Friends, Fun, Fest

We just returned from Oktoberfest with our friends Bill and Linda. Here are a few photos for your enjoyment!

TAGGED!

I got this off someone else's blog. If you want to do it, cool. If you don't, that is also perfectly fine. Nothing bad (or good) will happen to you as a result of what you choose to do!

If you are reading this then you have been "TAGGED". You must (CAN) write a blog with the same title. In the blog write 7 weird things about yourself.

1. I am afraid of mice.

2. I love the smell of lighter fluid.

3. I really enjoy Don Cheatle.

4. I often say things and then say in my head, "why did you say that??"

5. I had a can of peas for dinner tonight.

6. I don't know how to play Texas Hold 'em.

7. I wish I were better at accessorizing!

dreams

I'm going to try to revive the dream blog...be patient with me. I was just reading through it, and I remember really enjoying keeping track of those dreams.

WE'RE GETTING A DOG!!! kinda...

Oreo's mom is going to the states for 3 months, and we are going to keep Oreo! :)

I was looking through the paper, and saw a lot of "can you take/foster my dog/cat for 15 months while I deploy/forever because I am PCSing/etc?" type ads. I emailed several of the ads, eager to help out with Soldiers and Families with some unique pet needs. Well, of the several I emailed, I heard back from a couple who had found someone to take care of their pets, and a couple didn't answer back. The one lady (Oreo's mom) was so excited to hear from me, and had several people call her, but wanted her to pay apparently an insane amount of money. She is going to the states for a 3 month visit (I think her Soldier is deploying and she is going home for the holidays). It is really the best scenario for us, too because we (I) am wanting to have a dog, but not at the expense of traveling and having to haul it home and whatnot. This will be a good fix, and we'll be helping her out. I'll post pics when we get her. Mid October. She is a black lab/border collie mix!

Crazy wonderful fun tired hectic exciting times

Again...I am not posting with my usual frequency. Because again I am just not so near the computer all the time. Last night we had a battalion craft night. We had 7 ladies, the commander for a little while, 2-4 kids at any given time, and a dog all in my office! It was a whole lotta fun, and we figured out how we will handle the expanding group as we invite the rest of the community, namely the spouses with deployed soldiers.
In other news...Hooptie has suffered some sort of sickness and is at the car doctor as we speak. If it is too terribly costly to repair, we will just junk it and go on with our lives remembering her fondly. She is 8 yrs old w/ 318,000+ km, and is just not worth putting a lot of $ into.
This doesn't have to be terrible news. Because starting Oct 1, I will be in a new position, which is permanent (as much as anything can be in the military!) and it is on the same installation as SB, so we can carpool more easily. This isn't to say there won't be times that it is inconvenient to have only one car, but we will be carefully weighing our options where transportation is concerned over the next few months.
Also, I got a performance award! A little bit of cash which is always nice, but what I was especially excited about was a FULL WEEK of paid leave! This is good as I didn't have any, and now I don't have to be worried about taking some of the 4 day weekends to travel here and there. :) yaye!
The downside is that things have just started really moving along in my first and beloved to my heart unit. I have assured the FRGs, my friends, and my battalion family that I will still be around and they have assured me that I am welcome there and always will be part of their family. So, I am sad to go, but excited at the challenges and new experiences with the new job.
It is an administrative assistant position in the budget/leave department at the command headquarters of our base. Exciting stuff! I'll be back here sometime soon...right now SB has some homework, and I have some laundry to do!

Has it only been a week?

Monday-Work, home.
Tuesday-early to work, teach a 2 hr class, short brief I gave on one post, long brief from several people on another post, home at 9pm
Wednesday-work late, craft class
Thursday-work late, craft class
Friday-work.
I'm TIRED! and it sure seems longer than a week!

Will post more later this weekend...

Is this bad?

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (30%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (74%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Don't let the media freak you out.

Germany: Plot targeted U.S. facilities

I had to actually go online to find out about the news story. My boss brought it up at a steering committee meeting we had this morning and I haven't heard anything about it since. It can't be that bigga deal or they'd have been talking about it on AFN Radio.

A couple of things from what I read: ...that Frankfurt international airport and U.S. Ramstein Air Base were among the targets. The airport is 50km (31 miles) from our house and Ramstein is 84km (52 miles) from post. Just so you know.

"The three suspects — two Germans, ages 22 and 28, and a 29-year-old Turk — first came to the attention of authorities because they had been caught observing a U.S. military facility in Hanau, near Frankfurt, at the end of 2006, officials said."
This is something that is stressed constantly to us. Everyone is told regularly that if you see someone observing the base or taking pictures to report them. So I guess they aren't kidding.

and: Robert Payne at Fraport AG, which operates Frankfurt International said that it was "business as usual" at the airport...So as you see, they weren't that worried about it.

I just wanted to ease your mind, we feel safe.

John Edward Barthelme

April 18, 1940-August 19, 2007

John Edward Barthelme, 67, of Alvin, Texas, passed away Sunday, August 19, 2007 at his home.

A long time resident of Alvin, John was born in Sterling, IL to parents John and Edna (Weckesser) Barthelme. He was preceded in death by his parents.

John graduated from Sterling High School in 1958 and married Carol Ann Warner in 1962. He served his country in the United States Air Force before becoming an elecronic technician for the oil industry. He enjoyed collecting model trains, working in his garden and being with his grandchildren.

Beloved husband, father and grandfather, he is survived by his wife of 45 years, Carol; daughter Mary Abel and her husband, Chris, and their children Nicholas and Joshua, of Kansas City, MO; son Jay and his wife Deanna, and their children, Dayne, Keagan and Jordan, of Pearland, Texas; daughter Susan of San Antonio, Texas; and son Stephen and his wife Heather, of Mannheim, Germany. He is also survived by his two sisters, Joyce and Elizabeth, and their families.

An open house was held for family and friends Saturday, August 25 at John's home.