Mother Nature

...is one tough mother! In the two years that we have lived in the Florida panhandle we have witnessed countless storms. Having lived all my life in the Northwest, I thought I knew storms and rain but believe me, I was wrong. You haven't truly seen a thunder storm until you've lived in Hurricane Country. Okaloosa County is one of the top places in the US for lightning strikes and both Duane and our house have been hit since we have lived here. Luckily, neither hit was too serious but it was enough to remind us of the awesome power of mother nature. Tonight, we are prepping for what might be the biggest show of power we have seen to date. We have managed to avoid any hurricanes while living here but Gustav is on his way and the panhandle is oddly quiet as everyone settles in to await his arrival. The past few days have been filled with warnings and storm tracker alerts. We have gassed our vehicles and beat the shortage - many stations are now out of gas. We have made extra ice to put in the deep freeze in case we lose power. We have stocked batteries and lanterns and flashlights, water and canned spaghettios. We covered our computers and classrooms in plastic on Friday afternoon. We have double checked our alert rosters for the battalion families and reviewed the procedures for hurricane evacuation and tropical storm safety procedures. We are as ready as we can be.

This afternoon, the activity seemed to slow as the sky darkened and people realized that they had done all they could. The local channels have gone to continuous storm reporting - updating the weather and the local warnings as well as giving directions to shelters in outlying states for the areas of Alabama that are being evacuated. We are now officially under a Hurricane Warning with an additional warning of storm surges causing waves in excess of 6 feet. It is thought that Gustav will touch down within 24 hours and luckily, it appears that the panhandle will avoid the worst of it. It seems that we will most likely just get storm surges with high winds, high water, and possible flooding or loss of power. We feel pretty safe out here on Camp - we are further away from the Gulf than the town is. For once, living in the middle of nowhere seems to be paying off. Duane is on his way home from Ft. Benning and I am crossing my fingers that the weather will hold off enough for him to make it home tonight. In any case, I am going to shut the computer down once it starts to storm and keep my fingers crossed that at worst, we will be watching a phenomenal show by flashlight with a cold can of spaghettios. :) Keep all those on the Gulf in your thoughts and prayers as many are evacuating for a second time, preparing for the possibility of losing it all again. It certainly puts life into perspective and reminds us of the incredible power of the creation in which we live.......

Back to School!

This week, Okaloosa County schools headed back to the classroom and our family headed back to school. Kaitlyn is in the 1st grade this year and was over the moon that she has her reading teacher from last year as her 1st grade teacher this year. Samantha is joining Kaitlyn and me at LJPS for the first time in the Pre-K class. She has Ms. Brown and absolutely adores her. Now that Sam is in school, our whole family wears uniforms: Duane his ACU's, me, the LJPS teacher uniform (sooo fond of that navy blue blazer...) and the girls in their LJPS uniforms. It sure makes getting ready easier. It's also a relief to have the girls in the same place. Given the commute off Camp, any drive is a long one so not having to drive to two different schools makes the day so much easier. Hope everyone else is having a great beginning to the school year or an enjoyable last few weeks of summer!

The first day of school

First Dress Uniform Day

The Tooth Fairy visits Rudderville

Kaitlyn has been desperate to lose a tooth all year and a few weeks ago she finally had her first loose tooth. Last Saturday, it popped right out and we went to work preparing for a tooth fairy visit. Kaitlyn put her tooth in special box and wouldn't you know it, the tooth fairy came to visit. She left a special note for Kaitlyn with plenty of tooth fairy dust on it, as well as $2 and a book about the tooth fairy. Kaitlyn was very excited and even wrote a little note back to the tooth fairy. Here is Kaitlyn's new gap toothed smile:

Summer Gymnastics

The girls begged to take gymnastics with their friend Camden this summer at US Gold in FWB. They both did very well and LOVE it so I guess we'll be adding gymnastics to the list of after school lessons this year........

Kaitlyn demonstrating her backbend

Sam at the bars, one of her favorites

Sam and Camden on the rope

Ranger Wives Swamp Walk '08'

Yesterday was Camp Rudder's annual Wives Swamp Walk. Like most battalions in the Army, 6th RTB holds an annual "Jane Wayne" or "GI Jane" day, however you like to refer to it. Generally, this is a day for the wives and families of soldiers fire a few weapons and maybe do an obstacle course or some other "Army" type event that their husbands would normally do. The 6th RTB Wives Swamp Walk puts all other Wives days to shame. After all, this is the hardest stage of Ranger School, the school that turns out the most elite soldiers in the Army so of course our wives are a little tougher - or perhaps just a little crazier.......

We began our day with inprocessing and medical screening in the battalion classroom. This was followed by the Native Reptile briefing so we would know what to watch out for in the Swamp. Do you think I'm kidding? All the snakes used in the briefing were caught locally at Camp Rudder. We then got to see the Reptile Team feed two of our 4 resident alligators, Stumpy and Vincent. Stumpy is a 3 legged female, brought to us several years ago as a rescue animal. Vincent was acquired last year from St. Augustine's alligator reserve as part of a trade. He is rather large at over 12 feet long. Stumpy has just laid eggs and is a little feisty so the feeding was quite a show. We are all excited about the eggs and are hoping for some little Ranger Gators soon.

After the Gator feeding, we loaded onto transport vehicles by company and headed down to Yellow River. Let me just say that "transport vehicle" is a rather generous term that implies safe transport from one destination to the next. I feel truly sorry for the soldiers that are forced to ride in these "vehicles" that consist of nothing more than skinny wooden benches covered by a tarp canopy. My behind has some heinously painful bruises from bumping around on those benches. The obvious lack of shock absorbers didn't help the situation, nor did the driver who appeared rather unconcerned with his erratic swerving and sudden stops that threw several of our passengers to the floor and required a team effort to achieve recovery. Despite our precarious journey, we arrived at the first station in good spirits, ready to conquer our competition. Our firts task was firing weapons. We listned (well, kind of) to the instructions of the RI's (Ranger Instructors) and donned our protective eye wear and ear protection before cheering each other on as we fired the M-4, SAW, and M-240. I must admit, I like firing big guns. I'm not sure what that says about me but I'm not going to dwell on it for too long. :)

After firing some serious guns, we refilled our Camelbaks at the water buffalo, dug through the stacks of MRE's for the least revolting options, picked up our walking sticks and headed down the trail to Yellow River. Did I mention that Bravo Company wives led the way??? We arrived first (of course), staked out our bleacher spots for the water borne operations briefing, and tore into our MRE's. OK, so I had to have Yohanna open the package and show me how to work the heater thingie and still managed to nearly burn the heck out of my hand with it ....but, I got it working and ate a few bites of "Vegetarian Cheese Tortellini in Marinara Sauce" which was surprisingly decent for something that has a shelf life of a million years. Yohanna, our experienced prior Army expert, introduced us all to the delicacy of crackers with Jalepeno Cheese Spread which is also, suprisingly good.

After our culinary adventures, we expertly secured our safety lines and caribiners in preparation for the Rope Bridge crossing. OK, by"expertly secured" I mean Mary's husband Eric (SFC. Salmond to the rest of you) tied them on for us. Hey, we know how to use our resources! ;) The "rope bridge" is not a bridge over the water but a rope strung from bank to bank (tied on trees) that you hook your caribiner to and swim hand over hand across the river. The reason for this is that the current and the weight of your boots and gear would drag you under if you simply tried to swim. Rangers that use the rope bridge are actually carrying several hundred pounds of equipment and weapons in rucksacks so it is a necessary tool for navigating water. I was just carrying the extra pounds that a couple kids add to your hips over the years, but that's challenging enough for me. Needless to say, the Bravo wives were the swiftest swimmers and crossed the river twice with no problem. What can I say, we rocked.

Following the rope bridge crossing, we were given life jackets and a Zodiak boat that we carried to the water. Once every boat was loaded, we took off down the river, rowing with determination. We were just a tad competitive and spent much of our time attempting to run one of the other boats off course and using our oars to soak them with river water. They did the same to us which wasn't so bad, considering the heat. Once we docked, we lined up, took head count, and headed into the swamp. There is not a lot that I can say to describe the swamp. Imagine stepping, fully clothed, into a giant puddle of stinking, bubbly mud, up to your waist. As you walk, you step into and trip over gigantic root systems that you cannot see. Sometimes, the ground simply drops off and you sink into the mud up to your armpits or worse, fall into it. One wife in our group aptly described the mud as a big puddle of baby poo. For many of the wives, this is the worst part of the walk. There was a lot of screaming and falling but B co. managed to make it out unscathed and in good humor. We loaded our stinky, nasty, mud covered selves back into the glorious contraptions that the Army refers to as transportation and bounced our way back to Camp, wondering several times if we would actually make it in one piece. Upon arriving at Camp, we schlepped our way down the street towards home until Desiree's husband (SFC. Olsen) took pity on us and let us cram in the back of the subaru. I have never appreciated hot, running water, Bath and Body Works products, and fluffy towels quite so much.

If anyone wants a REAL Florida Swamp experience, come visit next August! If you just want to live vicariously through our experience, log onto www.nwfdailynews.com and look under photo galleries for the Wives Swamp Walk to see a real Florida Swamp and some real Army Wives!

Griffins!

Last night we got to go to the hospital to see our newest little Ranger, Griffin Matthew Hire. He is adorable! Our friends Jason and Yohanna and their two little girls were there to see the baby as well so it was one big party of B Co. families in the room. It just so happens that Jason's last name is Griffin so there has been much teasing amongst the guys about Matt and Brooke choosing Griffin as a first name for their little boy. :) We know another Griffin, our friend SSG. Darrell Griffin who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Balad, Iraq last year. It is a good, strong name for a little boy to grow into and we are excited that the newest little Griff is here and healthy and destined to do great things! :)

Duane and Baby Griffin

Big Griffin and Little Griffin

(just a reminder, Big Griffin is not Little Griffin's Daddy!)

Beautiful Momma and her handsome little man

Something Blue......

Congratulations are in order for our friends Brooke and Matt and their daughter Camden who welcomed a baby brother this evening! There has been some debate about the name and Matt seemed unsure when he called so we will have to wait and see. Baby boy is healthy and Momma is doing great so all you B co. ladies, give it up for Brooke and the newest little B Co. Ranger! I guess we'll excuse her from the Swamp Walk this one time.......

Two down, one still in the oven!

Dolphin Cruise!

We returned from Birmingham on Friday afternoon, unpacked, reorganized, and headed out Saturday for a Dolphin Cruise in the Gulf. The Swamp Rangers Association is the Florida Chapter of the Worldwide Rangers Association - retired US Army Rangers who get together and support the current Ranger regiment, Rangers, and their families. We are so very lucky to have these wonderful retired soldiers and their wives who do so many nice things for us and pass on so much wisdom about life in the Army. Saturday, they chartered a boat to take about 100 or so of our families out in the Gulf to see some dolphins and just enjoy a day with friends and family. The girls were beyond excited to see the school of dolphins that followed our boat. I tried to get some pictures but wasn't very successful as I spent most of my time trying to make sure the girls didn't go overboard in their excitement! We had a fabulous time and can't wait to do it again.

The girls and their friends, Gavin & Addie

The best dolphin picture I could get

Downtown Birmingham

Our second day in Birmingham included our visit to Dr. Grant at Children's Hospital......

and a visit to the Civil Rights Institute. Having taught the Civil Rights movement numerous times, I was really looking forward to the visit. The museum is incredible - every display is multi-media interactive and charts the Civil Rights Movement both nationally and locally. The institute is located on 16th Street, directly across from the 16th Street Baptist Church that was bombed during the 1960's, taking the lives of 4 young girls and catapulting the struggle for equality in Birmingham to national attention. The 16th Street Baptist Church is still a standing church with an active congregation. There are no pictures allowed in the museum but I did take a few from outside. It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by so much history. If you ever have the chance to visit, don't miss the Civil Rights Institute.

American Village Visit

On our first day in Birmingham, we drove into Montevallo to visit the American Village. American Village is a reproduciton of Colonial America with a chapel, colonial houses, George Washington's Virginia estate, a courthouse, and a tavern. Professional actors play the parts of key historical figures and do an amazing job. Each actor has studied colonial history and their character extensively, allowing them to answer even obscure questions correctly without ever breaking character.

To begin our day, we visited Constitution Hall where Thomas Jefferson was addressing the Constitutional Congress abouth the need for a Declaration of our Independence from King George of England.

After hearing about the need for more volunteers for the regular Army, we proceeded to an encampment of the Rhode Island regular Army and, after passing a physical (2 good legs? 2 good arms? 2 good teeth?) were asked to enlist to fight the British. Duane, Kaitlyn and I enlisted along with several other visitors.

We were schooled in how to load, fire, and shoulder a musket, fix a bayonet, and march in a line. We also got to witness the prepping and firing of a cannon.

After our enlistment and training, we took a break in the dining room of George Washington's Virginia estate. Here we met his daughter in law who had come to keep her mother in law company while the men were away fighting the British. She taught us about the importance of dance in social and political situations and the girls and I got to learn a minuette and perform it. Kaiti and Sam were quite enamored with our instructor's dress and accent! After dancing lessons, we visited the tavern where we learned three gambling games which we played quite successfully. Sam, we discovered, is quite adept at 9 pins! After our little foray into gambling, we headed back to the Virginia estate to meet George Washington himself. He told us all about the statue crafted in his honor as well as the politics of the war and our emerging nation. He even discussed with Duane the tactics and politics surrounding Roger's Rangers, some of the first United States Army Rangers! Following our visit with George, we paid a visit to the courtroom and learned of colonial legal proceedings from a magistrate. He even described in detail some of the punishments! We ended our visit with a viewing of the colonial chapel, the Oval Office, and, of course, the gift shop. We highly recommend American Village if you ever have the chance to visit Alabama! It was incredible and the girls had a blast.

Birmingham Trip '08'

Confederate Flag in front of school

Cotton Fields

Every summer, we make a 5 hour trip to Birmingham, Alabama to see Kaitlyn's Cleft Team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Children's Hospital for a check in and re-evaluation. UAB is a huge complex of medical centers that dominates the entire south end of the city of Birmingham. It is rated among the top 3 hospitals in the nation, second only to the Mayo Clinic, and is a leader in Craniofacial research. In addition to its impeccable credentials, UAB Childrens has some of the kindest Dr's and nurses any parent could ask for. The hospital is built with children in mind, with paintings hung at a child's height and waiting rooms full of interactive toys, bright colors, and Dora the Explorer cartoons. When you go to Cleft Clinic, the waiting room is packed with dozens of other families and children waiting to see Dr. Grant and his team for their yearly check in or for post or pre-op appointments. Kids play and run around at will while parents meet and chat and share pictures and stories. All in all, it is one of the most enjoyable Dr. visits one could ever make.

For us, the 5 hour drive necessitates that we arrive a day early and leave a day after the appointment. This year and last year we decided to extend our stay by a few days and have a mini-vacation. So of course, Kaitlyn now thinks that Dr. Grant visits are the best because they include vacation time!:) Unlike the Northwest, the Southeast does not have well planned freeways and interstates that take you from one destination to the next simply by knowing the appropriate on ramps or exit numbers. Our drive to Birmingham takes us through the panhandle of Florida, winding through small towns like Florala and Crestview until we hit the Alabama state line and cross into Andalusia and a host of other tiny towns. We pass pastures of cows and horses, endless fields of cotton and old brick homes, tiny Main Streets, roadside stands of boiled or roasted peanuts, and huge trees with Spanish Moss climbing the trunks. It really is a beautiful drive that reminds you fo our country's history. Of course, we also pass a few uniquely Southern sights: A Confederate flag flying large and proud in front of the town school and my favorite from this year's drive, a huge sign reading "Go to Church or the Devil will Get you!!!" compelte with a little red devil and pitchfork. There are certain sights that you really only see in the not so politically correct South. After winding through the many sights along Route 55, we finally hit our first Interstate, I-65 near Montgomery, Alabama. Right inside of Montgomery, we take a break and stop at Priester's Pecans, a nearly 100 year old Pecan Candy factory where you can watch them make the candies and sample plenty of Pecan infused delights. Once we have stuffed ourselves and bought some pecans to ship to Mom, we head back to I-65 and begin working our way towards Selma, Alabama..............

Neighborhood Festivities

Here are a few pics of the kids at the Rudderville/ B co. 4th of July BBQ and Fireworks show.....

Independence Day

"For those who have fought for it, Freedom has a taste the protected will never know." (Gen. Patton)

Today is the 4th of July, the day we mark the independence of our nation, or at least eat a lot of BBQ with family and friends. As the evening wanes, we might watch a local fireworks display accompanied by some patriotic music. Perhaps we place a few small flags in our potted plants and dress in red, white, and blue. We enjoy the extra days off from work and the time to catch up with friends and family. The 4th of July is the midway point in summer, the weekend that reminds us that school supplies will soon be on sale and we need to take advantage of the weather while we can.

It wasn't always this way. Over 200 years ago, this was a day heralded by the world, the day that brave men had sacrificed their lives for. It was a day that people had prayed for, had given sons and husbands and brothers for. On that 4th of July, people knew what they were celebrating: Freedom. The intangible goal for which they had risked all they had and given more than they had thought possible. I can't say that I know how they felt because I have never had to risk so much or sacrifice so much for the freedom I enjoy each day.

As Americans, we are lucky to live in relative ignorance of the cost of freedom. In fact, we have lived in such ignorance for so long that we have begun to think that Freedom is something that is owed to us, something we can expect. We are lucky enough to believe that it is our right to raise our children in a safe place where they will be educated and encouraged to achieve their goals. We are lucky enough to believe that we have the unquestionable right to speak what we feel strongly about, to share our opinions, and to stand for the things we believe in without persecution. The reality is that we do not have the right to expect any of these things. These expectations that we have are the fruit of Freedom and Freedom has a cost that we do not like to think about.

I don't like to think about the cost of Freedom any more than the next person. Some days I think I would be content to live in the peaceful bliss of ignorance. But that choice is not mine to make. I married a soldier. Each day I am reminded of the cost of Freedom. The combat boots that sit in stacks on the front porch, the uniforms that pile on the washer, the holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays missed, and the small voices that ask "When will Daddy come home?"all remind me of the cost of freedom. In our house, it is unavoidable. We are lucky to have my husband home right now, assigned to a training position, but I know that each moment here is precious because our next set of orders could arrive at any time and we will be back in deployment mode.
The reminders don't end when I leave our house. We live in a neighborhood of soldiers and their families. Many of my dearest friends are soldier's wives, women who understand what it is like to live a life dominated by the needs of the Army and our country. Everywhere I look, I am reminded of the cost of freedom. When I listen to speeches on the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veteran's Day about the cost of Freedom, I picture faces. Freedom is not an intangible concept for my family. I know the cost of my freedom. I know when I watch my husband play with our children because he savors each moment, knowing how many he has missed and how many he will miss in the future. I know the cost when I watch a friend embrace her husband, knowing that she is counting all the times she couldn't and all the times in the future that she will wish she could but he will be deployed or TDY, leaving her to "hold down the fort" again. I know the cost when I bid another friend goodbye as she and her husband follow their orders to another post. I know the cost when I listen to my husband talk of an old friend, a friend who is no longer here because he paid the ultimate price for my freedom. I know how much my freedom cost when I speak with that same friend's wife, and am humbled by her courage, her determination, her warrior spirit. But mostly, I know the cost of my freedom when I hold my husband's hand and remember all the times I wanted to but couldn't and all the times ahead that I will feel the same.

I often think that if I had the choice I would live in ignorant bliss of the cost of Freedom. But then I stop myself because I know that deep down, I am proud to know the cost of my freedom. I am proud to be married to a man that keeps that freedom alive for me and all those who live in ignorant bliss of the cost. I am proud that my children, as young as they are, know enough to shush those around them when the National Anthem is played and stand with their dimpled little hands over their hearts, chests out and heads up. Knowing the cost of my freedom and knowing well the names and faces of the men and women who keep it for me makes me savor it a little more. So this 4th of July, if you aren't sure what you are celebrating or how to celebrate it, let me make a suggestion: celebrate the simple joys of freedom - having friends and family, a place to raise your children, a future to encourage them towards, and the privilege of believing in something and standing for it. And men and women who, like those first revolutionists, are willing to risk all so that you can enjoy these simple pleasures that so many others do not have.

The spirit that first bought us our Freedom in America is not dead, it lives in the men and women who risk without thought for themselves in the hopes that our freedom will continue and that others who have never had freedom will have the joy of savoring it for the first time.

Helping Mommy...

Here are a few pics of Kaiti and Sam "helping" me at Dance Team practice. They warm up with the "big girls" and try to dance with them at every practice. The girls on the team spoil Kaiti and Sam and make a point to stop by Kaitlyn's Kindergarten room and wave whenever they can. I know that teenagers can come across as selfish at times but this is one of the reasons I love teaching this age - they really are just sweet little kids at heart who really take the time to make my little girls feel special. :)

Dance, Dance, Dance...

After all the practicing and last minute details, packing lists and uniform mishaps, June 20th, the first day of Dance Camp, arrived. The toughest part of my day was saying goodbye to Duane and the girls. Duane took a few days off to stay home with him and his mom drove in from Oklahoma but I have NEVER left the girls overnight. I'm sure I drove Duane nuts with all my instructions, none of which he really needed, but he humored me. :) After managing to shove all the gear and food that 16 pre-teen girls require into 5 different vehicles and making a quick stop at Starbucks, we hit Hwy 98 to Panama City Beach and the Edgewater Resort. After arriving and signing in, the girls started right into choreography and technique classes with the home routine competition that night. We soon realized that we were the youngest girls at the camp with the majority of teams in our division being from Jr. High (7th, 8th, and 9th grades) compared to our Middle School team (6th, 7th, and 8th grades) and that we were at the camp with the defending national champions for the last 5 years in addition to some very strong teams with long running programs. The girls were definitely intimidated but they stuck it out. Dance camp is no joke for those of you who think it might include a lot of flitting around in pretty little ballet outfits. The girls dance from 8:00am until 9:00pm with brief lunch and dinner breaks and are expected to practice with their coaches after they finish their 9:00 pm class. To describe the whole experience would take a book, so I will just sum it up:

• I am now completely positive that my 2 little girls will be enough. After spending 4 days with 16 pre-teens, making sure they shower, making their breakfast and keeping track of their things, not to mention keeping them away from the Babe Ruth baseball tournament boys who were also staying at the resort, I am EXHAUSTED!
• I will be investing in ear plugs when my own daughters reach middle school. It seems that EVERYTHING a pre-teen girls says must be said in a screech or a squeal........
• In spite of the aforementioned distractions, the girls did amazingly well....better than I could ever have expected. As a brand new team at a very competitive camp, I did not expect anything at all except for them to be exposed to other dancers and instructors. We walked away with a 3rd place Trophy for our home routine, a Superior Team trophy for the most amount of blue ribbons of any team in the division, 2 of my girls made the national All Star team, we received our bid to Nationals at Disney World on ESPN and an invite to the Capital One Bowl performance. I could never have imagined how well the girls would do! I am very proud of them and VERY, VERY tired.

Practice Makes Perfect

Most of you know that as soon as school ended, I started 4-5 hour practices with my dance team. I've always coached either dance or cheer but when we moved to Florida, the school already had someone coaching a small dance team so I got to take a few years off and just help her out instead of heading things up. Well, this next year I will be taking over the team. Our school is very small so the team has always been small and never competed. I decided to increase our numbers this year and take the girls to UDA Dance Camp to get them used to competition and provide them with a little extra technique instruction. Tryouts went well and out team increased from 5 girls to 16, the largest our small charter school has ever had. I acquired a wonderful assistant coach who happens to be Kaitlyn's kindergarten math teacher. We did a few fundraisers for uniforms before the school was out and had a few after school practices to get to know the girls and their abilities. Once we ended school and uniforms were ordered, we started preparing in earnest for camp. Universal Dance Association Camps are 4 intense days of learning choreography and technique and also offer a competition for originally choreographed "home" routines. Most established teams hire a professional choreographer to create the home routine and have months to practice with their many returning members. With this being a new program, we only had a few weeks between the end of the school year and the beginning of camp to practice with all of our new members and to choreograph a routine that utilized their skills. And of course, we did not have the budget for a professional choreographer so it was just me and my team captain. Many teams also have a trainer who works on cardio and strength training. We don't have that but we do have ....Duane! Duane worked out a training regimen for my girls and came several days to instruct. Some of my girls nearly cried when they saw him come the second time.......but they stuck it out. :) Duane is a tough task master for anyone but for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls who have no experience with preparing for any sort of competition, he is a bit intimidating! Here are a few pics of all of our preparations.....

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

On June 9th (I know, 3 weeks ago....) the girls had their annual ballet recital. Mom and Dad flew in the day before to visit so they got to see the girls dance. Kaiti and Sam were both in the same Ballet and Tap class this year so they had matching outfits and got to dance together which they loved. I was the class mom and had the rather debatable pleasure of sitting in a tiny backstage room with 16 little girls and changing them from ballet to tap shoes and back again, organizing them in their formations before the curtains rose, fixing hair and costume mishaps, entertaining and feeding snacks for 4 hours. The girls were adorable and not frightened at all of performing - in fact, they ate it up, grinning and blowing kisses at their fans. I only have a few pictures from before we took them backstage so here they are, dancing around with their little friends. They danced their official performances to "Tutti Frutti" (Tap) and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (ballet).

Summer is Here...I think???

I would say that means I can relax and enjoy that quinessential benefit of teaching - summers off - but............that would be too easy. School let out for the kiddos on Thursday at noon and Friday was a post planning staff day (read: teachers come in to do all the paperwork that makes a school run). In addition to the massive paperwork and meetings required on Friday, I also ran a Car Wash fundraiser for the dance team I coach. To summarize, I spent my Friday running back and forth between the grades on my computer, meetings, and supervising 16 pre-teens with hoses and soap. Oh! I almost forgot the baby shower that I helped host for our Before and After Care Director as well. Whew! By the end of the day I was exhausted. My "free" summer break is shaping up like this:

Mom and Dad arrive on Saturday which is also the all day rehearsal for the girl's Ballet Recital, for which I am the room mom and will spend most of the day backstage with 20 little 3-6 year olds.

Sunday is the Recital, which takes most of the day and in which both girls and myself will perform. Oh yes, that's right, they make all us old moms learn a dance and perform too. They NEVER tell you about these types of things before you have kids........ Oh, and Duane leaves for Ft. Benning for Ranger Hall of Fame.

Monday is back to work for more meetings to close out the year.

Tuesday and Wednesday are blessedly free of any obligations other than hanging with my parents.

Thursday we begin 4 hour a day practices with the Dance Team in preparation for Camp. This continues without break (except Sunday) until the 20th of June, which is when we leave, at the crack of dawn, to drive to Panama City Beach for our Camp at the Edgewater Resort. I know that sounds exciting but imagine living on a roll out bed in a condo with 6 pre-teen girls who do not know how to do their own laundry or make their own meals. ........

We come home from Camp on the 23rd. And I almost forgot.....my parents leave the 18th and my mother in law arrives on the 20th, the day I leave, to help Duane with the kiddos.

The 24th - my 3rd free day of the summer, most likely spent unpacking and re-organizing.

25th and 26th of June - up in Pensacola for a Writing Teachers Conference.

Perhaps by the 27th of June, my summer will actually begin. SO, for all of those out there who feel the need to say "Teaching? That must be so easy, you end each day at 3:00pm (HA HA!!!) and you get the summers off! " the next time you feel like saying that to a teacher, be prepared for a nasty look, at the least.

Ahhhhh, Summer........I'll love it when it actually arrives..........

K is for Kindergarten

Graduation! On Monday night, Kaitlyn had her Kindergarten "graduation." It was, of course, absolutely adorable. The kids all wore their dress uniforms, recited the pledge of allegiance and the mission statement of the school:

"We are a caring community of learners, dedicated to making the world a better place through academic preparation, good manners, common sense, and 100% effort!"

They also treated all the parents to 3 songs in Spanish, led by their Spanish teacher and complete with little dance motions that were absolutely hilarious. Kaitlyn was one of a few that recited part of an acrostic poem (Kindergarten). She was responsible for the letter "R" and recited "R is for remembering all the things we've learned." Cameras flashed contiuously, Kleenex was distributed in large quantities, and little ones laughed and giggled in the risers and waved to the audience - it was a successful evening. On to first grade!!

Bare Feet in the Sand

For Memorial Day weekend, some old friends of ours came to visit. We were all stationed at Ft. Lewis together, they are now at Ft. Benning, GA and are getting ready to PCS to Germany. We had a good time showing them around Florida. A bunch of the guys took all the little girls boating out at Crab Island while the mommies went shopping on Okaloosa Island, we had Sam's birthday party, swam in the pool, and went out for dinner at the Crab Trap - a great restaurant right on the gulf with a playground on the beach. After dinner, the kids played at the beach playground and ran into the surf until well after dark. Here are a few pics of all the kids at dinner and in the sand...