Veteran’s Day 2011

12. November 2011 · Comments Off on Veteran’s Day 2011 · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Happy Veteran’s Day friends!  I am just getting this in under the wire for my daily post, trying to keep with my NaBloPoMo challenge!

Dave Update: First of all, it got pretty tough for us last night with Dave’s back.  He started getting some intense muscle spasms that weren’t resolving with the medications he had been prescribed.  So we ended up at the ER, he was so uncomfortable.  They were able to give him stronger muscle relaxers and that seemed to help him out.  We were only at the ER for 1 hour, 45 minutes, which has to be a record for us!

Today Dave took it easy, similar to how things were the day he came home from the hospital last week.  The doctor recommended some changes to his medications and how often he wears his back brace to help with the muscle spasms.  This seemed to help and today was MUCH better than yesterday.  The officer who’s acting commander for Dave’s squadron came by this afternoon — brought us a HUGE cheesecake variety sampler — and visited with him for a while.  It was nice to see Dave have visitors.

This morning the boys and I were part of their Cub Scout pack participating in the Pensacola Veteran’s Day parade.  It was a 1 mile march through historic downtown Pensacola.  The boys were very good, nicely taking turns carrying the pack and American flags.

After the parade, we visited Pensacola’s new Veterans Memorial Park, which includes the nation’s only replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Scouts took turns carrying the flag.  I had my phone timer set for 5 minutes after every handoff (just to play fair) but the boys rarely lasted more than 5 minutes at a time.  Their arms got pretty tired….

Before we started…they were having fun!

This is a reporter from the Pensacola News Journal (local newspaper).  She interviewed the scouts about the parade.

We had to walk behind this giant Pinewood Derby car.  Yes, the boys noticed.  Yes, the boys asked “When do we get to ride?”  No, it wasn’t an option.

The replica Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial that’s now in downtown Pensacola.  It’s really nice…

These are the GEICO Skytypers, who were performing at the NAS Pensacola “Welcome Home” Airshow that the Blue Angels gives every Veteran’s Day weekend.  You see the words “Naval Aviation” here, they were writing “The Cradle of Naval Aviation”, which is what Pensacola calls itself.

Sorry this is upside down, but I thought it was cool.

Look what we found!
It isn’t very big,  I’m afraid.

Fall 2011 Cub Scout Family Camp

12. October 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , ,

This past weekend our family headed to the Spanish Trail Scout Reservation near Defuniak Springs and had a weekend campout.

The scout council here calls it “Cub Scout Family Camp” and it’s a great weekend.  Three weekends in October were made available expressly for Cub Scout-friendly activities.  Any Cub Scout families could register for any of the weekends they wanted, but our pack in Navarre elected to go as a group to the Columbus Day weekend event.

Last spring I had to leave the camping one evening early so I could run that half marathon, but this time I got to enjoy the Saturday night bonfire and skit show.  What fun!!!

I made a cherry-dark chocolate dump cake (similar to this recipe that I did back in June, but with “dark chocolate” cake mix) on Friday night and was a hit with the families in Jacob’s den.

Jacob took a fall from the stack of palettes sitting behind our campsite (you’ll see them pictured below).  A group of boys was playing and too many boys ended up on the palettes and Jacob fell into our camp chairs.  There are suspicions that he was pushed, but no one saw for sure so there’s little we can do about that.  He got bruised up, but we had the doctor check him out earlier this week just for good measure.  All is well.

The members of our pack who came on the Saturday morning group hike.  Jacob’s on the far left, Timmy’s in orange.

There’s a “monkey bridge” across a creek.  Miss Chris (one of the den leaders) is in the water playing spotter.

I’m so glad neither boy fell into the water…although Timmy dunked his shoes into the water later on after crossing the bridge.  He had some closed-toe Keen sandals that he wore the rest of the weekend.

At the BB Gun range.

Dave helping Timmy.

Timmy was able to earn his BB Gun belt loop this past weekend (and Archery too!)

Timmy with some other Tiger Scouts (and a soon-to-be Tiger).

Dave making dinner.  We’re glad we brought the shelter, it did sprinkle on us some Saturday night. Note the palettes stacked behind us (they’re for Boy Scout summer camp).  Note the kid standing on them on the left right.  Note the Dad with the laptop — listening to the Virginia Tech game (it was a SQUEAKER!)

Getting ready for the evening skit.

Nice photobomb, Timmy!

Fried potatoes and onions — can’t go wrong there!

I made tacos for Saturday evening dinner.  I never thought to do it on a campout before, but it’s amazingly easy — all you have to cook is the ground beef!

This is the evening bonfire, the kids are dancing around it.

My only glimpse of Timmy — and my phone’s battery died after that.  Not bad…it stayed alive for about 40 hours.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

26. September 2011 · Comments Off on Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

I got home from Air Force Reserve duty Nebraska last Wednesday night.  It was my birthday, and the boys picked me up at the airport and we went out for Korean food at our new favorite Korean restaurant, called Okie Dokie in Fort Walton Beach.  It was a good week in Nebraska but it was nice to be home.  I missed my boys!

I can’t believe I took this picture with my very own camera!  My iPhone camera, at that!  Sunset from Navarre Beach, Florida last Friday night.  This is what was awaiting me after 10 days in Nebraska!

It’s been very busy since I’ve been home.  Lots to do in the community: from helping out with the base spouses’ club, to writing for GeekMom, to supporting Dave’s squadron, to helping with the book fair at Timmy’s school, to helping in a new endeavor:

Yep.  That’s me in Boy Scout getup.  The pack needed leaders and since the rest of my family was involved, and I tag along on all the events anyway, it really wasn’t much more work.  So I’m Timmy’s Tiger Cub Den Leader and so far, so good!  The kids and the families are great!
The dynamic duo selling popcorn at our local Walmart last Saturday.  Timmy is destined to be a salesman when he grows up!  Jacob has become more shy in his old age.

I’m due back in Nebraska in about 3 weeks, but there will be plenty to keep me busy between now and then.

My Cub Scouts — All Three of Them!

02. September 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Last weekend Timmy was finally able to don a Cub Scout uniform like his big brother.  They sold popcorn at our local Lowe’s store for about an hour.  They both did really well and they don’t think fundraisers suck.  We’ll see how long that lasts….

I remember when Jacob used to be Mr. Smiley.  Now it’s a struggle to get him to smile without (a) being reluctant or (b) being ultra-silly.

I’ll probably be the 4th scout in this picture within the month.  Tonight I tossed my name in the ring to be Timmy’s den leader…I did a lot of the legwork helping out Jacob’s Tiger den in 2008-2009.  

We couldn’t hand down as much of the uniform as we’d hoped.  The hat and scarf slide, that’s it.

We won’t talk about how many “takes” we had for this genuine smile.

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