Fisher Family

Day 50--Where were you?

2011-09-10T22:46:00.000-06:00

If you ask me what I did last Tuesday, I would have to look at my calendar (and maybe my bank account.) I can't remember. However, if you ask me what I was doing ten years ago, on Tuesday September 11, 2001. I can remember BETTER than it was yesterday.

Everyone has a story. So, here is mine.

Mike and I were living in a little apartment in Lawton, Oklahoma. Mike was attending Officer Basic Course at Ft. Sill. He had left early that morning because they were doing a field exercise. I was 38 weeks pregnant with Adam. I was still in bed a little before 8am when I got a call from one of the girls whose husband was in Mike's class.

She said, "Robin, a plane just flew into the World Trade Center."

I was still waking up and I didn't understand. "What?" as I sat up in bed trying to process what that meant.

"Go turn on the news." I climbed out of bed and turned the TV on. We both sat in silence watching the news. After a few minutes we watched breathlessly as they showed the second plane fly into the second tower. Panic and worry washed over me. I told my friend, "I have to go. Call me if you hear from your husband. I have to call my mom."

Then the Pentagon was attacked.

I wasn't able to talk to Mike until later that afternoon. He rushed into our apartment and hugged me so tight. We both wept. We sat on the couch all evening watching the news, hoping for any new information and praying for the victims and survivors and families. I was overwhelmed watching the NYFD and NYPD and the soldiers at the Pentagon. True heroes.

Mike and I knew that OUR lives would never be the same.

Tonight, I thank the many men and women; soldiers, law enforcement, firefighters and the many un-named civilians who keep me and my family safe on a daily basis.

Francis Scott Key said it best in the 4th verse of The Star Spangled Banner.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust;”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Deployment survival tip #8--Feel free to cry during The Star Spangled Banner. You are lucky enough to know one of those freemen who stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation.

July 13, 2004

November 8, 2008

Day 32--Yahoo or Boo-hoo

2011-08-23T23:21:00.000-06:00

First Days of School

Adam and Amanda's first day of school was yesterday. Even though we have been practicing getting up, getting ready, for the last 2 weeks, we were still running behind. We weren't late, but you know, we weren't ahead of the schedule either.

At Amanda's school, the kindergartners are dropped off and picked up in the Cafeteria. This was a great opportunity to get one last picture with Amanda. She was such a big girl. When her teacher gathered the class, Amanda walked down the hall like she owned the place. Amanda also decided that she wanted to be enrolled in the Dual Language program. That means for the first half of the day she is with a teacher who ONLY speaks SPANISH. Then the second half of the day, she is with an ENGLISH only teacher. So far, she says she likes it.

This would be the place where I post a really cute picture of Adam and me. I could sense his embarrassment and anxiety once we got to school, so we just gave each other a nod and he headed for the 5th grade hallway. As he walked away, he yelled, "THREE" over his shoulder and held up 3 fingers. Amanda, Marie and I all yelled back, "FOUR!" I can't believe he is in the 5th Grade.

Today was Marie's first day of school. Can you see that smile? She didn't even look back after I dropped her off in her class room. When I asked her what she did today, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. I asked, "Did you take a nap at school?" She energetically nodded her head and said, "Yeah, nap." I asked her, "Did you color?" She nodded. "Did you play with dolls?" Nod again. "Did you play with friends?" Nod again. Just to mix it up, I asked her she fed any lions. She started to nod and then paused. She looked confused as she shook her head. Glad to know she is listening.

Yahoo or Boo-hoo Brunch

Over the last month I have attended two great parties. First, a "Boo-hoo Brunch" hosted by my friend Sharon Bright a few days after our husbands left. It was so nice to hang out with cool ladies. The other plus, my sisters were in-town so I got to introduce my cool Army friend to my awesome sisters and my cool Army friends to my awesome sisters. Then a few weeks later, I attended a "Back To School" themed coffee at Betsy Harris'. So much fun!

As I was driving home that night after the coffee, I started thinking about my kids starting school. I remembered that last year a bunch of ladies from church met at IHOP for breakfast. Sounds fun, right. In theory, it is great. But in reality, it was really crowded, the food took FOREVER, the pre-schoolers and toddlers were bored and misbehaving. So, I started thinking about hosting a party at my house. I checked around to make sure no one was planning an IHOP trip. No one was, so I started planning.

I jokingly mentioned to my sister Jacqui, that she should host a "Yahoo or Boo-hoo Brunch" with me. See, we both live in Texas. In most states, that means you are a few hours apart, but not in Texas. We live 10 hours apart. But the idea of hosting a brunch at the same time caught on and soon we were sending drafts of invitations and talking about decorations. But, then, the way it usually does with sisters, it turned into a competition. Check out Jacqui's party on her blog, here.

We both used the idea of Pencil vase. I used a soup can as the base. I put a rubber band around the can and stuck pencils around it until the can was covered. Then I tied some raffia. Note to self: trim the raffia.

Next, I needed something to give the table height. Ah Ha! I finally found a use for those college books I have been hauling around for years. Thank you Riverside Shakespeare and DiYanni Anthology of Literature. They made great lifts for the casserole dishes. I dusted off some of my other favorite hardbound books and used them, too, in the centerpiece.

I also pulled out my cake plates and glass serving dishes. As a side note, a veteran Army wife once told me, "If you are going to get serving pieces, I always choose glass. It is usually inexpensive, goes with everything and works for every season." Besides, everything looks better on a cake plate.

Originally, I wanted to do most of the cooking for the brunch. But as ladies started RSVPing, and started asking what they could bring, I suddenly realized I didn't have much cooking left to do. Thanks to all of the friends who made, bought and brought all of the delicious food.

I did make a Hash brown Casserole, because I was craving it a few days ago and if I made it for just my little family I would have eaten the WHOLE pan. Best to share it with friends. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Here is a picture of the table spread as people started to arrive. Thanks, Shaela for being in the picture. I am thankful for many things, but one thing that is near the top--good friends. I love having my home filled with friends. It makes me happy to hear their voices and laughter. I also love being able to introduce the different groups in my life to each other--school, church, Army, neighbor. Because I think that each woman is amazing and I am thankful for her friendship.

Deployment tip # 7 - It doesn't matter if you are Yahoo-ing or Boo Hoo-ing. Friends make it that much better.

Day 23-Sundays and Trash days

2011-08-14T21:27:00.000-06:00

My friend Michelle said once that the day that she missed her husband the most was on Trash day. I guess, technically it was the night before trash day when she was wrestling heavy, stinky cans to the curb. She would tell herself, "One more trash day down."

I don't mind trash day so much. I have a 10 year old and that has become one of his assignments. Besides, El Paso has curbside recycling. Neither 90 gallon can is ever too heavy. Stinky, yes. I can't help that because the trash just cooks in the El Paso heat. YUCK, but like I said, I have a 10 year old and that is his job.

My least favorite day is Sunday. The dread and depression set in Saturday night after the kids are all bathed and in bed.

Ahhh, here we go again.

During the course of the weekday, as a busy mom, I don't really have a chance to miss Mike. School, scouts, lessons, cooking, cleaning and running errands--I barely have time to go to the bathroom, let alone dwell on the fact that I am alone. I can almost fool myself into thinking that Mike is "just at work."

Going to church seems to underline the fact that I am alone. Now, I know that when I am at church, I am far from alone. I am surrounded by loving, supportive people who would do ANYTHING to help. Watching other geographically "whole" families, however, is just too much.

Because I have a toddler, I spend a lot of time out in the hall during church. A few Sundays ago, I had to take Marie out. While I was gone, Adam and Amanda started annoying each other and getting loud. Bless the sweet grandma, Myrna, who quietly moved up a pew and sat in between Adam and Amanda.

Today, started out pretty rough. I ended up yelling at the kids and by the time we were loaded in the car ALL of the children had lost ALL T.V. privileges for the next decade. I was so frustrated and angry by the time we got to church, I didn't even want to go in. I didn't want to see all the families with Daddies sitting together. I didn't want to wrestle Marie through the service. I didn't want to.

But I did, because I believe that when it comes to Spiritual things, when you don't want to do it, that is when you need it the most.

It ended up being one of the best Sundays I have had in a long time. Through the events of the day, the classes that were taught and the comments that were made, I was humbled. I felt God's love and His awareness of me and my challenges. Tonight, as I write this, I am especially glad that I went to church today.

Deployment survival tip #6--Go to church. Even if you don't feel like it.

Day 17-To my friend Julie

2011-08-08T22:29:00.000-06:00

HA! I have a story for you! Mike's second deployment, but first to Iraq, resources were scarce. There weren't phones or Internet set up for the soldiers. It is hard to imagine, isn't it? The Battalion Commander got a satellite phone and he let all of the soldiers use it. So that everyone could use it, the divided up the time--each soldier got 3 minutes. Yeah, you read that right, 3 minutes once a week.

Mike's day to call was Sunday. He shuffled and traded time with friends and other soldiers, so he could call after I got home from church. Coming home from church, I totally vented to my mom. I had had the worst day EVER. I vented so much that I think my mom thought I had Tourette's Syndrome. I had a world class "hissy fit." Well, apparently, that outburst didn't help me get it out of my system.

When I finally got Mike's call, he was so sweet. He asked me how I was doing. HA, well, you guessed it, I told him how I was doing. Now I had two people thinking I had Tourette's. I ranted, I raved, I yelled, I cried. I was basically NUTS. I paused for a second to catch my breath and my sweet, adorable husband said, "Babe, my time is up. I love you so much. I will talk to you next week." The phone went dead and I spent the next few hours bawling my eyes out. I didn't even tell him that I loved him. I didn't even ask him how he was doing. What if something horrible happened to him and the last things I said to him were ugly, awful comments.

I promised myself a few things that day.

First, I vowed I was NEVER going to do that again. What if that had been the last thing I said to him? How would I have felt if he had done that to me?

Second, I decided that I would really try to vent to other people and use my phone time to connect with him.

Third, for my own sanity, I had to accept that not all phone calls were going to be perfect. That is life.

I have also realized a few other things about phone calls. But I will save those for other posts.

Julie, in the meantime, cut yourself some slack. You are doing awesome.

Day 16--Remember

2011-08-07T22:04:00.000-06:00

I am proud to be an Army Wife. I am proud that my kids put their hand over their heart when the National Anthemn is played. Adam and Amanda both know all of the words for the first verse and they sing it loud. I love America. Amid all of this American Pride, sometimes I forget that Mike's job can be dangerous. Okay, I don't forget. I conviently choose not to acknowledge. I try to focus on the positive stuff. Yeah, maybe I am in denial. But that is were I have to live, so I can continue with a normal life and be stable for my kids.

I don't usually watch the news while Mike is deployed. That is a topic for another post. But today I have been reading the news, my heart has been heavy thinking about the friends and family members of the 30 Soldiers who were killed on Saturday in Afghanistan.

Day 9 & 10-Where did they go?

2011-08-02T04:00:00.000-06:00

Deployment Survival Tip #5- Plan something

Nothing helps the time pass like being able to look forward to something. For me, this has been getting ready for my 3 sisters and their kids to come visit. I had high hopes of having gift baskets made for each cousin and sister, but I got swamped sorting girl clothes. There was a method to my madness, I swap clothes with 2 of my sisters. When Amanda outgrows an item, I set it aside to pass along. Then when their girls outgrow the said item, they pass it back to me for Marie. I wanted to be ready to pass along more clothes and get an idea about what I need to get for school clothes.

Everyone will be here by 10 am Tuesday. Are you sitting down. That means by 10 am Tuesday, we will have 12, yes 12 kids and 4 adults. I hope the kids don't decide to have a mutany.

Then our next adventure includes haircuts. I MUST take before and AFTER pictures and a trip to White Sands.

In case I forget to mention it, thanks for making the trip.

Day 8-Sleep

2011-07-30T23:21:00.000-06:00

I have re-written this post about 5 times. I need to go to bed, but I know I still have a MILLION things to do.

Deployment Tip #4--Go to sleep

I am off to take my own advice, just as soon as I: start the dishwasher, tuck the kids in, brush my teeth, tidy the living room, fold some laundry and lock all the doors.

Of course I just heard thunder, so maybe I will say up for a few more minutes.

Day 7-Positive

2011-07-29T22:31:00.000-06:00

So, I actually went to the right party on the right day.

Thanks Steph, for a great party. My kids had a great time. I had a great time. I think EVERYONE had a great time.

Deployment Survival Tip #3 Surround yourself with positive ladies. They will help you feel better when you aren't feeling so great and you can return the favor when they aren't feeling so great.

Day 6-Farewell Again and Again

2011-07-28T21:44:00.000-06:00

I spent the day volunteering at 2 farewell ceremonies. I was there to help, but I couldn't help choking up as I watched my friends say good-bye to their husbands. For many of them this is their first deployment. Waves of memories filled my brain. I know they will come out better and stronger at the end, but in the mean time, it just sucks.

What surprised me the most about today was how drained I was at the end, which is why when a friend suggested a party, I was ALL OVER THAT. I asked if she had invited a few other mutual friends and she didn't have their contact info, I offered to invite them for her.

Around 6pm, I showed up at her house with bean dip in hand and 3 kids in tow. I was so excited to hang out with friends. The hostess opened the door and looked slightly confused. "The party is tomorrow." Somehow in my excitement I had missed the part of the text that said "tomorrow." Yeah, I felt pretty silly. Adam, my almost 10 year old pointed that out, "I bet you feel pretty embarrassed, don't you, mom?" (We had a quick etiquette lesson about not making people feel bad when they already do.)

But the evening wasn't lost. Said hostess was on her way out the door to go to Smash Burger on post for dinner. Thursday is free kids meal day. She invited all of us. Since I had invited and mis-informed 2 other friends, too, it was the perfect number of adults to get a free kids meal for each of my kids.

After dinner I let the kids play in the dancing fountains across the street. They loved it. I think we all needed a break.

So, deployment survival tip #2 Good friends are the key to sanity during the deployment. Oh, that and ice cream, but that is another post.

Thanks to my friends that hung out with me this evening--even though I am a complete air-head.

Day 5-Rain

2011-07-27T22:15:00.000-06:00

It rained today in El Paso. I usually LOVE the rain. Most places I have lived, they are equipped to handle the rain. They have things like gutters on houses and curbs that actually hold water. Since it rarely rains in El Paso, nobody has gutters on their house and the water just runs down the street like a river. ANYWAY, last time it rained, our roof leaked. Of course that happened 4 days before Mike left. I am very, VERY happy to report that the repairs that we did seemed to do the trick and that there was no leak! Yahoo!!

My main focus tonight was all of the standing water around my house. The rain started out pretty slow and I doubted if it was really even going to amount to anything. It has been so hot that the droplets seemed to sizzle as they hit the ground. But then, there was a flash of lightening immediately followed by deafening earth-shaking clap of thunder. I looked up and I could see the rain drops coming.

I wish I had pictures to show you. Let me paint you a picture, just so you can imagine it. Imagine me fully dressed. But not my usual clothes. We had just gotten home from Cub Scouts. So, there I was in my Den Leader Uniform, khaki shirt with patches, brown pants and tennis shoes. Now imagine what I would look like if I just jumped into a pool. Now imagine me trying to sweep gallons of water, UP a slight slope, away from my house and toward the street. Yeah, I was the crazy lady. Then it started to hail.

Last year, we were able to use a few garden hoses and syphon the water out, too. Again, I know I looked like a crazy lady, out there in the pouring rain trying to get the syphon to work. I couldn't.
Stupid Army deployment. Mike got it to work last time. After saying a quick prayer asking for help or for the rain to stop or whatever, I thought I would try our Shop Vac. After all, it is a WET/ DRY vac. NO, I wasn't going to try to vacuum up all of the water--that really would have been crazy. I thought I might be able to use it to get the syphon started. After I checked and re-checked that I wouldn't electrocute myself, I plugged in the vacuum and carried it over to the end of the green garden hose. I stuffed the garden hose inside of the big black vacuum hose and turned it on. Within a few seconds the vacuum started to "cough". I pulled the garden hose out and water came gushing out! Success!!!

I am glad it is dark outside, so my neighbors can't see the multiple garden hoses that are stretched from my backyard, across the front yard to the curb. I am still trying to decide if I am going to roll up the hoses tomorrow or if I am going to leave them out for a few days until I am sure the rain has stopped.

Day 4 - Unknown Name Unknown Number

2011-07-26T22:24:00.000-06:00

Do you remember what life was like before caller ID? If the phone rang, you answered it. Well, usually you answered it. Something in my brain says that when I was growning-up, we didn't answer the phone during dinner, but, then again, we probably did. All of us kids usually raced to the phone, hopeful it was for us. We didn't have an answering machine, so any missed call was actually a LOST call. What if was an emergency, or a friend or...

Nowadays, I use caller-ID often. Being the mom of three kids, there is RARELY a good time to answer a call. One of my kids is usually on the brink of spontaneously combusting or I am in the middle of changing a diaper, or I know that just as soon as I pick up the phone a little one (or big one) will find me to tattle on the other or ask for some forbidden food. I get plenty of "Unknown Name, Unknown Number" calls. Usually, it is from United Blood Services, calling to let me know that I am eligible to donate, AGAIN. No, thank yoooooouu, I would prefer not to faint in front of complete strangers. My kids also know that we don't answer "Unknown Name, Unknown Number" calls. I have them so well trained that most days, they don't even hear the phone when it rings. In the past, if I were busy or unable to answer the phone, I would let it go to voice mail or I would check Caller-ID and return the call when it was convenient.

Today, during dinner, the phone rang. From my place at the dinner table I turned around to look at the display on the phone base. It said, "Name not found." "Odd?" I thought, "I have never seen that before", so I checked the number. It read "10081111153" My mind scrolled through the mini Rolodex in my mind. "1008? I don't know anyone with that pre-fix." My mind kept scrolling through the Rolodex, "1008, 1008, 1008--That is an international number, maybe?" Now by this time we are on ring 3 and a half. The call will soon be sucked into the black hole of voice mail. Remember when you could pick up the phone mid-message if you had an answering machine? Forget it, if it goes to voice mail. "1008? Yeah, that would be an inter...." I couldn't make my fingers work quick enough. Of course it was an international call!?! I am so dense sometimes!

I pushed the green button on my phone and said a breathless, "Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

More silence.

I closed my eyes and said a little prayer. "Hello?"... please, please, please I whispered

"Robin?" My heart melted and jumped all at the same time at the sound of Mike's voice. I smiled.

"Hey, Baby! How are you?" With that, the kids exploded in chorus, "DADDY, I want to talk to Daddy!"

So, here I am, back to the days of answering every "Unknown Name, Unknown Number" call.

Day 3-Laundry

2011-07-25T21:36:00.000-06:00

It is amazing how normal things can bring such a wave of emotion. This morning, as I was getting dressed, I noticed that I needed to do some laundry.

I started a load of whites. You know the drill, throw them in the washer on your way out to run errands. Put them in the dryer when you come back from said errand. We were school supply shopping, but I digress. Dryer timer dings while I am getting lunch ready for the kids and me. Then I un-load warm, clean laundry into a basket and place the basket on my bed.

Sometime later this afternoon, I had a few minutes to fold the laundry. Everything was just fine until I pulled one of my husband's undershirts out of the basket. I started to fold it and then I stopped. The thought occurred to me, "It will be a while before you fold any more of his laundry." I held his shirt, half folded to my face and smelled it. I smiled as I smelled the clean white shirt with a hint of bleach. I decided I didn't have time to cry. But honestly, I didn't want to. I finished folding the batch of clothes and put them away. I smiled again as I opened Mike's dresser and placed the clean clothes inside. They will be ready for when he comes home.

Day 2

2011-07-24T22:24:00.000-06:00

Day 2 happened to be Sunday. Sundays and Deployments are another post and I promise I will write about that later.

But I want to focus on Day 2. At church, I got comments and hugs from so many friends. So many well meaning friends who looked at me sadly and said, "How are you doing?" with a concerned frown. I smiled and said, "It is Day 2. If I were falling apart today, I don't think it would be good for the next year. Talk to me on Day 45." Which is usually when reality hits me upside the head and I fall apart.

This is the thing. And don't get me wrong.

I miss my husband so much that sometimes it is hard to breathe and if I dwell on the thought too long, yes, I do break down into tears overwhelmed thinking about the next 363 day. 363 waking up and getting the kids ready and out the door, 363 dinners, 363 days of emptying the dishwasher (Yes, my husband will unload the dishwasher), 363 nights of getting my kids into bed by myself, 363 nights of procrastinating going to bed because I don't want to fall asleep alone, 363 whatevers. BUT I can't dwell and I can't break down. I have 3 little people depending on me, so I have to save the self pity moments for when I am alone.

I am so thankful for a friend who invited us over for dinner tonight. Actually, it was the son of a friend. In our church, male members of the congregation are asked and assigned to watch over certain families in the congregation. Tommy, almost 16 years old, is the young man assigned for our family. I am thankful for the example Tommy sets for my kids, especially my son, about how to help and serve those people around you.

Marie and Amanda's favorite part of the evening was getting to play with the bunny. Nice to have such a cute and fuzzy distraction.

I don't know if can catch it in the video, but Marie calls the rabbit a "Hopp-it" So cute!

Day 1

2011-07-23T22:19:00.000-06:00

Do you ever wonder what an Army Wife does while her husband is deployed? I don't mean the crazy Army Wife who spends all of her husband's salary on Precious Moments figurines? (Yes, I did know a wife who did that) No, I am talking about what a REAL Army Wife does. I decided to catalog the days.

Sure there is a whole bunch of stuff that EVERY wife and mother does, but I thought I would highlight a few.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

Am I disturbed that my husband has an M-4 slung over his shoulder while our kids are around. No, not at all.

This being my 5th deployment, I have learned a few things.

1. Busy kids are happy kids.

After we said goodbye and Mike headed for the bus, we headed to Carl's Jr with an air conditioned play place and some good friends. The kids ran around like crazy and I got an Oreo Milkshake and chatted with my good friend.

Day 1 has been great. Of course it should be. If day 1 is AWFUL most Army wives would have left a long time ago.

Here are a few photos from today.

I took the opportunity to organize something. It is amazing how organizing just one little corner of your life helps you feel more "in-control" I choose my broom closet. I had picked up the shelves at Target. I intended to use them for my sewing stuff (That is another post.) But I opened my broom closet and I couldn't take it any more!! I pulled everything out, swept it. I remembered that I had the shelves and sure enough, they fit. I wasn't sure because of the sloped ceiling. It was a fun project and Adam helped me assemble the shelves. Note to self: Remember to take before pictures, so you can be REALLY impressed.

We also went to the neighbors pool with friends. The kids burned off a whole bunch of energy. So much that Amanda feel asleep on the way to return the Redbox movie at 7pm.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

2009-01-31T20:56:00.009-07:00

So, my sister Brenda, used this line in a recent post, "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train." For me, the jury is still out.

I know it has been almost 3 months since my last post. In my defense here is a list of things that have happened--

Mike came home
Packed our house
Closed on the Sale of our home in Clarksville
Thanksgiving break
Moved in with our good friends, Rick and Jenny
Mike attended and PASSED Pathfinder School for the US Army :)
Christmas break to South Carolina
Bought a Toyota Sienna mini van
Sold our Montero
Left our kids with our good friend Rick and Jenny for 6 days for a house hunting trip
Drove our little Mirage to El Paso (2 days worth of driving)
Went house hunting in El Paso--Saw over 30 houses in 2 days
Made an offer on a beautiful home, in a great neighborhood with a great school
Helped Rick and Jenny pack and move their household goods
Helped Rick and Jenny clean their house so they could get back their WHOLE deposit
Packed up the rest of our stuff into our trailer
Moved into a hotel
Had 2 snow days followed by 1 late start day
Said good bye to Rick and Jenny (Lots of tears)
Attended our last formal function with Mike's unit--The Saint Barbara's Day Ball
Said good bye to lots of friends with lots of tears

My sisters keep begging for pictures of me pregnant, so here are a few from last night at the Saint Barbara's Day Ball. I feel bad that I haven't posted any pictures of the last 3 months, we had a great time with family and friends. I will try to fill in the blanks as I go, but for now, we are leaving Tennessee tomorrow morning and starting the long trek across Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas.

Me 27 weeks pregnant.

Mike and Me. Isn't he so cute?!?!? Mike is wearing his "Order of Saint Barbara's Award" The medal around his neck. It is the highest honor given in Field Artillery.

I was very surprised when I was called up for an award. I was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from Major General (2 star) Jeffrey Schloesser, the Commander of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

Mike with 2 of the other Commanders he served with CPT Mayfield and CPT Torpy. CPT Torpy and Mike were in the same unit during their last deployment.

Well, y'all, it is time for me to post this and then pack up the computer. I will post pictures of the house after we have moved in.

Back Together Again

2008-11-10T06:12:00.004-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,
I hope this post makes your day. We picked Mike up on Saturday night at 8:30pm. His flight was supposed to arrive at 9 am on Friday morning, but it was delayed for mechanical reasons.
Here are a few photos and video clips of that evening.

Clip One: Since this is our FOURTH deployment, I knew there was a 99% chance that Mike's flight was going to be delayed. I told the kids that we would pick up Daddy no later than, Monday. We drove to the family parking area and Adam started reading all of the signs that people were carrying, "Welcome..Home...Daddy...?" Here is the clip of his reaction. I took the video on my phone so it is fuzzy.

Clip Two: Amanda had fallen asleep in the car on the way over. She is a little dazed. She is also a little cold. Until Saturday morning, we had been having un-seasonally warm weather. But Saturday night, Fall found us, so it is about 40 degrees.

Amanda warmed right up after we got into the hanger and she got a flag.

They let the families go out to the flight line to see the airplane land. It was COLD!!! I am glad I packed their mittens and winter coats. I wish I would have found my mittens.

For all of you who follow Brenda's Blog , and you were wondering where is her "Friday, I'm In Love" post?..Well now you know. Thanks Brenny and Darren for being here. I will let her tell you about their adventures--check out her blog. (Darren, I am glad that University of Wyoming won)

Big smiles on the flight line! The plane is just a few minutes from touching down.
Since Adam was small, he managed to wiggle his way up to the fence.

I swear there were half a million soldiers on the flight!! It was so cold and difficult to distinguish one soldier from the next (they were wearing their helmets and full battle gear) that most families gave up and went back inside where it was warm. Adam was DETERMINED to see Mike, so Darren and I waited with him, while Brenda took Amanda inside. We finally spotted Mike. He was one of the last soldiers off the plane. Mike set his gear down. We were yelling like crazy. Finally, he saw us. Adam was so happy when Mike waved back, I thought he was going to climb over the fence. We ran back into the hanger because the ceremony was going to start. As we ran, Adam kept saying, "Mom, we saw him. I am so happy. I am crying, mom. I am so happy." I looked down at Adam. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, but he had the biggest grin on his face.

The soldiers line up in formation outside. Then they open the hanger doors and they march in. It is quite a site. This photo can't even capture the emotion and presence that fills the room when they march in. There is a brief ceremony and then the soldiers are released to their families for a few minutes. Ummm, how can I say this--mass pandemonium breaks out.
Mike spotted us while he was standing in formation.
We didn't have any problems finding each other.

Mike has 7 days of mandatory re-integration training. We are planning on packing up our house and moving in with our friends in the next 20, yes, I said 20 days. As Mike and I were driving home from the ceremony, he started planning and making a list. I stopped him and said, "Let's just enjoy 'this' for 3 days. Then we can start our lists." Never a dull moment. We will keep you posted.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T20:30:00.001-06:00

I have to hurry up and post this entry, so that I officially have 3 blog entries for the month of October. Remember, I am trying to be better about updating my blog.

I thought you might enjoy a few photos from the evening. Growing up in Denver, we could carve pumpkins early in October and they were usually good until Halloween. In Tennessee, we don't have that luxury, it stays way too hot. Pumpkins start to go moldy a few days after you carve them. We picked these 4 pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch earlier in the month. I was waiting for the perfect time to carve them. At 4:30pm this afternoon, I realized, we hadn't carved the pumpkins. The kids drew the faces and I cut, gutted and carved the pumpkins. I think that is some kind of record--4 pumpkins in 40 minutes.

I have to give credit to my good friend , Michelle Ocampo, for this photo idea. Adam lost ANOTHER tooth at school today. I had to get him with his Jack-O-Lantern. Can you see the similarities?
Amanda didn't want her photo with the pumpkins. Ummm, I wonder where she gets that need to be the center of attention.....

Adam was Batman and Amanda was a butterfly. She was quite offended when people called her a cute fairy, or princess. "I am not a princess--I am a butterfly." She would say in her grouchy voice.

Well, I am off to sort through the candy, hide 1/2 of it, throw 1/4 of it away and put the remaining 1/4 in a bucket on top of the fridge and give it out, a piece at a time for good behavior.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T20:10:00.005-06:00

Three years ago, we started a tradition in our family. In the fall, we go to a pumpkin patch. We found a really cute family run farm in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. So, Christian Way Farms, has become our "Family Farm."

This is a photo of Adam, holding Amanda (2 weeks old) in the pumpkin patch.

It is hard to believe they were ever that small! Amanda loved petting and feeding the animals. She was so excited to actually hold a bunny rabbit!
Adam loved playing in the Hay Bale Castle.Who knew that playing in FEED CORN could be so much fun?!?! It has always been Adam's favorite. He tries to smuggle home as much corn as possible. I have been finding it in the car, in his room, in the laundry for a week.

Off to feed the animals. I swear you would have thought that Amanda owned the farm. She worked so hard. Her favorite animal to feed were the baby pigs. However she did say that they smelled like "stinky pig poo-poo."
Adam feeding one of the many goats.
Adam shucking and grinding corn. They loved working on the farm.
Amanda found her perfect pumpkin. The rule at the farm is if you can carry it, you take it home. Adam took them seriously.

Well, Fall Break is over for us. We had a good time, but I am so glad everyone went back to school today. Everyday brings us one day closer to Mike's return.

Worth The Wait

2008-10-15T06:16:00.000-06:00

Okay, so it has been over 2 months since my last post. I actually keep checking my blog to see if anyone has posted for me. No such luck, so I guess the responsibility falls completely on my shoulders. In the last 2 months I have been busy to say the least. Here are a few things that have happened.

1. Found out we are moving to Ft Bliss, Texas in February. Notice the proximity of my new home to the Mexico boarder.

2. Found out I was pregnant. I told you Mike and I had fun during R&R. I waited and told Mike on the phone on our 10th Wedding Anniversary.

3. Listed our home For Sale By Owner. I spent countless hours watching "Designed to Sell" and "Stagers" and "Sell My Home." I staged our home by removing almost half of the furniture and knick-knacks. They are conveniently stored in the box trailer on the side of our house. Check out our website if you want to see photos.

4. Started and finished Potty training with Amanda. It was just time. I purposely waited until WE were done with our summer travel plans and Mike's R&R. I don't know why she is wearing her backpack in this photo, but any potty training mommies will tell you as long as they are on the toilet--who cares what they are wearing?!?!?

5. Had a HUGE birthday party for Adam and Amanda at an indoor inflatable park called, "The Jump Zone." Adam turned 7 and Amanda turned 3.

6. Had 2 dear friends come to visit--Jenny Gideon and Michelle Ocampo. We knew each other when we lived at Fort Polk, Louisiana. When they met me, Adam was just a baby. Now, SIX years later, collectively, we have a 7 year old, two 5 year olds and three 3 year olds. It was so fun. Thanks girls for making the drive! I wish I had a photo of all 3 of us, but we were too busy chasing the kiddos to snap a photo.

7. Sold our house. YUP, as of today we are OFFICIALLY under contract and by 1 December, the Mike and Robin Fisher Family will be HOMELESS. There has been a bit of a learning curve, doing it For Sale By Owner, but as of right now, it has TOTALLY been worth the savings. Nice to walk away with some money in our pocket.

We realize that all of these good things and blessings have been from God. Thanks to everyone who has kept us in their thoughts and prayers. The next couple months will be busy with Mike's return, packing up our stuff, living with good friends (Thanks again, Rick and Jenny), looking for our new home in El Paso and actually making the move. Since noone will write my blog for me (Kelli, how did you get Trisha to write your blog?!?!) I will try to be better. But don't give up on me.

More RELAXING

2008-08-08T23:55:00.011-06:00

After we left Michigan on July 20th, we drove a few hours to Sandusky, Ohio to Cedar Point Amusement Park. Mike went to Cedar Point when he was a kid, so he wanted to take our kids. We were able to meet up with Jenny and her kids and Larry and Carla (Jenny's parents). We stayed at a hotel and let the kids swim in the pool and jump on the beds. The next morning, bright and early, we headed to the Park. Everyone had a great time. Mike and I were interested to see how Adam did at the Amusement park. You might remember Adam's first roller coaster experience last summer at Sea World, San Diego--"That was a lot scary!" Here are some photos from the day.

Amanda's favorite ride. The Kite Eating Tree insides Camp Snoopy. I loved that they had multiple kid areas throughout the park. I wish you could have seen the smile on her face. She even had her hands up in the air. She is fearless.
Adam and Mitsy tearing it up! I wonder if they know they are betrothed to each other?
Carla, Mitsy, Tyler and the Mike and Amanda. They got caught in a rain storm on the ride.
What is an amusement park without a ride on the Carousel?

This was the roller coaster Adam and Mike rode together. The Woodstock Express in "Camp Snoopy." A maximum height of 38 feet and a top speed of 25 mph. Just perfect for Adam.
This was my favorite ride--maXair. From the website:
Riders on the super-sized maXair will sit in outward-facing suspended seats and their legs will dangle freely. maXair will let loose by swinging riders back and forth in a seemingly out of control pendulum motion while spinning in a clockwise rotation and reaching a maximum speed of 70 mph. When the pendulum movement reaches its peak, riders will be 140 feet high and experience that coveted feeling of airtime.

Cedar Point is know for its Roller Coasters--17 in all. We didn't get to ride all of them, but we did ride a few. Mike made me ride in the front car of the Magnum XL-200. YIKES!! It has only been about 9 years since the last time I rode a roller coaster.

From the website: A true legend! The Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point didn't just break world records when it opened in 1989 - it shattered them! Standing an amazing 205 feet above the Earth below and cruising at a top speed of 72 mph, this scream machine was the tallest and fastest roller coaster ever created when it debuted in 1989. As impressive as those statistics are, coaster enthusiasts will tell you the element that makes Magnum truly a coaster king is its "airtime!" That feeling of floating over each of the ride’s intense hills helps make Magnum one of the greatest coasters of all time.

That is Lake Erie in the back ground. If I hadn't had my eyes closed, I am sure I would have enjoyed the view. Here is a video clip of the ride, just so you get the picture.

The last Roller Coaster we rode on was the Gemini. To get the full affect, Mike had me ride in the VERY last car. As far as roller coasters go, if one CAN feel "safe," I prefer the tubular steel construction. The Gemini is made of wood. As we waited in line, I tried not to think about all of the humidity (it is right on Lake Erie) and the freezing cold winters that had probably weakened the timbers . Mike tells a story about when he was a boy on one of his visits to Cedar Point, it wasn't very crowded. He rode the Gemini something like 30 times in one day! From the website:
On your mark ... get set ... GO! The Gemini roller coaster at Cedar Point gives riders an opportunity for bragging rights to the fastest train, as not one, but two trains run simultaneously on parallel tracks and race for a first-place finish. Guests cheer on either the red or blue train down the mammoth first hill, around wide bends and down the famous "low beam" hill that you must experience to believe. Even those who have ridden Gemini 100 times in one day say that no two rides are ever the same.Gemini has given more rides than any other operating roller coaster at Cedar Point. Since 1978, the twin tracks have taken nearly 82 million guests on the ride of their lifetime.

By they way, we were in the blue train, and we won! I hope you aren't bored with the videos, but I thought they were cool.

I hope you don't mind that I am about 4 weeks late posting this, but when Mike was home, as you can see, there wasn't a lot of time to blog.

Ready, Set.... RELAX

2008-08-04T20:57:00.008-06:00

I don't know who decided that if you were deployed for 15 months that it made sense to have 18 days for R&R. This is my fourth deployment and I still don't get it. But I am AMAZED at how full 4 people can pack 18 days.

A few days after Mike got home (and a little more than a week after my Cross Country trip) we got back in the car and drove 9 hours to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the annual Art Fair. As long as I have know Mike, he has talked about the Art Fair. He has always wanted to go back for the Fair, but it was never possible. This summer, it was perfect. We had a great time walking up and down the streets looking at art--pottery, water color, sculpture, crafts, jewelry, photography, anything and everything.

All of us Down Town Ann Arbor. Tons of People

Who needs a double stroller?!?

Taking a break from the heat. We went early, so it wasn't too bad. Mike said, "This isn't HOT!"

Another great thing about Ann Arbor is that Marjorie and Fred (Mike's mom and husband) still live there. Mom and Fred offered to take the kids for a night so Mike and I could go on a date. We happily accepted the offer. The next morning, Mike and I went back to the Art Fair and out to breakfast. We got to talk to several artists and we found a few pieces we liked. Here are some of the artists we liked:
Carl R Sams II
Nature photographer and children's book author. We were able to visit with him. He had some AMAZING pictures of Eagles. Since Mike is part of 101st Airborne Division--Screaming Eagles, we have developed in interest in Bald Eagles.

John Gaps III
All of Mr. Gaps photos are taken in natural light--no Photoshop AND he took all of the pictures with a camera like mine!! Every photograph I asked him about, he told me how he took it and where he was. He gave me tons of pointers and lots of encouragement to keep taking photos.
Greg Johnson and Donna Gilbert
Mike and I really wanted to bring back SOMETHING from the Art Fair. There were tons of pottery to choose from, but this one caught our eye and spoke to us. A large circular casserole dish/deep serving platter. We could almost taste the yummy lasagna we were going to make.

After a relaxing day of strolling around the Art Fair without children, we headed back to Mom's house to make a "Thank You" Dinner. Mike wanted to make stuffed Fillet Mignon for Mom and Fred. They were SOOOO good. We also made fresh pesto with the basil we bought at the farmer's market.

Cooking at Mom's house Saturday night

Sunday dinner before we headed off to Sandusky, Ohio for more "Relaxing."

Back in the USA

2008-07-13T19:35:00.004-06:00

If you are receiving this blog entry as an email, it is because you have not subscribed to our family blog. It is very easy. All you need is an email address (you don't have to have a "gmail" account--any email address will work.) Our blog is set to private, so if you want to be able to see it and read it, please register for the blog. I will be sending an invitation shortly.

Mike was supposed to arrive in Nashville at 3pm today. He called me this morning at 6:30am once he got to Atlanta, GA to let me know that he was in the USA AND that he was able to get an earlier flight. He was set to arrive in Nashville at 9:45am. YAHOO!!!

The kids and I were out the door early, so we could get a security pass to go down to the gate. (I don't know if other Airports do that, but I am glad that Nashville does). It was a little hectic getting through security, but we made it to the gate with a few minutes to spare.

Mike was flying on Delta. As a courtesy, they invite Military Members to de-plane first. So we stood at the top of the breezeway as 14 soldiers filed out. Everyone in the concourse started clapping when they saw the soldiers. I started to cry. I am so proud of Mike and what he does. It is nice to have that small public "Thank You."

Here comes the plane

Mike was the last soldier off the plane.
I could see Amanda looking intently at EVERY soldier as they walked by.

They just about knocked Mike over. Amanda kept squealing, "Daddy's Home, Daddy's Home!"

Yup, I had to put in a kissing photo

I will try to keep things updated over the next few days.
Lots of Love,
Robin, Mike, Adam and Amanda

R&R of years past

2008-07-12T20:20:00.003-06:00

Mike gets home in less than 18 hours. I can't keep a straight thought in my head. I am so excited! The kids are so excited!

I wanted to share a few reunion photos with y'all. The photos always make me smile.

I will post current photos as soon as I get around to it.

November 2003 R&R Adam is 2 years old

Welcome Home July 2004 after being gone for 15 months Adam is almost 3 years old

R&R April 2006 Mike met us on the curb, we got stuck in traffic Adam is 4 1/2 years old, Amanda is 6 months old
Welcome Home September 2006

Garage Sales

2008-06-19T22:36:00.008-06:00

So, those that know me, know that I love to go Garage Saling. It is how I get my shopping "buzz" for cheap. There are many reasons, why I love to Yard Sale. I love finding just the thing my family has been looking for but couldn't (or wouldn't) pay full price for.

Like the riding lawnmower I got for $100! Seriously, I felt like I had been led to that yard sale. And in the 2 years that we have owned it, I have only had about $100 worth of maintenance and repairs.

I also love Yard Sales because you can try out items for cheap. Like Dinosaur Pancake Molds. I know, was skeptical at first. I have seen the cute shape molds in stores. They are pricey!

And what if they don't work!?!? Well, a few weeks ago, I found a set of 3, brand new in a box for .50. I couldn't' resist! I tried them the next time I made pancakes and now the kids ask for Dino pancakes every morning.

Last weekend was the Neighborhood yard sale in my parent's neighborhood. I wasn't looking for anything (remember I drove the little car from Tennessee--we already looked like the Clampetts) However, we (Jacqui, Dad and I) found a HUGE set of Discovery Toys Marbleworks. I had seen it on Friday, and the woman wanted $10 for it (total bargain). When I went with Jacqui and Pop, she still had it. Pop offered her $5 and she said, "YES" Total score. Adam and Amanda spent a good hour playing with the set today. It will be a good Grandparent toy.

Well, enough ramblings about Yard Sales. I am off to dream about the next treasures I will find this weekend.

They say that catching up is hard to do...

2008-06-06T20:56:00.007-06:00

Oh, dear friends and family. Where to start? Most of my faithful blog readers know what I have been up to, but for those of you who don't. Here is the update.

Adam got out of school May 21 at noon. I had high hopes to be on the road, driving to Denver moments after he got off the school bus. However, I had spent so much time getting ready for the trip, I was exhausted. Mike encouraged me to wait and be well rested. It wasn't like I had a deadline (except yard saling with Jacqui on Saturday morning).

So, I waited until Friday morning to start my LLLLOOOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG trek across the United States.

My dear friend, Melissa lives in St Louis, MO. That is a good 5 1/2 hours from home, so I figured that would be a great place for a lunch break. We had a delightful time with Melissa and her kids. Then we got in the car. As we were driving out of her neighborhood, we had the windows rolled down. I kept hearing a rythmic clicking sound coming from the back passenger tire. When I stopped to get gas, I checked my tires. Sure enough, I had a screw in the back passenger tire. I called my mom and opened my FAVORITE atlas--the Wal Mart atlas. It has every WalMart in the United States listed. I know, it is a shameless advertising ploy. BUT it works. You know, when Mike and I were looking at getting tires, I said, "I think we should get them from Walmart. With all of the driving I do, there is always a Walmart in the next town." There was a WalMart just 4 miles up the freeway. They repaired my tire for FREE (I had the road hazzard warrenty) and I was on my way in about an hour.

The rest of the trip was un eventful. We stayed in Kansas City at a nice hotel that had a pool. My kids couldn't get enough. Since we were the only ones in the pool, I let them get all of their energy out. The pool was only 5 feet deep and the hot tub shared a wall. Adam and Amanda loved going from the hot tub to the pool and back.

We were about halfway through Kansas, when Adam shared the most important truth of the trip, "MOM, Kansas is SOOO long!" It is folks. Adam also asked, "Mom, how many states have we been through?" I started to count, "We started in Tennessee, then Kentucky, then Illinois, then Missouri. We are in Kansas right now and we will be in Colorado in a few hours." Yes. SIX states and by the time this trip is over, we will count Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

To their credit the kids did awesome. Thank goodness for DVD players, Leapsters and Lots of coloring books.

Memorial Day Weekend was GREAT. We went out to Daniel's Park. Memorial Day and Daniel's Park is special for many reasons. When we were kids, Mom and Dad would wake us up at some unearthly hour to drive out there and make breakfast on a campstove. All of us kids grumbled and complained, but we loved it. We would eat breakfast and then spend the morning climbing and hiking around. I don't remember there being so many rock cliffs. Mom, Pop, Jacqui, Kraig, Andrew and Josh were all there. It was great to share it with my kids. Thanks Kraig for the YUMMY french toast.

Memorial Day and Daniel's Park is also special because Mike proposed to me 10 years ago on Memorial Day weekend. He wanted to propose to me out at Daniel's Park, but I got lost because they had changed the road since my mission and then it started to rain. Mike proposed on my parent's front porch, but that is a story for another time.

Every year, my college girlfriends (the Half Way House) meet up. Every year is different based on needs and where we are in our life, but this year, 4 of the 5 of us met in Salt Lake City without husbands, without children. I have a whole bunch of stuff to say, but I really have to say thanks to Jacqui who watched my kids for 4 DAYS so I could have a perfect, relaxing vacation. It was so nice to hang out with friends, eat lots of good food, go to a few nice resturants that DIDN'T have kid's menus or a playplace.

Jacqui assured me everytime I called that the children were absolute angels and that she had everything undercontrol. I believe that she had everything undercontrol...not too sure about the angels part.

Since I have been back, Jacqui and I have hung out with each other every day. I hope she hasn't experienced a loss of friends because I keep hogging her time. I also hope that her husband isn't too bugged that I am there almost every waking hour of the day. I have gotten to see Brenny a few times, too. Maybe I need to go up to Greely and pester Brenda for a few days.

Jacqui and I have been working on projects. Again, things I am subjecting her, too. She has 2 sewing machines, so we have made turbie towels and speed cleaning aprons. I will post more about that later. We spent the day in her kitchen, she might do a post about it, so I won't steal her thunder.

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing Cory in a few weeks and spend a few days with her. What projects will we do?

Well, this is super long post. I will be better, I promise.

Lots of Love,

Robin

Why I love being a Mom

2008-05-11T22:16:00.001-06:00

A special blogger I know, wrote a very touching blog about all of the wonderful moms in her life. I thought I would do a "Mom" blog, too, but I would like to address "Why I love being a Mom"--AKA "You know you are a Mom when..."

Exhibit A:
You know you are a mom when you love dressing up your children in ridiculous outfits. I think Amanda's expression says it all.
Exhibit B:
You know you are a mom when you will do just about anything for the photo opportunity. Yes, that is Amanda in Mike's side cargo pocket. All she was trying to do was sleep and I wanted a photo so I could prove just how little she was.
Exhibit C:
When did it become acceptable to take pictures of poop? But for some reason, I decided to snap this photo of Amanda. (I think Mike was deployed and I just wanted to share some of every day life with him.) You know you are a mom when your discussions about bodily functions are more frequent and seem more normal than talking about the weather.
Exhibit D:
I could fill a book with the funny things that Adam has said. Now that Amanda is talking more, I could probably fill one for her, too. You know you are a mom when nothing your kid says seems unusual. Adam came downstairs one morning complaining that his underwear hurt. I couldn't understand-it was new underwear, I had washed it, etc. Upon further inspection, I couldn't stop laughing when I realized that he had put his underwear on sideways. Go ahead, I dare you, try it.
Exhibit E:
You know you are a mom when nothing YOU say seems unusual to you. For example: One sunny day, Adam and his little friend were playing outside. When I looked out the window, I noticed that Adam and Rafe were dragging a small tricycle up the ladder of the play fort. I quickly opened the door and yelled, "ADAM, you CAN NOT ride the tricycle down the slide." His reply was something like, "Mom, I KNOW how to ride a tricycle!"

Having their daredevil plans ruined by a mom, they decided to find another source of entertainment. Hummmm, maybe I should have let them ride the trike down the slide.
I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. I am thankful for my mom who put up with all of my shenanigans and let me live to see another day.

This is what Mike did this morning....

2008-05-10T15:32:00.000-06:00

I got this photo from Mike this afternoon. He titled it "This is what I did this morning" He called me later in the day. I felt kind of silly as I recounted my day--slept in while the kids watched cartoons, made pancakes, took Adam to get a haircut, went grocery shopping, went to Kohls. He called me while I was shopping at Kohls. Thankfully, he never makes me feel bad or guilty because my day didn't involve Blackhawk Helicopters or getting bad guys.
He was sure to tell me that it wasn't just a back drop and that he wasn't Photoshoped in.

Week in Review April 17-24

2008-04-23T21:06:00.000-06:00

Spring has officially hit here in Clarksville and I have been trying to get our yard and lawn up to speed. Amanda has been helping me plant flowers. We have a new rule at the Fisher house, "You can't pick the flowers that are in the pots, you can only pick the flowers in the grass." I am sad to say that we have several marigold plants that were beheaded before the rule was in place.

Amanda got to meet several of the earthworms that live in our yard. She has decided that they are "very wiggly." She is extremely polite. "Hellow, orm. I'm Amanda."

This weekend was Clarksville Rivers and Spires Festival. It is a huge street festival. I decided to brave the crowds and take the kids. They had a Kid Zone. This ship was Adam's favorite.

I don't know if you can see the expression on Adam's face, but he is screaming his head off as he goes down this slide. He probably rode this slide about 4 times.Clarksville Montgomery County School District had a whole area. Each child got a report card and then they had to go to different booths and get a grade. The last booth, each child got a diploma and their photo taken with the Superintendent of Schools. Adam will graduate in 2019. Crazy, huh. It was great to start talking about Graduating from high school. (when Adam asks if he can eat cookies for breakfast, I tell him he can eat cookies for breakfast when he is in college) He can't wait to get to college and now he understands the time line a little better.

While Adam, Amanda and I were busy having fun, Mike was working with a bunch of local leaders (city, tribe, school) and a contractor getting ready to start a renovation project. Just so you know, Mike is the white guy wearing the ACUs in the middle.
The other picture is Mike showing one of his Luientants how to do a pinky shake with one of the local kids. The local kid knew how to do it. :)
Well, that is a week of photos in review. I hope all is well for you.
Lots of Love,
Robin

from Mike 11 April

2008-04-14T10:19:00.000-06:00

11 April 2008
From Mike:
I'm including a photo from today. Thought you might like to see me eating some hobus (flat bread) while we were out today. The family was really gracious. The white stuff is a little interesting. Looks pretty nasty but it tastes like a cross between cottage cheese and sour cream. Pretty good when you dip the bread in it. The funny thing was, we started setting up at their house and they offered us chai (tea). I started doing my business and they brought out this tray of food for all the guys. I was pretty busy so it was about 15 minutes before I realized nobody was going to eat anything until I did. So I sat down and ate a little so everyone else could get started.

Don't ask me what they were setting up--Mike wouldn't say. But he did mention that usually when they go to this house, they get shot at. He was surprised (and nervous) when they brought out bread.

Ready, Aim...Fire

2008-04-11T13:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was great! I am so glad I went. I almost thought about not going. There was a special FRG Leader Day for our Brigade. We started off in the Eagle Conference Room. We had the Ft Campbell/Clarksville Briefing. It is the same Briefing they give to visiting dignitaries, famous visitors, etc. It was really informative and fun. There were all kinds of facts and info. One piece of info that I thought was interesting was that in the Clarksville/Ft Campbell area, there are over 3 times as many retirees as there are full-time soldiers. Yeah, no wonder why the commissary is always packed with q-tip heads--but I digress.

It was also interesting to learn about the building plans on Ft Campbell. And that it takes SO long for things to be built because it all has to be approved by Congress--practically down to the last doorknob. They are currently submitting plans for 2013!

Next we went to the Engagement Skills Trainer. That was pretty cool. I know-- not really the same as shooting a real weapon, there is more kickback, it is louder, plus the fact that you are holding a gun with REAL bullets. But it was real enough for me. First we did some shooting.

Our situation was a rock yard/industrial area. We did pretty well. As a 10 woman team.

My favorite part was the "Shoot/Don't Shoot" Situation. We did two different situations. Our first situation was in Iraq with a terrorist. We 'walked' into a building and 4 arabic men were there. One was holding up a cell phone and yelling something in Arabic. We were all talking and joking with each other--then we got blown up. They replayed the scenario and this time we listened to our translator who was standing behind us.
Here is something I learned yesterday (oh, the stuff you learn every day) If you shoot someone, center of mass (in their chest), their body tenses. Not so good if they are holding a detonator to a bomb. However, if you shoot someone in the head, their body relaxes. Once we heard what the terrorist was yelling, Amy Zemp (the Battalion Commander's wife) put a bullet through his left cheek bone. She is a good shot :) This is us after we found out who made the shot. I am in peach and Amy is in peach next to me.

The next scenario was a commissary robbery. Um, yeah, something else I learned about ROE (Rules of Engagement), you can't shoot someone if they are running away from you. Which I think is complete BS, because if someone has been pointing a gun at you, grabs a bag of money and runs away, through a grocery store, they are a threat and they deserve a bullet. I am just saying :)

From there they drove us all the way out to Cassidy Mout Site--The Iraqi city in the middle of Ft Campbell. It was so weird--spooky. The burned out cars, trash lined streets, dilapidated buildings. The facilitators at the site told us it gives a good hint at what Iraq looks like, but it is missing the smells. We wandered around the streets and the buildings. They showed us the cameras and talked about how they video the troops, so they can go back and do it better. They also showed us some of the built-in pyrotechnics and had an explosion on top of the city building. We heard the call for prayer and a few of the other sound effects they had. We finished off there and went to eat lunch at the mess hall. It reminded me of Helaman Halls Dinning Room. Nothing too unusual, but I did enjoy the chocolate/vanilla twist icecream cone.

After Lunch we went to the Pratt Museum on Post. The Museum curator walked us through. One thing he focused on was the man "William Campbell" It was cool learning about the man that Fort Campbell is named after. Amazing man. Maybe I will do a blog about him....Anyway, the Curator showed us a few new items. My favorite was the little girl's dress (from Holland? I think) made from the Parachutes of the 101st. There was also a Wedding dress made from a parachute. It was a very new addition to the museum. During WWII, a this soldier had met a girl in Belgium. He fell in love with her and married her. She made her wedding dress out of his reserve parachute (which he had to use when he was jumping in because his main chute didn't open) The couple has been married ever since.

Our last stop was at the UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter Simulator. Yup, I got to take off, fly and land a Blackhawk Helicopter. I am pretty good, too ;) The instructor told me that if I ever see a Helicopter with its blades spinning and no one it the cockpit, I can jump in and fly it. Our instructor was very cool. Some of the ladies were a little nuts and tried to crash the Helicopters. It just sounds so much cooler when you can say, "I flew a helicopter," instead of "I crashed a helicopter." The simulators are set up on hydraulics. They didn't turn on the hydraulics for us. The cabin vibrated and the screens in front of us moved--it totally felt like we were moving and flying. I even felt woozie a few times.
Like I said, I had a great time.

Whitewashing

2008-04-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

Are you familiar with the story of Tom Sawyer and whitewashing? Tom made whitewashing look like so much fun that he tricked several of his friends into painting for him. I think my dad was the king of "Whitewashing." He always made work look like fun. I think my siblings will agree. Remember our "family vacation" to Scottsdale to work on one of the rental properties? I WISH I could use the chainsaw!
Well, I think I am learning the art of "whitewashing". My nieces and nephew, helped me mow my yard today. And the only thing they wanted to do, was drive the riding lawnmower.

If I had a blog...

2008-04-04T12:29:00.000-06:00

Well, family and friends, I have finally started my blog page. I am new to this and I still need to arrange my layout and add photos, but I will get there.
For obvious security reasons, my blog is only visible to those I invite. I love to share, so anyone can email me if they want to be invited. Check back in a few days and I should be up and running.
Lots of Love,
Robin