A Work in Progress — Timmy’s Halloween Costume!

20. October 2008 · Comments Off on A Work in Progress — Timmy’s Halloween Costume! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I can’t remember if I’d mentioned it before, but Timmy declared around Labor Day that he wants to be R2-D2 for Halloween.

And of course I agreed.

I already finished Jake’s costume, which is described here. I’m still trying to convince Jake to shave his head like Mace Windu. We’ll see…

After some discussion with Maryann about materials — her son Joey also wanted to be an R2 unit for Halloween, I figured a small bullet trashcan would be our best bet to fit onto Timmy. Maryann investigated those large cylindrical soda receptacles that you see at convenient stores, but ended up going with the bullet garbage can, too.

At our local Home Depot, we came across this Rubbbermaid small bullet can — perfect!

So we’re off! We also picked up some assorted R2-D2 colored spray paints (blue, chrome, white) and here we go!

First things first, Timmy’s going to wear the trash can as a tube, so we had to cut the bottom out of the can.

So first I used a drill to put holes along the sides of the bottom edge.

A close up of the holes.

So with a couple slices with a keyhole saw, the bottom popped right off. But we were left with all this debris. I started with some 100 grit sandpaper, but that was futile…

But a box-cutter was perfect! I was able to shave off the excess plastic, then used the 100 grit sandpaper to fine-tune the edge.

Next task, painting the wastebaskets. We could only find that silver/coppery colored can, so it had to be painted white…

I wanted low humidity and not much wind, but in Nebraska in the fall, forget it! Today is the last dry day for a while, but it was quite breezy so I just made sure to remain upwind of the spray and we did okay.

Presenting, the white-painted trash can! Coming soon, masking and painting R2’s…uh…accoutrements?

No Pressure…Really

14. October 2008 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

I am a Florida voter.

(But I wasn’t a Florida voter in 2000 during the Bush-Gore debacle).

I’ve received questions along the lines of “How are you a Florida voter? You were living in North Carolina…now you live in Nebraska. Shouldn’t you be voting in Nebraska now?”

So I’ll point you here to discuss the laws that govern how military members vote, particularly in federal elections.

Florida has traditionally been a Republican state, but things seem to be turning. I don’t want to focus on the left-lean of her blog, but the Huffington Post points to some recent numbers that suggest that Florida will once again be at the center of attention this election season.

That being said, I’m starting to get wooed by folks suggesting that indeed by vote counts! My military absentee ballot will help drive the electors one way or another. And electors in Florida the Swing State might actually count for something…again.

But which way to vote?

I don’t know. Really, I don’t. To be honest, for the first time in my life, I’m not naturally drawn to the Republican candidate. There are many things important to me that the Democratic candidate is offering a better outlook on Iraq policy, energy, Veteran’s affairs, Social Security, helping Americans through our recession/depression, etc. But the Republican’s platform on immigration, health care and education are more appealing to me.

I don’t know what to do — I want to get my absentee ballot mailed off at the end of this week…this decision will be haunting me till then.

Operation Marriage

13. October 2008 · Comments Off on Operation Marriage · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

A Good Read. This doesn’t endorse one candidate or another, but reminds us of the few in America who are fighting for the freedoms of the whole country.

It’s a tough place to be in: on the one hand, I’m grateful that I’m only going to the Middle East for a very short time, and that in 2003 Dave was only in Iraq for a very short time also. But on the other hand, is it fair that those Soldiers, Marines and Airmen who have been on multiple tours carry my family’s burden?

Wondertwin Powers, Activate!

09. October 2008 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,


Over the weekend I officially got permission to post a nice photo and talk about Paul on my blog. He’s my USAF “partner in crime”, we’ve been colleagues for as long as I’ve been a reservist — nearly 4 years! We now work together in SC, although I actually only see him 3-4 times per year on the occasional drill weekend. He’s in a holding pattern waiting to be our unit’s commander — I hope it’s soon for his sake, he’s starting to bounce off the walls wanting to boss us around 😉

Many of the things you see on my blog are inspired by conversations I’ve had with him. Such as the polls. He and I trade ideas about cake decorating, family dinners, what new cars to buy, Wii games, new gadgets, activities to do with the family on weekends, and many many many professional matters. He and his wife introduced me to the Pioneer Woman!

In fact, just today he mailed me this blog to read. I thought I’d share with you an example of the fun stuff we discuss.

All this time I’ve been telling Paul, “Get your own blog” so he can pontificate about his adoration of Costco, GPS units, separate master bedrooms and the true value of your vote in America.

Paul and I are taking a deployment to the Middle East in 2009 — not together. He and I received permission to split a rotation, I’ll take the first half, he’ll take the 2nd. I think this is a wonderful opportunity presented to the two of us — our opportunities to serve the Global War on Terror without being away from home for too long, and a testament of the trust and friendship he and I have for each other that we both said “Okay, we’ll do it”. After all, if one of us bails, the other is held responsible for the ENTIRE trip.

For those who knew this was coming up, I won’t discuss the details here, but I’m leaving sometime after Christmas and should be back in early April. I’m not going to Iraq or Afghanistan, but to another location that supports those locations. Please rest assured that I will be safe in this location, provided the area remains as stable as it has been for the past several years. The job I’ll be performing is quite exciting and I’m sure I’ll be super-busy! Relative to most other military members, this is a very short deployment, although one day away from my boys is a day too many.

Tangent: I’ve promised to Dave that after this trip I will never voluntarily take a deployment for the remaining 6 years of my AF career. He’s going to have a challenge playing single Dad during our first Nebraska winter, and he’s been a great sport at keeping it in perspective. He wants to introduce the boys to skiing while I’m gone!

So here’s to you Paul (I’m raising my cotton boll to you!) — thanks for your personal and professional friendship, and for splitting the trip the desert.

PS: The picture above was taken in May 2008 at a picnic while we were working in SC. At first we were both posing like superheroes and the line “Wondertwin Powers, Activate!” went through my head.

New Poll! ———————————>

09. October 2008 · 10 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

This is more of a cry for assistance than anything else. I still don’t trust that my 6-year-old is brushing his teeth on his own well enough. I remember getting some serious lessons in 2nd grade (remember those pink-colored plaque tablets?)

Meanwhile, Timmy wants nothing to do with my help when he’s brushing his teeth and I know he’s cutting corners. So I butt in with ample protest every day to “finish the job.”

Feel free to add comments about your opinions!

Where Do I Begin With This One????

09. October 2008 · 6 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

First of all, I realize that I’m part of a very small American population. I’m an (almost) stay-at-home Mom who likes airplanes. And the things I’ve had to learn about American airpower are pretty nit-noid. An F-22 brings a different capability to the fight than an F-16, F-18 or F-35.

I scanned this picture from a to-remain-unnamed product catalog that I got in the mail last weekend. I’m sure many of you will see hints of where this came from and that’s fine. For the most part, I love the company. I find many unique babyproofing and kids’ travel items here, so I place orders 1-2 times per year.

I turned to this page and had to scratch my head at this one.

1.) The real Blue Angels don’t fly F/A-22 Raptors. They fly F/A-18 Hornets.

The F-22 is an Air Force aircraft. The Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s demonstration flight team. The Thunderbirds fly F-16s.

The F-18 is flown by both the Navy and the Marine Corps. The Blue Angels are the Navy’s precision flying demo team.

So I took the time to look at pictures of these two planes and I have to admit, I can’t really tell which of the two this toy is trying to emulate.

2.) So I followed a link to the F-35, which is an aircraft still in production. Several prototypes are out and about, doing testing for the Air Force, Navy and Marines. I wonder if the toy will look the most like an F-35? You be the judge.

3.) The flight suit is cute, isn’t it? I LOVE how one of the patches shows the kid as a “U.S. Air Force Top Gun”. And the F-117 patch, too. Really cute.

The “Top Gun” school made famous in the Tom Cruise movie was based on the Navy Fighter Weapon School at NAS Miramar, CA. The school is now at NAS Fallon, Nevada.

Not Air Force. I think an AF pilot might punch me if I called him a “Top Gun”.

The Air Force has a similar school at Nellis AFB, near Las Vegas, Nevada. I don’t know what nicknames are associated with the school, but I’m sure “Top Gun” isn’t one of them.

So I guess what we have here is this cute little hybrid Air Force/Navy airplane and flight suit outfit for your budding fighter pilot to enjoy. Regardless of whether he wants to join the Air Force or Navy. Think Purple — One Team, One Fight, right?

Some might argue: who the hell cares? It’s just a toy!

I guess so…

Perhaps I’ll get on a soap box another time about teaching things to kids WRONG. Especially when those things are taught to MY kids wrong.

Note: I just discovered this toy was manufactured by Little Tikes and is no-kidding marketed as an F-22. I thought it was the catalog’s misinformation. I guess not. Click on the link if you want to get one for your kid. I’m not saying “Don’t buy it!”. After all, it sure does look cute…but you won’t see me buy one. My kids need to learn to pedal their bikes/big wheels under their own power first.

Stuck Again!

06. October 2008 · 8 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

I guess it’s simply in the stars: I cannot fly from Point A to Point B without some sort of delays.

So here I am in the Columbia, SC, airport, wrapping up my 4 days of drill with my AF Reserve unit (a great productive weekend by the way), and due to a missed maintenance inspection, my aircraft can’t be flown and the agents are in the process of rescheduling everyone.

Unfortunately, they’re working on us in alphabetical order of our destination cities…they’re only on Denver after about 35 minutes, Omaha will be a while.

On the flight in from Omaha to Columbia, an aircraft mishap resulted in the airport being closed for 2 hours last Wednesday night.  They’re super careful now after the crash in Columbia a couple weeks prior.  So my flight put down in Greensville-Spartanburg and we were offered a bus to take us to Columbia. First they’d have to FIND a bus.

While that was happening, I took my life into my own hands and bummed a ride in a rental car from another woman who also didn’t want to wait for the bus. It was great, but Paul had to sit for some 2 1/2 hours waiting for me. Thanks for your patience, Paul!

This morning I had to leave my hotel at 4:30am to get to Columbia in time and we also wanted to make the trip early enough for Steve to get back to Sumter before traffic got too bad. Thanks to Steve for the ride. Too bad there are delays!

The Fabric of Our Lives

04. October 2008 · Comments Off on The Fabric of Our Lives · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,
Greetings from South Carolina again! This time, the cotton is in full bloom so this afternoon Paul and I pulled over and checked out what all the hype is about in cotton!
I took several photos of Paul picking a cotton flower, but I won’t incriminate him here!
But I know there are many of you who had no idea what I even look like in my new AF uniform, so enjoy!
(I put that piece of cotton back, by the way!)
This is possibly be my last trip to South Carolina in a long time, as I start my training for my deployment to the Middle East (not Iraq or Afghanistan) early next year. I believe my next trip will be to the Florida Panhandle in December.

I Am in LOVE

01. October 2008 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:


The city of Bellevue has an Early Childhood Center colocated with their school board headquarters building.
There are two rooms each set up like preschool classrooms and any Bellevue residents with preschool-aged children can visit. They’re open 5 days per week, 8:30 – 4:The parents stay with the children and are encouraged to participate in the activities.
Timmy and I been having a wonderful time playing house, dress up, putting together puzzles, and today Timmy threaded these wooden beads onto a string to make a necklace.

Relaxing Weekend

29. September 2008 · Comments Off on Relaxing Weekend · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,


Not quite that relaxing.

I figured I’ve give a little briefing on our weekend…we didn’t do a ton, but we had a nice time.

On Saturday, we started with a family bike ride. Dave wanted to step up his workouts a little, so he volunteered to pull the boys in the trailer on the trail. It was really tough since both boys together are now about 90 lbs…and it’s a tight squeeze for the boys, too. After several instances of fighting and one hitting episode in the trailer, by the end of the ride Dave and I we so frustrated that we decreed that if Jake wants to join the family on any more bike rides, he has to supply his own transportation.

We started near Offutt AFB and rode towards the northwest into Papillion. I’d say we went about 10 miles total.

Afterwards, we joined our neighbors Steve and Alissa, who lives behind us, for a smoked brisket dinner, cupcakes for their daughter Dawn’s 4th birthday, and Penn State football on Pay-Per-View! ABC was nationally televising the PSU-Illinois game in part of the country, but here ABC was showing Nebraska-Virginia Tech. Go figure. Steve is a Michigan State grad, so we can all say “Let’s Go State!” together, no matter who! We had a nice time hanging out drinking beers (and Woodchuck Cider) with our new friends, while the kids played and watched videos in the basement.

On Sunday, the family slept in (anything past 7:30am is “sleeping in” for the boys). Mom and Dad weren’t out of bed till after 8am, and we wanted to be out the door by 9 for Sunday school! Yikes! We quickly dressed and had breakfast and were out the door for church about 5 minutes late. That’s okay…Jake’s Sunday school class started late today anyway.

After church we hit Home Depot for the supplies for Timmy’s R2-D2 Halloween costume. A small bullet garbage can, white, silver and royal blue spray paint (the trash can is this iridescent beige color) and some masking tape. More on the costume later this week as we get to work on it. Dave will need to cut the bottom out of the trash can, then we’ll have to craft some sort of suspenders out of white duct tape (left over from Jake-the-Astronaut from 2006). Timmy’s arms will be R2’s side legs.

This afternoon we had visitors from NORTH CAROLINA! Yes! Some friends from our church in Cary, Kathryn Vollmer and her sister Ruth Schwasinger, are in town this week and paid us a visit. To our knowledge, Kathryn’s and our Vollmer families aren’t related going back several generations. Her part of the family is from the midwest, ours is from Pennsylvania.

So Kathryn and Ruth are both U. of Nebraska graduates and next weekend is Ruth’s 50th reunion! So Kathryn and Ruth are here for about 1 1/2 weeks visiting friends and family, and next weekend they’ll get to enjoy (?) the Nebraska-Missouri football game. Since Missouri is ranked #4 this week…we’ll see.

Kathryn and Ruth stopped by for about 2 hours…they’re quite a pair. If you are a fan of the movie “A Room With A View”, Kathryn and Ruth remind me of the “Miss Allens”, “Catherine” and “Teresa”. Two older sisters who enjoyed life to the fullest, traveling and spending time with friends. We spent the time talking about a wide variety of topics: books, movies, the economy, and our recent travels.

(Side note: “A Room With a View” is my favorite movie in the universe, for those who didn’t know.)

Made steaks for dinner, and enjoyed a relaxing night of watching “The Amazing Race” (beekeepers?) and the final episode of “Feasting on Waves“.

I think I’ve officially recovered from this crazy busy week — I have 3 days of further catching up before I head to South Carolina for 4 days of work.

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