hands and posing for pictures; Gary was spending three days there! Thanks, Lt. Dan!!

Adventures in Wallpaper Removal

For some reason, I thought that while each of the kids was at summer camp, it would be a great idea to re-do their rooms. Nathan went to boy scout camp last week, and I managed to get it all finished a few hours before he arrived home. This included scraping off the old wallpaper, patching the walls, putting a coat of primer on the walls, and then putting the paint on. (Not to mention the cleaning, sorting, and re-arranging of furniture.) My knees hurt from all the up and down on the stepstool and my fingers ached from scraping the wallpaper. But I did it! Nathan got home on Saturday, and then Hannah left the following day. In her room, I have managed to get all of the wallpaper down and the walls are ready for the primer, but I'm pooped! Hannah gets home tomorrow and there's no way I'll be done before she returns, so I guess she'll be sleeping with me and the dogs!

I was telling Joe on the phone yesterday that I could start my own wallpaper-removal business... but I don't think I enjoy enough to do that. Maybe it's more fun if you do it in somebody else's house??

The good news is that in the house there are two less rooms with wallpaper; only seven more to go!