This was posted in the clipper in honor of my Dad. Three years after his death and his life is still touching others! Page 2 follows below.

Scales, Guts and Skin

High five to me!!
I did something I am still having a hard time believing that I did!
I spent Friday fishing with my DH and my neighbor. We caught fish all day, sometimes two at a time. Mostly blue fish and croaker.
I have had a hankering lately for fish tacos. See where this is going??
Saturday I woke early and wondered if my fishing gurus would be available for instruction on how to properly clean and fillet a fish. Then I realized I had the best instructors on the planet and lots of them! YouTube!! (How did we do anything before YouTube??)
Yep! Found specific video for blues and croaker and, with my ever- doubtful husband in tow, I set out on a mission. I removed scales, sliced carefully, laid open, used my flexible fish knife at just the right angle and filleted all those fish. They weren't all perfect by any means, but this was for fish tacos! It didn't have to be perfect and it was a learning experience.
The fish was lightly dusted in House of Autry Seafood Breader and fried to perfection. (I don't fry so this too was a learning experience!) I placed the fish in the bottom of a tortilla and topped with a shredded cabbage and carrot mix, generously used fresh salsa full of cilantro, red onion and lots of tomato, and drizzled with my own sauce creation that was a mixture of buffalo sauce and sour cream. OMG!! They were good. My doubtful DH was in awe and said anytime I want to make these again he's all for it!!
So I caught, scaled, filleted, cleaned, cooked and served MY fish!!! Woot woot!! Who would have ever thunk it?

Surf Fishing

I have neighbors that finally seduced me into their world. The seduction was a long process. I spent last summer watching and explaining politely that I do not fish. I do remember saying something about "next year" and apparently they did too.
First trip out and they indoctrinated me. There was nothing even slow about their instruction. "Here's a rod, there's the bait." Really?
Fast forward a few weeks.
I rummaged around the garage and found a surf rod. In the corner, under the water heater,  a tackle box sat forgotten and barely used. I picked up a couple of rigs and a few weights and for less than the price of a movie ticket, I can fish any time.
I love the beach. I think by now if you know me, you know I love the beach. The beach cleanses me and heals my soul. Everyday I go fishing I stand in the surf, rod in hand waiting for my line to vibrate. The first fish I caught, I don't even remember it. What I do remember is watching the dolphins play.
 I am an avid beach goer but I can tell you honestly, that I have never seen such activity in the ocean. The dolphins were breaching, fish were jumping and as I watched a pair of dolphins go across the water and do a routine that would have brought a Sea World audience to their feet, it brought tears to my eyes. All these years I have spent sitting in a chair, reading a book, boogie boarding or playing in the waves and I could have been standing in the surf holding a rod and watching the ocean come alive. For me, it was like a religious experience. One that I wanted to experience over and over.
Yesterday my DH and I went to the beach for a day of fishing. We didn't catch much. As a matter-of-fact, we began to wonder if there were any fish left in the ocean. I caught a flounder and he caught a houndfish and a crab. We also got caught in a rainstorm. As I stood in the surf, rod in hand waiting for the line to vibrate, the storm began to move on and what did it leave behind?
A rainbow appeared, and then, for a moment or two, there was a double rainbow. The drops were passing and as the ocean smoothed and turned from green to blue the dolphins again began to dance. They were framed against the horizon by the rainbow. The beauty of nature takes my breath away every time. These are the moments that bring me back to stand in the surf, rod in hand waiting for my line to vibrate.
A bad day of fishing is still just another beautiful day spent at the beach!!!

U up yet?

My DH sent me a text from the road this morning at 7am as they began day 2 of their journey to visit the Motherland.

"Were driving. U up yet?"

Of course the message comes through with a "ding". I am awake now, thanks! I acted like any good brat, ignored the message and tried to get back to the art of sleeping in late.

I listened to the dog snore. I could hear the other dog, in the next room, snoring too.
I heard a bird singing outside my window.
I wondered if Judy was still shooting squirrels.
I wondered if the trash men were going to come before I got the bins out front.
I thought about which beach I would go to today.
I thought about the squeals of delight brought about from a boogie board and some waves.
I wondered if my children had brushed their teeth. I wondered when the last time was that they had brushed their teeth.
I wondered if Rick Perry would win the GOP nomination. I thought it to be a good thing that he didn't let the coyote attack his dog!!
I thought about getting new knobs for the dash of the Jeep.
I remembered today was supposed to be the hottest day of the year.
Should I go surf fishing?
Do I really want to cut up fish for bait?
Am I going to be able to rip the hook out of their mouths without assistance or therapy?
Should I paint today? What should I paint?
Maybe I would clean? Ha! Maybe pigs would fly out of my @$$ too!
I wondered what the muted people were saying on the TV.
Bailey's or coconut creamer in my coffee?
What was I going to have for breakfast?
Would I eat breakfast?
I could live on cereal for the next 2 weeks!

Obviously, the sleeping in thing, well it didn't work out. Thanks dear. Maybe tomorrow.

You are going where? With who?

OMG! My husband, in a very thoughtful, quiet moment made a huge announcement. He is going to KC to visit with family and taking the kids. ALL of them. It took a few moments for my over-tasked brain to understand what he was saying. The end product of that process and the root cause of the underlying confusion was in the details. He is taking the kids and I am remaining home. Could it be true? I had him repeat the info slowly. And then again. And by-crackity I was right! I had heard him correctly and my brain was not playing a cruel joke of "Aha- psyche! Got ya!" He is really going to take the kids and I will remain here..... ALONE!! Now, I will be working quite a few shifts at the hospital but that part doesn't matter. I will be kid-free for almost 2 weeks.
Wow!

How do I...? What will I...? Where will I....?  Oh my... I don't even know where to begin.

I still need time to process this. And it doesn't start till tomorrow. Today I still have to get these kids out of bed and motivated to face the day!!

Miss this...

As always, when life slows down I miss the day to day writing of the happenings in our world. I do not promise daily updates. I do not promise weekly updates. But I will make an attempt, to every now and again, post updates on our lives for friends and family that we have had to leave behind.

Here goes....
This will be a transition year for all my kiddos. The Girl will go to the middle school, Tyler will start at the intermediate and Trey will start kindergarten. Woohoo! They will all be in school! That is huge for us as parents! I can't wait, and neither can they.
My DH is still stationed here with helos and loves it. His friends from the command come and go, but they all eventually return, even if just for a visit.

I have taken a job as a school nurse but still couldn't part with the L&D position. School nursing is a great job and I am in the same school system as my children. Having the same schedules is a blessing and I love it. However, I love L&D and haven't been able to give that up yet either. I am now an extremely flexi employee at the hospital. Since I have the summer off at the school, I have been able to pick up more hospital hours. That's nice for the piggy bank!

I have again taken a few weeks off mid-summer. We had thought we were moving to New Orleans and if that were the case I was going to head to Maine on our summer camping trip. The move has been, delayed, so with gas prices being what they are I am thinking of camping locally, but as of yet, I am still unsure where. I have thought about Amish country and Hershey PA or maybe just visiting VA state parks. Perhaps the mountains? Maybe even KC to visit with Kev's family (but it is their year to come here!!). I am never good with plans. I may not know till I get to the interstate and have to choose left or right.

So that's it. That is all I have for this moment in time. I may add more today or it may be months before I sit here again. For now I need to go make breakfast for my boys.

Summer Recap

So today is the first day of school for the kids. While most parents are celebrating I am lamenting over the loss of lazy days, camping on a whim and summertime fun spent with the kiddos. Trey will have his first day of pre-school tomorrow. He is very excited and I am excited for him.
Today also is the beginning of the madness. When summer was approaching I told the kids we were done with sports because the summer was OUR time. This week alone is filled with swim team, cub scouts (tigers), soccer and girl scouts (juniors). So begin the hectic schedules; shuttling the kids to and from whatever, making time for homework and reading each night and all the other activities and requirements that come with back-to-school!!
How did we spend OUR time this summer? That question is easily answered. Camping!!! If you remember we purchased a class C motor home back in March and probably spent half the summer living out of the camper. The beginning of the summer we spent a lot of time at Cherrystone on the Eastern Shore. Kevin developed a love of crabbing and this place was right on the bay with lots of piers to keep him happy. (We ate A LOT of crab this summer! Yummy!) The kids had a pool with a splash pad, pedal boats, bike trails, activities and discovered lots of other happy camper kids!
If we weren't on the Eastern Shore than you would probably find us on the Outer Banks. Just past the Serendipity House featured in the movie Nights in Rodanthe, are a couple of beach front campgrounds. Ohhh, they are my favorite! If I had chance and opportunity I was there. Working flexi and making my own schedule gave me lots of chance and opportunity. My neighbors thought I had quit work completely and just left in the camper. Although that would have been nice, I did have to come home every now and then to cut grass and work for a couple of days!
Kevin's family came to visit in July. They always rent a great big house in Sandbridge and this year they rented 2. I think there were 28 people in one house and about 10 or so in the other. Whenever you get this much family together it's always a good time. They were here for a week and the only complaint was that the visit just wasn't long enough!
Judy, Kev's Mom, arrived a week before everyone else and we all went to the Outer Banks for a few days. She got to see the famous house and we took her past Corolla out onto the sand, in the search for the wild ponies. She laughed and giggled like a little kid as we climbed sand dunes and drove through the surf. As always, we got lucky quickly, and saw several of the ponies. Two were with their colts and one was even nursing. I love that we have the ponies living wild and free so close by to visit. Another great day spent in 4WD on the beach!!
Kelly Davies and I had planned an extended trip for July-August. My childhood friend and her 3 children, took off with me and my 3 children for three weeks of camping up north. We left and went through PA. to a Yogi Bear campground nestled in the mountains that was fantastic. (The ride was scary- can you imagine a camper going up a narrow mountain, no guard rail road vertical, to the point that we weren't going over 5 miles an hour at 4 in the morning?? Yeah, never follow a GPS in parts unknown without verifying the route on a map!! LOL!) We went from PA to Niagara Falls and through the finger lakes of NY. The area was beautiful and the weather was humidity free and wonderfully cool for summertime. Niagara was awesome and the kids were all amazed at the incredible force and size of the falls. The kids had a blast playing together, sight-seeing and traveling through new places to discover. We had taken Samantha Sue with us and she became ill. Although we had a great time we had to cut our trip short. The plan was to continue north to Maine and then come down the coast but we will have to re-schedule that for next year.
We brought Samantha home and we buried her a week later. She spent 12 yrs with us and was the best puppy ever. We miss her everyday. It took about a week before we had a new best friend to love. One dog can never replace another, but they sure can make your heart smile. A friend of ours had a 4 yo black lab he could no longer keep. Being the dog people that we are and finding ourselves suddenly without one, we welcomed Niko into our home. Niko is wonderful. Loyal, friendly and well-trained. The dog doesn't beg, doesn't get on the furniture (including the beds!), doesn't jump on people, doesn't chew anything left on the floor and he usually only barks when told to speak. He doesn't run off when in the yard and loves to play with the kids. It's having all the benefits of a well-trained lab without going through the puppy hassle. We love him and after a few weeks of constant companionship, camping, letting him swim at the lake or the beach and showering him with lots of attention, I think he doesn't know who he loves the most!! He will obey commands even from my 3 yo and checks on the kids each night before sleeping at the foot of the bed. Sometimes I think he is too well-trained cause I certainly would like him to cuddle every now and then!!
That brings me back to summer's end. Although the kids have now returned to school I am looking forward to a few more trips in the camper before the season ends. We would like to go out in October to enjoy Halloween fun, up to the mountains to see the beauty of fall and of course back to the beach simply because it's the beach. The camper has become our/my escape. We spend time playing games, enjoy our time as a family and being able to leave hectic schedules behind and go where ever we choose is priceless.
Kevin is back in Iraq. The kids miss him dearly and we are all waiting for his return in early December. I am thankful he will make it home for the holidays. I make no promises but with the kids back in school, I am hoping to update a little more often. Maybe even add some pictures. Hope everyone had a great summer!

DC Part II

My mother really seemed to enjoy the camper experience. This was solidified when I overheard her say to my Dad that he needed to go on the next trip to learn how to hook it all up. That's HUGE!!! Perhaps there's an excursion possible in their future???
Friday we woke again to glorious sunshine. We lingered a bit longer through breakfast and the morning rituals. It was 12 before we climbed aboard the metro. My grandfather had asked if we had seen the Navy Memorial so we made it our first stop. We found him in the archives. He retired from the Navy as an RMC in 1950 something. It was a nice tribute but I wish we could have taken him rather than just pictures to show him.
Our next stop was the Zoo. Warm weather plus sunshine equals a very crowded zoo. We walked the entire zoo. The Panda's were out nibbling on bamboo and most of the animals were pretty active. The kids were also able to catch the Octopus during a feeding so of course they loved that! The Zoo starts at one end and ends downhill at a parking lot. Big Guys little legs were exhausted. Luckily I asked how to get back on the metro.
The guide tells us we have to walk back uphill a mile and a half to the front gate and then the 3 blocks to the metro. Or, he says, we can take the complimentary shuttle back to the top.
Thank heavens! We were the only ones on the shuttle so I don't know if we caught it at a good time or if it's a well-kept secret but keep it in mind if you go!!
Big Guy pointed out a guy playing the sax on the corner. He knows it's one of my favs so he grabbed a dollar and dropped it in his case! Ya gotta love the city sights and sounds!
Since it was warm and sunny Tara was ready to set-up the outside of the camper. We pulled out the awning and set out the chairs. It was good practice since I hadn't done it without Kev and
the awning was damp and needed to dry. Big Guy and Tara were off on their bikes buying ice cream at the store and spending their money in the game room. There's a foos-ball game that gives you a bouncy ball at the end so they are now the proud owners of way too many bouncy balls. Every time the camper moves there's a little ball rolling out from somewhere!
They showed National Treasure at the outdoor amphitheatre and Tara and Mom watched the movie while I hung out with the boys. We were once again exhausted. Big Guy fell asleep sitting up at the table watching Tara play Club Penguin. I put him on the couch, Tara took the bed next to Grandma and Trey and I slept up top for the first time. The "cab over" is a queen size bed that is usually reserved for the kids. I stretched out, Trey snuggled in and there was plenty of room. The kids and I may fight over that on the next trip!
Saturday morning we all slept in and I had the camper ready to pull off without a hitch. We sat in some traffic, stopped for lunch and everything was just dandy. We were going to make one other stop at Pierce's for some BBQ that we thought we could have for dinner. We pulled off the interstate and the camper began to cough and sputter. Oh my God! I had my mother and 3 kids and my rig was broke down on the side of the road! The gas gage said we had more that a 1/4 tank of gas but there was a gas station ahead so I again tried to start her up hoping to make it that far. I turned it over and we moved forward only to die again on the corner. I was saying a small prayer when a guy stopped and asked if we needed anything. He jumps out of his truck and tells us he'll tow us to the gas station. My mother asked the question we were both thinking "Are you going to be able to tow us with that?"
He looked back with just a simple nod, grabbed chains from his truck and had us towed and next to a gas pump in minutes. Thank God for a country boy!! (If I had only had the presence of mind to take a picture!!) I pumped gas and crossed my fingers. We put 34 gallons in a 35 gallon tank. I turned the engine over and the magic of gasoline in an engine made it run smoothly!! We didn't get any dinner but we had no other problems!
So what did I learn this trip? Never let the gage get below a half and never doubt a country boy and his pick-up truck!!

DC Follies

It's Spring Break!!! WOOHOO!!! No getting up early, fights at bedtime and the morning rush? Forget about it!!! At least for a week.
Kev left Wednesday for a det in Vegas. Not a lot of pity in my heart for this separation. I just can't bring myself to feel bad for him, can you?? We actually left before him for a little trip ourselves. My mom, the kids and I are staying at a campground in Maryland and are enjoying DC. This is my first time without a vehicle so we have been getting around only by the Metro and it has been fabulous.
It rained yesterday so we spent the day in the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History. (Amparo we didn't call Steve. Trey tends to set the tone for the day so you never know when he'll be "done" so it's never a good idea to have a set plan. Thanks for thinking of us and perhaps next year??) They are still a bit young for most exhibits but they saw enough to keep them happy and walked enough to make them tired.
Today we woke to bright sunshine. What a change a day makes. We closeted the coats and umbrellas and found the t-shirts and sunglasses and spent the day on a walking tour. Our chosen stop today on the Metro was Chinatown. When we walked above ground right in front of me was a Radio Shack. Hooray! I had forgotten my camera so I picked up a little digital that will now have a permanent home in the camper. We wandered by the Ford Theatre and we gave the kids the verbal history and made a pit stop at a hot dog vendor. It was sitting right in front of a Micky D's and yet we had no complaints! Amazing!! Next we visited the Spy Museum across from the FBI HQ. That was really interesting but again, we could have spent hours more if we didn't have to humor the little ones.
We kept walking and strolled across in front of the White House. The Washington Monument rose high and beckoned us over, so off we went. Across the lawn is the Lincoln Memorial and in between is the WW II memorial that I had never seen. Trey stayed in the stroller and the kids kept going. Tara and Mom went up into the Lincoln Mem while I took Tyler into the bathroom for a quick bath after he slid across the mud while puddle jumping. I broke out some change and played a little game of I Spy. That was cool watching them pick out the memorials associated with the back of their pocket change. We walked by the Vietnam Memorial and then headed through the GWU campus on our way to the Metro.
We made it back to the campground, had a simple dinner and the kids got to ride their bikes, play at the park and take a dip into the hot tub. I think tomorrow is the Zoo but for now they are all sleeping soundly. I am going to join them in deep exhausted sleep. Good Night!

Camper and Ponies

Look for more pics on the photo pages!

Newbies

About 3 months ago I decided I wanted a camper. I've posted about this before and the end result is a 1995 Fleetwood Jamboree Searcher. It's a class C RV and that was a must for me because I wanted to have the cubby over the passenger and driver seats that the kids could have as their own. There is a TV up there and their pillows and blankets and I don't have to convert/make beds everyday. They can pull the curtain and it's their own little world. It's perfect.
Have we used it? You betcha! We took our maiden voyage to First Landing State Park. It was just on the other side of town so if there were any major problems we could just go home. For less than we would spend on dinner we were able to spend the night on the beach. We took food from our fridge, grabbed a change of clothes and off we went. Samantha Sue came along too so we didn't have to trouble anyone with watching the dog and she still got to keep my feet warm. It was way to cold for swimming but my kids didn't care. They were happy just being on the ocean- playing sand soccer, trying to catch a fish, watching for dolphins and collecting sea shells. They made friends with other campers and had fun digging in the sand together.
Kevin and I had fun just setting everything up and playing house in our new camper. We pulled out the awning, laid down the mat, lit the fire and sat around very proud of ourselves. Around 2:30 in the morning we discovered our error. We had left the awning extended and although there was no wind the night before, it had picked up and was flapping our awning around and banging the pole into the camper. I woke Kevin and we hustled outside to save the awning from being permanently ripped away. We were new at this so I had a flashlight held firmly in my teeth while holding the flapping awning and Kevin was trying to remember which mechanism to unlock first to get the thing down. The end result? We learned a valuable lesson and gained a 2 inch tear in our awning.
The next morning we looked out at the class A beside us. They had the USA map on the side with most states filled in and were obviously not new to RV travel. They had pulled their awning in and their chairs were folded neatly and stacked underneath. I continued picking up our blown over chairs wishing I had payed more attention to those experienced travelers.

The second trip we took was up to Ocean City to Whaley Town Campground. It was their St. Patty's weekend celebration so even though it wasn't quite camping season they had lots of activities. We all made charm key chains, played nightly bingo, searched for pots of gold and hunted for shamrocks.
Our campsite was right on the lake and Kev and the kids had a blast fishing. It was catch and release so when Tara caught the first fish the antics began. Daddy ripped the hook out of it's mouth and handed it to Tara who immediately dropped it shrieking "Ooohhhh!! Gross!" Daddy then gave it to Tyler trying to convince him that he really could put his finger in it's mouth because the fish had no teeth. Tyler put his little finger in it's mouth and tried to hold on like a bull rider at a rodeo. That flopping flipping fish won but it should have just hung limply. Once it hit the ground the boys began to kick it toward the lakes edge. The water was only an inch deep, so then they grabbed sticks and began to try and flip it out to deeper water. The poor fish eventually swam away. I just hope it lived longer than the 5 min I was giving it's life expectancy.
On that trip we had no wind so we pulled our awning out and even attached the clever little lights, broke out our chairs and kept the fire lit. Along with the usual marsh mellow cooking the kids also cooked their hot dogs on a stick. What did we learn? The kids definitely needed to bring their bikes. Both weekends the camping kids all had bikes and this campground was large so the walk back and forth to the activities was a good distance.

This weekend we went south to the Outer Banks. Grandma Judy was very excited to hear we stayed in Rodanthe since she had just watched the movie. We stayed at Camp Hatteras. This and the KOA are both pricey in season but we were also able to scout out other smaller campgrounds that are right on the beach, smaller, with a pool and 1/2 the price.
The kids were out of school today so we stayed Saturday night and Sunday night. I love the nights when we go camping because we sit around and play games like Uno, Rummy and Bingo. Having cable is also a nice feature cause the kids can watch Disney till they drift off to sleep. (Nobody said the Fureys are roughin' it when they camp!!)
Sunday I really wanted to take the kids up the coast, past Corolla and drive the beach in search of the famous mustangs that have roamed the beaches there for 400 hundred years. My DH was a little leery of taking the kids out to 4 wheel drive the beach when we have had so much rain. I finally bugged him until he relented and off we went.
The kids were very excited at the prospect of seeing the wild horses. Kev and I were a little nervous. Nervous enough that as we went through Corolla I added a new number to my phones contact list. A-1 Towing. Call me if you ever get stuck and need the number.
As we headed down the beach we stopped and collected a few shells and played by the lapping waves. We ventured a little further inland and began going up and down all the little side "streets". The kids were screaming and yelling like they were on a roller coaster as we climbed sand hills and splashed through watered out roads we didn't know if would make it through. The Jeep did great and we powered through the deepest of waterholes. It was fantastic!! As we were laughing through yet another huge puddle we saw them. Four ponies, wild and free the way nature intended, were nibbling on grass outside of someones fence. We pulled the Jeep over and wandered up close. I snapped pictures and the kids watched in awe. The ponies didn't mind us and just kept munching away. We hopped back in the Jeep very excited we had seen what we had been searching for.
We headed back beach side and drove until the fence blocked us from going further and headed back driving along the surf. We stopped at on point to see what was washed up and discovered many dead sting rays, star fish and even conch shells. I was amazed. These were the largest shells I have ever collected on the Outer Banks and conch shells were everywhere. I've seen starfish in Florida but never here. The kids were again fascinated and very excited. I was beginning to wonder where in the Jeep we were going to have room to keep all their treasures. We kept driving and just ahead saw 2 more ponies. One was standing at the crest of a dune almost like it was posing. The other was on the beach. My camera was again taking lots of pictures. (Baby Trey is fascinated with his wiener so he took it as his duty to inform everyone that the ponies were boys because they had wieners!!!) We drove away very pleased and excited to come back again in the summer to play by the water's edge and watch for the beautiful ponies. I'll post pictures when I get home.
There were no lessons learned this trip except maybe the realization that even if it's windy, raining or even a tornado watch, it's worth every minute and precious memories are always made!

March 09

Kevin was due home the first week of March. Due to Grampa Barney's passing, he arrived with much fanfare the 23rd of February. This is a perfect example of every cloud having a silver lining. When we got the call Saturday morning it was a huge coordinated effort to get us out of here and on our way. Kevin was catching the first flight out so he would arrive Monday morning in KC. We could get buddy passes but we wouldn't arrive till late afternoon Monday. After 4 months without Dad the homecoming is not to be missed!
That Saturday I was at home cleaning house, doing laundry and laying out clothes to pack. Joe Goz gave me a call when he heard the news and asked how he could help me get out of town. I, of course, professed that I needed nothing. He completely ignored me and came over to take The Van for an oil change. When he got back he pulled suitcases out of the attic. I have said it before but the guys in this squadron are just the best. Thanks!
We took off that evening and I drove to the West Virginia line where we woke up to 3 inches of snow. It made the drive beautiful and was a much better backdrop than driving through the rain.
When we got to the airport the whole family (immediate family I should say) was there! That's about 14 kids and 10 adults. Everyone had posters, balloons and a big huge welcome home banner. Kevin said it was the best homecoming ever!!! I grabbed my camera in my rush to get out of the house bit I failed to grab the SD card. Dear Tammy is supposed to send me pics!!!
It was wonderful to visit with everyone but I am over going to KC for funerals. It's about time for a nice happy lake visit.
When we left we decided at the last minute to head down to Pensacola and pick up the camper. LOL! Sure, lets drive south for 14hrs spend the night and then drive 15 hrs home!! Not a problem!!! We ended up driving through 15 states. The kids were counting.
We stayed with Pete and Emily and without them the camper thing would have never happened. Thanks gang for checking it out for us and going over everything with us at your house and for letting us plug in and camp in your driveway!! We are waiting to return the favor!!
So, we made it home with the new camper and Daddy. It is wonderful to have him home. It is fabulous to also have our camper. We camped at First Landing State Park right on the beach. The next weekend we stayed in Ocean City at Frontierland? Campground right on the lake. The weather hasn't been the best but both weekends were a hit and the kids had a blast!! I'll tell you more about our first camping trips later, for now I have to go!!!

Grampa Barney

This should of been posted weeks ago.
We will all miss him greatly but his legacy lives on....

Robert (Barney) Maguire
1910 – 2009

Robert (Barney) Maguire, 98, passed away Friday February 20, 2009 at home surrounded by family and friends.
The Rosary will be prayed Tuesday February 24, 2009 at 5:00PM in More Hall at St Thomas More Catholic Church, 11822 Holmes Rd with visitation following until 8:00PM. Mass of Christian burial will be at 11:00AM Wednesday February 25, 2009 at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 2 East 75th St. Kansas City, MO. Burial following in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri.
Barney was born in Memphis, Tennessee on November 19, 1910. He moved with his family to Kansas City, Missouri in 1918. Barney had a deep love for automobiles, airplanes, motorcycles and all things mechanical. His tremendous thirst for knowledge was an inspiration for all.
Barney attended St. Aloysius Grade School, Rockhurst and Northeast High School. He worked for Pratt & Whitney in Kansas City and Hartford, CN. In 1948 he and Rosemarie founded Allied Concrete Products which is currently run by third generation family. He was a 4th degree Knights of Columbus in the Bishop John Ward Assembly 0292, a member of the Trailblazers Organization and More Friends. He was a charter member of National Precast Concrete Association holding several board positions.
Barney witnessed many changes in technology through his life and not one did he let escape without his full immersion and quest to understand. From learning the printing press, to building an experimental airplane in high school shop class, to reading the complete Book of Knowledge more than once, to starting his own business, to using his computer daily-- Barney was always eager to learn.
Barney was preceded in death by his parents Arthur and Cora Belle (McClure) Maguire, sisters Mary Michael Maguire and Katie Kimbrell sons-in-law Bill Garies and Mike Furey, grandchildren; Mickey Furey & Amy Furey; great grandchild Cristina Furey.
Barney is survived by his loving wife of 75 years Rosemarie; daughters Shiloh Garies, Esta Setter and husband Dave, Judy Furey, Kathy Maguire and husband Tom Fritts; 17 grandchildren; 37 great grandchildren; 2 great-great grandchildren and 2 on the way; sister Frances Cowick; sisters-in-law Marilyn Meiners, Teresa Scheerer (Dick) and brother-in-law Bob Meiners (Claire).
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the St. Thomas More School Technology Fund or the St. Thomas More Capitol Campaign.

Dance Your Heart Out!!

The intermediate school had a family dinner and dance last night. Tara was very excited and found a beautiful dress in her closet, tights in her drawer and the perfect pink glittery shoes scattered on her floor. Apparently in gym class they have learned every line dance ever created. The entire event was line dance after line dance with everything from the hustle to some of these new songs like the one from the McDonald's commercial that I obviously don't know the name of. Tara ran around with friends, sometimes dancing and sometimes chasing boys. Tyler and Trey? Well they stole the show. They danced and danced and danced some more. We had ice cream after the event and then I took my 3 very tired children home.

Working out the Details

I received the pic below from Kevin today. Those guys are like brothers and their camaraderie, commitment and service cannot be matched. We miss them all but would really like to see the guy in the middle in some pictures that I take!!
I am still working out details but I am flying to Florida next week to pick-up the camper. Luckily Pete and Emily are close and will offer me a place to stay and unwind before I jump in the rig and head home. I am unsure of the route I will travel and I refuse to plan. (I think that goes against the wanderlust spirit!) I believe the trip is about 14 hours so it should be an easy 2 dayer. Chantelle has been kind/crazy enough to offer to stay with the kids. I need to get back quickly before the tribe makes her crazy.
We had discussed the family flying to Florida after Kev returned and making the pick-up an adventure. Airplane fares are rising with gas prices and I just think the first family trip should be local till we figure out and stock the thing with everything we will discover that we need.
I have spent most of my life here and have never explored the middle peninsula (except once with the Kelly, Bob and a bottle of tequila so that doesn't count cause I don't remember it!!). Matthews and all the little towns along the Chesapeake Bay are to some Virginia's best kept secret. That's a secret I want in on! The Eastern Shore and Assateague and Chincoteague Islands are also areas that are rural (I think) along the Bay and beckoning me to explore. Tara is dying to hit DC and there are a ton of nearby campgrounds to make sightseeing a breeze. Getting Kevin to stroll through the museums may prove to be another challenge. The Outer Banks is just an hour south and one of my favorite beaches. I am still reminding myself that although I grew up here the kids did not and I need to rediscover a lot of areas/places that I may remember as not being that great because, perhaps to my children, they will be fantastic new spots for them to discover.
I am very anxious to begin the new adventures that are just waiting for us to enjoy. All of us! Hurry home Kevin!!

No explanation needed

Happy Valentine's Day Kevin! Love, us

Happy Valentines Day dear. I have posted some pics for you to enjoy. The kids have opened their cards and are eating candy they don't need at this hour of the morning. Along with the candy Tara is playing with her newest Littlest Pet and the boys are playing with Bocugons (don't ask what they are- they defy explanation). Tyler has his last basketball game today and I have snacks. Since it's Valentines day, I put an apple, pretzels (gotta be careful of allergies!) juice box and candy hearts in a treat bag. They will have a little after party at CiCi's. I have to work so once again I am depending on the kindness of others for the logistics to make it all happen since I have to work at 3 and his game is at 230. Tara's swim team has a meet today but that is just not working into the time frame. She'll have to sit this one out.
In other news we purchased a 28ft Fleetwood Jamboree Searcher for our camping pleasure. The rig is gorgeous, completely hooked up with back-up cameras, stereo, TVs, new carpet and a whole list of things that promises excitement and fun for all. The seller is a retired Navy guy who has taken meticulous care of this thing and I am longing for the days of summer freedom. The camper is in Florida so the pick-up promises to be an adventure.
I have to go to get everything rolling for today but I promise to write again soon.

The end is in sight

So it's been awhile. The kids can now count down in days until Daddy comes home. We aren't sure which day but the first week of March isn't far. Our prayers are with Daddy each and every day and now we are praying for Grandpa Barney's recovery too.
Kevin leaves frequently and I, and I believe the kids too, are used to the separation. But this deployment has been the worst ever. Not only are my precious little ones dealing with Daddy's absence but they are still trying to find happiness in their new environment. They will not hesitate to tell anyone how much they miss Hawaii. They are still searching for friends in the neighborhood and I thank God they have each other. They have lots of friends at school but they, and I, long for the days when they could run outside and join the kids playing the many games kids find to play.
We had a windy day two nights ago. As I was falling asleep I could hear the wind swirling through the screened porch. My bamboo chimes were playing their hollow melody and if I kept my eyes closed I could pretend I was somewhere else. As I lay there, I realized that Tara has not had one single friend that has come to the house and just sat in the floor and played Littlest Pet Shop or Barbies or Polly Pockets. She and Cassidy or Haley could play that way for hours. Has she outgrown this childhood delight? I don't think so. I eventually fought back the tears and fell asleep.
Tyler will consistently tell you he has no friends at school. I have talked with his teacher who was very surprised at his statement. I have only come to the conclusion that Tyler associates friends with the relationships he had in Hawaii. He has lots of pals at school and on the bus and the kids on his basketball team. What he's missing are the kids from school that lived around him, that he played with every day and had sleepovers with on the weekend. So if you ask him, he has no friends.
They don't complain often. Every now and then Tara will go up the street to see if Taylor can play but she is never home. Tyler will ride his bike to a friends but they are usually in after school care and by the time they get home it's dark. So for now they have each other and me and Trey. Tyler was student of the week and did a poster board of pics and they were all pics of him and friends in Hawaii. This was like salt on an open wound and there were lots of tears shared by all as they looked through pictures to decide which ones to use.
Okay, so this is a complete downer but now you know why there hasn't been a lot to write about.

Missing you on your birthday!!

Live action with all the sweetness and none of the mess! Your other gift will, of course, be late!!

So you wanna see Christmas decorations?

Tyler has started b-ball. Their fist game will be Saturday. In an effort to prepare for the upcoming game, they had an additional practice this past Saturday. Saturday was also the day for the HSC children's Christmas party. My kids wanted to go to the party to see Santa and Tyler had no problem skipping practice. Unknown to me was the fact that Tyler had some idea in his head that Santa might be bringing Daddy home on the helicopter. Apparently Tara convinced him, I am hoping very gently and in the nicest way possible, that Daddy would not be arriving with Santa.

The morning of the Christmas party Tyler looked at me as if I had lost my mind and said he was going to practice. I honestly believe that faced with a similar dilemma, Kevin would have also chosen sports over a Christmas party. Tyler did make me promise that he would see Santa some other time.

So Tara, Trey and I did the party without him. They had the usual stuff- crafts, face painting, bouncy house, food and Santa arriving on a helicopter. Trey watched everything very carefully but he would not get near the man in the red coat. Nuh huh- no way. Hopefully by the end of the season, and with his dear brother's influence, we'll make it happen.

Tara had songfest last night at school. We all gathered in the cafeteria to listen to the 5th graders play their string instruments and then we stood outside while the 3rd graders sang Christmas carols and we nibbled on cookies and drank hot apple cider. It was very cute but very cold.

I got an email from Kev and he asked to see pics of the Christmas tree. If Kev had been here we may have rearranged everything to put the big tree in the family room. Instead we moved out the chaise and put the big tree in the living room/office and the lil itty bitty Hawaii tree is in the family room. It works and the Martha, buried deep inside me, likes it because it is very visible from the front and side of the house because it is surrounded by windows. The giant snow globe is in the yard and we have a new wreath and garland around the door along with a small lighted tree on the porch. The bushes and trees are lit with white lights. It's actually very sweet and very traditional. It keeps the kids happy and the neighbors are thrilled someone here now decorates.

I was given Christmas dishes one year as a present. Each year Kev humps the heavy box in and out of storage. For the past few years we haven't even unwrapped, much less used them, for lack of space. This year I am proud to say they have all been washed, are in my cabinet and we use them daily!!

So, you got the scoop on the decorations and there are a bunch of pics too. There are parties and functions coming so I'll keep you updated!!