Happy Surprises

Well, as you know Sgt Dad's and my 17th anniversary was this week. We had a nice dinner at Lone Star and both overate and were too full to do anything else. So, we came home and vegetated in front of the TV. Boy are we getting old! I imagine you are all wondering how Sgt Dad did for our anniversary as he had forgotten my birthday. Well, those of you who know Sgt Dad well, also know that sometimes he really come through and does something really special. This year was one of those times. Earlier this week Sgt Dad told me that he would need our van to move his office. I knew that he was going to be moving soon, so I thought nothing of it (in fact his office really did relocate this week). He told me he would need it Thursday and Friday. So, I said OK. Well, Wednesday I drove to work in the van as usual. I went into a meeting (didn't take my cell phone) and when the meeting was over I had more than a dozen missed calls between my cell and office phone- all from Sgt Dad. At first I thought something had happened to Eagle but then realized Sgt Dad was just trying to reach me to find where I park. He was pretty frustrated that he couldn't reach me. I felt bad but what could I do? Even if I had taken my cell phone to the meeting I wouldn't have interrupted the meeting to answer. So, I tried to call Sgt Dad back but his phone was off. I figured he was pretty mad. I didn't go down to the parking lot to see if my van was still there but I figured he probably found it as the parking lot is big but not THAT big and I know he knows which building mine. About and hour later I got a couple calls from people looking for Sgt Dad. I was like, why are they calling my phone? (He had given them my number since his phone died) Then a car company called and said he had dropped of his car for service and forgot the keys. I said, "I didn't know he needed service, what is he having done?" When they told me it was a remote start I thought, "that bugger! he is having a remote start installed in his car when I had said I wanted one". Then I asked if it was his car or van. They told me it was the van. Then I realized the reason for his frustration over not being able to reach me and that he had indeed found the van. He had gone to all this effort and planning so that he could surprise me by installing a remote start in my van for an anniversary gift! I was so excited! It was so thoughtful and really classic Sgt Dad. So, his surprise was spoiled by his uncharged cell phone and forgetfulness. When it comes down to it, I was still surprised, just not when he wanted me to be. I love it! It has a 2,000 foot range, so I can start up the van from my office and by the time I shut down my computer, put on my coat, and walk down to the parking lot, my van will be warmed up for me! It was a great way for him to take care of me all winter long!
In a side note, all of the sudden I understand why last Monday night Sgt Dad was asking me how many feet are in a mile!

Present Collides with Past

This Friday is Sgt. Dad's and my 17Th Anniversary! We've officially smashed all the statistics and those critics who whispered behind our backs that it wouldn't last! I'm not sure what we'll do to celebrate- perhaps buy shiny, new, studded tires for my van! Yippie- the pleasure of being an adult!
Anyway, that's not the real purpose of this post. In thinking about my anniversary, I remembered another 17Th anniversary- my parents. Since this is an odd number and not one of the "big anniversaries", you may wonder why this one stands out in my memory. The reason is this: on the occasion of my parents 17Th anniversary I was 12 years old. It was one of the first, if not THE first, times I got to babysit my younger brother and sister. I remember "baby sister" and myself staying up late and watching our first RATED R movie- on TV- it was Rambo. I actually thought it was a pretty good movie. We also made a really big sign to hang on the wall wishing our parents "Happy Anniversary". This was in our old house on Campus Drive. I still remember standing on that old ORANGE couch to tape up the sign. (That couch is hideous in my memory. I even had a nightmare once while sleeping on it when I was sick. It had some kind of black/white/orange stripe pattern and in my nightmare it came to life and was like some kind of crazed jack-o-lantern trying to eat me!!) I don't know how late Mom and Dad were out; my memories of that night are sketchy. I wonder how much the rest of my family remembers of that night? I wonder if my boys will have a memory of my 17Th anniversary?
NOTE: Before I hurt Mom's feelings; I'm sure that the couch wasn't hideous. I'm sure you realize how things change in your memories. I imagine that next time I visit, I'll look at a picture from the past and find the couch to be quite nice.

My "Baby" Sister

My sister- not the littlest one but the grown one- is a really special woman. While growing up together, I always referred to her as "my baby sister". Today I feel like telling all of you why she's so special.
My sister is just 14 months younger than me. We grew up together and in many ways are like twins. Because of the school we attended through our elementary and middle years, we were in the same classroom and had the same friends. We shared a bedroom and were together all the time! Growing up, I often fought with her. I guess it was typical sibling rivalry. I've always been a very independant person and wanted to break free. She always wanted to be with me and go where I went. I didn't appreciate her then. I used to complain, "Why do I always gotta take her with me?" I always loved my sister and wouldn't let people say mean things or be mean to her- but at home I was the mean one. I wasn't very nice her alot of the time. I wish now that I had been. We could have had alot of fun together. Not to say that we didn't have fun. I have many fond memories growing up together. Many times we joined forces against our little brother and others. We all love to tell the story of the time we fed one of our male friends chili that we had added ALOT of cayene pepper to. The poor boy tried so hard to be polite and eat the chili. His mouth probably burned for hours! I remember the two of us playing princess- this was way before Disney Princesses- by wrapping our hair in our long beach towels to pretend we had very long hair. I wonder if she remembers the summer we created the very first water babies. We filled balloons with water and put baby powder and diapers on them and they were our babies. I remember making forts out of the couch cushions on rainy days.
Anyway, I just felt like posting today how much I admire my sister. She is a very solid person. She is methodical and not flightly at all. In high school she was always kind; she didn't join the snotty, stuck up group. She worked very hard and studied and did all her homework. She went on missions trips to Mexico.She played sports and acted in the school play. She even earned a college scholarship for her soccer ability. She worked hard in college and didn't lose sight of her goals. She carefully searched for the right husband but graduated from college first! She got married then had kids! She manages her house and finances well (I guess she helps manage the finances but she doesn't overspend!). She's patient and kind. She's creative- I haven't seen anyone make a better scrapbook! I miss my sister and I wish I was more like her! I love you sister and can't wait until we can spend time together again!

What "They" Say Is True......

Black is slimming. Yesterday on my way home from work the sky was semi-clear and I got a pretty good view of the mountains surrounding Anchorage. They seemed so much larger and closer. The reason- they were covered in snow. It occurred to me then that it was because usually they are dark green but now they are mainly white. Perhaps those of you living in mountainous areas are aware of this phenomenon already but it was my first time to encounter it. They just seemed so much more imposing. They sure are pretty like that. I'm not really sure if they are prettier than the green, just different.
It kind of got me thinking though- I better wear dark clothes all the time!

Childhood Memories

This week while returning to my office from the break room, I passed some one's open office door and spotted them peeling what appeared to be a kiwi fruit. You may wonder why on earth I would be blogging about something so mundane and I'll explain.
That simple act sparked a memory. I'm not sure how old I was but somewhere around the general age of 10 I saw a kiwi fruit for the first time. Perhaps I was even younger. Mom's family all live in the general area of Atlanta, GA. Just about every summer when I was a little girl we would travel down there from Rochester to visit. It was always great fun and since we were there so rarely, everyone seemed to make a big deal of us. One of my uncles, who has no children of his own, seemed to really enjoy spending time with my sister and me. He always had some great thing planned. He took us water skiing, sailing in FL, and once took us to his job at Ma Bell. While there, he let us get in a bucket truck and touch the top of a telephone pole. I thought that was marvelous! I'm sure my parents were involved in the planning of some of these activities but in my mind it was all my really fun and exciting Uncle!
Back to the original point of this blog......
One of these summers, we had gone to my Uncle's house to see him. I was so fascinated by his house because he had a fence that went all the way around his yard and he had a gate that closed at the bottom of his driveway. I had never seen a fence like that before. In Rochester, at least where I lived, people only had fences around their backyards. (Later, as an adult, I observed that kind of fencing was fairly popular in the South) My Uncle had two dogs, Hansel and Gretel. I thought that was so cool. I can't remember them very well now, only their names and I think Gretel was a Schnauzer. That night was so hot like all southern nights are and my Uncle offered us some cold fruit. One of the fruits was a kiwi. To my little eyes it looked so disgusting! This brown, fuzzy fruit! Ick! Then he cut into it and it was GREEN! I was SO uninterested in trying it. But I really liked my Uncle and he said it was good and to try it. So I puffed myself up, reached out for a piece, and LOVED it! I couldn't believe something so unattractive was so sweet and good. I don't remember if my sister tried it or not. I would suspect so. I don't even remember much else from that night or trip but I remember my first Kiwi!

Eagle's Car and My Toothless Sister

Well, here is Eagle's car and my sweet little sister missing her front tooth! I think Eagle is pretty lucky- that's a pretty nice looking first car. I hope he takes good care of it.

I wonder how long before lil Sis loses that 2nd front tooth?

First Dusting

This morning I awoke to the first dusting of the year. I knew that the forecast called for snow this week but I had thought it wasn't going to be until mid-week. I was pretty surprised. It didn't seem that cold when I went to bed last night. As you can see from this picture, it was only a dusting. We've had a couple light frosts but it really hasn't been that cold - yet. Sgt Dad and I both should purchase snow tires but have not yet done so. I've heard horror stories from long-time Alaskans about 6 hour plus waits to purchase and mount tires if one waits too long. Of course, Sgt Dad and I both are procrastinators so no doubt we'll be among those poor saps who have to surrender their vehicle for a day to get tires installed. Sgt Dad at least has two sets of rims and next year this won't be as much a problem as he'll be able to switch out his tires himself. I don't think I'll invest in a second set of rims, so I'll have to have my tires switched out yearly.

Middle Son seems to enjoy working or at least he doesn't hate it. He's excited about earning his own money. On his first day someone called in sick, and despite having only watched health and safety videos, he was called out of training to help. Talk about trial by fire! He said he didn't know what he was doing and that it was pretty hot in the kitchen. He's been getting advice from some of the teens who have been there awhile about how to avoid the chores that you don't like. For example, when it's slow is when the manager calls them out to sweep and mop the dining room. So, make sure you are busy, or look busy, and the manager will pass you by for someone else. Middle Son spent alot of time yesterday stuffing kid's meal bags.

I took my boys out to the mall yesterday because Middle Son needed black, non-skid shoes for work and Youngest Son wanted a poster. You would have thought it was the week before Christmas! It was packed! I had to wait in line to get into the parking garage and for the elevator. I was confused since it's only October until I remembered that the PFD checks were dispersed this week. It reminds me of Kodak bonus time back in Rochester back when Kodak gave out huge bonuses. Even if, like me, you don't get a PFD check this is a good time to shop because all the stores have sales and specials. Payless had their BOGO sale and I bought Middle Son's work shoes there and a cute pair of sneakers for myself. It was like wasting money not to! I also found the poster Youngest Son has wanted for over two months now. I looked for an iTouch so I could check it out but no one had one on display. That's the number one item on my Christmas list- IF I like it. I can't imagine not liking it but it does have less memory than my current 20 gig iPod. Although it's not like I'm running out of memory anyway, there's only about 3 gigs of music on it. (maybe Sgt Dad will buy it for our anniversary instead of making me wait.....)

This weekend has been our lucky weekend. The club on base holds Texas Hold 'Em tournaments- which are free since gambling is illegal in Alaska. So, we went on Friday and they advertised a members only tournament for Saturday. So, we decided to join the club. They are having a membership drive right now which includes waiving the membership dues ($8 a month) for 6 months and when you sign up you are given a scratch-off ticket that has a maximum prize of $100. So, since I had already lost the tournament Friday, Sgt Dad charged me with the task of signing us up. He said he wanted to scratch his own ticket but we only got one since membership is for a family and not an individual and they make you scratch it off at the counter in front of them. So, I had to do it and we won the max prize of $100! Yippie! That was the same as the prize for winning the tournament! Suddenly I didn't mind that I was out of the tournament. Sgt Dad didn't fare much better in the tournament but we still had fun and were walking away with $100 in cash! On Saturday we came out for the members only tournament. First I won a hat then later I won the raffle drawing for a bread basket. It comes with three loaves of bread, jelly, and a really nice bread knife. Plus there is a gift certificate for a free loaf of bread each month for 6 months! Too bad I'm on Atkins! Sgt Dad and the boys will enjoy the bread though or I'll take it to work. Either way, it was our lucky weekend. Sgt Dad bombed out on that tournament, not even making it an hour in. I did pretty well though and made it to the final table, finishing 5th. It was too bad that I couldn't hold out for one more place because 4th place got a $25 gift card. All in all it was a successful weekend.

Rite of Passage

Well, Eagle has found and purchased his first car. I'm sad that I'm not with him for this major event. Don't we all remember our first car? I was 27 years old before I had my first car. I mean, Sgt Dad and I always (mostly always) had a family car but I was 27 before we could afford a second car. It was such a hassle when I needed the car. I would have to get all my babies up and drive him to work and they would NEVER go back to sleep after that! Of course they would all be napping when it was time to pick him up after work and I'd have to wake them up again. Sgt Dad never liked to be "stuck" at work without a car and I didn't like to be "stuck" at home with no way to go anywhere. It seems like so long ago and yet not so long either. And now one of my babies has his own car! I'm happy for him that he won't have to call around to beg for rides but now I'm nervous. How safe will he drive? Will he be able to manage the snowy, icy conditions in Rochester? Can he concentrate with friends in the car? It's hard to let go and trust him. I do, mostly anyway. *sigh* I just miss him. I wish I could have done something different and kept him home until he finished high school.
Meanwhile, Middle Son has started training at his first job. He beat Eagle on this rite of passage. He is my first child to have a job! Can you believe that Burger King pays 10.02 an hour here??? Sgt Dad told him he is required to save half his paycheck. He wants to buy a car too. I wonder if I can afford insurance! It's insane how much it costs to insure teenagers- especially if they have their own vehicles. My house is sure quiet and seems quite empty with Eagle gone and now with Middle Son working. Poor Youngest Son is going to get ALOT of attention.
One last thought, the sun was just rising over the mountains at 8 this morning as I came into work. It was beautiful! I can't wait to be able to see the Northern Lights! I'll have to read up on how to photograph them so I can post a good picture. I have to think of the positive things about the impending darkness. It's going to be so weird!
Anyway, that's it for now!

You Might Be a Geek If...........

This morning as I was walking up the stairs to my office, I heard a distinctive ringing. I am embarrassed to admit that it didn't take me long to place why it was so familiar. The ringing was of the Public Telephone. (Yes, we actually have a working pay phone in the building! The cell phone is not quite as ubiquitous here in Alaska as other places.) But the sound was not familiar to me because of some memory of old public phones or having used them. Oh no, it was because of a movie or rather a series of movies that featured the now archaic public pay phones. Do you know to which trilogy I am referring? The public pay phone had a featured role in these movies.........


It's the Matrix. Do you remember how they would run to the ringing pay phones and pick it up and it would pull them out? Maybe I'm in the Matrix- maybe that was my crew trying to pull me out, maybe none of this is real, I hear that phone ringing again.........