Technical difficulties, part 2

Hello again. It's me again. At the library again.

So that means our computer still isn't fixed. It's "sort of" usable, but not on a permanent basis. It has some kind of nasty virus/trojan thingy, we think, and we've been seeing the "blue screen of death" very regularly. (Can you tell how technologically literate we are at our house?) Anyway, we have tried a lot of different things, and I think we're about to completely reformat it, which means we will lose everything. At least we won't lose any pictures, as they've been backed up to CDs fairly recently (thanks, Mom!) and beyond that, I haven't emptied the camera in a really long time. So we shouldn't lose any pictures. Other than that, there will just be a few Word documents lost that I would have liked to save. I think I will print them out, anyway, before we kill the poor thing. Then at least I'll have a hard copy, and I guess I could always retype them if I cared to in the future.

Oh yeah, and Karisa, if you don't mind sending me your weekly schedule chart again, I'll be needing another one. I have NO idea how to make all those little columns. Thanks! Y'all, this weekly schedule has been the best thing ever for me in the organization department (and there's really not much to it, but it's so very helpful). So feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment or etc, if you'd like me to send it to you and I will try...that is, if I can get it back!

Quick recap of our day today:

• This morning, we took the boys to "Construction Junction" at the local fairgrounds. There were all different types of heavy equipment that the kids could climb up into, honk the big air horns, etc. One of the dump truck owners actually let the kids raise and lower the truck bed with him up in the cab - way cool! Home Depot was there, and gave out free orange aprons and woodworking kits to each kid, so they could actually "build" something while they were there, too! Drake got a butterfly house kit and Levi got a fire truck kit. We started getting ready to build them there, but it was really windy, and we decided it would be easier to do at home, so we took them home with us instead. Anyway, we had taken Drake to Construction Junction about 3 years ago - back when Daddy was still a Heavy Equipment Operator, and was actually working there with his unit as a volunteer! Today brought back a lot of memories. The last time we went, our favorite Alaskans were there with us, and Drake and Jaedyn had a great time together. Drake loved it today too. Levi, however, thought it was too "SCAH-ghee" (scary), although he got over his fears a couple of times, at least long enough to go up into some of the cabs. Once he even honked an air horn! The trouble was, whenever he'd sit in one of the machines, he thought it was his own personal backhoe, or whatever. So we heard "mine" a lot. He wasn't a particularly happy camper.

• This afternoon, we worked in the yard. Drake and I weeded the flower beds, and Adam mowed the lawn for the first time since planting the grass seed awhile back, and our lawn looks fantastic! I'm not even kidding...super thick and green and beautiful. I know, I know, there's no way it's going to look that good for long in this lawn-hating climate, but it's pretty nice for right now. It's being watered as we speak...errr, type.

• After we finished the yardwork, we helped Drake make his butterfly house. What a blast! I didn't expect it would be nearly as enjoyable as it was. Adam helped him with the nailing part, and then I helped him paint. He really and truly painted the whole thing by himself - and it turned out great! - but I helped him get the paints ready, showed him how to wash the brushes out, made sure he didn't paint the patio, etc. I took a lot of pictures, so once I get our computer up and running, I'll post some. (Gosh, I have promised a lot of pictures now...baseball and this butterfly house for sure, but I'll have to check over them once I get them off the camera and hope it jogs my memory!)

Well, I'm off to do a couple of other things on the library computer, and then head home to my guys. Happy weekend, everyone!

Monday Blues

Air Force wives, rejoice! Now you can see your handsome hubby in his dress blues once a week! Thanks to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Schwartz, Mondays are now mandatory "Blues Days" for most career fields, Air Force wide. I guess this doesn't sit well with some people, and there are some career fields where this is not practical, and therefore, it's not required for them. (Can you see Adam in his former life as a heavy equipment operator, driving a loader in his dress blues? Or running that jackhammer?) But as a personnelist, it's perfectly fitting.

I checked, and I don't have any recent pictures of Adam in his blues, but here's one from 2004 (one rank ago!). Yes, it's of terrible quality - again, we don't have a scanner, so I took a picture of a picture in order to get this on here...and it wasn't even in the sunlight. So pardon the dark and grainy quality. But I felt this post needed a visual aid!


There's not a lot about the military life that takes my breath away anymore. I've seen enough emotionally moving ceremonies, been to fancy parties where high-ranking servicemen seemed to be dripping with ribbons and medals from their mess coats. I've seen the convoys, the amazing airshows. I've witnessed plenty of marching formations, and the hairs rarely stand up on the back of my neck anymore when life stops at 5pm each day while the national anthem plays. It's been almost nine years, and what once seemed such an odd and beautiful and even barbaric way of life, has become normal to me, even secure.

But last Monday, I was at the MPF for some reason, and I remember that my breath was taken away, once again, by the sight of all the servicemen and women in their blues, walking in the parking lot and working in the building. It was beautiful to me. Perhaps my sense of beauty has been "warped" slightly by almost a decade of being a military spouse, but I believe many would share my feelings. I know my hubby's mom would have loved it!

So then, I put myself back in my own high school shoes, and thought again about how I would have felt about my life as a military spouse, had I had any inkling. At 17, when I first fell in love with Adam, I could not have made up a story about this life if I'd tried! How much I've learned - about myself, how capable I am when I really need to be; about my husband, how much he is willing to sacrifice for those he loves; about my Lord, how dearly he loves me, and how precious His grace. It's interesting to look back with a smile and see how far the Lord has brought us...and then look forward with excitement to what the future holds!

You never know what will happen next. But I'm counting on getting a good look at my man in uniform before he heads off to work next Monday morning. I can't think of a better way for an Air Force wife to beat the Monday blues!

Entering the Birthday Zone

Well, we're nearing that time of year for our family where we almost get tired of cake and ice cream. It's birthday season! Starting with Adam's birthday this Thursday, we have 4 birthdays in less than two months. Adam's (July 17), Clayton's (July 29), Drake's (Aug. 17), and mine (Sep. 13). Whew! Then Levi (Feb. 17) has the rest of the year to himself. ;)

At the MPF (Military Personnel Flight), where Adam works, they have a tradition of "desk decorating" for birthdays. Adam came to work last Friday to find not only his desk, but his entire office decorated in a Bob the Builder birthday theme, heralding back to his former life as a heavy equipment operator. Yesterday, the boys and I came to visit him at work (after hours), as he had a lot of work to do and was there late. So I got some pictures of his decorated office for your viewing pleasure. (By the way, Adam will be turning 30 this year!)

Adam's office, all decked out in Bob the Builder

He even got a toy!

The Passport Man hard at work.

Well, we were sort of hoping that Drake's method of transportation would rub off on Levi - not the other way around!

One more picture before I head off to conquer some more laundry... This morning, Drake was dragging the comforter from his bed around and making a "club" (think he meant "clubhouse") all over the downstairs. Levi thought it was so funny, and was following him wherever he went, to try to get under the comforter too. For as much time as they spend grumpy and whining, it was really nice to hear them laughing and content together. They had a "club" under the table, next to/under the rocking chair, in the hallway, and on the couch. Here's a peek:

I see you in there!