Fall is over??? and I didn't even remember to post

so, the snow started falling....and the cider magically mulled itself...and cookies were baked...and I tried to remember if I had blogged before in this month or not...and I realized something....

I am not blogging, nor do I seem to be reading them much. I have decided to try to remedy that slightly.

So...the good is that I am enjoying the Springs...getting reacquainted with old (and new) friends, enjoying seasons that are not characterized solely by wind speed, keeping our home feeling homey, getting broken things from the move repaired....

The other good news is that I am keeping busy in other ways.

The bad news: Eric is traveling a lot.

And more good news (who needs much bad news) -- Eileen has been thriving. She just got her yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do...parent teacher conferences went great. When we are at home, the neighbor's kid is a bit younger but loves to come play. She is working hard at learning Hebrew and Spanish and Korean. And thus far keeps asking for more to do...rather than a break.

A New Old Home

Eileen is in school at the Colorado Springs School. We are back with a synagogue we love, people we love, in a new home for us, that we also love. Eric is working at new work. I am still figuring out which end is up -- cooking a lot...reading a lot...and driving a whole lot (Eileen's school is 30 minutes from our home....leading to hours per day in the car).

Who knows, perhaps I will get to do some knitting.

Colorado Here We Come

I have been a lousy correspondent. I would apologize, but we have been busy in strange ways. Since May I have been traveling about 2-3 times a month. Some travels included Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine Texas with Eric and Eileen for a fun time after an intense period at the base. A trip to Albuquerque - job searching for me (we were going to move there....more later on this) - these were 2 days without Eileen...making them the 2nd and 3rd night ever that I have not slept under the same roof with her. Then, Eileen and I jetted to Pittsburgh to congratulate Grandpa Ken on his retirement from close to 40 years of teaching.

Somewhere in there, Eileen graduated preschool. She had her first dance recital. She finished up her year of Suzuki violin. She took swim lessons. You get the idea...we are busy. She is over scheduled. I am the only Tiger Mom that I have met here in Wichita Falls. I am backing off.

On the way home from the Grandpa Ken trip, we got delayed in Pittsburgh. Talking to Eric, he asked how we would like to do our house hunt in Albuquerque the following weekend/early next week. The next day he called me and said that we were being Diverted to Colorado Springs.

So, now we are moving to Colorado Springs in less than two weeks. Last week (during the Waldo Canyon Fire), we spent doing a house hunt in Colorado Springs. Eileen was born in Colorado Springs; we were stationed there from 2006-2008. While we had sold our house there (okay we sold it only this past April...but how were we to know?), we knew where we wanted to live. We have picked out a home to rent and are excited about Eileen's school: the Colorado Springs School. Eric has met his future colleagues and is looking forward to the new job.

Me, I am looking forward to a warm welcoming community there. I have loads of friends from living there 4 years ago.

a plague dialogue

Many of my blogging friends have been incredibly productive lately (or in some cases, reproductive). I am feeling inadequate. But, I am still here, in what has become land of many plagues. We started with the heat wave/drought last summer. 100 days over 100 and almost no rain (leaving people exposed to deadly bacteria strains if they dared to try to swim in whatever lakes remained). This led to a spring filled with moths. Moths everywhere. Moths in the air ducts. Moths on the ceilings. Moths playing dead. Moths really dead. Then came the birds. Beautiful red tailed black birds and crows. And the lovely caterpillars that will eat all the green things from this year.

I wonder what the rest of the summer will bring.

Mouse House and ABQ

Well - it has been an eventful couple of weeks. Here goes: March started with Mickey Mouse. We went to Disney Land. Stayed at the lovely Grand California Hotel and Resort. Eileen ate breakfast with Mickey and her cousin Ike, Uncle and Aunt and grandparents. Awesome time was had by all! Somehow Eileen grew to be 40 inches tall on the airplane arriving tall enough for any ride she could tolerate. On the Saturday that we had early access to the park, there was a bomb threat and so no one who was in the park could leave and no one who arrived after the threat could enter. We had the park to ourselves on a Saturday morning.

Then we returned, Eileen got stomach flu, and we turned around and headed to Albuquerque. We visited three Jewish preschools and one Jewish dayschool. I am comfortable that we belong at the dayschool -- and that next year Eileen will be at Temple Albert early childhood center. I picked up her stomach flu (and so did Eric) while we were in Albuquerque.

Now we have been home for more than a week. I seem to have forgotten our routine between all of the travel and all of the illness this family has had since January.

Moving -- again and again

Eric and I married in June of 2005. The next week he decamped for a year sojourn in a volcanic island called Ascension Island. We found out the following spring (2006) that we would head onward to Colorado Springs. After discovering no base housing was likely available for a while, I purchased a lovely home for us (Eric was still overseas). If you are interested, the price is right and it is on the market. In January 2008, Eileen arrived. In June of 2008, we moved to Volkel, the Netherlands. In July 2010, we moved to Wichita Falls. If you are doing the math, we are due to move again this summer: Albuquerque, here we come.

Eileen will be attending Solomon Schechter starting either next school year or the following one. At least with our current insight into Eric's career, we may be there until retirement. This is especially true once I have my career rolling again. So, for my east coast friends, I look forward to business trips/vacations to see you all! For my New Mexico friends, let's meet in Santa Fe for books or opera, or in the mountains for hiking. For my Colorado friends, we are close enough for weekend trips back and forth!

birds

Well this is a post on several different types of birds. First up - the eagle. This is the insignia of full colonels in the US Air Force (and Army and Marines, they are Captains in the Navy, but they too wear the insignia). My husband was informed that he will one day get to pin on this rank. I am excited for him, and grateful to the outstanding leaders he has had over the years and the outstanding officers and NCOs and airmen that have served with him along the way-- all doing their jobs so well. I am also a bit sad that many very good officers did not appear on that list. But, mostly I feel lucky and incredibly proud of Eric.

Additionally, it is time to talk about the birds that live here in Wichita Falls. We have a corner near us that has approximately 6000 blackbirds roosting on the power lines and in the trees. I swear that one corner could have been the inspiration for the Hitchcock film "The Birds." They roost there from mid October through until spring. Makes you want to wash your car just driving by...and I can always hear their squawking no matter how much noise Eileen is making or what we are listening to inside the car.

Yet there are days of bird inspiration. Today was one of the few rainy days we have had here, and against that dark gray backdrop, I saw a single sea gull spreading wing. So lovely.

We often see single or groups of Hawks in the air near us - especially against the high blue cloudless skies.

Eileen and I walk a nature trail near our home and spot heron, ducks, and egrets as well. So, though I am not a birder, I have begun to appreciate them here....

Birthday....

Every January, I start working on icings to try to get things in shape for Eileen's birthday. I must say that I stole my friend's Swiss Buttercream recipe and it was worthwhile. But, one of Eileen's favorite friends (in fact the boy she is 'in love' with -- as opposed to the one she plans to marry....both will be at her birthday party) is allergic to the following: eggs, milk, soy, nuts. Any suggestions for great icing  would be appreciated. We have egg-substitute that might be okay for Will. I think I will be doing a lovely cake using the Swiss Buttercream, and hypoallergenic cupcakes (maybe using palm oil in place of butter/margarine).

If you are reading this and have suggestions, I would appreciate it!

Eileen turns 4 on 31 January.