Blog Slug Again??

I know... it's been so long already now... almost a month... and there's always excuses as to why no postings... work... unpacking... laziness... all of the above... and indeed... now that we're into the house and trying to get situated things are indeed pretty crazy in general. Even though we've been in the house now for what... 3 weeks... we're still digging through boxes and looking for things... but even today was a positive day as more boxes were emptied and move junk was put in its rightful place... and more and more the house here is feeling like home as stuff we haven't seen in more than 3 years is coming out of boxes from its storage time ... and well... it's just nice to be settling in for a now. The tower computer is up ... and every time it goes to screen saver we see pictures of the last 3 years and are reminded of all our great friends in Egypt and wish oh so much that we were still there... but alas... this is where we're suppose to be for now... and then on a day like today... Armistice Day as our Brit friends would call it... so many memories of Active Duty military days now gone day... wow... hard to believe that those days are memories and not days that I'm actively living... but irregardless... times being stationed in the U.K. with memorial parades and the after parade gatherings with other vets ... and then there's the transition to here... the kids are in school... but they're finding it difficult without any friends ... and yes... in time they will choose friends here... but for now... they have each other....

Colors of the Season

The colors that come out during the fall season are great to see... and the red heart below is on the tree in our new front yard...

Even Trixie Gets to Make the Trip

Trixie will get to the make the trip... and there's a few things to be said about this statement... 1st of all she has indeed become a member of the family... and we've made a commitment to her too to take care of her... because we all have faults... including the dog... but that's not a reason to cast her out of the family... so she's with us... now to set this story straight... I had taken her back to the Humane Society that we got her from... 6 weeks after we'd had her... but went back to get her 2 days later because I knew she was suppose to be with us... God had given her to us... so... she's our dog. This is the day Sandra and I went and got her back while the girls were at school and here they are enjoying her again.

Rappahannock River

Just a simple view of the Rappahannock River from RT 3 (taken on a bridge... out the window at 45 mph...) and then from the landing close to the train station in downtown Frederickburg. This will be a great view in another week or two as the leaves change colors.

Sings of Change

Usually you don't think of the sings on the freeway as "signs of change" but tomorrow they will signify the beginning of a change of location for our family as Sandra and the girls begin heading to Virginia and join me here... it's been a long 6 weeks apart with a few visits and webcams everyday but those days are going to be behind us tomorrow.

Pic's of Possible House 5

Pic's 4

Pic's 3

Pics 2

Pics of Possible House

Trixie Workout

The girls were throwing the little squeaky toy in the back yard that the dog likes and "The Blur" (Trixie) is running to get the toy (she's hard to see but is there between the girls) ... the girls are truly loving their dog that's for sure.

Heading to the Bus ... Waiting for the Bus

Both girls are catching the bus... but in both cases they were all smiles as they headed out for their first day of school... uh, no Trixie did not go to school with Mia... but she has waited for the bus the last few days now.

Can An Older Dog Still Learn??

This is a question that I first thought applied to our new dog... which had shown us that she knows NOTHING about doing the business of a dog outside that all other dogs inherently understand... but as I was thinking of the title of this... I realized that it was really just as applicable to me as to the dog... Indeed the dog has already shown that she understands where to "go" when it comes to training pads by the door (although she has yet to "go" outside yet) but even for me... can I learn to be the person God has called me to be... or better yet... not can I learn to be who God has called me to be... can I just simply turn from my rebellious ways and just do what's right?

Success in Doggie Hunting

We made a trip yesterday to the Humane Society... and found the same set of dogs as before... with no new prospect from the current "line-up" of dogs there... but there was a rope across the isle that said "quarantined, keep out" that we just "had" to stretch our necks across and look to see what kind of dogs might soon be shown to the public that were currently "off limits"?? Well... we went back this morning for a better look at the "off limit" dogs ... only to find that the Humane Societies power had been off so they weren't quite ready for "guests"... so we went back home... and came back in the early afternoon... this time though... we found God's Blessings when it came to getting a dog... yes Daisy the Beagle was still there... (and yes.. .she was being adopted by another family while we were there)... we saw a Beagle that was just a little smaller than Daisy and was in perfect health named Trixie... so ... Trixie came home with us today straight away... 3 years ago when we left for Egypt we gave our poor ole Bassethound named Ben away (yeah the pic on the left) ... but today... the girls were all smiles (yeah.. the right side pic) as the house now has a new dog that really seems to be warming up to all of us.. and the house as well :-)

Employement Opportunities

It's a weird world... a very good friend told me that God always opens two doors when an opportunity arises... and I thought that was kind of crazy when he first told me... but oddly enough... ever since then I've noticed on major things... this very thing is so very true... for now I've applied for a job with the State Department in New York... and received notice that I've made the first cut for interviews.... and then just yesterday there was the posting of a job in Athens Greece... which would be a pretty cool assignment too... neither job is an offer... but both are possibilities... and indeed we're excited about both... may God's leading be divine and true to where we're suppose to be... oh yeah... even with that very prayer.... I've applied for a few jobs locally too... so if God doesn't want us to move any more... that's cool too... we're just waiting for the revelation of all...

Doggie Hunting

We had made 2 trips to the local Humane Society... and saw a Beagle that we liked and were told late last week that the soonest she'd a available for adoption would be today... so we were there over an hour before they opened to try to be the one's to get her... only to find out once we had her in the room for observation that she is currently not available for adoption because she has heartworms... she really seems like a great dog... we hope she'll recover so we could still have a shot a having her... time will tell though...

At the Beach

Our neighbor Jay invited us to join him on a trip down to the Waterford beach today... it was a very nice afternoon out... of course I forgot what time we were going to leave... so... we ended up leaving a few hours later than originally scheduled... which led to a much less crowded beach... which was just fine for us

Shave or Go Long....

Ok... so now it's been a month since I've shaved... it's been pretty neat to not have to worry about shaving because of work... but now the real question is ... keep it and go long or ... shave it off??

Rain Delay

While at Epcot... and during an afternoon downpour... we were in the international section of Epcot and went into one of the Moroccan stores... I know they don't look like something you'd get in Morocco... or at least I never thought you'd find these kind of Rhasta Man looking hats there...

Good Scan...

The scanning went well... but the urologist won't know anything for another 2 weeks... but his preliminary view of everything today was positive...

First CatScan

Ok... I have to admit... I've never had a CATSCAN before... and there were times that I've thought to myself... wow... so and so had a catscan.... they must be important.... but now that it's my turn... well... I can't say that I feel important... but more concerned that they even think a catscan is even necassary... well... it's a funny thing... I pee'd in a cup... which led to me pee'ing in another cup because they found trace amounts of blood in my urine.... now... after having an ultra sound... it appears that there is some form of growth on my left kidney... so they are going to dye me and run me through the catscan machine tomorrow morning... all we're doing here is asking for God's hand to be upon my body....

Camping In the Back Yard

Now that we're back home in CT... the girls and I decided to "camp" in the back yard... I know... just putting up the tent and sleeping in it does not really count as camping... but it was still nice to see the girls learning to put the tent up on their own and being excited about doing something different... we also made a trip to the Humane Society... on Thursday the vet visits the society and will actually be checking out two different dogs we saw that we were interested in... one's a Jack Russel and the other is a Black Lab... we'll see if any of these guys make it home with us tomorrow...

Lights, Motors, Action... Disney Style

WoW... if you're a guy... and you enjoy driving your car as fast as you can.... then this is the attraction for you... I have to admit that I was memorized by the action as thes "little" Opel's that have been severely modified by Disney to meet their needs did their tricks on the set... and to see how many of the camera trick are carried out wa pretty cool indeed to see... maybe the most impressive stunt was the parellel parking of FIVE MOVING CARS to a dead stop!!! Truly Amazing!! I'm told that this attraction actually came from Disney land in Paris... no matter... it's a GREAT show!!

Florida ... Relatives

Even coming to Florida is about seeing relatives... and in this case we were able to meet Tyler... my brother's son for the first time... even if it rained a lot of the day in the Magic Kingdom... it still didn't detract from the fun of being at Disney.... it just reminded us of the Philippines :-0

Visit to Tara

After leaving Rushmore... we headed to Tara's (my youngest sister...) on the way to Florida... only God really knows how many years its been since we've seen each other... but for sure it's been more than 16 years (since Sandra and I got married)... it's amazing that it's been so very long...

Mt. Rushmore

It's was great to be able to stop by and see Mount Rushmore again after many years... and it was actually amazing to see how the National Parks and Services has added an amphitheater along with a walking path that allows you to get right underneath the carvings... I know for myself I had visited this sight as a young child and it created a lifetime memory... so I'm hoping the same holds true for my kids today...

Yellowstone... amazing colors

At the Midway Geyser Basin we saw the most amazing colors that nature creates... this picture is of the "grand Prismatic Spring" ... and keep in mind that I am NOT a professional photographer... nor was the stage set for this picture... it's just a capturing of God's handy work in His creation by a novice!! and even this picture does not do the actual landscape justice as to its full beauty.

Yellowstone... Are We Still On Earth??

Yellowstone National Park is quite an interesting and exciting place to visit... you come around the corner and see this scene and you have to wonder if you've departed earth for another planet somewhere else in the universe... because we "know" that our earth does not steam and shoot steam vents into the air like we see at Yellowstone...

Dust Devils

I've seen "Dust Devils" before... but had never had the opportunity to capture one on picture before... this was as we were crossing Idaho... and it might actually be the best defined dust devil I've actually seen... sorry... no video of the event...