Settled at last

For those who have followed the adventure, we ended up in Huntsville AL. Miles from our start of the journey. We live in a lovely home. With neighbors we like. Walking distance to the middle school that little e attends.

We are settled at last.

A long time with no blogging

This year has been a whirlwind. I am teaching school and while I am no longer as overwhelmed as I was first semester, getting lectures and lunches, grading and chauffeuring done -- with a bit of time to support Girl Scouts, my own classwork (for the classes I take on the weekends), Tae Kwon Do, and synagogue on top of what seems like an endless pile of paper to be created or graded has me spent.

So, while I should have been blogging, I have just been too overwhelmed.

But, there have been high points in the semester: watching all of my students using their right hands to try to figure out some physics (okay, two tried their left hands...); or the day that one of my students arrived with a crown from Burger King for me (I am now the queen of physics, who requires all her subjects to obey the laws of physics); or to see how my little family has adjusted - including a warmer bond between my husband and our daughter now that they have special time all to themselves.

Meanwhile there are things I definitely miss: time for myself and my friends; time to plan a dinner that takes longer than 20 minutes to make (or can't be left in the crock pot); time to play piano or just be silly with the kid.

Most days involve leaving home before 6am and at least one extra curricular for the kid. She is now a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, her Hebrew is improving, and she sold a ton of girl scout cookies. All this means that most days I hit our home somewhere between 6 and 7pm -- 12-13 hours later...just in time to lesson plan and grade and do it again tomorrow.

And yet, I will probably sign up to teach again next year.

A Child of the 70's

We listen to a lot of music. So far, Eileen loves all musicals (though I heavily edit them, as I don't need a 5 year old singing 'I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No'). We sing folk and rock and country. She likes Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash, Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Kingston Trio, Tom Lehrer (within reason....yes to 'Poisoning Pigeons' no to 'Masochism Tango'), but in the past three days I have heard her singing Peter, Paul and Mary; Harry Chapin; and Cat Stevens. Goodness. I need to listen to something current that has lyrics that I won't need to wash her mouth with soap if she sings...suggestions?

Posting for the sake of opening lines up...

I am not a good blogger. I like to believe I am still a good friend. We are out and about most weekends with the little one (usually birthday parties, zoo, or the like). We are really lucky that way.

Meanwhile, I read a lot and I have been studying biology. Mr. Boyum, wherever you are, you did a great job teaching my high school class back in 1986-87 school year. I sometimes find myself remembering whole pages of a notebook that I kept for that class.

Eric is studying to get his private pilot's license.

Air Force has issued no news for us, so Eileen is going to stay at the private school that she attends: The Colorado Springs School. A pretty phenomenal school.

If and when I have news, I promise to send it along both here and in facebook, but otherwise, know that I continue to challenge myself and come up with new things for me. This week Eileen and I made slip knot tutus for many friends (okay at least one was a doll).

Bad Blogger, better friend?

So, this blog used to cause me pleasure - and perhaps if you are reading it now, it caused you pleasure. It gave me a forum to note the new cultures into which our Air Force life had allowed us to venture. It allowed me a space to process all that my little friend Eileen was doing. Now, apparently, I am no longer a committed blogger. That doesn't mean that I don't process what Eileen is doing. She is at an awesome school. She is growing and changing still in daily and unexpected ways. She has earned an Orange Belt in TaeKwonDo and is excited for sparring and more belts. I still feel like I am racing to keep up with her. But, now those conversations about how to teach a topic, or what she might be thinking and doing tend to happen with her as a participant. 

I will try to remember that I do have a blog. I will try to keep you up to date. But, along with the return to Colorado Springs - a community I know and love well - came a return to what feels 'normal' to me. So, I don't have as many surprising adventures. Getting lost in anything outside the covers of a good book or a fine conversation is rare.

As is usual, with Eric's jobs, we never really know how long we will last in a location - with commands, we knew it was two years assuming he wasn't fired (which he wasn't). That makes it hard to think about permanent full time work for me. For now at least we are assuming that we are staying put in C. Springs for at least another year. That doesn't mean that things won't change...one thing I have learned from living as an Air Force Wife is that you never throw out the original packaging to your electrical appliances, and a move can happen with little warning.

Meanwhile, I volunteer. I am reading a bunch of nonfiction books - including revisiting some classic South African works...and I try to keep our home and our lives feeling full and fulfilling.

I have added a photo of us that is recent. I am donating that large amount of hair to Locks of Love, but Eileen is keeping hers.

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.

Bad blogger -- no blogs in too long

We traveled to Tuscon to visit my grand daughter (step-granddaughter???) and step daughter in December. Somehow in the tumult leading up to that trip that involved approximately 10 Christmas related events before 10 December, plus packing and nerve calming, I haven't been blogging. Sorry.

Eycis, the granddaughter is enjoying life as a 2 year old. She is adaptable and happily likes kid stuff so she and Eileen did reasonably well together. That allowed Tia to take her finals without needing to worry about keeping a 2 year old happy and studying at the same time.

Eric came with, so we turned it into a bit of a vacation, with museums, zoos, and good food. I wished we could have had more ethnic food, but we didn't want to tax Eycis who was already demonstrating gracious adaptability.

So, we are now more than half way through Channukah. I am loving lighting candles with Eileen nightly and watching her unwrap gifts.

Speaking of gifts, this year at my friend Julie's suggestion, we decided to forgo cookies or savory snacks and hand out mini-challah loaves (challah is a Jewish egg-bread that we make for holy days). I think it has been a hit, but I should have ordered a 25 pound sack of flour....21 loaves later we finally got to taste one.

Whew....lots of work -- but Officer's Spouses' Club worth it

My friends. If you don't live as or with a member of the armed forces, you don't know what you have been missing. Sure we have lived 4 places in six years. And my three year old has had 3 homes on two continents. But, there is a built in community if you reach toward it. In the Netherlands, we had a Support Our Squadron group that was a great way to find other moms. A holiday party or many holiday parties. Here, I belong to both the Support Our Squadron and the Officer's Spouses' Club. I am a treasurer for both.

I have just returned from spending three days helping a lot of capable friends run a bazaar. We raised money for scholarships for locally assigned kids. We reached into the heart of the local community. I feel about 5.5 feet high (which for me is tall) and three days behind in sleep.

I am sorry for people who choose to hunker down and not reach for the community that exists for us on bases. I chose that for myself when we live in Colorado Springs. While I don't regret the friends I made there - the life I chose for myself there, I do regret the friends that I did not make.

That time of year

Some how the time from Halloween to Christmas on the secular calendar is lived in fast forward. In the military world you expect 3 or 4 different Christmas events and two Thanksgiving ones...and then you have Veterans Day in the mix, which needs to be celebrated. Needless to say, it makes posting difficult.

Of course Eileen had a bunch of Halloween events and never turns down a chance to win prizes and be given sugar.

Now, I know you are remembering that I am not Christian, but 1) these are community building events and I am all for community building and 2) turns out I have friends who are.

So, if I don't post, it is merely because I am busy with the annual Hangar Holiday bazaar to raise money for local military dependent scholarships, or I am organizing a holiday education night, or I am baking holiday gifts....or I am taking a well earned nap.

Eileen in motion and rarely at rest

Sorry for not posting more. Despite Eileen's assurances that she will be just fine biking by herself, I seem compelled to keep her company. We are up to riding about a mile at a go on the local bike path.

We made it through Sukkot. Some cold spells. Some warm spells (it is over 75 degrees out today). Halloween. Sugar ups and downs.

So, now it is a break neck rush to the winter holidays.

As Halloween approaches

Eileen, Eric and I have already attended our first Halloween party -- it was super fun. Eileen went as Rapunzel from the Disney version. The costume came with a two foot long wig that was discarded as soon as we arrived...and no one could really tell the difference :-P.

I was going to make her costume from scratch when it became clear that she would just change her mind 5 times and we would never get it done. Maybe someone can help me with ideas next year....please if you have dont this with preschoolers, I would love to make her outfit. I have a half decent sewing machine and that is about my level of sewing competence, but I am improving.

Thanks!

Communication -- what we lose and what we gain

So I admit that I facebook. Perhaps too often. And I check my e-mail  -- again, perhaps too often. I also admit that I am more likely to post on facebook or here than I am to send an e-mail or even more uncommon, to write a letter on stationary, or call someone. I do try to get to thank you notes in a timely fashion, but even there I am sometimes slow. But, otherwise, just writing letters? hardly even put pen to paper. In fact, if I didn't have a young pen pal, I might never put pen to paper.

So, now the question is: do I feel more or less connected to the world. Here I am able to share all these thoughts -- sometimes the worse for limited filtering involved. And, yet, it is a monologue. One where I rarely if ever interact with my audience. And so instead of making me feel connected, it merely fills time. So, then I find myself wondering why I spend my time and energy this way.

Just a Saturday night question.

On finding fitness - or at least my version of it

For those of you who only see me electronically, let me tell you that I was not looking as heavy as I was feeling, so you didn't miss the visual cues. But, I must admit that the several months of transition to Wichita Falls from Volkel did add weight to me. So, for mother's day Eric bought me a new fitness thing for the WiiFit. While it didn't help, in response to the hot weather, the kind folk at the YMCA who watch Eileen free (with our membership dues) for two hours a day, and the new tool, I did find myself working out more. I can honestly say that I am feeling better for it.

Eric and I eventually found the right set of fitness stuff for each of us, and I do think that our stress level is a little lower going into the Jewish New Year.

By the way you should all have a wonderful 5772 on the Jewish calendar (holiday starts at sundown on Wednesday). Happy New Year!