The long good-bye

I detect a note of smugnees in my previous blog entry while describing the Grand Adventure of flying space-available for a vacation. I said something like, "Oh this is so easy, I 'll be back soon"! Well I can tell you......it has not been so easy trying to get home!

The FIRST time I went to McChord to catch a hop, the young man informed me that no planes flew directly to Germany and I would have to go an East Coast AFB to catch a plane. I called Terry to ask his advice, his comment was " how many stripes did the Airman have? (The answer, sadly, was two) Back to McChord , and yes I could be manifested to Germany even IF and WHEN they stopped on the East coast. My best chance was to come back at such and such a time. I have lost track of how many times - but it was a week long event - I showed up with baggage all ready to go. There was one flight I was SO SURE I would be on .................A non stop 15 hour flight on a C5, perfect, leave at 1700 go to sleep and wake up in Germany on a weekend too, just perfect. But oh NO, So sorry they told me, last minute change, no passengers allowed. I have lost count of the "last meal", last latte"...........and the last good-bye.

Every time I tried to find a way home, for instance plan B part 1 had me riding a train to Oregon to be picked up by Becca and taken to Portland International then fly to Baltimore Washington arriving around midnight only to then check the next hop to Germany.......As it turns out that train was booked full!! Doors just kept slamming on me. Time for plan C part 1.........that is to buy a commercial seat S eattle to Frankfurt, with a 5 hour layover at JFK in New York.

The optomist in me prevails so I am grateful for the additional time spent with family and friends. Joan and Jer had a farewell party for Dani, Roy and their precious baby Francis, who are moving to Vermont. I was able to see Robert, Bobbie-Sue, her boyfriend Kurt, Alex, Willie, and Gary, who I otherwise would have missed. Then of course there was Mar and Matt and Sadie, ONE MORE TIME......I was also able to have a farewell lunch with Kerry and Marta. Again, with the good-bye ONE MORE TIME. Even with all the hassle I would do it all over again! Go ahead and call me crazy..........

I am planning to fly space-available back to the states at the end of April so I can go to Terry's graduation from the Senior NCO Academy------Go Figure!

love and miss you all

Fun Follows

How much fun can one girl have at the ocean, how about eight girls? Mom, sisters, Mar, Cec, Joan, Susie Q, Joan's daughter Dani, her daughter Francis Dee and I all traveled to Pacific Beach, Washington to find the answer. As it turns out eight girls can have a lot of fun. For starters we couldn't believe that it snowed! It hardly ever snows at the coast! Of course we were prepared for the cold weather, springtime is ever changing - we expected the wind to add zest to our long walks on the beach and we weren't disappointed. The food, of course was delicious as well. A full course turkey dinner was just the perfect meal for the occasion.


We absoulutely LOVED playing electronic Uno (thanks, Matt), OMG it is a riot to play. Mom even mastered the quick wrist flick on a draw 2 card, WHAT FUN. The houses are the same we have rented in the past except this time we were disappointed no cozy warm fireplace anymore AND no washer/ dryer.... they now have hardwood floors and five bedrooms which was plenty big for our crowd. We did manage our walks on the beach, even Millie (Mom's car) had an adventurous spin on the sand - at low tide, of course! The only sister missing was Chris but Susie managed to create a paper Chrissy that we dutifully took care of all weekend. Cec remarked what a busy but well rested/deserved vacation for all of us. I agree. It was so much fun I suggest we all get togther next year for another ocean get-a-way, this time ..."Come one, come all"!

love and miss you all

Space Available

I traveled to the States on a C17! What an adventure to fly accross the Atlantic Ocean in the belly of this airplane, all 10 hours and 55 minutes of it!

Terry is in Alabama attending the Senior NCO Academy from March 17th thru April 30th, what a great opportunity for me to visit friends and family in the Pacific Northwest, also known as "HOME" The timing out of Ramstein AFB was perfect, I was able to catch the first flight scheduled to McChord. There was so much room in the cargo area that a young Mother was able to set up a playpen for her little guy. he slept most of the way, happy as a clam at high tide.

All in all an exciting and easy trip for me, considering I am not the best traveler.............And of course nothing was more welcoming than the sight of Mount Rainier............... ahhh home again!

love and miss you all