Literacy Day 2007

Friday was Literacy Day at LJPS. All of the elementary students dress up as their favorite book character all day. In the afternoon they get to parade around the school and the middle school kids come to cheer them on. Kaitlyn went as SkippyJon Jones from the SkippyJon Jones books. If you have not read these books, you need to get them. So far there are just two: SkippyJon Jones and SkippyJon Jones in the DogHouse. They are about a little siamese kitten who believes he is a Chiuaua. He goes on fantastical adventures in his closet when his mother puts him in time out. The spanish accents and little "raps" make the book highly entertaining for children who get to watch their parents make fools of themselves! :)

Turkey Day at LJPS

Thursday was Turkey day for the Kindergartners at LJPS. The parents provided a huge potluck lunch and the kids provided a little entertainment. Dressed as Pilgrims and Indians, the kids sang "Albequerque the Turkey" and "The Thankful Song." Duane came and my students were conveniently with the nurse for the "Changes Program" (yes, that talk) so I got to watch as well. It was too cute!

That last Christmas Card in the box...............

You know how you always have to buy that extra box of Christmas cards because you need 2 or 3 more for your list? And then the rest of the box goes to waste? Well, instead of letting those cards waste away, forgotten in the bottom of your stationary drawer, why not fill them out and send them to one of the addresses below?


Any Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington , DC 20307-5001

OR

go to www.anysoldier.com

From this website you can request the address of a soldier who has volunteered to hand out packages that arrive addressed to "Any Soldier." Many of the soldiers are the supply OIC or NCOIC for their battalion and keep track of what items are most needed or wanted by their soldiers. They also send e-mail updates to the site so that you know if there are any current needs. You can click on "Where to Send" and "Search" in order to search for someone from your home state or from a specific service.

Sometimes we think we are too insignificant to make much of a difference in the world but this is one small way that you can be assurred of making a difference. Every soldier I know overwhelmingly prefers a nice letter from any American over a medal or an official visit from an important person. They especially love the little scribbles from kids so make it a quick afternoon project for your little one and drop it in the mail. Have fun!

Adoring Fans

Here are some pictures of the fans, watching their daddies jump. The kids of Rudderville piled into a pickup bed to have a better view of the jump. Aren't they the cutest?

Airborne!

One of the many things we love about being stationed with 6th RTB is the opportunities to watch Duane do his job. Because we live just down the street from the battalion buildings, the runway, and two of the drop zones we sometimes get to view a jump up close. Generally, jumps are done during the weekday when we are at school and work but this Saturday afternoon the RI's were able to do a Cadre jump on the airfield closest to Camp. My friend Trish, who teaches 6th grade, brought her little ones out and most of the neighborhood showed up as well. We packed a picnic, drove down the runway (literally) and staked a spot right to the side of the drop zone. We were able to watch 3 plane loads of instructors jump as well as a few HALO jumpers. Unfortunately for Duane and most of his buddies, there was a horrendous crash on I-10 right after the first load of jumpers went. This area is part of the air space they needed and it was shut down for a good 2 hours while the Life Flight helicopters came to the scene. This means that Duane and most of the jumpers circled for a good 2 hours in the plane, getting sicker by the minute. By the time they finally jumped, they were all in pretty foul moods! Of course, being met on the ground by a crowd of adoring kids improves one's mood pretty quickly. Here are a few pictures of the plane on our runway and of the jumpers in the air. Duane was the first out so he is the little dot closest to the ground.

All Hallows Eve

Here are the girls with some of their friends on Halloween. Because Camp Rudder is so small, only about 20 houses, we all do Halloween together. The parents decide on a time to begin the Trick or Treating and all the kids go together while the daddies of the house sit on the porch with the candy bowl and the mommies escort the kids around, cameras in hand. Once the kids have filled their bags and the mommies have taken a sufficient number of pictures, the "big kids" load up for the hay ride that 1SG. Pena puts together every year. While the moms of the little ones work on getting the bonfire started, the dads head off with masks in hand to scare the older kids as they ride through the "haunted" Ranger Woods. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows and wait for the sounds of screams and shouts that signal the return of the hay riders and all the dads. Later in the evening, the little kids enjoy a much tamer hay ride around the cul de sac while the moms and dads chat around the fire and attempt to sneak some candy from the Trick or Treat bags. The girls were fairies this year and had a fabulous time! Hope your Trick or Treating was full of fun!

6th RTB Fall Party

Princesses and Superheroes, fairies and ghouls, witches and ghosts...all were in attendance last sunday at the 6th RTB Fall Party. Held on the farm of a retired Ranger, our annual Fall event is always exciting. With a costume parade for the little ones, crafts galore, sack races, bean bag throws, apple bobbing, a pumpkin hunt and a scavenger hunt a good time is had by all. The girls loved every minute of playing with their friends and filling their candy bags.

Fall Festival

Friday night was the Fall Festival at LJPS (Liza Jackson Prep) so the whole family made an appearance. I worked the 7th grade booth (ring toss) and Duane escorted the girls through the maze of booths. At the end of it all the girls had acquired a tattoo (airbrush - even in the south they don't let 5 year olds get tattoos), a painted face, and two very purple hairdos. We ate burgers and let the girls play every possible game in the hopes that they would collapse in exhaustion. The result? Mommy and Daddy collapsed and the girls ate cotton candy. All in all, it was a very successful evening, right down to the bathtub filled with purple water, glitter, and remnants of face paint. Will post pictures of the 6th Ranger Battalion Fall Party when I recover from that event.......

Home Sweet Home....

As most of you know, it was a bit of a rough adjustment for us when we first moved to the Florida panhandle a year and a half ago. We missed the coffee but Ft. Walton Beach soon got its first Starbucks and, thankfully, they have been cropping up everywhere. We missed the selections of non fried food but we eventually found some favorite restaurants that feature food not deep fried in grease. We missed the granola in the cereal aisle but we found a health food store that carries some. We missed the good shopping (which is pathetic for me to even say since Tacoma is not exactly the fashion capital of the world.....until you move here...) but we discovered the joys of online shopping and the Destin Commons Outdoor Mall on the island.

Before too long, we even came to appreciate the particular advantages of living on the Gulf Coast: some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, perpetual sun, the awe of a REAL thunderstorm, the tradition and camraderie of our tiny neighborhood on Camp Rudder, the great school I teach at and the joy of being able to "peek in" on Kaitlyn's class at any time of the day, Okaloosa Island's many attractions and the antique shopping, having historically significant landmarks within driving distance, we could go on and on. We have truly come to love Florida, or LA (lower Alabama) as most natives like to refer to the panhandle. We have even started to feel a certain pride in our adopted home. And then we receive e-mails like this one:




NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND
These are real notes written by parents in an Alabama school district. Spellings have been left intact.

1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.

2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot.

3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.

4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating.

5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

7. Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.

10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

11. Please excuse Lesli from being absent yesterday. She had diahre dyrea direathe the sh--ts.

12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak

13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.

14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

15. I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear.

16. Please excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday.

17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral.

18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines.

19. Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.

20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.

21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.

22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor.

23. Maryann was absent december 11-16, because she had a fever, sorethroat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever an sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.

**********************************************************************************

It is when I receive e-mails like this one, and realize that it isn't too far off the mark, that I am proud to be able to claim allegiance to another state, far, far away from Alabama and Florida.............. Yep, loving the sunshine and the southern history but also loving the fact that I can claim no possible relation to the people who inspire such e-mails. Hope it makes you laugh as much as it made me laugh!

No, We Are Not in OZ...

While the panhandle of Florida has been hit by several tornados in the last week, we have not been carried off by any of them. We are still here on Camp Rudder, which sometimes may seem like another world. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to a friendly Wizard who could grant me the one thing I lack.........consistent organization that prevents a complete descent into utter chaos......

However, since I don't see that happening anytime soon, I suppose I should just update the blog in an attempt at chaos reducing orderliness. Of course, if I was truly the organized Supermom that I hope to be, I would actually have pictures. Unfortunately, our camera took an ill fated swim in the Rudderville pond and we have had to purchase a new one. Uploading the software is one of the items on my neat, tidy to do list that gets longer by the minute. Is anyone out there sensing my stress level???? It is that time of the year: midterm grades, Halloween Parties galore to plan and attend, Ranger School class cycles back to back, fiscal year budget due for the Family Readiness Group, van in the shop again, camera at the bottom of the pond, Pumpkin Project due in Kindergarten (read: homework that is technically assigned to child but that mother must make numerous visits to craft store and purchase copious amounts of art supplies to complete), field trips, Jump Rope for Heart Event (canceled by tornado and rescheduled with much chaos), Holiday Plans to be coordinated, Holiday Events to be budgeted and planned for the Family Readiness Group, Reading Projects to be collected and graded, etc. etc. etc.
So, no, we have not been carried off to Oz by a tornado but suffice it to say that I would probably welcome the vacation if it occurred! We promise to have pictures up soon, well, relatively soon. :) AND........for those of our friends and family that live in Washington and Oregon.......we will do one better than pictures, we will be bringing the Wells' Family 3 Ring Circus to your neck of the woods on 21 December! With the help of Dad (hereafter to be referred to as the airline booking guru) we located some tickets that worked with our respective holiday breaks and leave time and we will get to spend 11 days in the Northwest. We hope to be able to see all of our family and friends and especially our new little neice/cousin who is due in early December. The girls talk about our trip at least 55 times a day and are so excited to see everyone. I will be packing numerous sweaters as I have become used to the 70 degree winters here in Florida! I promise to post some pictures soon and please call or e-mail if you are going to be in the Oregon/Washington area over the holidays! We miss everyone! Bring on the Holiday Chaos, I've got my paper and pen ready to make lists!

Hooah!

I am writing this inbetween itching my numerous bug bites and applying copious amounts of mositurizer to my sunburned arms and face. Today was the annual Wives Swamp Walk here at Camp Rudder. Nearly every unit in the Army has a "GI Jane" day where the wives of soldiers in the unit get to participate in some obstacle courses, fire weapons, and experience a bit of the trianing that our husbands do every day. Here at the 6th RTB, we give a new meaning to GI Jane day. Because our husbands are instructors at the toughest stage of the toughest school in the Army, they expect that their wives will also be tough and they make sure we have the chance to prove it once a year.

Our day began with inprocessing (read: signing a waiver stating we won't sue the Army if we are grievously injured), medical screening, and equipment sign out. We were each issued a snap link and safety line for the waterborne operations portion of the day. Once the room full of women was equipped, we were briefed by the Reptile Team on the various types of venemous and non-venemous snakes we might encounter in the swamp. We also got to hold a baby alligator and see the newest alligator in residence at Camp Rudder, Vincent. Vincent was recently acquired from St. Augustine in the hopes that he will breed with our female alligator and produce many baby Ranger Gators. Vincent is one of the largest alligators in captivity at nearly 12 feet and 575 lbs. I think many of our civilian and Air Force guests were beginning to doubt their decision to participate at this point. But before anyone could think of defecting or making a quick break for the exit, the RI's (Ranger Instructors) headed us out to the range.

At the range we were given a demonstration of how to load, fire, and clear a malfunction on the

M249 (Saw - Squad Automatic Weapon) and the M240B. We then lined up, received ear and eye protection and proceeded to load and fire both weapons. It was incredibly fun! We fired the Saw in the prone position and I was actually pretty darn good. Well, until it came to clearing the malfunction. I definitely don't have the upper body strength to pull the chamber all the way back. But I was a good shot! After firing weapons we loaded up in the back of transport vehicles and bumped our way precariously down the road to the site for waterborne operations.

At the river, we were briefed on how to tie our snap link and safety rope, how to load and maneuver the Zodiac boats, and how to cross the rope bridge safely. Following the briefing we dined on MRE's in the (relative) shade. While certainly not five star quality, I would say that the veggie burger in BBQ sauce was rather tasty given my extreme hunger. It was made all the more enjoyable by our RI screaming "Food is for fuel, not enjoyment! I see far too many ladies enjoying their food! Eat it whole and get moving!" While the majority of us Ranger Wives simply ignored this directive and continued to explore creative uses of our condiments to mask the taste of the food, the Air Force and civilian wives appeared a bit distressed. We tried not to laugh too much. I think some humor (mostly the yelling part) is just inherent to the Army and not really appreciated by civilians or other branches of service.

Following our lovely meal, we lined up for the rope bridge. Basically, the rope bridge is a length of cord strung from one bank to the other and secured on trees. Ranger students tie a length of safety cord around their waist, leaving an arm's length of the cord, with a caribiner attached, extended in front of them. The caribiner is snapped onto the rope bridge (cord) by the RI and the student places one hand on either side of their caribiner. The student then uses his hands on the rope and his feet in the water (kicking - the water is over 12 feet deep) to move across the river. The caribiner and safety line ensure that if you let go of the rope and go under the water, you can reach up and pull yourself back above the surface. The water looked inviting primarily because we knew it was cooler than the 110 degree weather. The fact that it was so muddy and brown that you couldn't see anything in it was a little concerning but, we dove right in. Our dive team was on hand to assist anybody having difficulty swimming in full clothing and combat boots and also to watch for water moccasins (venemous snakes) and gators. I am proud to say that I crossed quickly and successfully!

Following the rope bridge experience, we loaded up on the Zodiac boats. Well, first we had to carry the boats to the water. Our group decided to show up the competition by lifting our boat overhead to carry. Of course, our RI guides did most of the work but we looked enviably cool. :) Once loaded, we pushed off and rowed several clicks down the river to our docking point. I'm quite sure that our RI's will appreciate Ranger students much more after having to listen to a boatful of women sing Row Row Your Boat (in a round, no less) all the way down the river. We may have made fools of ourselves but we had a blast. After narrowly escaping a complete capsize by mistakenly steering our boat into the side of the dock, we managed to get out and onto dry land, where we began our swamp movement.

There is no way I can adequately describe a Florida Swamp to you. Just imagine an extremely big, dense pile of liquid mud. Now imagine stepping into it up to your armpits. Oh, and some parts of it are actually bubbling. And it stinks like a sewer. And underneath, where you are walking but cannot see, there are huge fallen trees. And things swimming. And some parts are randomly deeper, much deeper, so that you take a step and fall into it. As you walk you can feel your pants and boots filling with gritty, nasty, stinky, hot mud. We made it through by judicious use of our walking sticks (long sticks that our husbands usually use to test the depth of the swamp before stepping ahead) and imagning that we were really in a mud bath at the spa. As we exited the swamp and continued to walk on dry land through the forest, we fantasized that the grit squishing between our toes was really a fancy exfoliant, sloughing off the dead skin and revealing more beautiful feet with each step. It was a bit of a stretch, considering the smell, but we made it work. In spite of some navigational difficulties, which I like to refer to as sight seeing or swamp appreciation, we arrived on the road and were relieved to see our transport vehicles waiting. We loaded up and headed back to Camp. Our ride home for "Personal Hygeine Hour," (yes, that is actually what it is called) was a little less glorious. We were not allowed inside any of our husband's vehicles due to the swamp mud we were covered in, so we were forced to ride in the bed of a truck.

As much as I enjoyed my GI Jane experience, I was happy to use liberal amounts of fragranced bath gel and various scrubs in my nice, clean shower as soon as I got home. After scrubbing (and I do mean scrubbing) every last inch of swamp grit off, all the ladies changed and met back up at the Battalion area for an awards ceremony and some BBQ. My certificate and cute Swamp Wives t-shirt definitely made the experience worth it..........;) Any of you that feel like a true Florida vacation, come on down in August and join me next year. Rangers (and their wives) Lead The Way!

(I only have pics of the weapons as we could not bring our cameras to the swamp. The command and local media are going to send us pics that they took of us so I will post some actual swamp pictures as soon as I have them.)

The Girls invade Birmingham......

At the museum there is a giant map carved into the walkway. The girls enjoyed being "giants" in Birmingham.......

They also enjoyed being dwarfed by the plaster casting of Vulcan's foot. As you can see in the second picture, Sam is quite insistent that her "baby" accompany us on all outings as of late. Most of the time Mom ends up carrying her or pushing her in Sam's umbrella stroller. And yes, it is a little awkward confronting the stares of strangers in the mall as I push a doll while both of my children walk, but it is significantly less awkward than the fit Sam would throw if her baby was not in the stroller........I pick my battles carefully and all I can say in my defense is that at least this "third child" is quiet, well behaved, and doesn't require much in the way of feeding or potty stops. :)

More of Birmingham

On Friday, we headed to Vulcan Park on the hill overlooking Birmingham. Vulcan Park is an educational museum built around the statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge. The statue of Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue in the world and was built in 1904 for the World's Fair to represent the birth of Birmingham's iron and steel industry. Iron mining created the city of Birmingham and many of the original factories and mines still stand today. In fact, the majority of vehicles and weapons used in WWII were made in the iron factories of Birmingham, AL. The museum is located on a hill that was once a huge mine and overlooks the entire city. Each exhibit tells the story of Birmingham's history, first as a mining town, then as the gateway to the Civil Rights Movement, and finally, as home to one of the largest and finest medical complexes in the United States. For two history fanatics, this was a great stop on our trip! The museum is fascinating and the city, beautiful. Add one more thing to the list of things I am learning to love about the South: the wealth of national history, of struggle and triumph represented in each small town and burgeoning city here.

Birmingham, AL

On Wednesday morning we loaded the minivan with suitcases, the DVD player, plenty of Polly Pockets, colorbooks and crayons, snacks, and a few baby dolls and headed out for Birmingham, Alabama, about 5 hours from Camp Rudder, FL. Were we staying for a week, a month? Oh no, just a few days. Our many travels in the minivan with two toddlers has taught us to be prepared with plenty of amusement and fruit snacks to keep them distracted from the fact that they are strapped into car seats.

This was our second trip to Birmingham but it will not be our last. Kaitlyn's Cleft Team is located at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Children's Hospital and we go once a year for check ins. Last year we had to go during the school year so we did not get a chance to see the city at all. This year we decided to go up a day early and stay a day after so we had a chance to see Birmingham. Birmingham is a fascinating southern city, full of our nation's history and we had a great time experiencing some of the city's magic. On the drive up we stopped at Priester's Pecan Factory where they have been making Pecan products since the early 1900's. We got to watch the candy being made and sample quite a bit. Duane had to call Mom and rub it in a bit as they share a great love of Pecans and Pecan Pie. He made up for it by buying some pecans to ship to her though. :)

After arriving in Birmingham, we settled into our hotel and got things ready for the next morning. Cleft Clinic starts early and so we made our way to UAB Children's first thing in the morning. UAB is rated among the top 3 Children's hospitals in the U.S. and is the single largest employer in Birmingham. The clinics and hospitals span the entire downtown portion of the city and are surrounded by the actual UAB campus. The sidewalks and restaurants are filled with medical students, doctors, and nurses in scrubs on their lunch or dinner breaks. Children's itself is a huge building that spans two of the city blocks and is decorated brightly with all artwork at a child's eye level. It is a fun and engaging place and Kaitlyn loves her visits there. We feel incredibly thankful that we have the opportunity of receiving care at Children's. Kaitlyn's visit went exceptionally well this year. She has never had an abnormal hearing or speech test so she was actually exited from both clinics this year!!! This means she will only need to receive future screenings if we feel there is a problem that develops. I usually go into the booth with her when she does her hearing tests but this year, she went in by herself and was perfectly comfortable following the directions. She is growing up and becoming so confident! All in all, it was a great visit, with no surgeries expected in the near future.

After the hospital, we spent the remainder of the day at the Birmingham Zoo where we saw everything from monkeys and gorillas to alligators, Flamingos, and hippos. One of the Gorillas there was the first in the world to receive a heart implant. The surgery was performed by both Vets and cardiologists from UAB that normally operate on humans. Pretty fascinating! The zoo was beautiful and we had a fabulous time and were exhausted by early evening - well, mom and dad were................

Fashionista in the Making

This is what Sam decided to wear for a day of playing in the neighborhood.......do I need to say more?

Our Little Firecrackers

4th of July weekend arrived with a bang here in the panhandle of Florida.....literally. We are in the midst of hurricane season and the 4th was a stormy day. We spent most of the day indoors, relaxing and avoiding the torrential rain, high winds, and lightning. We rarely get the chance to hang out and do nothing as a family so it was nice to just watch the storm, listen to the thunder, and read and play games. By evening the storm had cleared and the neighborhood gathered in the circle to set off a few fireworks and a LOT of sparklers and Pop Its, as most of our neighbors have little kids too. We spent the rest of the 4th chatting with old friends in the circle and getting to know new friends who have just arrived at Camp Rudder. Long after the sun had gone down and the kiddos had fallen asleep in laps, we finished off the last of the juice boxes and headed on in to bed. Yep, you know you can no longer claim membership in the "cool people" club when you think a good party consists of conversations about breastfeeding tips, positive discipline methods, and your favorite brand of fruit snacks over juice boxes stolen from the kids' stash...............And a "late night" means after 10pm. We have officially become our own parents and we don't really have the energy to fight our descent into "uncool." We hope you still love us anyway! ;)

Hope your 4th was as enjoyable as ours!

Two Little Ballerinas.....

Here are a few pictures from Samantha's first Ballet class. Kaitlyn has taken ballet at the Eglin Ballet School for 1 year and just had her first recital in May. Poor Sam has been anxiously waiting to turn 3 so she can join her sister. Last Thursday was their first class together and Samantha was so excited to put on her ballet and tap shoes.

Silly Girls

Here are Kaiti and her friend Haley and some of the other neighborhood kids around the campfire, making smores and being silly. The other pictures are of the girls goofing around in new PJ's. I can't believe they are 5 and 3 now, out of diapers and baby things.

Samantha Grace is 3!

We celebrated Sam's 3rd birthday on Saturday afternoon at the Rudderville Park. While her actual birthday is May 26th, we decided to wait until Daddy was home to do the big party so he could enjoy all the frosting covered faces, sticky ice cream hands, and general toddler chaos. He was not disappointed.

The majority of the little kiddos from the neighborhood headed down to the park on Saturday afternoon to celebrate, make crafts, run around, and get sticky with various forms of sugar. Sam is obsessed with Dora and Diego so we had Dora decorations and made Dora door hangers for our bedroom doors - thank goodness for those self sticking foam thingies! :) We had cupcakes and ice cream and the kids ran themselves tired. After presents, everyone went home and changed into swimsuits and headed for the neighborhood pool where the parents tried to take naps in the sun and the kids caught their second wind, effectively ending nap time for us old people. To top the day off, we grilled with some friends, made Smores and the girls got to have a little friend spend the night.

Today Sam and Kaiti and their sleepover buddy Haley got to have a Dads and Daughters "date" to see Shrek 3. I came home this afternoon from a leisurely shopping trip in Destin to find two little girls tuckered out and taking naps - something they never do. All in all, it was a pretty spectacular weekend!

Daddy is Coming Home!

Just a little celebration - Duane passed Jumpmaster School yesterday and graduates today.....and comes home this evening! He has spent the past 3 months in schools at Ft. Benning, GA with only 1.5 weeks inbetween so we are definitely glad he is coming home. The girls have begun to believe that Daddy lives in Georgia....or "Gawga" as Sam says. Jumpmaster is an incredibly difficult school with a failure rate near 90% so we have been on pins and needles awaiting the outcome of the final timed inspection and Duane made his time yesterday! He is now officially certified to push people out of planes........And he did rather well, maintaining some the higher test scores in the class and receiving 100% on the initial test that fails over half of the class on the first day. Now if I could just get him to take the garbage out with that level of efficiency..............:)