Last day of November

...and look what I found blooming in the front yard! I haven't looked it up, but I think it is a Morning Glory. Technicaly a weed, but isn't it beautiful? It is growing at the base of a flowering tree (the one that produced a late-season bloom not too long ago) and I guess it has been being mowed dawn all summer. It was a lovely bright spot in an otherwise very gray day.

It's Wednesday!

Tom called at 5:31pm last evening to remind me that there was a flag football game starting at 5:30 (I think he mentioned it last week when we were up north)...if they won, they play the championship game at 6:30. Needless to say, I did not rush right over to the game. However, CE won both games are now not only League Champions, but Base Champions, as well. They let Tom take care of both trophies last night, and he took them into work this morning. That meant two trips to the car - one to carry his usual stuff and one for the trophies. He actually has an interesting day planned for himself -- he is spending it with the Fire Department. I'm sure he'll have some stories when he gets home!

My day won't be so interesting. I'll be doing housework and writing Christmas cards. I love Christmas cards. I know some people don't get it, but they just don't know what they are missing. Besides being beautiful and fun, they are reminders of friends and family both near and far away. For a few people, Christmas cards are our only communication. I treasure that.

Sorry for the dearth of posts...

I was off to the North, attending my nephew's Eagle Scout Court of Honor (well done, Paul!) and I stayed for Thanksgiving. During the days between, I had lunch with my childhood friend Donna at the Eastpoint Mall's Applebee's, and had lunch and a movie with my sister Cathy. It was great seeing Donna, and I enjoyed the walk through the mall. The food was good at Applebee's, but truly the server got on my nerves! He was overly friendly, overly talkative, and actually intrusive. Sadly, I dealt with him badly -- I found myself giggling at his comments, rather than telling him Donna and I would prefer to talk with each other. I'm certain the giggling encouraged him. Sometimes I wonder at myself. The guy was really annoying and I couldn't bring myself to ask him to stop.

Cathy and I got together on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We met at the Hunt Valley Towne Center, which used to be Hunt Valley Mall. It has been redone to be an outdoor shopping center, but I was not impressed with the design. Stores were difficult to find and parking was confusing and congested. Maybe if I got to know the area better I would like it more. We had lunch at Damon's, soup and half-sandwich special for both of us. The food was good, and Cathy and I chatted away. Afterward, we went to an afternoon showing of "Happy Feet." Cute movie, but Cathy and I were both a bit disappointed. It was more environmentalist propaganda than entertainment. I did get a few good giggles and several healthy scares from the film.

The rest of my time up North was spent with Jen and her family. Ryan was my big helper. He assisted me in planting some paperwhites. I took them with me because they need to be planted six weeks before you want them to bloom. We did two pots and I left one behind for the kids to watch grow. They really liked seeing the growth each morning. Ryan also helped me with a Black Russian cake, a pumpkin pie and banana bread for Thanksgiving. Ryan and Zach both helped rake leaves, too. I loved spending time with them and Lily, too. On Tuesday morning, Jen had 'Coffee Break' at church. I offered to keep the kids, and Jen decided to leave Lily with me and take Ryan. Turns out there was no Coffee Break because of the holiday. Ryan was so disappointed, Jen called to check on Lily and ask if she could take Ryan out for a bit. Lily was fine, so they spent some time out, just the two of them. Lily eventually took a nap, so they could stay out even longer. Jen got some Christmas shopping done, and Ryan seemed to have a good time, too.

Now I am back home and working on the Children's Christmas Party with ACES. We had a meeting last night and made quite a few decisions. I asked the one person present who had attended last year how many kids were there...she said it was very well attended, probably fifty kids or more. Fifty! I was thinking three dozen would be a lot! There were three new faces there, and one lady who hasn't been in a while, so I am hopeful for lots of help and enthusiasm. We're planning cookies and punch, crafts and games in a carnival style, a visit from Sparky the Fire Dog, gift distribution and pictures with Santa, and Christmas music in the background. I hope it goes well. Wish us luck!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a lovely Thanksgiving Dinner with my sister Janet and her family. I was already in Maryland, of course, but Tom drove up on Thanksgiving Day. He got up at 3:00, left the house at 4:00 and arrived at Jen's by 1:00...I had just finished the baking I was doing for the event. I think we finally left the house about 2:00ish, allowing Jen, Jay and kids the chance to go off to Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house for the day. We were the first of the guests to arrive at Janet and Jim's. All the cooking was underway and the house looked (and smelled) lovely. Janet set up a long table in her living room, with a white tablecloth, candles, flowers, her good china, stemware and silver. It looked gorgeous! Mom and Dad were the next to arrive, bringing an apple pie and the blue cheese dressing with them. We visited for some time, helping in the kitchen when we could and trying to stay out of the way otherwise. TJ hadn't arrived with dinner just 1/2 hour off, so I called his cell phone just to learn that he was turning into the street as we spoke. He arrived with Keith, his roommate and colleague, and we all enjoyed a lovely evening toether. Thanks, Janet and Jim! You did a great job!

Friday was a sort of 'down day.' Tom and I watched little ones so Jen and Jay could run some errands, then we did some shopping at Lowe's, Michael's and the card store but you couldn't get me near any of the department stores on Black Friday! We also got the boys to help us rake the front yard, bag the leaves and load up Jay's trailer with the bags. Jay tried, twice I think, to take the bags to the dump, but that just didn't work out. Friday evening, Jay's brother Ben stopped by. He ended up accompanying Jay and Zach to Patient First where Zach was checked for ear pain. They spent some time clearing his ear canals, the found some redness so prescribed medicine for the boy. In the meantime, Tom suggested Chinese for dinner and the rest of us enjoyed some General Tso's and Thai curry chicken with rice. Yummy!

Saturday evening we had a dinner event with Tom's family. We all met at Dina's house for dinner. TJ rearranged his schedule so he could be there, too. Tom's nephew Joey cooked a sumptuous chicken dinner and we had a nice visit into the evening. The men watched some football, the kids played and the women talked holiday plans. So many ideas were discussed, revised and rejected, I wonder if any of us is sure what we are doing? It'll work out - it always does.

Happy Paul Joseph Day! ***updated w/Photo***

Today is Paul Joseph Day in Hampstead! Paul is my nephew, and he is being honored by the mayor of his town for his accomplishments in earning Eagle Scout. How cool is that?

Here is Paul and the other Eagle Scouts, Storm and Chris

Headed North

I'm off to the Northlands today, so I can be there for my nephew's Eagle Socut Court of Honor on Sunday. Tom has to work, but he will come up for Thanksgiving. Can't wait to see the kids and grandkids.

Happy Friday, Y'all!

Tired

I am so tired! I feel like I must have done a lot today, and I really didn't. I handled the trah and the recycling, which hasn't been done in a while, so there was a fair amount, but it wasn't overwhelming. I went to the commissary for a disposable roasting pan, and I went to the BX, too, but I forget now why...they didn't have it anyway, but I did pick up some books for the grandsons. I stopped in at Tom's office to drop off the drink mix and tissues he had requested. When I got home, I put the turkey we promised for tomorrow's luncheon in the oven, then cleaned up that mess in the kitchen. Tom was late coming home, so I ate alone, colored my hair, then sliced down the turkey and prepared a cranberry relish. I also gathered the pan drippings so I can make a gravy tomorrow to go with the instant mashed potatoes I am taking. I cleaned up the kitchen again and now I am going to bed.

Monday's activities

Hurry up and wait...went to an 11:00am farewell that kept having the departure time changed. I always feel sorry for the families being jerked around like that--Tom was right years ago when he said it was best to just drop him at the doors to the airport and go. It's hard either way, but dragging it out is just miserable! They are safely away now, and a few families are adjusting.

We gave out gift bags with water and snacks for the trip, which were received pretty well. As president of ACES, I was asked to speak which I was totally NOT expecting. Then the Key Spouse was asked to speak and was so near tears it was difficult for her. Her husband is leading the team.

Afterward, I mailed some packages then went for Chinese with one of the other spouses, and finally returned to do an inventory of ACES supplies. We had just found a bunch of stuff left behind by the last president. We moved it into our storage area and wanted to know what we had. Good stuff in there--vinyl tablecloths, Christmas lights, garland, crayons, small toys, cups, paper plates...all will come in handy for our Kids' Christmas Party.

Today I had thought I might just stay home, but it seems I need to go buy a turkey for Tom's work Family Thanksgiving on Thursday. I want to be able to thaw it out safely, of course. I was sort of hoping to skip the roasting of the turkey this year, but I guess it is still better than last year, when I did two turkeys, several pies, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Families were not invited last year, either.

Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday, Becca!

If my records are correct, my niece is twenty-five years old today! Twenty-five. To paraphrase my mother on MY birthday, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BEING 25? I still remember living in Colorado when you were born, my mother standing in as my proxy for your christening, and receiving the sweetest photo in the mail of an adorable baby girl wearing a white outfit with pink rosebuds. I showed the picture to anyone who would look.

Happy Birthday, Becca, and many happy returns of the day!

Regarding the weekend:

• Friday night's "ACES Night Out" was a bust. I don't know if the last-minute change of venue because the Club was closed for Veteran's Day had anything to do with it or not, but I got three 'sorry, I can't make its' and one 'oops, sorry, meant to come but forgot.' So Tom and I bowled a game together then went home. I'll try again, with some input from the group, next month.
• Saturday morning, Tom and I went to a Veteran's Day ceremony in front of the courthouse downtown. Nice ceremony, fair turnout. Afterwards, we headed straight to Charleston for a theatre event we planned to see.
• Stopped at Woodcraft -- where the parking lot was fuller than I have ever seen it. I read in the paper this morning that Woodcraft held a "turn-a-thon" to make pens for servicemembers overseas. Volunteers were there to show support for our men and women in uniform by making them a special handmade pen to write home with. How cool is that?
• Stopped at the Gift Shop for the USS Yorktown, hoping to get a print of Rainbow Row for Kev and Geraldine. They had planned to buy it after the tour we took together while they were here, but the shop was closed by the time we got back. They didn't have it this time, so I will try again. I want to verify the size with them, just to be sure.
• Toured Fort Moultrie, where it happened that Veterans and their families were admitted free on Veteran's Day. Nice tour, beautiful setting. I even learned a thing or two.
• Grabbed a 'to go' dinner and went to Theater 99 to see the "Improv-a-thon." Very funny, and interesting to watch the minds work onstage. It was a fundraiser for the January Charleston Comedy Festival.
• Today will be a day of getting things done at home. I have already signed about forty notes for inclusion in gift bags from ACES for future use. Tom wants to work in his garage, and I want to work in the gardens if the weather permits. It was raining when we got home last night...

Was it your birthday?

Saw my next-door neighbor yesterday afternoon. She asked "Was it your birthday yesterday?" "Yes, it was. How did you know?" I saw two florist delivery trucks at your house. I figured either Tom did something really, really bad or it was your birthday. (She was kidding about Tom) Happy Birthday!" Five-year-old Hannah wished me Happy Birthday and gave me a hug. I thought that was really sweet. A couple of minutes later, two-year-old Ben stood outside in the driveway singing "Happy Birthday to you" over and over again. Adorable.

Birthday dinner

Tom and TJ took me to Lilfred's in Rembert for dinner last night. We've been there before, but it is now under new management, so we were interested to see the changes. First thing we noticed was a 'valet parking' sign. If you could see this place, you would understand why we found that funny. It is just a small, side of the road restaurant that looks like a converted gas station -- if one didn't know about it from other sources, one would never consider eating there. TJ commented that the inside was a surprise after seeing the outside. I'm sure he wondered why his father would bring us there for a special dinner. Luckily, we do know that the food is good and the service is wonderful. I had a seafood dinner, TJ got pork loin with ginger and honey sauce and Tom had a Black Angus steak. All nicely served and delicious.

Here is a picture of Tom before dinner.

And here is TJ before the meal was served.
THIS is the dessert I was served. The waitress had asked if it was a special occasion. Doesn't it look pretty? It is Kentucky Derby pie with ice cream, and that is a candle glowing there in the middle.

I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday dinner, but the company was the best part. We were even home in time to see 'Criminal Minds' and 'CSI: New York.' Fine evening all around.

Birthday update: ***updated with photos***

Chrysanthemum, my birth flower, from Jen, Jay & the kidlets.

Lovely surprises for my birthday -- A phone call while I was out on an errand. It was my daughter and grandson Ryan singing "Happy Birthday." What a great way to make my day! On the way home, another birthday phone call, this one from my son. Then when I arrived home from the base, there was a strange car in my driveway...that turned out to be TJ's! He was here to see me for my birthday! Yay! As we were greeting each other in the driveway, a florist's truck pulled up with a lovely plant from Jen and Jay and the kids. Wow. Then TJ showed me a tag on the front door saying a delivery had been attempted. It was from a different florist! Woohoo! I called and that arrangement has just arrived - a lovely vase of fall flowers from my sisters and their families! I feel so special. I'll post pictures as soon as I get some downloaded. Thanks, everyone. It's been a lovely birthday so far.

Flowers from Janet, Cathy & their families. This is the balloon that was attached tot he flowers.

Happy Birthday to me,

Happy Birthday to me,

Happy Birthday to me-ee,

Happy Birthday to me!

SO, here it is folks, my first fifty years. Gone. Done. Kaput. Looking forward to the next fifty!

Following are a few interesting things I learned that happened this day in history:

• 1895: German scientist discovers X-rays.
• 1793 Louvre Museum opens
• 1880: Sarah Bernhardt debuts in N. Y.
• 1960: John F. Kennedy elected President
• 1965: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives..." The voice of MacDonald Carey introduced the popular soap opera, Days of Our Lives, which debuted on NBC-TV.

Happy Birthday!

• 1656 Edmund Halley, astronomer
• 1847 Bram Stoker, writer (Dracula)
• 1900 Margaret Mitchell, writer (Gone with the Wind)
• 1914 Norman Lloyd, actor (Dead Poets Society, "St. Elsewhere")
• 1920 Esther Rolle, actress ("Maude", "Good Times")
• 1927 Patti Page, singer ("Tennessee Waltz")
• 1931 Morley Safer, news anchor
• 1931 Darla Hood, actress (Darla from "The Little Rascals", Our Gang)
• 1949 Bonnie Raitt, singer ("Something to Talk About")
• 1950 Mary Hart, TV host ("Entertainment Tonight")
• 1952 Alfre Woodard, actress ("Hill Street Blues", "Desperate Housewives")
• 1961 Leif Garrett, singer/actor
• 1967 Courtney Thorne-Smith, actress ("Ally McBeal", "Melrose Place", "According to Jim)
• 1975 Tara Reid, actress (Josie and the Pussycats, American Pie)

Deaths:

• 1674 John Milton, author ("Paradise Lost")
• 1887 Doc Holliday, gunfighter
• 1978 Norman Rockwell, artist (Four Freedoms)

Happy Birthday to Sue!

Did you know that our sister-in-law Sue shares my birthday? It's true! While we weren't born in the same year, it was the same day. Best wishes on your special day, Sue. I hope it is the start of a fabulous year!

Monday ACES meeting...

Last night we held our 'Election of Officers' ACES meeting. Hah! We have a nice core of wonderful people who really want to serve -- but no one wants to lead. We only had six members and the squadron commander at the meeting. Traditionally, the commander's spouse has served as president of ACES. Our commander's husband feels he cannot take on that task because his schedule is just too full. He has a full-time job and handles the needs of their teenaged sons while his wife does her job. The others present were either spouses of civilian workers or very young and none was comfortable with serving as president or vice-president. I have been Vice-President for a few months now and stated that I would be glad to continue those responsibilities if elected. Since there were no other nominees for any other office, it was decided I would handle the responsibilities of President for the time being. Hmmm. I really don't mind, but I told the group I will be delegating resposibility and asking for lots of help.

The commander told us last night that she really wants to see us do a Children's Christmas Party. I thought it might be too late to start on a project like that, but several members of the group piped up with wonderful ideas for games and crafts and even a venue that will easily handle a large group that is available. Sounds to me like the party is a 'go.' Now we just have to organize it! (and get some sweet soul to play Santa!)

We handled some other business as well, like planning a day to make up the 'goodie bags' we give to personnel when they take a trip. We also discussed some 'night's out' events, and we hope to have some fun together. I hope we can make this work!

Monday morning

I have a couple of commitments today. There is a farewell luncheon for one of the lieutenants and his wife, who is a member of ACES; later this evening is an ACES meeting. Joan E. and I are handling the refreshments, so I have to gather things together before I head out for the day. We're keeping it simple. Just cheese and crackers, a box of cookies and some drinks. I need to get woth Joan to make sure we are on the same page...

We have NO plans for the rest of the week, yet. Oh wait, I'm wrong...I suggested in the ACES newsletter that we do an impromptu night out at the Enlisted Lounge on base on Friday. Ooops. Friday is Veteran's Day and it is entirely possible the Lounge will be closed. Gota check that out, too....

Have a good week, everybody.

Happy Birthday, Mary Caitlin!

My sister Cathy's youngest daughter has a birthday today! MC, I hope you have a wonderful day that starts off a fabulous year for you. Lots of love, Aunt Joan Marie

Dining Out

Tonight we participated in a Dining Out with Tom's job. Dining 'out' means that people outside of the job , i.e. spouses, were invited. If it was only those who worked together, it would be called a 'Dining In.' Got that?

So, the tradition-laden event was held in a large, unheated, cement-floored building. Those attending were requested to bring water guns for full participation in the fun. The event had many rules to follow, and infractions were 'punished' by trips to the Grog Bowl. There were two Grog Bowls -- alcoholic and non-alcoholic, that had to be reached via an obstacle course. This is where the water guns came in...part of the obstacle was that your co-workers got you good and wet as you ran the course. Tom and one of the Majors demonstrated the approach to the Grog Bowl, so Tom was soaked all evening. Sadly, it got cold here tonight and my husband actually sat next to me and shivered during dinner. I've been married to him for thirty years and I can't recall another time that he shivered from the cold!

It was a fun event, in spite of the cold weather. I think most people managed to enjoy themselves, anyway. I still think next time they decide to use water guns, they should do it when the weather will be a little warmer.

Happy Birthday, Bobbers!

Tom's brother Bob celebrates another year today. If you see Bob, be sure and give him your best! Have a wonderful day, Bob, and many happy returns of the day.

All Saint's Day

Well, I got a big surprise last night -- Between 5:45pm and 6:00pm, there were at least fifteen kids trick-or-treating at my door! Compared to last year's single visitor, this was a lot of kids. I had enough stuff for them, but got nervous that I wouldn't have enough. Tom was still out at a squadron football game, so I gave him a call and he brought home five bags of candy. Anyone who knows my hubby knows he tends to overdo...but I did need to open two of the bags to accommodate all the kids who came by. Most of them had parents waiting in the car at the end of the driveway. Our next-door neighbors stopped by on their way home. Two bears and a cowgirl. So cute! Almost as cute as my little Sweet Pea, Handy Manny and Spongebob Squarepants.

Tom has a work dinner tonight, so I am on my own for dinner. I think I will be having leftover beef stew from last night. It turned out pretty well, and I enjoyed the hard bread I picked up at the commissary.