Rain or shine, the 'gang' of elementary school boys in our neighborhood are out and about doing what little boys do. I'm going to miss it when we leave...
It was so refreshing to see 5 or 6 little boys (with an average of age of about 8.5) sitting in the middle of the driveway eating popsicles yesterday afternoon. (I only wish I'd gotten a picture of it!)
It was refreshing to hear them playing outside. Times have changed, but the games young boys play outside are still the same...cowboys and indians/cops and robbers/star wars/army men...pretty much anything with a hat or helmet and some sort of weapon (toy weapons, of course).
It is refreshing to hear my 8 year old say that he's really going to miss CD when we move. He hasn't been old enough to really experience a military move yet - leaving friends, memories, etc. - I'm dreading the summer months!
It's refreshing to be able to send my 8 year old out the back door and that all he has to do is walk across the neighbor's back yard, cross the street and he's at the school.
It's refreshing to know that when the National Anthem plays at 1700, all the little guys line up, stand at attention and put their hand over their heart...for 2 minutes! A sight to behold. (I need a picture of that too!)
It was refreshing to see my 8 year old hop out of his dinner chair last night, willing to go help a friend look for his Nerf gun, even though he was already "in" for the night. "Where was the last place you had it?" he asked his friend. (He talked him through it as if he'd heard the speech somewhere before! Hmmm...wonder where!)
It is refreshing to see the boys meet up on the way to school in the morning and run across the backyard together. It is equally enjoyable to hear them on their way home in the afternoon.
It is refreshing to have neighbor kids who are respectful and understand that homework or scouts or sports practice or dinner/lunch or even running errands w/Mom takes precedence before being able to play.
I shall enjoy all these things while I can. I hope my boys remember these times and these people! I know I will.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Things Change
I'm not opposed to change, but sometimes I don't like it. Even though there's a move in our near future, that's not the change that's currently on my mind. Lately I've been thinking about how the Air Force, as a way of life, has changed.
Ok, I understand...I'm "old". Old people don't like change! I've been a part of "the greatest Air Force the world has ever known" (to quote a friend) for 19 years. I've seen lots of uniform changes...leadership changes...draw-downs...I've seen airplanes move from active use to the "boneyard" in Tucson...gate guards that used to wear white gloves and had a flair about waving/saluting you through the gate...I could go on and on.
But the topic for me right now is how the AF used to be "a way of life", but now it seems to be more of just a "JOB". (Ok, let the arrows fly...)
I'm not exactly sure when it started happening. When we started out, EVERYONE lived on base. It was the place to be...and, it was affordable. The condition of your home didn't seem to matter as much. Schools didn't seems to be an issue then; we had plenty of senior leaders with older children living on base. We all (all ranks) went to the O'Club on Friday night. (People actually got babysitters and went to the club.) We stuck together...probably because we only had each other. (That hasn't changed...AF people, for the most part, are separated from family.) We used to hang out with people from our squadron(s)/unit. We did stuff together...and enjoyed it!
Somewhere along the line, most of that changed. It seems that more people live off-base now. You can get a way nicer house (compared to base housing) for your BAH. No one goes to the club anymore. (Part of that falls on the clubs - I'll be the first to say, they're not what they used to be.) Nobody wants to hang out with the people they work with.
Let me say this...there is a time in everyone's life/career when they need to step back. They need to take some time for family or themselves or whatever. You can't be involved every month of every assignment. I've been there a couple of times.
But, having said that, it seems like the AF is now just a job, like any other. People drive to the base, do their 8 hours, and drive home. God forbid if there's some sort of "function" or "social" that they have to attend. I understand that people have a life outside of the AF. I know there are school events, sports, church, clubs, etc. We do our fair share of those things too. I'm not saying you have to be best buds with everyone from work, but why is there so much non-participation? There seems to be no desire to make new friendships or to pass along experiences anymore. Are people just more anti-social nowdays? Do they not want to share themselves because they're only going to be there a short time? I'm confused by all of this. I guess it all boils down to individual priorities.
I have some thoughts on spouse programs too, but I think I'll save those for another post.
I can only imagine what the "old folks" at the commissary think about how the AF has changed! Of course, they're not in the daily grind anymore, but I'm sure they still feel it. I look forward to keeping in touch with old friends, going to squadron reunions and running into those old friends at new assignments. I can't wait to be one of those "old" people sharing stories of the good old days!
Ok, I understand...I'm "old". Old people don't like change! I've been a part of "the greatest Air Force the world has ever known" (to quote a friend) for 19 years. I've seen lots of uniform changes...leadership changes...draw-downs...I've seen airplanes move from active use to the "boneyard" in Tucson...gate guards that used to wear white gloves and had a flair about waving/saluting you through the gate...I could go on and on.
But the topic for me right now is how the AF used to be "a way of life", but now it seems to be more of just a "JOB". (Ok, let the arrows fly...)
I'm not exactly sure when it started happening. When we started out, EVERYONE lived on base. It was the place to be...and, it was affordable. The condition of your home didn't seem to matter as much. Schools didn't seems to be an issue then; we had plenty of senior leaders with older children living on base. We all (all ranks) went to the O'Club on Friday night. (People actually got babysitters and went to the club.) We stuck together...probably because we only had each other. (That hasn't changed...AF people, for the most part, are separated from family.) We used to hang out with people from our squadron(s)/unit. We did stuff together...and enjoyed it!
Somewhere along the line, most of that changed. It seems that more people live off-base now. You can get a way nicer house (compared to base housing) for your BAH. No one goes to the club anymore. (Part of that falls on the clubs - I'll be the first to say, they're not what they used to be.) Nobody wants to hang out with the people they work with.
Let me say this...there is a time in everyone's life/career when they need to step back. They need to take some time for family or themselves or whatever. You can't be involved every month of every assignment. I've been there a couple of times.
But, having said that, it seems like the AF is now just a job, like any other. People drive to the base, do their 8 hours, and drive home. God forbid if there's some sort of "function" or "social" that they have to attend. I understand that people have a life outside of the AF. I know there are school events, sports, church, clubs, etc. We do our fair share of those things too. I'm not saying you have to be best buds with everyone from work, but why is there so much non-participation? There seems to be no desire to make new friendships or to pass along experiences anymore. Are people just more anti-social nowdays? Do they not want to share themselves because they're only going to be there a short time? I'm confused by all of this. I guess it all boils down to individual priorities.
I have some thoughts on spouse programs too, but I think I'll save those for another post.
I can only imagine what the "old folks" at the commissary think about how the AF has changed! Of course, they're not in the daily grind anymore, but I'm sure they still feel it. I look forward to keeping in touch with old friends, going to squadron reunions and running into those old friends at new assignments. I can't wait to be one of those "old" people sharing stories of the good old days!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Grammar
When I logged in to update my blog, I wasn't sure what I was going to write about. But then, I read a couple of updates from my friends, along with comments from their friends. Something jumped out at me. It was proper grammar.
I must admit, I'm not a grammar goddess by any means. I forget whether the quotations go inside or outside the punctuation. I can write a mean run-on sentence. Semi-colons...let's not even go there. Oh, and lately, I've become a huge fan of the ellipse. (That's those 3 periods together - ...) All too often, I begin a sentence with a conjunction, which I believe is a no-no. (And, But and Or - they'll get you pretty far...)
The thing that really bothers me most is when people use the wrong word. For example:
Those are the biggies that come to mind. Then vs. Than is one of my favorites - mainly because my husband has a major problem with this one. (I'd love to be able to blame it on the MS, but I don't think that's the problem!)
Then - refers to time.
Than - refers to a comparison
Your - belongs to you
You're - contraction of you are
To - not sure what to call/describe this one, but it's different than...
Too - also
There - a place
Their - belongs to them
Its - belongs to it
It's - contraction of it is
I guess I should thank my 10th grade English teacher. I apparently learned something. While I'm here, I'll point out another trick he taught us: How to pick the appropriate verb to go with a compound subject. For example:
Me and Heidi are going to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Me are going"; you would say, "I am going."
Heidi and I are going to a scout meeting. RIGHT! Drop one of the parts of the subject and make sure the verb agrees.
Let's switch it up...
Heidi went with Karl and I to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Heidi went with I to a scout meeting" you would say, "Heidi went with me to a scout meeting." Again, make sure subject/verb agrees.
Heidi went with Karl and me to a scout meeting. RIGHT!
Ok, so now that I've opened myself up for incredible scrutiny, I'm going to stop. I apologize in advance to any English teachers/majors/writing professionals (Greg!) who could spend the rest of their existance analyzing and editing my blog posts!
I must admit, I'm not a grammar goddess by any means. I forget whether the quotations go inside or outside the punctuation. I can write a mean run-on sentence. Semi-colons...let's not even go there. Oh, and lately, I've become a huge fan of the ellipse. (That's those 3 periods together - ...) All too often, I begin a sentence with a conjunction, which I believe is a no-no. (And, But and Or - they'll get you pretty far...)
The thing that really bothers me most is when people use the wrong word. For example:
Then vs. Than
Your vs. You're
To vs. Too
There vs. Their
Its vs. It's
Your vs. You're
To vs. Too
There vs. Their
Its vs. It's
Those are the biggies that come to mind. Then vs. Than is one of my favorites - mainly because my husband has a major problem with this one. (I'd love to be able to blame it on the MS, but I don't think that's the problem!)
Then - refers to time.
Than - refers to a comparison
Your - belongs to you
You're - contraction of you are
To - not sure what to call/describe this one, but it's different than...
Too - also
There - a place
Their - belongs to them
Its - belongs to it
It's - contraction of it is
I guess I should thank my 10th grade English teacher. I apparently learned something. While I'm here, I'll point out another trick he taught us: How to pick the appropriate verb to go with a compound subject. For example:
Me and Heidi are going to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Me are going"; you would say, "I am going."
Heidi and I are going to a scout meeting. RIGHT! Drop one of the parts of the subject and make sure the verb agrees.
Let's switch it up...
Heidi went with Karl and I to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Heidi went with I to a scout meeting" you would say, "Heidi went with me to a scout meeting." Again, make sure subject/verb agrees.
Heidi went with Karl and me to a scout meeting. RIGHT!
Ok, so now that I've opened myself up for incredible scrutiny, I'm going to stop. I apologize in advance to any English teachers/majors/writing professionals (Greg!) who could spend the rest of their existance analyzing and editing my blog posts!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Man of the Month - February
Yes, I realize that February is half over. But, better late than never...especially for this one!
February's Man of the Month is.....GEORGE STRAIT.
I've been a STR8FAN since we lived in Tucson. Tucson is country music. That was really the first time I started listening to country music...aside from the stuff my parents listened to that my ears could not avoid. (Although, to my dad's credit, I do enjoy Willie Nelson.) I digress. About that same time, the movie Pure Country came out - starring George Strait. I can still quote most every line from that movie. I'm surprised I didn't actually wear out that VHS tape! He looks better now than he did back then. A pair of Wranglers and a starched long sleeve shirt never looked so good!
Just recently George received a Grammy award for Best Country Album for his latest release, Troubadour. I own every GS CD. I like the old stuff and the new stuff. GS is classic in every way.
I'll say it again...A pair of Wranglers and a starched long sleeve shirt NEVER looked so good!!
February's Man of the Month is.....GEORGE STRAIT.
I've been a STR8FAN since we lived in Tucson. Tucson is country music. That was really the first time I started listening to country music...aside from the stuff my parents listened to that my ears could not avoid. (Although, to my dad's credit, I do enjoy Willie Nelson.) I digress. About that same time, the movie Pure Country came out - starring George Strait. I can still quote most every line from that movie. I'm surprised I didn't actually wear out that VHS tape! He looks better now than he did back then. A pair of Wranglers and a starched long sleeve shirt never looked so good!
Just recently George received a Grammy award for Best Country Album for his latest release, Troubadour. I own every GS CD. I like the old stuff and the new stuff. GS is classic in every way.
I'll say it again...A pair of Wranglers and a starched long sleeve shirt NEVER looked so good!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
8 Year Old Boys and Money
I apologize in advance, but I'm changing the "code names" for my boys again. This time should be the last. The oldest (12) shall be known as "Walker" and the youngest (8) shall be known as "Texas Ranger" or "TR". Those of you familiar with the movie "Talladega Nights" will understand the reference.
This morning, Texas Ranger popped the following question:
"Do I have enough money for an Xbox 360?"
Some background on the situation...TR is in Cub Scouts. They sell popcorn to raise money for the program. TR happened to sell the most popcorn in his pack and was greatly rewarded with a $75 gift card. (Note: The gift card was to Bass Pro Shops - a very appropriate place for young scouts to go pick up some goodies they'll want and need for their scouting career. However, there was no way TR was going to spend that much money at BPS, so I told him I would trade him the gift card for cash.) TR also filled up an order form and earned a $10 Wal-mart gift card for that. (Enter another gift card for cash trade here.) In addition, the amount of popcorn he sold earned him a $22 Wal-mart gift card as his prize directly from the popcorn company. (You know the drill.) Add to this the $30 he got from family for Christmas and the boy has a whopping $137 burning a hole in little Levi's!
Now, let me also explain the video game situation in our house...One of TR's best friends, who happens to live directly across the street, has an Xbox 360 and they spend a lot of time playing Halo on the weekends. (Neither myself or friend's mom allows them to play video games during the school week.) Let me also mention the fact that we own a Playstation 3...along with plenty of games, Call of Duty 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, every Lego video game ever made and a few other duds. Oh, and let's not forget the Nintendo Game Cube. We ended up buying that the year before the Wii came out. Oh well. Now that the PS3 is hooked up to the "big" tv, the Game Cube has been relegated to its storage bag. There are occasions when the boys unload it all and hook it up, but they are rare. Of course, each boy also has his own Nintendo DS Lite and, I'm guessing, probably 300+ games for that.
So, I answered TR's question with "No, not quite. Why do you think you need an Xbox 360?! You have a gajillion other games and systems to play."
TR: "But then I could play Halo."
Me: "You really think it would be worth $450 just so you can play Halo?"
TR: "I bet I would have enough if I got all my money from my piggy bank."
Me: "No, I don't think you would. And, I don't think you need an Xbox 360 anyway."
TR: "LOUD AUDIBLE SIGH"
TR donned his jacket and backpack and headed off to school...And everyone lived happily ever after. The End. (hopefully)
This morning, Texas Ranger popped the following question:
"Do I have enough money for an Xbox 360?"
Some background on the situation...TR is in Cub Scouts. They sell popcorn to raise money for the program. TR happened to sell the most popcorn in his pack and was greatly rewarded with a $75 gift card. (Note: The gift card was to Bass Pro Shops - a very appropriate place for young scouts to go pick up some goodies they'll want and need for their scouting career. However, there was no way TR was going to spend that much money at BPS, so I told him I would trade him the gift card for cash.) TR also filled up an order form and earned a $10 Wal-mart gift card for that. (Enter another gift card for cash trade here.) In addition, the amount of popcorn he sold earned him a $22 Wal-mart gift card as his prize directly from the popcorn company. (You know the drill.) Add to this the $30 he got from family for Christmas and the boy has a whopping $137 burning a hole in little Levi's!
Now, let me also explain the video game situation in our house...One of TR's best friends, who happens to live directly across the street, has an Xbox 360 and they spend a lot of time playing Halo on the weekends. (Neither myself or friend's mom allows them to play video games during the school week.) Let me also mention the fact that we own a Playstation 3...along with plenty of games, Call of Duty 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, every Lego video game ever made and a few other duds. Oh, and let's not forget the Nintendo Game Cube. We ended up buying that the year before the Wii came out. Oh well. Now that the PS3 is hooked up to the "big" tv, the Game Cube has been relegated to its storage bag. There are occasions when the boys unload it all and hook it up, but they are rare. Of course, each boy also has his own Nintendo DS Lite and, I'm guessing, probably 300+ games for that.
So, I answered TR's question with "No, not quite. Why do you think you need an Xbox 360?! You have a gajillion other games and systems to play."
TR: "But then I could play Halo."
Me: "You really think it would be worth $450 just so you can play Halo?"
TR: "I bet I would have enough if I got all my money from my piggy bank."
Me: "No, I don't think you would. And, I don't think you need an Xbox 360 anyway."
TR: "LOUD AUDIBLE SIGH"
TR donned his jacket and backpack and headed off to school...And everyone lived happily ever after. The End. (hopefully)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Junior High Boyfriends
Ok, so a friend tagged me on Facebook to post a list of 25 "random" or "weird" things about myself on my profile...so I did. Little did I know the uproar I would cause regarding a certain boyfriend I had in junior high.
Let me just start by saying that our hometown has a population of about 6000 (maybe 7000 by now). There were 86 of us in my high school graduating class. (We had 86 in '86 - catchy, huh?!) Multiply that by 4 grades and you have about 400 students in the high school. Junior high was 7th and 8th grade...so, let's figure no more than 200 students. Of course, everyone knows everyone else. You can't get away with much because somebody's parents will find out and yours will in turn.
So, anyway, back to the Facebook post...
#10 on my list of 25 things was: "I still wonder why my junior high boyfriend broke up with me."
WOW! I think I probably got more questions about that single statement than a celebrity in a Barbara Walters interview.
"Who was it?"
I tried to just quietly email the first friend who asked with the answer and a few extraneous notes about the situation. Then another friend asked...I emailed her too. More and more people wanted to know. At that point, I succumbed to the fact that it was just easier to post my little secret on the note.
There it was. The name of the 14 year old who broke my heart, out in the open for everyone to see.
He's not on Facebook, as far as I know. (Of course I've put his name in the Facebook search bar!) He moved up to 9th grade, which was at the high school; I moved up to 8th. 7th grade had a whole new crop of boys to pick from!! There were 2 that year that earned "boyfriend" status. They are both on Facebook and are my "Facebook friends." We've never chatted about those junior high days...I'll venture to say we never will. I enjoy the fact that I have those memories and we'll leave it at that.
Oh, did I forget to mention that my oldest son is in the 7th grade?! Yes, I am afraid!
Let me just start by saying that our hometown has a population of about 6000 (maybe 7000 by now). There were 86 of us in my high school graduating class. (We had 86 in '86 - catchy, huh?!) Multiply that by 4 grades and you have about 400 students in the high school. Junior high was 7th and 8th grade...so, let's figure no more than 200 students. Of course, everyone knows everyone else. You can't get away with much because somebody's parents will find out and yours will in turn.
So, anyway, back to the Facebook post...
#10 on my list of 25 things was: "I still wonder why my junior high boyfriend broke up with me."
WOW! I think I probably got more questions about that single statement than a celebrity in a Barbara Walters interview.
"Who was it?"
I tried to just quietly email the first friend who asked with the answer and a few extraneous notes about the situation. Then another friend asked...I emailed her too. More and more people wanted to know. At that point, I succumbed to the fact that it was just easier to post my little secret on the note.
There it was. The name of the 14 year old who broke my heart, out in the open for everyone to see.
He's not on Facebook, as far as I know. (Of course I've put his name in the Facebook search bar!) He moved up to 9th grade, which was at the high school; I moved up to 8th. 7th grade had a whole new crop of boys to pick from!! There were 2 that year that earned "boyfriend" status. They are both on Facebook and are my "Facebook friends." We've never chatted about those junior high days...I'll venture to say we never will. I enjoy the fact that I have those memories and we'll leave it at that.
Oh, did I forget to mention that my oldest son is in the 7th grade?! Yes, I am afraid!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Man of the Month
Having hit the big 4-0 last year, I've realized that I'm mature enough and comfortable enough to admit that there are certain men on this planet that...well...I don't think I really need to explain. I've decided that I will try to find a different man to "highlight" once a month. These will most likely be "celebrity" men who most people are familiar with. Granted, they will not all generate the same response from everyone....different strokes for different folks, but, I'm willing to accept the strange looks for what might be a strange choice.
However....
I couldn't start such a list without starting with the Man of 26 Years!! Nort and I just celebrated our 19th anniversary back in November.
(Note: "Celebrate" is a relative word. There was no dinner out - unless it was McDonald's or Hooters; there were no flowers - just as well, why waste money on something that's just going to die anyway; there was no surprise gifts - we spent that money on a new Sleep Number bed a few months prior; there were cards exchanged. We are both comfortable with this arrangement. Perhaps for the 20th anniversary this year we'll do something a little more "celebratory"!)
26 years...that's a really long time when you think about it. We started dating my freshman year of high school (he was a sophomore) at homecoming. The guy I was "going out with" assumed I was going to go to the dance with him so didn't actually bother to ASK me to the dance. Nort asked and I accepted. That was 15 Oct 1982.
I don't think parents or friends really count on anything lasting that starts when you're a freshman in high school. For some reason, we did. We've had lots of good times, and lots of stressful times (I won't call them "bad"). Every relationship does. We've made it through.
If someone asked what the key to a long relationship is, I wouldn't have a good answer. I guess I'd have to say that you have to just let some things go. Pick your battles. You can't stress over every little incident for more than a few hours. People say you shouldn't go to bed angry; I don't know if I agree with that. I DO think you shouldn't go bed angry 2 nights in a row. Get over yourself and press on.
I'm happy...I'm pretty sure Nort's happy.
He's my Man and he's my first "Man of the Month".
However....
I couldn't start such a list without starting with the Man of 26 Years!! Nort and I just celebrated our 19th anniversary back in November.
(Note: "Celebrate" is a relative word. There was no dinner out - unless it was McDonald's or Hooters; there were no flowers - just as well, why waste money on something that's just going to die anyway; there was no surprise gifts - we spent that money on a new Sleep Number bed a few months prior; there were cards exchanged. We are both comfortable with this arrangement. Perhaps for the 20th anniversary this year we'll do something a little more "celebratory"!)
26 years...that's a really long time when you think about it. We started dating my freshman year of high school (he was a sophomore) at homecoming. The guy I was "going out with" assumed I was going to go to the dance with him so didn't actually bother to ASK me to the dance. Nort asked and I accepted. That was 15 Oct 1982.
I don't think parents or friends really count on anything lasting that starts when you're a freshman in high school. For some reason, we did. We've had lots of good times, and lots of stressful times (I won't call them "bad"). Every relationship does. We've made it through.
If someone asked what the key to a long relationship is, I wouldn't have a good answer. I guess I'd have to say that you have to just let some things go. Pick your battles. You can't stress over every little incident for more than a few hours. People say you shouldn't go to bed angry; I don't know if I agree with that. I DO think you shouldn't go bed angry 2 nights in a row. Get over yourself and press on.
I'm happy...I'm pretty sure Nort's happy.
He's my Man and he's my first "Man of the Month".
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