Happy Halloween!!!!
Here's the instructions for J-land Trick or Treat:
Snag the tag that Donna made for us, make a trick-or-treat post in your journal. Don't forget to leave a comment here including a link to your trick-or-treat post. Then visit all your friends and some new ones you find along the way. Hopefully, they will have their treats ready! Make sure you check back here often to see who else is leaving comments. Go visit them and wait for them to come and visit you!!!!!
Friday while I was out having lunch with Paul, Autumn called to see if Kendra could babysit for her. Now, Kendra has never met Autumn, but Autumn is one of the wives in our spouses group.
When Autumn called, she initially asked for me. Kendra tells her I am out to lunch with Paul and A says.. I think I was calling for you anyway... you are the one that babysits, aren't you?
Kendra says "yes, I'm Kendra, I babysit."
A: Would you be available for this evening? My sitter double booked herself and had to cancel me.
K: Sure, I'm free
A: details, details, details
K: Well.. how about I just meet you at the NEX about 4 pm?
A: Great! that is so much easier. See you then.
I get home from lunch, and take a head count (Kim is out of school for the day). Where's Kendra?
Kim says Kendra is taking a shower for her babysitting job that >I< lined up for her
Me: What babysitting job? (puzzled of course, because I don't know anything about a babysitting job)
Kim: You know.. (sighs in exasperation) one of your friends
Me: What friend?( I seriously don't have anyone here I call a friend)
Kim: (eye roll) I don't know... ask Kendra, SHE said it was one of your friends.
I wait for Kendra, when she finally comes out of the steam room.. I mean shower, I ask "what babysitting job?"
Kendra: Miss Autumn called, she said she needed a sitter tonight.
Me: She's picking you up here? Or do I have to drive you?
Kendra: No, I'm meeting her up at the NEX. It was easier than explaining where we live.
Me: Have you met Autumn?
Kendra: No
Me: (really puzzled) Then how are you going to know her from all the other women that might be at the NEX?
Kendra: She's gonna pick me up out in front.
Me: So some strange car is going to pull up in front of you, and you are just going to jump in, without knowing if this person is Autumn?
Kendra: <dumbstruck look> Yeah, I guess.
Me: (laughing hysterically.).. I think not, little puppy. I will drive you there and make sure it's Miss Autumn... You know.. just because they drop my name, doesn't necessarily mean it's someone that really knows me. Or that I know.. for that matter.
Me: lecture, safety, lecture, what were you thinking, lecture, learn how to give directions to the house please, lecture.
Kendra: (eye roll) yes, Mom.
Met up with Paul on Friday afternoon at the "Flight Deck", the name of the on-post pub. Five O'clock was T-time for the "dark beverage" tip back to discover their assignments. It was pretty cool. Each student found a dog tag in their drinks. On the dog tag was their name, the names of their team member(s), as well as the aircraft and the location.
They could have sent Paul just about anywhere and I'd have been content to stay home with the children (some spouses make the trip with the student, but they are on their own because the student is busy the whole 10 days they are in country). Unfortunately, they managed to find one of the two countries I would LOVE to go. Paul is heading to France to fly the EC-725
He's pretty excited about this opportunity. He's got great team members that he has worked with before. So he'll be in Northern France for about 10 days in November.
I am so tempted to go. But there are just too many hurdles I'd have to jump to be able to go and I only have two weeks to try and jump them... I'm not sure I could. I will have to content myself with the thought that once all the kids are out of high school (3.5 more years), Paul and I can vacation in France... or anywhere else.
At any rate... I did not eat before arriving at the pub. Paul had to run back to the school to get the pubs (books) for the aircraft, so he left me with the group and a pitcher of beer. We finished that pitcher and one of the guys drew another for us. We finished that one, and I think another one was drawn. Paul still hadn't arrived. I was still drinking. Paul calls me finally to let me know his instructor is pontificating and he'll be back soon. No problem.. I'm feeling no pain at this point.. and I'm enjoying the company.
Well... when Paul finally arrives back.. he's poking me in the back, and whispering in my ear that he's hungry. We left... leaving my car behind and taking just Paul's (he had diet coke as his dark beverage). Man.. I was so toasted.. I think I mentioned to one of the other wives that Paul was trying to get me home before the buzz wore off (wink, wink).
56 days left in TPS. Today Paul and the rest of his classmates find out what aircraft and which location each of them will be going for their final "exam". The last project for graduation is to learn a completely new aircraft, complete a test plan for some aspect of its mission and then fly enough missions to collect the necessary data to complete a report on the findings. They (the students) are divided up into teams of two, each team gets a different aircraft. Only one team this time (or so rumor has it) will be staying stateside. All the other teams will be heading to foreign countries.
So.. after they get their briefing this afternoon about the general rules and expectations, they must head out to the pilots lounge and drink a glass full of their "favorite dark beverage" to discover what their assignment will be. The wives have been invited to check it out, so I'll be heading there this afternoon to see what Paul received. And of course, kick back a few dark beverages myself!
Well.. there are a lot of missing entries in J-land this morning. Including one of my own. I had a video entry up here last night and it's now MIA. I am reloading it here and hoping this time it won't get lost.
So, to recap... We went to the Carolina Renaissance Faire recently. We watched one of our favorite Ren troops: The Tortuga Twins. They usually do a re-telling (of sorts) of classic fairy tales and get many of their "actors" from the audience. The show we caught was about Red Riding Hood and Paul was selected as the big, bad wolf. He was so awesome! Really got caught up in the improv and had the audience rolling with laughter. Kim caught this clip of when he was sneaking up on Red Riding Hood. Seriously, the audience laughed so hard, it was several minutes before the show could go on.
Okay.. this very quick video is Paul creeping up on the lady playing little red riding hood. Unfortunately, Kim didn't get anywhere near enough video, but this is good.
I can't believe it's been two weeks since the last time I said anything (it certainly wasn't from a lack of things to talk about.)
So first some of the good stuff. A month or so ago, I spent some time doing "detective" work on the internet. I found addresses for two friends that I have lost touch with. One gal I found is one of my BF's from high school. She also married a military guy, so keeping up with the address changes can be challenging at times. The other gal is one of the first friends I made when Paul went active duty. We met while our hubbies were in Flight school and we had our first assignment in Germany together. We stayed in contact up through 1996 and then several moves happening too quickly (for both of us) we managed to lose touch.
I sent out letters to both of them shortly after Paul got back from his field trip. I thought about calling first but was afraid I'd freak them out it's been so long.. LOL.
At any rate, Dawn (my friend from flight school) called me last week after receiving my letter. We've been talking and catching up since. They are currently in CA and getting ready to move to FLA about mid-08. I'm so thrilled! with us heading to Alabama, it will be easy-cheesy to visit back and forth again.
Now the funny news. Last weekend we went to a Renaissance Faire in NC. One of our favorite acts, the Tortuga Twins, selected Paul to be their "big bad wolf" in their retelling of the Red Riding Hood story. It was hilarious!! Paul got so into it with them and really hammed it up. They gave him a squeaky toy and he had the audience rolling with his antics with that toy. I think that Kim got some video, so I'm going to ask her to email it to me so I can add it into a blog entry... you all will HOOT !
Lastly, we are on the serious countdown now to Paul's graduation. 60 days. Paul and I are both going into serious diet mode for the duration. :) More later, I have to drive the college kid to school.
