Day 35-A Great Week until the end anyway.

We had a wonderful time with Miss Kasey this past week. She visited with several people and kept us well entertained. We had company Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, friends showed up for dinner and visiting. Some even stayed the night one evening. It has been a while since we have had a house full of goofy girls staying over.

Thursday evening Cynthia Guevara and Michael Montoya joined us for supper, and then Steve received an unknown caller asking if we were there and if Kasey was there that they would like to come out and see her. He had no idea whom he was talking to, and invited them out anyway. Then he hung up the phone and recited a number asking if we had any idea whose is was. Luckily the number was in my phone and we discovered it was Quinten Moellering and his friend Gary Hannehmann, who are both friends with the girls. That was a good thing since he had just told someone whom he didn’t know to come out to our house at 10:00 at night.

That turned out to be a really crazy and fun night. All of them started a pillow fight and then used the palate mattresses as shields. There were pillows, blankets, and stuffed fish flying all over my living room. We laughed so hard at all of them. It was truly one of the funniest scenes I had seen in a long time. If only I would have had a video of it.

Friday night, Chelsea came in and we all met at Jalisco’s for supper, and then Kasey, Brett and Cynthia went out to Luckenbach with Michaela and Miranda Alkire and Sean, Miranda’s fiancee’. Later after graduation, Justin Nebgen met them there as well. The rest of us finished getting stuff ready to go to the coast the next day.

The five of us spent Saturday through Monday at Port Aransas. We stayed at the Mermaid Condo at Sunrise Villas where we had stayed 2 years earlier, the last time Kasey had been able to vacation with us. We ate at Moby Dick’s, The Beach Lodge, and the Island Cafe, and spent a little time shopping. Mostly though, we played on the beach and in the pool and Chelsea and Brett even did some night fishing.

The weather was super wonderful. I front had just been through chasing all the rain and humidity away, so temps were in the 80’s and not humid. The sand was packed from the recent rains, so there was no blowing sand in the breeze. The water was warm and clear as glass even when it was chest deep. It was definitely beautiful.

It was so wonderful just being the five of us again. On Monday morning, Kasey and I got up early and walked the beach taking pictures as the sun rose. It was so nice and peaceful.

We left for home just after lunch and then swung through San Antonio to pick up Aaron Chadwick’s Tahoe and bring it along home with us. We tried to go have supper with Grandma Bobbye Burow in Comfort but couldn’t get through on the phones. When we got to Los Jarros we discovered that all phone service was down in the Comfort area.

Tuesday, Chelsea had lunch with us at Porky’s and then headed back to Lubbock. Steve, Kasey and I went out to the park for a while after going to AT&T and getting Kasey a new blue phone identical to her old red phone. She needed a new phone, but still refused to get a smart phone. Later we had dinner with her and Donovan Hawkins and then they went to visit his mom and watch a movie.

Wednesday, we picked up Cynthia and had an early lunch and then headed to Austin to take Kasey to the airport. We left with plenty of time but a wreck on 71 right outside the airport made us miss her flight, then her second flight got grounded twice and she had to stay the night in Austin with her cousins who took her back to the airport at 4:00 in the morning so she could catch a 6:05 flight. She finally made it back to Norfolk at 2:00 this afternoon their time. Thank heavens she finally made it safely, a but the airlines tore her luggage for the second trip in a row and she now has to get another bag after just buying a new one here because they ripped the one coming here as well. I told her she should report it to the airlines, but she didn’t figure it was worth it.

If that wasn’t enough for one day for her, now her truck won’t start. Her dad believes it’s the battery, so she just has to find someone to jump it for her. Let’s pray that is all it is.

I am sorry if this wasn’t the most interesting or educationally informative blog tonight, but I just had to catch it all up for myself this time.

On another note, the Goddard level rocket program at White Sands is coming up in July. More details to come in the future.

Stonewall Peach Jamboree and Father’s Day is coming up next weekend. The Antique Tractor show is this weekend at the fairgrounds. More details to come on these and other things of interest as well as whatever strikes my fancy to write about.

Day 14-A Thank You to our Rocket Cops

This is my second edition of thank yous, and probably won’t be the last because it takes so many people to put on a production of this magnitude. Today’s shout out goes to our 3 Rocket Cops that help us each year.

Officer 95, Braxton Roemer, Officer 93, Chris Ayala, and Officer Shane Purvis, better known as Spotter Hill. Sorry Shane I just couldn’t remember your number so I am remiss to have to leave it out. We all referred to you as Spotter Hill most often through the weekend so that is what I tend to remember.

These officers gave of their time and talents to come head up and help our recovery efforts as well as keep everyone safe. Officer Roemer was our recovery team leader out in the field, assigning us our positions as well as keeping us coordinated and located out in the pastures as we hunted down rockets. He handled our radio communications, and assisted in rocket disarmament.

Officer Ayala provided additional ground support in recovery, front gate operations and traffic control. He commanded the gate in order to keep everyone safe and traffic stopped during testing.

Officer Purvis maintained position on top of Spotter Hill, with a bird’s-eye view of the area. He was quite often the only eye on the rockets at times when altitude and distance took them from the rest of recovery’s view.

I am quite sure that there is plenty more that went on behind the scenes with these gentlemen that I may not be aware of, and for that let me just say that all that they did was needed and appreciated by all the rest of the crew. They are a wonderful group of law enforcement officers, and we were privileged to have them with us.

Thank each one of you for spending these four days with the students, the rest of the volunteers, and the whole SystemsGo group.

We all enjoy working with each one of you, the SystemsGo Rocket Cops!

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.

Day 6-Crazy Tuesday

It was just another crazy Tuesday at work, getting ready for Billing on Friday, which I won’t be there for since I will be, you guessed it, chasing rockets. Due to that though I had some reports and things to run and check in a hurry so that all would be done in my absence that could be. What comes in after tomorrow will be someone else’s to deal with, except what is left when I get there on Monday. Oh Monday, bad word, it will be a tired Monday after a fun, but tiring weekend. That’s ok, because it is always fun and so worth it to be involved with SystemsGo.

Chelsea drove truck all day today for her job. She put in 12 hours behind the wheel for her employer. This is new for her only the second week, to do this, because their usual drivers are out with injuries. That’s ok she took to it like a pro. There is nothing that girl won’t tackle I believe. So proud of how strong and independent she is. She is a special girl. She is a sweetheart too. She left me the sweetest note on my bed when she left Monday telling me how much she loves me and believes she is lucky to have me for her mom. Made me cry. I love her tons. She and her sister Kasey are such jewels. I am the lucky one to have both of them.

Well the parenting class I have been attending, for the last 8 weeks is winding down. In fact, we are going to close up shop after next week’s class, I do believe. I can’t say it hasn’t been interesting, even if I didn’t really want to go in the beginning. There really is a lot of things people could learn for their roles with children. In fact it wouldn’t hurt every parent to take this course even if they aren’t required too. I really wish my husband would have had to take it too, but he got out of it claiming to be on call and having to miss too many classes.  There is much he could have used from it.

In all honesty, there isn’t a person in the class that would have taken it willingly. Thank you to our sons for providing this necessity. That being said, though, we are all lucky that our sons are the great kids they are, because it has worked in their favor in this little one time big goof up of theirs. In spite of this, I love him greatly and nothing could change that, and I try to tell him daily. He is still my prince.

It has actually been fun though. Our instructor is great. Having him on speed dial as an extra disciplinarian has come in handy too. Having the, “let’s see what Ron says” option has come in handy a time or two and will probably again before this little ride is completely over.

Someday, I might post the story I have written about this little adventure, and tell you all about it, but for now, I just want to see it to its end and hope it is behind us never to be revisited again. Hopefully no more proverbial bridges in our future. Let’s just leave it at that.

Only one more work day, and then Chelsea and her friend Guy will be here again and the rest of the week/weekend will be all about the Rockets. Well almost there will be a wedding mixed in there too. Not sure how that will all work out, but I am sure it will. This reminds me I need to see if the dress is ready to pick up tomorrow since we will be in Willow the rest of the week. One more thing for the to do list.

It is funny how each day I start this thinking what will I write? Nothing happened in my life today, interesting enough to write about, and then the words just start flowing. I hope you find some interest in my silly little blog. It hasn’t drawn much attention, likes or even any posts or comments, so I really don’t even know if anyone is reading it. That’s ok, though, because it’s very therapeutic for me and that’s what it is really for anyway.

Well, I do believe I am about done for this evening. Tune in tomorrow to see what words of wisdom or ridiculousness I come up with again. And definitely you want to tune in Thursday through Sunday for more up to date Rocket’s high lights.

Catch you tomorrow on a Whirlwind Wednesday.

www.systemsgo.org as always is the place for more information on this program. Take the time to get your school involved, the future of your students will be greatly benefited.