We Have a Driver!(and a Deer)

April passed her learner's permit test, Yay! first try :)

Congratulations,April!!

and, Kyle got another deer today...go, mighty hunter:)

 

 

Your Grinch Name :)

From my friend,Sasha    http://www.myspace.com/sashaispretty

go here

Click here: Grinch Name--Discover your true identity

to find our your Grinch name :)

(Mine is  CRABBYGROUCH CRANKYSHORTS  )

Leave yours in the comments!

 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas :)

Woke up last night to find April and Tony starting the Christmas decorating :)

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Popcorn and Pancakes (and whiskers on kittens...)

Well, really, I don't have anything to write about 'whiskers on kittens'...but I just had the Raindrops on Roses song from the Sound of Music pop into my head when I was trying to think of a title for this post.

Some of y'all may remember my infamous 'pancake story' ?

Click here: The Pancake story

Last night we were finishing putting together the Christmas boxes to send to Dustin, and Mom had suggested that we pack the cookie package with popcorn.  So Tony put a bag of popcorn into the microwave and turned it on, and then we went upstairs to look for the right sized box to pack stuff in.

While we're discussing which box out of the many empty boxes I have been saving might work best, I suddenly say "Is that the smoke detector going off downstairs?" and we run back down into black smoke just Rolling out of the kitchen, and the smoke detector beeping crazily.

Tony grabs the smoldering bag of popcorn out of the microwave and throws it in sink, and then he and I are running around throwing open windows and doors and turning on the kitchen stove fan. I ask him "What did you Set the microwave on???!! Did you use the popcorn button?!" and he says "Yes, I used the popcorn button! I think it said like 3 minutes?" and I'm like "I think you pushed the popcorn button more than Once,then, it's only like a minute forty seconds!!"

and then he turns to me and smiles and says "Well, honey, I guess you're not the only one in the family now that's had a microwave accident!" and we both start cracking up.

He washed up the microwave plate and wiped down the microwave and, after the smoke had cleared a little, popped a second bag of popcorn (on the Right setting:) and then we left the bowl sitting out for the popcorn to cool until we finished packing the boxes this morning.

On the way back from the post office this morning after we had mailed the packages, I thought about the Popcorn accident again, and started laughing until I had tears in my eyes. Tony asked me "What is it?" and I gasped out "You want to know what the best part of the story is?  After all that, we didn't even Use the popcorn to pack the box with after all!!" and collapsed back into laughing my head off, while he started laughing,too.

Just another 'day in the life', here on the 'Dork Family Homestead' :)

Thanksgiving pics

We went over to Lois' to have Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with all the family, had a Great meal :) thought y'all might like to see the pics.

Tracy and Adam have a good picture up of their family here

Click here: A Red Thread to China: 11/22

 

and a nice thing on the top left of their blog with rotating pictures of Charlotte :)

 

Tony talked to Ashleigh yesterday, and she had gotten one phone call from Dustin, he's doing OK.

 

I need to get ready for work, just wanted to get the pictures up. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

 

 

 

A visit with an online buddy :)

Had a milblogging buddy (and fellow Soldiers Angel  )visit with us this weekend, and had a Great time! 

She's my friend, Courtney, and blogs over at   Cat is my co-pilot

We took her up to  Skyline Drive  and got some great pictures up there, I think.

It's always so much fun to see in person the folks you talk to so often online!

Thanks for coming to visit,Courtney!! :) We loved seeing you!

 

Kyle gets a deer!

Kyle got his first deer using a black powder rifle last week! ( I had to wait for the pictures :)

They're Home!

Tracy,Adam and Charlotte are home :)

Click here: A Red Thread to China: After 3.5 weeks in China, we are home!

 

and I'm sure they will have lots of pics up later, but for now Tracy sent us to a friend's blog, who was there at the airport and took some pics

 

Click here: Our Moment in Time: Charlotte's Home - Airport Shots

 

 

The Happy Family is on the way Home :)

Tracy,Adam and Charlotte are heading home now. Adam had a post with pictures up today

Click here: A Red Thread to China: Our Hong Kong trip in a couple pictures (updated)

 

 

and he has even More pictures up on Flickr

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grizzlyadam/

 

 

and I think this one of 'The Three Cousins' is one of my favorites!

 

 

(Charlotte,Tabatha, and Ariel )

 

 

Received my first Christmas card yesterday

But I have 'issues' with it,LOL. It was in a mailing from the Salvation Army. BUT, the pic on the front of the card is of a snowman with a cardinal sitting on it's nose! How the heck does That say "Jesus is the reason for the season"????

Shouldn't the Salvation Army, of all groups, NOT be trying to be "PC" ?

And I'm also irked that they spent  money on sending out Christmas cards in a mass mailing.

Geez, maybe I need breakfast? I seem cranky,LOL.

You Know your Brother is Cool when....

His words are linked by  'Snarky Armchair Economists". 

Click here: Markets Emerge!: more Breakfast Links (eat up, no dieting here)

 

I got flowers :)

Tony brought me flowers yesterday, just to give me a smile....I thought they were beautiful, wanted to share:)

He helped April make 'Japanese Cheesecake" for the International Festival that the school is having(which confused me, because she's in Spanish class,LOL, but I guess they could pick what they wanted to make)

Yesterday was Aunt Lynn's birthday....Belated Happy Birthday,Lynn!

Today is Takaho's birthday.....Happy Birthday,Takaho!! (which I think in Hong Kong,it's tomorrow, so that would mean it was yesterday...only not the same yesterday as Lynn's birthday.....ok, now I'm getting confused again!!:)

Tomorrow is Uncle Don's birthday, so....Happy Birthday Early, Uncle Don!!

(at least no confusion with international datelines There,lol)

The other reason I posted the flower pictures is that, sadly....right after I said "oh,thank you,honey, they're beautiful!"....I looked to my left and said "OOOOhhhh.....Snacks!!" and grabbed a brownie and never thought to thank Tony with a hug and kiss....once again, food trumps romance,lol, a sure sign of aging!!

So I'm putting it out there for the whole world to see....THANKS! for the flowers,
Tony!!  I love you!!

 

 

Babies Everywhere:)and a Bear

Every morning (or afternoon,LOL, depending on what shift I'm working) the first place I head for is the computer, to check out, of course, how my newest niece is doing

Click here: A Red Thread to China

 

My brother-in-law is doing a Fantastic job of chronicling their days in pictures and posts, plus he writes Really well:)

 

Although you can hit their link for all the latest, I just had to share this picture, because I think it is "Best Baby Glare Ever" :)

 

 

Two other couples from the agency that Tracy and Adam are with are also over in China right now, and in case you wanted to check out their links

 

Click here: Journey to Sarah

 

and the couple that was blogging here

Click here: In His hands: We're on our way!

 

 

has set up a separate website to use for the trip.

Click here: China Trip 2007

 

 

Lastly, son Kyle emailed a picture from his phone of a bear....they aren't hunting them yet, but they were out casing the woods (is that the term I want? LOL)

The picture was dark, I tried to lighten it up a little.

 

 

I've never eaten bear meat, so I hope he gets one when they can actually hunt them!

 

 

Yet Another Zen moment

So yesterday afternoon, Tony calls and asks me 'What did you call for earlier?"

I said "Well, I was wondering what time you thought you'd be done working, so I could figure out when to start supper."

Just then, the smoke detector starts going off.

I say "Since I couldn't get you, I decided to go ahead and cook. I'm cooking right now."

Tony says, "I know...I can hear the smoke detector!"

 

Saying Goodbye- A Pictoral History

(This should be subtitled "Why no one will ever let me try to operate a camera again in an airport at 4 a.m.")

 Thursday night I got off work at 11 pm, got home before midnight, and we were on the road to Baltimore International Airport by 1:15 a.m., to take Dustin to start his journey back to Hawaii, from whence he will deploy to Iraq sometime later this month.

The drive up consisted of April sleeping, and Dustin Trying to sleep,LOL, but his Dad and I kept talking to him.  The conversation was nothing earthshaking, just random thoughts that occurred to each of us along the way.

I was studiously Avoiding thinking 'we're sending him off to a war", until his Dad turned to him at one point as we neared the airport and asked "Do you have enough change for vending machines, in case you want some snacks?"  

 And I felt the tears well up. To me, that was just all the love and concern that his Dad felt for him in one short sentence.  We're putting him on a plane and won't see him again for almost two years, and he's going to a war zone...and besides praying and wishing him well and sending letters and care packages once he gets there....there's really not much else we can do for him.

All the things you want to say, all the love and concern you want to express and it all boils down to asking "Do you have enough change for snacks?"  It was just such a typical 'Dad-ish' thing for Tony to ask, and illustrated for me in a nutshell both how much Tony loves Dustin, and why I love Tony.  So, I sat with tears rolling down my face for a few minutes. and sent up yet another silent prayer for safety for this young man going off to war, for his Dad who is sending him off, and then dried my eyes, because I wanted to be 'strong' when we got to the airport.  I did Not want the last thing Dustin saw before getting on the plane to be me sobbing my heart out, no matter how much I felt like doing so.

We got there shortly before 4 a.m., and unbeknownst to Dustin, we had brought the camera to take a few pictures.

Perhaps this is where I should point out that I have never yet read the instruction manual on the camera?  I just use it, and Most of the time it seems to work out OK.

It started out well

(and then Tony took this picture, which the picture is all right, but what in the world kind of face am I making? LOL:)

and then this is where the trouble started

although I've lightened it up now with Picasa, the flash didn't go off at the time I took this. So, they told me to take it again....

(and here we have a candid shot of Tony saying 'The flash didn't go off again' and Dustin beginning to think 'this is Not going well!')

Then each of them decided they were going to show me how to make the flash work. First Tony

who managed to also take a picture of a light fixture while trying to show me how to operate it.

Then Dustin

and I managed to take a great picture of his Feet, while he was trying to tell me what to do.

Then April

who got a great picture of Her feet, also :)

I attempted yet again to take a picture of Tony and Dustin

and Dustin clearly looks dubious that this is Ever going to work out, in which case he was correct....although the flash went off numerous times for everyone else, it never Once worked when I was taking a picture.

After several more flashless photos, in which I now have a great timeline of the people I love getting progressively More exasperated and annoyed that I can't seem to make the camera work correctly, and gee, isn't that what Everyone wants for their picture album? LOL

I got one final shot of Dustin, who by this point just looks....resigned. Thinking to himself, I'm sure "She is Never going to be able to operate this camera!(" and possibly also "I am So happy that they brought the camera?" snort. NOT.)

After this whole episode, we said our Goodbyes, and hugged our MP, and sent him off through the security line.(and I bet by that time he was breathing a sigh of relief,lol, that we were finally letting him go!:)

And so he wends his way off to war, and we,while going home, took a wrong turn even though this time I Was reading the directions(I just read them more closely After I said 'I think you need This exit").....and we had the lovely experience of getting caught in Beltway traffic for 45 minutes at the beginning of the morning commute in DC.

Which, at least, managed to take our minds off being sad for awhile.....it's hard to be sad when you are trapped in rush hour traffic in a strange area. (I even pointed this out to Tony,lol, 'gee,honey, at least this takes our minds off being sad', and I'm pretty sure the look I got in return was Not an "I'm grateful to you" look, more like an "I'm going to throttle you if we survive this" look:)

We got home Friday about 7 am, and all crashed after being up overnight.

And now, we will shortly begin the next 15 to 18 months of being the family of a deployed soldier.

 

 

 

 

 

What are you doing here? :)

When you can be over at my sister and brother-in-law's blog, reading the awesome stories as they bond with their new daughter ?  :)

http://emanoff-china.blogspot.com/

It has been the coolest thing in the world, to be able to follow along with their bonding with my newest niece.