Sensationally Six

Yesterday was hard. Yesterday was honoring, Yesterday was necessary, Yesterday is yesterday. 

Yesterday's memories are still fresh, raw. We will move forward. We will enjoy our memories and we will make new ones. We will make it...

Today we are truly thankful to wake to a new day. 

The HANDFUL

It's been a week of travel for us...we are in OHIO and stuck at the MB dealership with a BlueDEF issue on ROADA. Thankfully, we were able to make it to the dealership before the dreaded limp mode kicked in. Also, thankful that said dealership could take on the repair. We did have some quality reading time while hanging out in the waiting area. We also got to reconnect with some Alabama folks. 

The other three dealerships we called gave us no reassurances they would be able to get us in...sooooo after 2.5 days here in Dayton we are back on the road, albeit with a water tank situation that remains to be seen if it is resolved. Nevertheless, we are heading East in the morning. Grateful to Katie and her team for the assist. 

We came to Ohio for a retirment...funny how things work out. Met these fine folks in Italy, stationed again together in Nebraska, last saw them in Texas in 2016. Military connections are funny like that you just meet up whenever and it's always good. 

Congrats to the the newly retired Chief!

The retirement ceremony was at the museum which was very cool!

Oh, and there was definitely more bathroom reno progress before our departure...plumbing progress. 

AND we got a couple days at the Indiana Dunes National Park...while I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from ever visiting one of our national treasures I have to say this particular park seems underwhelming. Nonethless, we visited and made some memories. Did a little hiking and enjoyed a little downtown after an exceptionally busy last three weeks!

Here we come Blue Ridge Parkway!

The HANDFUL

This was a milestone week for us. It's been a whopping 35 years since we got married. It's a bit hard to fathom this milestone since some days I still think I am in my 40s. LOL Anyway the two kids who put college on hold to get married and start a career in the United States Air Force are still together. Both of us went on to finish college and one of us over achieved with multiple degrees including a Master's Degree in Information Technology. You would be correct if you guessed that it wasn't me! The Air Force career was a 26+ year adventure that seems like a lifetime ago when in reality it only ended in 2013. It was an adventure in which we made homes out of 17 various situations from duplexes to apartments to RVs in eight states and three countries. While in the Air Force we were apart the good majority of at least 6 years for various TDYs and other job related travel/training. That's a thing of the past as we rarely travel separately nowadays. Honestly, we rarely do anything separately, never have.

Since retirement we have been able to travel to 42 of our 50 United States of America and four of the ten Canadian Provinces in our RVs. And you know we wanna try to hit the other drivable States along with the remaing 6 Provinces and three Territories in Canada. Come on Canada open that border! However, this is not gonna be the year for Alaska just sayin'. Oh my how I've gotten off track...

Back to the two young kids who got married way back in 1986. We are still together and living the dream. Once in awhile its been a little bumpy but we continue to work on doing life together, remember to extend grace and love even when we are acting unlovable. It's a partnership and it is NOT 50/50. Marriage is 110/110 and some days you don't feel it but you do it. I love the product of our love, she is remarkable and she has given us one of the greatest gifts ever. They are a huge wonderful outcome of our union! There are so many defining moments of our years together and I cannot pinpoint just one as we have such a treasure trove of memories to pull from. I love them all for different reasons. I'm thankful for all our adventures together even the ones I'd rather forget! Like how about that little hike? Then 9 miles later... or the Tipo breakdown on the Autostrada in Italy and let's NOT forget you being away on January 16, 1991 when I needed a driver. Yep, there are some great memories!

So MiRV I say 143 to you...you make living the dream, dreamy and there is no one I would rather be doing life with! Happy Anniversary! And thank you for the carrot cake, it was totally awesome but we are gonna have an anniversary dinner out sometime soon!

UnFOURgettably 4 Friday!

A day we will always be reminded of. A day to never forget. A day we cannot erase from our memory, where we were, what we were doing...a memory that I will always remember. 

I would encourage you to try and get to the memorial in NYC. It is incredibly moving. Someday I would like to visit the field in Pennsylvania. I have also been to the Pentagon but it is just not as impressive as the one in NYC.

Oh, and stay safe, stay well!

Wild & Three Thursday!

Happy, happy Thanksgiving. I've said it before and I will say it again My absolute favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. And I don't even like turkey! It's all the food (cause there is ALWAYS lots and not just turkey at our gatherings), family and fun but without the pressure of gifts and the weather is usually mild so everyone can get there. What is NOT to like! This year however, family is limited to just MiRV and I. It's still all good but being with family for this one is a favorite and I certainly do/did miss it.

There is so, so much to be thankful for ANY time but I am especially mindful of how blessed we are during this particular time of the year. We are so fortunate to live in a country where we can have so many freedoms and do not suffer from an oppressive government. We personally do not suffer from war or poverty. Thank a service member for that whydontcha! Cause that whole no war thing on our soil, that's a biggie and everyone should ALWAYS be thankful for that. Not gonna get much deeper but suffice to say we are fully aware of the abundance and liberties that we experience and we are beyond thankful for that.

The Daughter and family are safely back home. We are spending our turkey day in Tucson eating hot off the grill steaks. It's cool, rainy and windy. We decided to just take a three day break before moving on to let the weather settle down. They have closed some roads right behind us so to speak and they are closing roads in the higher elevations all around us. So we will be stationary as this bit of weather moves on. We hope to pull out on Saturday a.m. but we are flexible enough to be respectful if the weather is still an issue we can stay put if needed.

Oh, the zoo trip was a resounding success! What a delightful day with perfectly beautiful weather. We nearly opened and closed it. Saw all kinds of animals. I loved the koala's best. Feeding the giraffe was a hit as well as getting to see the baby gorilla nursing.  Watching the cheetah walking by on a leash right in front of us was a pretty cool bonus, too. And riding the sky tram (twice) as well as the double decker bus was a nice break from all the walking. Oh, and let's not forget the chuckle of seeing "Save the Chubby Unicorn" shirts (rhinoceros, need love, too) Stopping off at In and Out Burger on our way to the hotel was a great ending to our full day; love me an animal style burger!

OH em GEEEEE I would be remiss if I did not mention our visit with ThreeDoorsDown! They were incredible host and we enjoyed sitting round the table catching up. Great to spend time with such good people. And MiRV was so stoked to get wet. He was pretty dry! Be able to to surf with RocketBoy in Redondo on the same board he learned to surf on in Cocoa on he couldn't have been happier. :)

We think we know you...

Hmmm, you look really familiar!

 

 

Yesterday, after the change of command a young officer approached MiRV and thought for sure several in the audience knew him so she kindly requested he join her and a group of others so they could figure out the connection. Didn't take long to pinpoint the location where they had crossed paths. His one year remote at the 379th. Even in retirement the USAF is a small world. Fun, huh?

#USAFretiredCCMSgt

Quilt Museum and a Veteran's Memorial

I have several friends who are quilters, I love quilts so when I saw that there was a quilt museum near where we were I thought we should go. Upon further investigation it is the ONLY quilt museum in the state of Florida. I did not know there hours so we set out to go one afternoon. We arrived and they were closed. Since it was a bit rural and there was plenty of parking we just spent the night and waited for them to open the next morning.

It was a pretty nice quiet night!

We were greeted by the volunteer staff and invited in...

 

 

 This was a quilt sofa...quite unique!

 

One of my favorites was  that star, MiRV liked this star one best.

So many beautiful pieces and really such works of art. While I do think this star one was one of my favs; it was hard to have only one favorite. I mean seriously these things were just beautiful. Some were so very different and extremely unique that there really was just no way to choose only one favorite! Can't do it!

Lots of eye candy and much history and a little bit of heritage mixed with some pride of their institution as it should be. And it all started with one lady's dream for a place that quilter's could come together, learn from each other and work together. What an enjoyable morning we had!

After a nice lunch with a wonderful water view we made our way to Perry, FL.

We stopped at the Forest Museum which was pretty neat and then drove through town and stumbled into the town Veteran Memorial. Well done, Perry, Florida, well done!

 Love the permanent yellow ribbon round the tree

Truly one of the nicest tributes to Veteran's we have ever seen.

#QuiltsNOTjustblankets
#Veterans

Chicago!

Two pretty full days and we barely scratched the surface.

Day one was cool and cloudy which was nice, day two sunny and warmer which was nice!

Biking was THE way to go!

 Well, it was on the LakeShore trail. Rush hour traffic was a bit hairy!

We biked the Lake Shore Trail from the Navy Pier to Wrigley Field. Funny thing is the sun was shining at Wrigley and they were getting ready for a game! It was a great ride, I am so glad we had the bikes.

 Go Cubbies!

Then on to the Willis Tower which is more famously known by the name Sears Tower is what brought us back the second day. Our first trip in we were supposed to go up in the tower, which is the tallest building in the Western hemisphere at 1450 feet...but it was cloudy and foggy. We kept checking back in hoping it would clear but it did not. Second trip in and it was pretty nice out so we headed straight for the tower. Well, after searching out parking. Parking is not good in this town. It's expensive and hard to find and then when you do find it they may be full or not take your type vehicle (especially when you have bikes on the back and a surfboard/SUP on the top)

  

Those clouds were the issue...no view!

Since we struck out with getting into the SkyDeck at Willis Tower went ahead and enjoyed some "pie" as they call it here. Deep dish and layered. It was tasty, the crust was not like any other pizza crust I have ever had. It was more like a bakery crust. I think I prefer what I know as "normal" pizza crust and thin and crispy works great for me! My half had artichoke and BACON, MiRV had beef and tomatoes on his half.

There was a Sprinkles stop in there too! So exciting that we finally got to visit them on a "special" day...BOGO! Lemon blueberry was a new flavor for me and it did NOT disappoint! MiRV stuck with chocolate! You know that meant we walked away with a strawberry and a coconut for breakfast tomorrow! I biked a long way today so that should even out right?

 

 This was a really cool building!

Day two we went straight to the Willis Tower!

Clear skies and very little wait time and we were up, 1653 feet up. The elevator ride was WILD; we traveled 1800 feet per second. It WAS an amazing view and we got a great look at the layout of the city and beyond. They say you can see Indiana and Michigan as well as Wisconsin from the deck. It was neat!


I was sad to find that Buckingham fountain was surrounded by barricades due to the fact there was an international triathlon going on the next day, in fact there were lots of extra fencing and road blockage due to this upcoming event.

The bean or cloud gate was on our list so we found that, it was something and evidently lots of other folks had it on their list cause it was packed!

Since we saw Wrigley we rounded it out by seeing Soldier Field. I didn't know it was "dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces" Coolio, huh!

MiRV at Soldier Field

The traffic in Chicago is steady and often times heavy, I am glad I don't have to navigate that everyday as it was a bit unnerving at times. Our two trips in we timed in the less congested time and going back to the RV we did the same and one evening took the alternate scenic route on Lake Shore and saw amazing homes on Lake Michigan and we also found a lighthouse!

The BONUS on our drive NOT on the interstate back to the RV was happening by a lighthouse!

Grosse Point Light Station

And the Bahi temple we also just happened by it as well!

#ChiTown

DC Wrapped Up

Since we lived here a few years back we did not need to do DC like a tourist. Basically, I wanted to see the memorials that were new since we left. The WWII memorial was tops on my list followed closely by the Air Force memorial. Neither disappointed. I was awed by them both in very different ways.

The WWII is much larger then I realized and had so much symbolism, taking it in was taxing in a good way and sobering too. It was striking to walk through it and see all the states on the pillars; to be reminded what a great nation we have. I really enjoyed the 3D bronze reliefs on the walls leading into the memorial fountain as well. The gold stars representing the many lives sacrificed for our great nation are very much a mental picture that makes you take pause. Over 400,000 lives lost..sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, nieces, nephews...all sacrificed for our freedom.

The Air Force memorial is so very modern in my opinion. It's extremely large as well, but I got that sense when I saw pictures. It's a must see in my opinion if you are in the area. I would have enjoyed seeing it at night as I am sure it would have been awesome. The quotes are thought provoking and it's just a neat tribute to the service I feel the most closely associated with.

Since we were in the area we also walked down to the Pentagon memorial. I was a bit irked that there is no parking available in close proximity to this memorial especially on a weekend when there were empty parking lots adjacent to it. I know they would be full on a workday but on a weekend I think parking should be allowed. Maybe that set the tone for my visit and gave me a bad taste in my mouth but I also did not care for this memorial. I am not certain there is one absolute reason maybe there are several. For one the memorial seems careless. People, mainly teens and children were standing and sitting on the memorial benches that represent each life lost. I don't know it seemed disrespectful to me that they were doing that. I also thought the gravel throughout the memorial was messy, it was scattered on the stone walkway, it was in the water feature of each and every bench and it just made the memorial look messy to me. I didn't like the fact that kids were walking on the low walls that surround the memorial. There was a guard on the premises but he did not seem to be bothered by the behavior of the guests so I guess it was acceptable to do what they were doing. I, however, was and still am not happy that this was the way it was. I'm sure it's just me but I left feeling that I was at a play park rather than a national memorial.

 

Oh, and we did make the trip over to Georgetown for Sprinkles cupcakes. Yes, I know, not exactly what I need, but I loved them both! Yep, I had two! I enjoyed a carrot cake cupcake upon purchase with coffee and then enjoyed a yummy coconut one later for a snack that afternoon. They did not disappoint! I do think they were sweeter than I ever remember. I am already secretly hoping we make it to the one in NYC too. Lemon will be my choice. I know I am terrible for already thinking about this!!!

And I must mention that we also made a stop at Theodore Roosevelt Island, nice peaceful area that would be perfect for a relaxing afternoon with a blanket, picnic lunch and a good book! This memorial was here when we lived in the area but I had not been to it and a friend recommended that we stop if we were close, we were and we did!

Oh, and having lunch with JJJ and C was a HIGHLIGHT for sure!!! The afternoon spent chatting and catching up was wonderful. Good people for sure!

Since we were not on full throttle due to the sinus saga there were things we would have done that we just didn't. Like Arlington and the zoo. I was glad we got a glimpse of Arlington when we walked to the Pentagon memorial. There is just something about Arlington that makes me proud. The flags were at each grave since it was Memorial Day weekend. I never tire of seeing or going to this cemetery. I also would have liked to have popped into the zoo to see the pandas that were born while we were here but that's okay too that we didn't. We also skipped revisiting some of our favorite Smithsonian buildings. We did what we could under the circumstances.


Next up N.Y.C. I'm beyond excited about this since it's a place I have never been!!! However, getting there has me a bit on edge, there are many factors to consider as we make that trip, mainly the bridges and tunnels we need to avoid and toll roads, heavens there are so many of those here and we are trying to avoid them! 

#Sprinkles
#NYC
#

M E M O R I A L D AY

It's so much more then a day off...

Memorial Day is very well explained here...it's a good read to remind us of what the "holiday" is really about and to remember.


For me, I have such vivid memories from my childhood of Memorial Day. I remember my grandma "fixing flowers" for the graves. Her flowers came from her garden and the bushes around her house. There were no plastic flowers from the store. The morning before making the trek out to the cemetery she would prepare mason jars of those flowers to place on the graves. There were pink and white peonies. Blue and white hydrangeas and gorgeous irises in an array of colors; those were my favorite. Oh, and the there were lilacs too, they made the car smell so good. 

No, there were no fake flowers delivered by my grandma. Then a few weeks later we returned to retrieve the jars for canning the summers bounty. That's how I remember Decoration day. Sometimes there was a cookout, more often then not though it was a fried chicken dinner with potato salad and slaw. It was a somber time going to the cemetery and then there was lots of sharing and stories about those who had passed on throughout the afternoon and evening.

I think it's good to really be reminded of the reality behind this holiday, it came with high cost, much higher then my generation and those who are coming up behind me realize. Those costs are still being paid today. This "holiday" has become more meaningful the older I get. It's also in part due to MiRVs own military service and my exposure to the ultimate sacrifice paid by those at our last several bases. 

#memorialdaymemories

Veteran's Day

It's not just another day off, same way I feel about all holidays actually, they are not just days off, they have meaning. Obviously, some have more meaning to me than others, same for you I bet.

 An early days picture of MiRV while on deployment!

I have a Veteran or two or three in my life, I personally know the sacrifices we as a family have made as a service member's family, it's nothing earth shattering in my book, it was just our life. We took it in stride. I'm sure there were days I grumbled, but then I tried to do a reality check and pull myself away from that mentality. I mean I still had a living spouse, I was able to get occasional phone calls, letters did arrive more often then not. I think of those who served before us when communication was non existent, like NOTHING, for the whole tour, or spouses of POWs or even MIAs, yeah, I got no complaints...I am thankful for all Veteran's and especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

So on this Veteran's Day I salute those who are on the job, THANK YOU! You are true unsung heroes in my book. I am thankful to be an American.