Pray for our airmen & their families.

There was a plane crash in Alaska last night. You can read more about it here. I've heard from my friend who is stationed there, and her husband is fine. The guilty fine that is. "Whew, it wasn't my friend," just doesn't bring a lot of comfort.

This one hits close to home. Mr. Nomad spends a significant amount of time in the sky, so I can only imagine how hard this is for these families. Please pray for them.

The Great Salt Lake

After our stint in Oklahoma last summer, we were able to explore the American West on our drive home to Washington State. Along the way we stopped by The Great Salt Lake in Utah. You cannot just drive by without checking it out.

Here we are with the lake in the background. See, it is the whole Nomad Clan. Mr. Nomad holding Bubby, me behind Princess, and the shadow in the foreground, that would be The General taking the picture. Who knew you could capture the entire family without a tripod? Don't we look great after 10 hours of traveling? (No zooming please.)

Now here is a little useless information which makes this post qualify for Boring Saturday Posts: Did you know, although the lake appears to be right along the interstate that runs through Salt Lake City, you actually have to drive about 10-15 miles west to get to the lake? One of the locals told us the lake is shrinking. He said it is because of all the urban sprawl. That, and the people rerouting the water so it doesn't just drain into the lake like it used to. Now I have no scientific research to support this, just the observation of a yocal local. Isn't the reflection just amazing? It was a pretty calm day, but the water is so still because of its incredible salinity. If I'm remembering correctly, it can be as high as 30%. Considering the ocean is only about 2%-3% salt, that is impressive. With all the salt comes a sort of smell you really cannot label under the pleasant category.

Now, we did see birds floating on the water and flying all around, but there are no fish that can survive the salty waters. The only living thing in the lake are briny shrimp (meaning no fish), which the birds like just fine. (This information is what I am remembering from the little park leaflet we picked up.)

A little background story for you on the next photo: When we drove into Salt Lake City, we'd been on the road all day. We were all tired and ready to just get out of the van and relax, BUT we wanted to see The Great Salt Lake. So we coaxed the children into more driving and headed out to the lake. That is where the first two photos were taken. It was one of those Griswold moments. We came, we saw, we've got the picture, let's go.

Here comes the funny part. We drive back to the Air Force Base, only to drive up and see a beautiful view of the lake. The kiddos were like, "you mean we had to ride in the van for an extra 1 1/2 hours, and the view of the lake was here all along?!?" Shortly after, we were carrying in our bags, Bubby managed to get his first bee sting, the big kids were on each others nerves. . . . due to it being the first bee sting, Mr. Nomad and I were scrambling to find the nearest ER on the map. It was a beautiful moment.

After things calmed down Mr. Nomad went for milk with The General. I took Bubby and Princess for a little walk. Which is where this picture was born. Bubby survived the bee sting, Princess and The General survived one another, we watched the beautiful sunset and all was right with the world.

At the time Mr. Nomad and I laughed at ourselves. We thought we had been foolish to drag the family all the way out to the lake for a closer look, and a few pictures. Now after a few months have gone by, and as I am looking through those pictures, I am so glad we make the trek out there. Although we could easily see the lake from our billeting parking lot, it didn't quite photograph so well. If I didn't know it was back there, I would have no idea The Great Salt Lake was there at all.

How funny, it took finally putting this post together for me to see the huge difference in the quality of pictures we took that day. The ones out at the lake are amazing, while the sunset photos are nice. It is just more about the sunset than a unique body of water. Hmm. . .I guess blogging has it's advantages after all.

If you would like to play along with a Boring Post of your own, stop over and see Mary at Hope Echoes.

A new title song. . .

Since I'm a good Catholic mother, I have lots of guilt. For example, the other day I was apologizing to The General for him having to move all the time. For not having a best friend down the block anymore. . .oh the list goes on. Basically I was saying how sorry I was that he is forced to be a military brat.

To which The General replied, "Oh Mom I wouldn't trade that for anything!"

"Really?" I replied, rather surprised.

"No way! You know that Johnny Cash song? The one that talks about all the places he's been?"

"Yea, I know the one," I answer. Still a bit perplexed.

"Well, that's my song!" The General reports. Rather proudly I might add.

Here is The General with the map of all the states he has visited. He only needs 3: Alaska, Hawaii and Arkansas, and then he truly can sing along with Johnny.Princess needs 5: Alaska, Hawaii, Arkansas, Nevada and Michigan. Bubby is a little behind the big kiddos. Not a bad start for a 3 year old.

As Johnny Cash sings:

See What I Mean

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Of travel I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

The General has a point.

I find myself in yet another moment when my children impress me with their resilience and ability to see the silver lining. What a gift motherhood has been. May I always be blessed with the wisdom I gain from simply knowing my children.

Thank you for your service. . .

Though it is not a common greeting, I have heard these kind words from strangers. Mostly when we are moving. It is very apparent by our loaded down vehicles, we are in the middle of a PCS. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I say thank you, climbing back into my car filled with pride. You see, when I really think about those who have sacrificed so much more, I am stopped dead in my tracks. Overcome by tears. I am so incredibly grateful God has not asked that ultimate sacrifice of my family. Although we've been separated, our Daddy has come home to us. Every time. It is our prayer every night he is away, "God, please bring Daddy home, safely and quickly." A prayer He has answered so many, many times over the years.
Others have said those same prayers For some reason, we have no way of understanding, those prayers have not been answered. At least not in a way we, as mere humans would like. So today we took the kiddos to mass, to pray for those veterans and their families. Those who have died, so that I may enjoy the many freedoms too many in our country take for granted. For those who are left behind, trying to fill a hole in their hearts that only God can mend. For those who only know a photo as their parent. My heart aches for each and every one of them.
To all of them I say, "Thank you for your service. I have not forgotten you."

Whew!

The movers were GREAT! Definitely an answer to prayer. We have minimal damage so far, which is awesome considering our stuff went into storage. I guess the government changing the policy to full replacement value on lost and broken items is a good motivator. (Previously you would just a percentage of what your things were worth new, depreciated for age.) Whatever the case, I am just so happy the day went well.
Not only did the movers do a good job, they were nice people. They won me over with the Starbuck's coffee/cocoa and donuts they brought for us. I know, they brought us the treats! (Generally we are the ones sucking up, and I bring the donuts!)
To top it off, they not only tolerated having my kiddos around, they seemed to really like them. But oh, they LOVED Bubby. (What's not to love?;) It was quite hilarious. He would evade me, and I'd find him following the guys around. When I would try to get him out of the house and scold for getting in the way, he would say, "But Mommy, this is my friend. He is special to me." They moved the seat on the big wheel for him, and let him help put together his bed and table. At lunch he took his plate over and sat down in their circle announcing, "I'm eating with my friends." Yep, he was living the happy life. Interestingly enough, I think they enjoyed the experience as much as Bubby.
We've made a pretty good dent in the unpacking and setting up, we had every one's beds set up by bedtime. Mr. Nomad hooked up my washer and dryer (oh, I love that man!) so I was able to get fresh sheets and blankets for everyone. The kiddos were so excited to sleep in their own rooms, in their own beds (I'm not the only one in the family affected by the nomadic stint. The children are also appreciative of the small stuff.)
Okay, I can procrastinate no longer. I've got a date with A LOT of boxes. I'll keep you posted.

Look's like we made it.

We are here in Washington. Our travels were uneventful on Thursday, just the way I like it. The kiddos are enjoying the space in our new house, and Mr. Nomad and I are still pinching ourselves thinking, "Is this really our house?"
The house turned out beautifully, so now we are busy making it our own. We've painted a Tinker Bell Green room for Princess. A pretty, oh I mean manly, blue for Bubby's room, and Mr. Nomad is putting the finishing touches on the Green Tea music room/den. We are still searching for the perfect tan for the rest of the house. We've been to Home Depot no less than 5 times in 4 days, and we have 6 paint colors on the wall. Still no luck. Our new neighbor has a promising lead. A friend recently painted the color I'm describing, and it turned out well. Say a prayer, I'm getting tired of looking at paint samples. (I know, I know, I didn't think it was possible!)
I promise I will get pictures posted to share, but right now we are just trying to get settled. Tomorrow our household goods arrive, so I may be gone unpacking for a few days. Oh the happiness I will be experiencing when I can cook. These long nomadic stints do that to me. Make me all domestic, appreciating the basics like good quality cookware and my kitchen gadgets.
I hope this finds you all doing well. Thanks for checking in on us, and more importantly for your prayers and words of encouragement. Your love and support are what make it easy for us to do these crazy military moves.
Well, I'm off to put Bubby to bed and seal the granite counter tops. Wish me luck.

I just can't wait to get on the road again. . .

Seriously, I can't. . .because we are only a little over 300 miles from our new home. After two 500+ days, this is going to be a breeze (I hope I don't jinx us. . .but then again, I don't believe in that stuff so I guess we'll be okay. :)
The drive has gone pretty smoothly. With only a few hiccups along the way. Bubby met his first bee that didn't like him, poor little guy. Fortunately he is not allergic (nothing like looking up ER's in a strange city, just in case you need to get there. . . FAST!) And, Princess picked up the crud the cadets were hacking up at the Air Force Academy on Sunday. (I guess hand sanitizer immediately after mass wasn't enough.) She has had a sore throat and low grade fever. I was worried she might have strep, but yesterday she started with a runny nose. So I think it is just a cold. Which is another great motivator to get to our new home base. I do not like messing around with strep.
Other than that, our trip has gone very smoothly. We were able to check out the Great Salt Lake (stay tuned for this post when we get settled), and today we are driving along the Colombia River in Oregon. I've never been this way, so I'm looking forward to experiencing something new. I am actually quite amazed that we aren't going crazy after this many miles. It is surprisingly enjoyable to see our country, to take in the beauty, and ponder what the people that live there are like.
The shower stopped. It's my turn. Gotta run, I need to get this party started. . .because the next time I post, I'll be in Washington!!!!! Sleeping in my own house (so we won't have our things for a few days) camping out.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the painting. We are hoping to paint as much as possible before the movers come with our stuff on Monday. We're starting off with Tinker Bell Green in Princess's room. Wish me luck!

Packed up and heading out. . .AGAIN!

Colorado has been so much fun. First to have a long weekend with our friends from DC, followed up by a few days in Denver with Mr. Nomad's brother. Oh, it just doesn't get much better than this. I am so grateful we've had these stops to look forward to. It makes it so much easier for all of us to psych ourselves up for yet another long day of travel. Which yesterday Bubby announced, "I told you guys, I'm done with traveling. No more stopping. I just want to be in Washington!"

I think it's time to get him to a home. Mr. Nomads is in the shower as I type. I'll get the big kiddos up in a minute, then it is breakfast and we'll hit the road. Our destination today is Utah. We're excited, as tomorrow morning we are going to check out The Great Salt Lake.

Thank you for all of your prayers, we feel them. God continues to bless us with safe and relatively fun traveling days (hey, after roughly 6,000 miles it can be a stretch). If I could just bother you for a few more days of them. . . we are almost there. We expect to arrive in Washington sometime on Thursday.

Enjoying Colorado

We've made it as far as Colorado, and are having a great visit with our friends. This is my favorite part of military life. The part when you travel around, and most cities you travel through have a friend from one of your previous assignments.

This time it is our good friends, neighbors, fellow church members. . .from Bolling AFB. The General has been waiting for this stop since we drove away from DC back in April. To be back with his buddies, Princess with one of her best friends and Bubby with his little pal. Oh, yes we are all having a grand time.

I'll write more and share pictures later. I've got catching up, and decorating planning to do. Lorri and I are having so much fun with all of our plans for our new homes.

Fare thee well Oklahoma.

Our time here has ended. Mr. Nomad successfully completed his training, and we are almost all packed up and ready to go. While we are over the moon excited to get up to Washington. To our new house, to start the next chapter in this Air Force life. We are all a bit sad to go.
So we just want to say THANK YOU OKLAHOMA! You have been a beautiful refuge of family time over the years. We've made many, many memories here. Most fond, while others we wear as badges. . .the trials you endure for the right to be called a military family. Yes, we have earned our title and are very proud to be an Air Force Family.
Thank you for reminding us to slow down and enjoy one another. For remembering to find the joy in the small things, and make the best out of every situation. For your beautiful rugged country, and your kind and generous people.
The Nomads probably won't be back for more training, we are coming to the end of this military career. But Oklahoma will always hold a special spot in our hearts.
Until we meet again. (You quickly learn to NEVER say NEVER in the Air Force.) Anyway, good-bye is just too sad.

Discovery Trail: Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

The Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce have a fun little program this summer. They call it Discovery Trail: Where West Meets Wild! They have six stops, and you get a free souvenir at each location. Talk about a motivator for my kiddos.
Over the course of the past two months, we've enjoyed visiting the sites, so over the next few days I will be blogging about our Oklahoma Adventures.Our first stop on the Discovery Trail: The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Here the kiddos are out in front of the Visitor's Center. After my time in DC, I find I have more of an appreciation for the wide open range. Isn't it beautiful?

The gang's all here, checking out the bison. They have an informational video about the founding of the refuge, which is home to bison, elk, Texas Longhorns, and many, many other interesting creatures.

Princess & Bubby pointing out the bison/elk/longhorn mosaic mural. I thought it was very cool.

Bubby in front of a very cool pond habitat. Look closely and you can see a fish and beaver in the water. Isn't it great how they have all the different animals? I love how they point out the interconnected nature of habitats. The center was well done, and lots of fun. You know how I love a good field trip, and this was definitely one of them. (I'm also very fond of nature, so it was a perfect fit.)
Our next stop was Scott Mountain, which was the kiddos favorite stop. Bubby loved climbing all over the rocks and Princess and The General were chasing a lizard.

Isn't it cute? The General is pretty quick, but the lizard won out in the end. They must have stalked that poor lizard for half an hour. Just when they would grab it, the lizard would scramble over their fingers and out of reach again. (No lizards were harmed in this outing.)

Then it was onto Prairie Dog Town, which turned out to be a rather frustrating event. All over the refuge they have signs asking people to please not feed the wild life. At Prairie Dog Town they were very detailed about the risks of feeding the animals (most of which were harmful to the animals.) So I was a little put out to see nearly all the park visitors feeding the prairie dogs nasty white bread. Maybe they are just too stupid, and they couldn't read the gazillion signs which said: DO NOT FEED THE PRAIRIE DOGS! It was especially fun explaining to Bubby the importance of following the rules, even if EVERYONE else is breaking them.

As you can see, this is a pet peeve of mine. Time and time again Mr. Nomad and I are saddened to see trash and rude people at our nation's National Parks. We wonder, what happened to common sense and good manners? Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest. . .back to the refuge.

We saw a herd of bison. The seed stock from this herd came from the New York City Zoo. At the Visitor Center they had the time sheets from the gentleman who escorted the bison from New York City to Cache, OK. They shipped them in on a train in the early 1900's.

Here are the Texas Longhorns. This is probably one of the few herds with pure longhorn bloodlines. At the refuge they try to preserve different species on the open range. They have had great success with the bison, elk and longhorns. We've been over there at least three times now, and we have yet to spot an elk. . . bummer. I'll just have to be satisfied with the ones we saw at the Grand Canyon.

Mr. Nomad and Bubby checking out all the exploring we have left to do.

We had a lovely time turns into ponderings of military life.

Oh, what a nice time we had in Iowa with our family. The trip was everything we hoped for, and more. The kiddos swam and played til their hearts were content (what we had hoped for), and I was able to get out for some furniture shopping (and more). I will write more about the kiddos activities tomorrow.

Remember how I said my sister-in-law spoils the children? Well this time she spoiled me! She lined up a babysitter, and took me into Omaha. First we had a delicious lunch at Jam's (YUMMY!!), then it was on to The Nebraska Furniture Mart (WOW!). This furniture store is the biggest one in the nation, it is like Costco on steroids. Were we successful? Let's just say we may have single handedly pulled the country out of the recession (HA HA!). At least that's how my poor money saver husband is feeling.

After our first trip there, I was feeling very greedy and doubting my need for so much "stuff". Then I really started to think about the whole thing. Hmm, what can I cut out? Am I being excessive? Well, the bed. . .yep we need that. Oh yea, we do need a chair for Bubby. He's a huge 3 year-old, and the high chair is just not going to cut it much longer. As I continued on the list, feeling the need to justify spending money. It hit me. The light bulb went off. I realized that finally after 5 years of "temporary" living, the time has come.

You see, since we left Washington State 5 years ago, we've been in transit. First we moved 3 times in two years, then for 3 years we were jammed in a little base house in DC. So for the past five years, I've been saying, "when we move we can buy that." I've felt a little like a visitor in my own home since then.

I find this is the dance of military living. You are always trying to juggle the "oh it can wait until the next assignment" with "this is our life, we need to enjoy it." As I write this, it is hitting me again. We are arriving back at a spot that will hopefully feel like home. The saving and waiting period are coming to a close. I'm so excited to think we are going "home". Not to just any old place, this will be our home.

Mountains in Oklahoma??

Surprise, surprise there are mountains in Oklahoma. The Wichita Mountains are actually the oldest range in the United States. Princess and I on top of Mount Scott. The other thing Oklahoma has is plenty of wind, as you can see by the swirling hair.Here my kiddos are in the middle of our friends' daughters. On this day we hiked a trail in the Wichita's National Wildlife Refuge.

Now these mountains are not the steep, shear cliffs of the Rockies. You can see how over time the erosion has worn the rocks down. After seeing the dramatic effects of erosion at the Grand Canyon, it is interesting to think how long these mountains have been here. In the Grand Canyon and Zion the rocks are sandstone, which isn't very hard. Here in the Wichita's the rocks are quartz and granite, by far the harder stone.

I think this has been my favorite thing this summer. Exposing my children (and myself) to the vastness of our country. Discussing the differences of the geography, and how people live. It is so neat to be able to point out lessons we've learned along the way.

Just a little Cliffy post for you today.

I'm sorry, I've been holding out on you.

It is a slow morning here, and I have a few moments. So I ask myself, what should I post today? Hmmm, I'll check out my photos and see if there is anything good. I start to scroll down the column. . .WHAT??!! How could I have missed this. It is the pictures we took of an air drop training our friend was flying back in Washington State. I owe you an apology, I'm sorry I didn't share sooner. It was really cool.

Without further delay, the air drop photos.

There it is: The mighty C-17.

When Bubby first saw the parachutes he said, "Oh, I want to see those lollipops again!" I was trying to figure out what he was talking about, when I realized the parachute looks like the candy and the soldier the stick of the lollipop.

They didn't disappoint him. Over the course of the exercise, they dropped over 100 soldiers.

What a treat to see our friend flying. For the kiddos to see paratroopers, almost up close and personal. With The General's interest in military operations, it was a highlight for him. These are the times military life is really cool.

WOW, where did that come from.

How was your fourth of July everyone? We had a nice time. We ate all American food, enjoyed a little time with friends here, and the kiddos watched lots of TV. The General is a history buff, so he was thrilled to watch the piece The History Channel had on the Revolutionary War. He learned a few new things, and gained some insight into the fact that the world is not black and white. . .gasp, there is GRAY. Then of course there was the cute show on Animal Planet highlighting White House dogs. Who can pass that up?

Why so much TV? Well, it was HOT during the main part of the day. We had been out and about the day before, and let's face it: I am in the middle of rural OK. Not so much to do around here. So we let the kiddos set up a movie theater in our little room and have their friends over. I was actually pretty proud of their ability to make "lemonade". You know, life hands you lemons (AKA a boring July 4th) you make lemonade (AKA theater experience, with concession stand).

We had planned to attend the July 4th festivities, but a storm blew in right about the time we were to set out. With the local fireworks rained out, we thought we'd just catch the PBS fireworks on TV. (I guess we hadn't had enough TV at that point-ha ha!) Well, that is when I had my "WOW, where did that come from experience?"

It turns out the fireworks show was the one from DC. The very show we had the pleasure of enjoying the past 3 years. As they began to show shots from different angles/places, we were all recognizing the land marks. Oh, look it's the white crayon (Washington Monument), hey it's the Lincoln Memorial. . .oh, I hope they show the Jefferson, that one is my favorite. . . Just think right down that way, our friends are on the banks of the Potomac watching this right now.

That is when it happened. The tears started. All at once my "lemonade" cracked. I was in a dumpy two bedroom apartment, alone without my peeps, with no "real" celebration, and no fireworks. I missed Washington, D.C. Which is kind of weird. I really never thought I would cry over that place.

So as I was having my little boo hoo, out of the blue there was a "beep, beep" from my cell phone. A text message from my dear friend, Katy. She was thinking of me, and missing me too. I was no longer "alone" in my little sadness. God had provided me a little gift. He is so good like that. Even in my moments, He holds me tight and reminds me I am loved and cared for. He will always be with me, wherever I roam. He will provide me with all I need. I just need to continue to trust in Him, and be ever so grateful for my abundant blessings.

Happy Birthday America

Today is July 4th. Another Fourth of July Celebration. While we enjoy the food and festivities, we also try to set aside a moment to give thanks and explain to our children how blessed and lucky they are to be born into this great country. Some years we are fortunate enough to be able to travel back to Minnesota, and spend the holiday with family.

Mr. Nomad with his brother and our big kiddos back in 2003. Here I am with The General and Princess in 2004. Mr. Nomad's parents live on a lake, so we were part of the neighborhood boat parade that year.

Other years we haven't been able to go "home", but none the less we celebrate with family, our military family. Above the General, Princess and Bubby as we celebrated the 4th on the banks of the Potomac in Washington, D.C. 2007.

If you look closely you can pick out Princess and Bubby. Princess is 4th from the right, bending down close to Bubby. The rest of the crew are just a few of our military family members from the D.C. celebration of 2008.

This military life we have chosen comes at the cost of being hundreds, many times thousands of miles from home and the friends we have made along the way. Sometimes non-military folks will ask, "Isn't it hard moving all the time?" I like to think of it more as a challenge, a challenge and an adventure. For that is one of the blessings of being an American, the blessing of free-will. I can live this nomadic life. I can raise my children the way I want, and I can worship God freely. Just as God intended it to be.

So today we will again celebrate our country's birth of freedom. We will try in some small way to honor our forefathers by remembering our history. All the sacrifices so many Americans have made for our country, both past and present. We will also be thinking back on the good times we've shared with family and friends. Most of all we will be giving thanks to God. Thanking him for our great country, for our friends and family, and for always providing us with a "home" whenever the Air Force sends us.

May God bless you all today, and always,

Tami

We ventured off the porch. . .

which was a lot of fun. I think my favorite part is asking for seating for 11 at restaurants. That will be 4 adults, 7 children please. Those of you with big families can appreciate the look in their eyes. What is even better is when the kiddos behave nicely.

We hit our favorite restaurants: Wild Wings, Sticky Fingers and a great seafood place right on the water. Wild Wings in downtown Charleston, SC is so fun. It is right in the heart of the market, so the ambiance is very nice. The wings are even better! YUM! Sticky Fingers is a great barbecue place. Now that Jennifer introduced us to eating pulled pork sandwiches served with the coleslaw on the sandwich, I felt like a pro when I ordered. All the different sauces to choose from, crispy fries. . .again YUMMY!

Other than eating, we did manage a few other things. The kiddos really enjoyed the stop by the candy store on the corner. They were able to watch them pull the salt water taffy. They also served gelato, so my husband was happy. He fell in love with gelato on his trips to Italy. It is always fun to see how "authentic" the gelato is (not that I would personally know--I have to live vicariously sometimes).

Next stop was Battery Park, which is down by the waterfront. You can see Fort Sumter (you know, the area where the first shots of the Civil War were fired). Best of all is the open spaces and fountains. The kiddos ran around and played in the fountain all afternoon. (Yes, we were downtown both Saturday and Sunday. You just can't get enough!) The baby was such a trooper. She was just along for the ride.

As always, our time together goes by too quickly. Before we knew it we were back on the jet headed back to OK. Fortunately the weather was good on our return, so no problems there. On our flight to Charleston, there was a thunderstorm. With lighting in the area they wouldn't let us off the plane. We sat on the ground for over 2 hours before we were able to deplane. Fortunately Bubby did well.

Overall the "hopping" experience was a great success. With only that slight hiccup at the beginning, the weekend was a blast. It was such a nice treat for the kiddos to fly in the C-17.

HMMMM, I wonder if there will be any other cool opportunities for travel???? Stay tuned.

When opportunity knocks. . .

Guess what?!! We are in Charleston, SC this weekend! I'm so excited.

So, how did we get here you ask? I know some of you may be thinking, "Please say you didn't make those poor children drive again!" No, no, we too have our limits of sanity. You see there is this thing in the military called traveling Space A. As one of our perks as a military family, we can "hop" onto military flights if there is space available. There are several rules and clauses to go with this (which continuously change), so it is actually not as easy as it sounds.

Anyhow, Thursday my husband came home and said, "I heard there may be a flight going to Charleston this weekend. Would you like to go?" Would I??!!

I've always wanted to take advantage of Space A, and yesterday after 17 years in the Air Force our family successfully "hopped" to Charleston, SC! It helps when you are leaving from Altus, OK. Not so many people there to compete for a space, and not a lot of people to bump you on the return flight. Not meaning to offend any OK folks, but Altus isn't really a hot spot.

Here we are in Charleston, visiting our dear friends. It is a treat beyond measure, as we thought moving to the West Coast would mean a long time before we saw them again. The icing on the cake: they have a new baby girl!

So this weekend we will be sitting on the front porch rocking, sipping Firefly and enjoying some very special time with these precious friends. God is good to me.

Tales from the Trail.

As you know the Nomads have taken the family on the road again. This time we traveled from Washington State to Southwestern Oklahoma. Over the next week or so I will share photos and valuable data (useless trivia) we learned along the way.

I wanted to share a few of our traveling stories. You know, traveling with a toddler is so stinking funny! Keep in mind my children are crammed together in the middle row of our minivan, with their "stuff" all around. AND, this is the second LONG road trip they have enjoyed (endured) in the past couple of months.

Here we go:

"Slug Bug!"
While in WA we began playing the Slug Bug game. After one long stretch on the road, Bubby reaches over and hits The General yelling, "SLUG BUG!" (Note there were no VW Bugs remotely in the area). Being the wise little boy that he is, Bubby has figured out a way to get free slugs in with his brother. Pretend to play the game! Needless to say The General has been doing extra tutorial with his brother on vehicle identification.

"Where is my lizard?"
After one night in the hotel, we packed up the kiddos, did our final walk through to make sure no precious lovies were left behind. As we were driving off for another day of travel, The General asks, "where's my lizard Bubby was playing with last night?"
The light bulb pops on in my head, and I say, "wasn't he playing with him near the fridge?"
We turn around, I have to go get another key to get back into our room. There in the freezer the lizard was on ice. Lesson learned, when doing the final walk through remember to check ALL spaces large and small. You never know where a 3 year old is going to put a lizard to bed.

"You go over there, and I'll go over here."
One morning as we were getting ready to go to breakfast I hear Bubby talking to himself. I quietly peek around the corner. There is Bubby talking to his reflection in the mirror. He looks at himself and says, "you go over there, and I'll go over here."
Then he turns and walks a few steps, turns back and repeats to his reflection, "now I said you go there and I'll go over here."

There you have it, some of the funnies with Bubby. He's a keeper.

Internet FINALLY!!

Well, we arrived here in OK last weekend. Unfortunately, no Internet. . . .

After waiting for the work order, this is my treat today. I've been able to check e-mail. A luxury that feels a lot like a NEED rather than a want.

I've gotta run, Bubby is off and running. I just wanted to let everyone know we are here safely. I will put together a post later. So much to say, so little time to get my act together.