Summer

Wow...what a crazy summer. Jeff and I have been so busy this summer. It all started at the end of June with a great visit from Jeff's parents. We went all over the place trying to get the highlights in. One day was spent walking around historic Dover, another at the beaches and visiting an old WWII base. We traveled to Washington D.C. for a day to visit the national mall and another day going to Annapolis and Baltimore. And one afternoon for a nice drive down the coast to Ocean City to walk on the boardwalk. I always love going to Ocean City, so much to look at and I love to people watch so this is a mecca for that.

Fourth of July Jeff and I spent in Washington D.C. again only this time we spent it on the south lawn of the White House. We arrived shortly before 5 and once onto the lawn were greeted by several volunteers. We had traditional picnic food of burgers and hot dogs. And then we were treated with music from the U.S. Marine Corp Band and a nice speech from Obama. Plus handshakes from both the President and Mrs Obama. That had to be the highlight of the whole day. We then enjoyed a concert sponsored by the USO of Michelle Branch and the Foo Fighters, and of course fireworks on the national mall. That was one of the coolest places I have been to for the fourth of July.



We then had busy months of various meetings and activities and here we are the end of August. I can't believe it, summer is almost over. The kids here in Dover have started back to school and it seems like fall is starting up with hints of cooler weather and lower humidity. Next week we are traveling back to Jackson to be with my parents for Labor Day weekend. Both Jeff and I are so excited to get to cooler weather and a break from work and everyday life.

crazy month

Wow...what a crazy month it was. My parents arrived in the early part of April for a nice long visit and they are still here. But it's ok. We have been so busy doing the tourist thing with them it's crazy. I can't count all the times we've been to the beach. Today we went to Old Dover Days for a nice parade and some fun craft booths. I can't believe that we ran into neighbors at the event. We finally know enough people that we run into them out and about! After the Old Dover Days we drove the hour and a bit to Annapolis to take in the U.S. Naval Academy. That is an incredible campus. You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting, right on the Chesapeake Bay. I do wish our tour guide stuck to the tour and not tell us over and over how hard it is to get into the school and once you are in how hard it is being there. But that's what you get for a tour guide who was a retired Naval Captain and proud of Navy. I also think he mentioned over and over again that Navy beat Army and Air Force this year. Over all it was a nice day.

We still like being in Dover, everyone here seems really really friendly and the gals in the neighborhood are very social, which is very helpful in getting to know people. Things however have quieted down around the block since most of our neighbors have deployed for the summer. It's weird having pilots as neighbors who are in their early 20's and flying these monster planes. But it is cool being at an active flying base, the downside there is the occasional night that they are flying all night long!

Life in Dover

So far so good here in Dover. We have met most of our neighbors and feel right at home with everyone. Jeff and I have even been able to do some exploring around the area. Two weekends ago we were able to go down to Lewes and Rehoboth Beaches soak in some sun and the ocean. We even brought Cheyenne with us for her first beach experience. Last weekend we decided to travel to Annapolis and check things out. Plus we were both craving Panera Bread and wanted to get a few things at Trader Joes, so a rainy day seemed perfect.

We are finally settled in with pictures and curtains hung. The only big issue we've had is the fridge went on the fritz today and decided to stop working. Luckily we got it fixed and it seems to be doing ok now. But we lost a half gallon of milk in the process. Jeff is finally seeing patients again and finding the office to be a busy place. Mon, Wed and Fri he has mandatory Physical Training and then he signed up to play volleyball on Tues and Thurs. So basically he is at work until later now making it tough to get into a new grove. But I guess we'll get there eventually.

Some people are so stupid!

Ok...I usually don't like to rant on these blogs but I have to with this one. Today I was out walking Cheyenne and a stray dog ran up to us. This dog was a young, friendly pup and Cheyenne was actually wanting to play with him. I grabbed the dog's collar and guess what? No tags!!!! None what-so-ever! That just makes me so mad that people are that dumb. What idiot does not put tags on a dog in case it gets out or lost! So here I am a mile from the house, calling the base housing office and the only answer I get is "you'll have to call the ASPCA". Come on people, I am so shocked that security forces wouldn't have a microchip scanner to try and scan the dog and find its owners. So now what? Do I try and get the dog to follow me home? Do I just let it run off? By this time the dog ran off, so I didn't have to make that decision, but still. I am one of those over protective people. Not only does my dog have and ID tag, but a microchip tag, a rabies tag and a Delaware state license tag. It's not that hard people! I told my mother that if I see posters for a lost dog, I am going to call them and tell them what idiots they are.


So yes we are here in Delaware and unpacked. I just unpacked the last box today. Our house is starting to feel more like home. We've met a few neighbors and all seem pretty friendly. We have also discoverd where stuff is, like Target Walmart and Lowes all must haves. Cheyenne is doing well, although Jeff and I think we brought home a different dog. She is more playful now and actually letting people pet her. I guess we'll have to see if it sticks or not.

Long days...

So we finally made it to the coast after two long days of driving. We had snow storm after snow storm. Roads were horrible, wind was worse. Now we are in Grasonville, MD about an hour away from Dover. Tomorrow we have a busy day. First we drive to drop Cheyenne off at a kennel...first time for this. I am an emotional wreck about it too. Cheyenne has always gone with us or stayed with friends, I just hope she is scared by this. After dropping Cheyenne off we head south to the base to check in and then get our house. Hopefully this won't be too painfully long. I am sad that we lose our internet and tv for a few days. What am I going to do without CBS Monday night and Survivor? I am looking forward to seeing new places and being out of the south. And yes, even though we were in Illinois it was southern. We sometimes felt like we hadn't left Memphis. As my dad pointed out tonight, we finally left some of the worst cities to live in and moved somewhere nice. I hope Dover doesn't disappoint us.

Time flies

Wow...How can I say it any other way but time flies when you aren't ready. I can't believe that Jeff and I are moving in three weeks! There is so much to do and we are losing time to do it in. So far things seem to be going well. We apparently have a base house in Dover, which is a huge relief...hopefully it's ok. I was told that it was brand new, but it's a one car garage and a duplex. These things shouldn't really matter to me, but when you have lived in this new house we have now, it's hard to go back to a duplex. Jeff has been gone now for four weeks, only one more to go and then he is home to help with some of the burden of moving. It's amazing what we Air Force wives have to go through to keep our families running. Of course while he is gone we get one of the biggest snow falls in years. Over 7 inches fell at our house in two days. To some of you that isn't a lot, but for places that can't handle it...wow it was a mess! But this is my favorite part about a snow fall, it gets warm, blue cloudless skies and the snow melting around you. It reminds me of Wyoming in the spring.

BIG NEWS!!

So here is our first posting and we have big news to start off with. Jeff and I are moving again. We just barely moved into our new base house and we are moving again in Feb. But we are moving onto bigger and better things. Jeff took a position at Dover Air Force Base as the Officer in Charge, meaning he is the only Optometrist in the office and running the show. Hopefully this will be good for his career. We did have a busy summer this year. Starting off with a trip to Seattle in June, a long weekend to Utah and another trip home to Wyoming. But things have started to settle down for us.