Life is full of adventure ...

I know its been a while since I last wrote update, but the last two months have been a whirlwind of activity. Some of you know parts of it, so bear with me as I fill everyone in.

Many of you know that October was spent with me packing up our home in Georgia (or at least seperating what the movers were not taking) while George finished school. The last week was a flurry of activity as the movers took two days to pack and on top of that the realtor brought 4 families through on those days to view the house for rent. Then the movers were suppose to arrive that Friday morming between 8 and 8:30 a.m. to load the trucks. At 10:30 a.m. I got a call that they were running behind schedule for another move 3 hours away and that they'd be there early afternoon. Many phone calls and one cranky pregnant later, they showed up at 5:30 p.m. to start loading. They finally finished a little after 11 p.m. Ah, the rollercoaster ride of military life!

We spent the weekend cleaning the house (George treated me to a maid who did all the scrubbing!) and then turned the house over to the rental company. That Wednesday (Nov. 4) he graduated school and Thursday we started the trip to Miami at 4:30 a.m. (UGH!) Eleven hours later, we pulled into our new neighborhood and got the keys for our "new home". We opted to stay in a hotel that night, since nearly everything we owned was on the back of a truck somewhere.

The next morning while the puppy stayed in bed (lazy little bugger!), George went to the AFB to in-process and I headed to the house to meet the movers. From the start I was nervous as bags and boxes fell out of the truck, but I was assured that none were ours! Once everything was unloaded and (most) were delivered to the room we'd specified, we settled in for our first night at the new house. (Don't worry, I am working on a post to explain the move in detail!)

That only lasted for a few days, because Nov. 10 we started the 2-day, 22 hour drive to Houston. We got to spend some time with family and I had tons of fun at the baby shower. Thanks to all who attended. While there it was a whirlwind of activity to include a 3-D ultrasound, shopping and visiting all those Texas restaurants that I've been missing!

Unfortunately, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving I got a call that my paternal grandfather was in a serious car accident and was in critical care in New Orleans. George and I cut the Houston visit short to headed to the hospital the next day to spend some time with my grandmother and the rest of the family. Thanksgiving day we got back to Miami and settled in for a few days together. The following Tuesday (Dec. 1) he left for a conference in North Carolina and I settled in to get a few of the nearly 200 boxes unpacked. I got multiple daily updates from my Dad and aunt about my grandfather's recovery and for a while he looked to be improving, but on Thursday (Dec. 3) I got the call from my Dad that he passed away. George returned home the next day (Friday). On Saturday (Dec. 4) we attended part 1 of our birthing class, then loaded the truck and headed to La. to attend the funeral and spend some time with my family. Despite his packed schedule, most of which was spent traveling, George found the time to contact and coordinate with 2nd Bn, 4th Inf. Reg., his unit at Fort Polk, to see if they could get a team together for a military tribute. As few know, George and my grandfather served in the same unit, though nearly 50 years apart.

Tuesday (Dec. 8) we headed back to Miami, and George headed back to work the next morning. That following Saturday (Dec. 12) we finished the birthing class and then prepared for the Winter Ball in Key Largo that night. Sunday, after a month of constant travel, we decided to forgo unpacking and headed for the warm Miami beaches. It was a good decision, a day of much needed resting and relaxing.

Now the house is nearly unpacked, George is quickly settling in to his new command position and we even managed to coordinate a holiday lunch for the Soldiers and spouses this past Friday. The Christmas tree is up and (kind of) decorated since we could only find some of the ornaments, but Great-Grandma's (Leija) two angels were set aside from the day the movers came and they are now on display in the kitchen.

Baby Jamie is growing and active. I am now 32-weeks and go every other week to the doctor. My new baby doctor is great, though I am looking for another primary care physician. I just didn't like the one I was initially assigned. We are also researching pediatricians and hope to get one picked by mid-January.

January looks to be a busy one as we start the month off with our first spouses social and George's Assumption of Command. We'll finish with the baby's room and start preparing for his arrival as well.

I guess its time to rest now then its off to clean the kitchen. I get tired quite easily these days. Hope all is well with you and your families. May everyone have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I will post some pictures in the next day or so.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Why I am proud to be an American ...

1. JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here?"

DeGuale did not respond.

2. When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'

3. There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear p owered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

4. A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

5. Robert Whiting , an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically...

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."