Flashback Friday ~ A Date with Destiny 1993

Friday, 29 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

My dad died on my birthday 20 years ago today. It would be 7 years until I felt like celebrating my birthday again and in 1993, a group of us ‘Hotlanta’ singles went out on the town. Because it was my birthday, I got to chose where we would go and it was a foregone conclusion that I would pick the County Cork Irish Pub. I always had fun there.

After a couple of ‘black & tans’, I was told I could “pick out” someone that we would all go over and talk to. I surveyed the pub and settled on a clean-cut, about our age guy who was sitting at the bar.  If I remember correctly, we sent Wendy over first since she was the ‘hottie’ of the group. Seriously, heads ALWAYS turned when she entered a room.  The rest of us joined the conversation and after a few minutes, I knew this guy was not for me. Seemed nice enough but not my type. 😉  As my friend, Stacy described it: my eyes glazed over and I totally lost interest in the conversation. BUT she was particularly smitten and they really hit it off. Stacy was a master at flirtation so he was done for.

Here’s where destiny comes in: Stacy began dating Scott which led me to playing racquetball with him which led to my being invited to his “football watching” party in October. Scott invited a buddy of his from Ft. Benning who turned out to be my future husband. Scott ended up being the best man at our wedding and Stacy my maid of honor. Unfortunately, they split up after our wedding but thankfully for me they hit it off at the pub so I had a chance to meet FM. ▼

Posted in Birthdays, Favorite Man, Flashback Fridays | 5 Comments »

Mama’s Got a Brand New Bag…

Friday, 29 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

…and a brand new set of golf clubs to go in the bag! My mom (thanks!) bought me a new golf bag and clubs for my birthday. FM did a great job hiding them ~ I was shocked but so happy to have a new set. My old clubs were given to me NINE years ago by my former boss at the Mid-Pines Inn in NC where I worked as a Sales Manager.  She’d had them for 5 years prior. Gives you an idea of how out of date they are. Those old clubs will be front and center at the Saturday tag sale.

If it weren’t raining right now, I’d be out on the course with these new, oh so light babies:

FG and FM decided on cupcakes instead of a cake but they still insisted on putting every single candle on the cupcakes. It was an inferno! And wax was everywhere. Ah, but better to have another candle and another year then the alternative, right?!  

Posted in Birthdays | 4 Comments »

♪♪♪ Please, Please Mr. Postman ♪♪♪

Wednesday, 27 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

I’ve been blessed, once again, with a great group of kids in my Religious Education class.  They’re so good that I’ve decided we need to do some interesting, fun projects. Our first project is writing letters to Marines in Iraq who haven’t received any letters or packages since they got there. 😦  It melts my heart to read what the kids write. Their letters are so sweet and funny. Some of the children have dads who are there right now so their letters are especially long and full of questions. 

We’re going to pull one name from a hat and send that person a care package. Some ideas for a package includes: warm socks, snack foods, sugarless gum, disposable cameras, batteries, razor blades, foot care products, sanitizing hand wipes, warm knit hats, DVDs, music CDs, etc. If anyone is so inclined to send a letter or care package, here’s a list of names and the address:

  • Cpl. Nathan Kuschel  (letter  and box sent)
  • Cpl. Harold Spencer
  • Cpl. Hector Soto
  • Cpl. Gerardo Avalos
  • Cpl. Victor Emelife
  • Cpl. Jason Riley  (letter sent)
  • Cpl. Eugene Swaine
  • Cpl. Gerald Mcdoom
  • Cpl. Michael Haufe   (letter sent)
  • Lance Cpl. Lorenzo Toney
  • Lance Cpl. Samuel Pacheco
  • Lance Cpl. Coleman Lanki
  • Sgt. Reginald Gibbons   (letter sent)
  • Capt Christopher Westerheide (letter sent)

The U.S. Post Office has flat-rate boxes which cost $8.10 to mail and can be filled to capacity. Packages and letters can be sent to:

9th Comm BN HQCO Supply

Unit 42570

FPO, AP 96426 2570

Most people reading this post know all to well about care packages and how much they mean to the soldiers. If you have any other ideas for what we might put in the package, let me know. 

Posted in Travel | 2 Comments »

Guam Quarantine

Tuesday, 26 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

Guam was declared rabies-free in 1972 and dog or cat coming to the island must go through quarantine. The length of stay depends on how far out you plan. It could be as much as 120 days or as little as 5 days. For a detailed checklist and other quarantine information, check out: Guam Quarantine and Quarantine Brochure.

There are only two quarantine kennel facilities on Guam: Andersen Pet Lodge (for military and federal employees only) and Harper Valley Kennel. These kennel facilities are NOT part of the Guam Quarantine Office but they act as their agents in housing the animals. Andersen Pet Lodge is open daily and owners can visit their pets during their stay.  The Pet Lodge also has boarding facilities for pets when you go on vacation but they only take reservations one month out which makes it very difficult to make long-term plans.

The Harper Valley Kennel is a veterinary clinic which also has a kennel facility in Chalan Pago for longer stays. According to the woman I spoke with yesterday, if you qualify for the 5-stay, the animal stays at the clinic and once the animal is examined by the veterinary and deemed OK, then they’ll release the pet. Unfortunately, if your pet does not qualify for the 5-day stay, then it must stay at the Chalan Pago facility which has limited visiting hours: Wednesdays (5-7 pm), Friday (4:30 -6:00) and Sunday (2:00-4:00).

If you’re moving to Guam and have pets, my best advice is to plan as early as possible so you will qualify for the 5-day stay.

Posted in Animals, Travel, Travel: Guam | 3 Comments »

License to Drive

Monday, 25 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

My morning adventure was getting a Guam Driver’s License. It took all of 10 minutes! I think it was the most hassle free license I’ve ever gotten. My Georgia license, which I got when I lived in Atlanta, was the worse since the lines, no matter what time you went, were at least a couple hours long. Here, as long as you arrive at The Department of Revenue and Tax as close to 8 am as possible you shouldn’t have a long wait. 

If you’re moving to Guam, here’s what you’ll need to get a Driver’s license:

  • current license from another state
  • social security card
  • another form of ID with a photo
  • be able to pass the vision test
  • $5.00

One thing for sure, they have a miracle camera to take license photos. It’s the best photo ever that I’ve had on a license. FG remarked when she saw the photo: “This isn’t you, mommy ~ this looks like a really young person.”  Now I know how Katie Couric feels 🙂

Posted in Travel | 4 Comments »

Flashback Friday ~ Berlin Sept 2005

Friday, 22 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

 

This time last year we were enjoying a wonderful weekend in Berlin. We knew we had only 8 months left in Germany and took advantage of every opportunity to travel. It became a running joke with FM and I that we would splurge just this once.

We were able to go door to door without entering a car. We took the strassenbahn from our little town of Rottenbauer, then took the train into Berlin and caught the U-bahn to the hotel. We chose to stay at The Adlon hotel, located, literally, next to the Brandenburg Gate. The Adlon was beautiful, the service impeccable and the location unbeatable.

I loved being at the Brandenburg Gate which is steeped in so much history. It was built in 1791. Atop the gate sits the Quadriga, the four-horse chariot driven by Victory who is holding the Prussian Iron Cross. Napoleon stole the Quadriga when he conquered Berlin in 1806 and it wasn’t until his defeat in 1814 that the statue was returned. The gate was badly damaged during WW II and, during reconstruction, the GDR, removed the Iron Cross and turned the statue to face the west. After the wall came down, the cross was replaced and the chariot now faces the Mitte once again.

As much as I don’t understand anyone wanting to run 26 miles, FM loves it. He does pick some great cities to run their marathons: Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Rome. FG and I go along for the ride and we cheer him on. It’s exciting being near all the energy as well. Even though there were 38,000 runners, we made arrangements to see him on the course at predetermined locations. It was a sea of people but we actually found him!

And as always, in a big city, I drag everyone to a vegetarian restaurant. There was one named Samadh located around the corner from the Adlon. Very good! We also had the chance to meet up with our previous neighbor from Neunkirchen, Norbert and his children for dinner. It was great to catch up on things.

All in all, we had a great weekend in Berlin and would go back in a heartbeat. I’m glad we splurged just this once.

Posted in Flashback Fridays | 4 Comments »

Favorite Beach Found ~ Haputo Beach

Tuesday, 19 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

On Saturday, sleeping-in, rather than participating in the International Coastal clean-up won out by a 2-1 vote. It was another gorgeous day in paradise so we decided to do a boonie stomp to Haputo Beach:

The trail to Haputo Beach includes 212 narrow, steep steps each way and I felt every one of those 424 steps in my calves when I woke up on Sunday morning. The hike takes you down 300 feet to the beach so you can imagine how slow going it was on the way back up. For me, it was a great workout and so much more fun than a trip to the gym.

Haputo Beach has made it to the top of my favorite beaches in Guam. It’s protected by the U.S. Navy in the Haputo Ecological Reserve Area. The beach itself is secluded and very private: it takes some effort to hike there so not many people are willing to make the effort and it requires a military ID or special authorization.  It was Saturday and only a half dozen people were on the beach. I can only imagine during the week there’s probably no one there.

Not only is Haputo wonderfully private but the small cove has soft, white sand, crystal clear water and lots of fish.  At the southern tip of the beach, there is a mushroom shaped rock formation that makes the beach even more special.  I did find a little bit of trash ~ someone left their plate lunch and soda can. Litter is a major problem here in Guam which is very unfortunate since the island is so beautiful. I picked up the trash and felt a little less quilty about not participating in the Coastal Cleanup.

After the hike, I read there’s the site of an ancient Chamorro village near Haputo and next time I’ll try to find it.  For anyone planning a visit here, I recommend a couple of turns on the stairmaster so you’ll be in shape for the trek to Haputo.

Posted in Travel | 17 Comments »

PBJ AGAIN?

Saturday, 16 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

As the third week of school ended, I’m feeling increasingly inadequate as a ‘lunch packer’ for my favorite girl. She’s had Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for 4 out of the last 5 days. If this were a real job, I’d have been fired for sure.  

Last year, I had to pack a lunch (always PBJ) only once a week or sometimes not at all. The Würzburg cafeteria offered more non-meat options and they also allowed the children to order a salad instead of the main meal.   

FG decided a couple years ago that she wanted to be a vegetarian which, being a non-meat eater myself, was not a problem with me. It’s not difficult to get her the nutrition she needs when she’s at home since she loves beans, spinach, cheeses, broccoli, salads, etc. The school here doesn’t have veggie friendly options so I am having to pack a lunch every day. The problem for me is packing items in a way that’s easy to transport, will stay fresh and easy for her to eat in the 15 minutes they allow for lunch. Broccoli is so much better freshly steamed ~ not sitting around for a few hours.

Thankfully, before we moved to Guam, my mother set us up for life with Tupperware containers so the storage of items isn’t the problem, it’s what to put in the container that has me stumped.

While searching the blog world for some much needed inspiration, I came across a couple of lunchbox sites ~ who knew you could dedicate a whole blog to packed lunches. If I can’t find inspiration at these sites then there’s no hope for FG’s lunches. If anyone else is having lunch box block, check out The Tiffin Tin and The Vegan Lunchbox.

Posted in Favorite Girl | 5 Comments »

Flashback Friday: Season Premiere Anticipation

Friday, 15 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

When I checked my 2005 calendar, it turns out we’re doing the exact same thing on this Friday night as we were doing on the same Friday in September last year: anxiously awaiting the Season Premiere of “Survivor.”  Seems at the end of every season, I say I’m never going to watch the show again because I rarely like the winner BUT I can’t help myself. FG and I love the show’s challenges and it’s one of the few shows FM watches. For us, Fridays are Survivor days since it was delayed by one day in Germany and it’s on Friday nights here because we’re a day ahead of the states. Popcorn is ready and we’re 5 minutes out.

Posted in Flashback Fridays, TV | 1 Comment »

Goodbye Lazy Days of Summer

Wednesday, 13 September, 2006 by Beachbums1

Hello Busy Fall! 

Seems as soon as school starts, the crazy schedules start. So much for a nice dinner and a glass of wine ~ there’s been something going on every night this week. Not that I’m complaining, it’s been fun meeting new people. I’ve started volunteering at various organizations here on base and I’ll stick with the ones I like best. We all know once they get your name, you’re called for everything.

Last year, I had so much fun volunteering with FG’s 2nd grade class, I decided to volunteer at the school here as well.  FG’s new teacher seemed thrilled to have a parent helping out so I plan to go in a couple days a week for a few hours to help with reading and writing. The kids are adorable and still at a sweet age.

Also, I’ll be teaching CCD one night a week. As I plan for my first class this week, I’m in awe of all those teachers who have to plan for 5 full days. Sometimes parents don’t realize how much time a teacher puts into the class before the class even starts.  Here’s to all those great teachers out there who take the time to make their class-time special!

The strange thing about saying Goodbye to Summer is I have to remind myself the weather is NOT going to cool down. It’s so odd not to be changing from summer to winter clothes. In Germany, there were more than a few days when the weather changed so drastically from morning to afternoon that FG was either freezing or boiling by the end of the school day.  It’s nice to know it’s 80 degrees in the morning and 82 degrees in the afternoon 🙂

Posted in Favorite Girl | 4 Comments »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »