I Love Teenagers

I could shout it from the top of my lungs - I LOVE teenagers - especially my two. There comes a time in life when they become your companions instead of little people who need to be watched over. Don't get me wrong, I worry endlessly about them. But I try not to let them see that part. These two kids make me laugh and are the very best company a person could want. A very rich reward. And.....one of the very best things is that they can actually DO THINGS for you. For instance, at this very moment (10:30 pm), they are out picking up a last minute gift card and a stick of butter for me! They are happy to rearrange the cars in the driveway. They are happy to run up to the grocery store. They are happy to accompany me anywhere. They made my lunch today and when they get back tonight, they are going to make a pumpkin pie and oatmeal cookies for a holiday party! This just kind of seemed to have happened overnight. I guess the fact that Hollywood has to fiercely fend for herself at school now has made for a whole different tone. Me likey.

Bank Party = Good Food

I had the pleasure this week of traveling to Roanoke to visit one of my favorite folks. Mary is terrific - her clients love her. She hosted a holiday party at a warm, quaint restaurant in downtown Roanoke. Someone (not Mary) led me to believe that the cider was spiked. No such luck. But...the food was great - my favorite was a lobster BLT. Hard to imagine, but it was absolutely delish! This is me and Mary. I think our hairdos look pretty good considering the fact that it was pouring rain outside and we had walked a couple blocks in that mess. Not only is Mary the best at work - she's the best at home too. She's a wife and mom to three kids, one is 9 and she has a set of twins age 6.

20 Mile March

Here are a couple of photos of Hollywood after the 20 mile march they completed recently. She's doing great! They were dreading it, but they all did fine. The first photo is Hollywood with her BRs. The next shot is the rats with their dykes. For those not familiar with time-tested traditions at VMI, the dyke system basically is when each freshman is assigned a mentor, or a big brother/big sister who is a first class (senior) to help the learn the ropes.

She will be home Tuesday and G-Man will be here Friday!!

Cadets to March in Inaugural Parade

LEXINGTON, Va., Dec. 8, 2008 – The Corps of Cadets of the Virginia Military Institute will mark the 100th anniversary of the first time it marched in a Presidential Inaugural Parade by marching in the parade ushering in President-elect Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

Hollywood is going to participate in the Inaugural Parade in January. This will be the 13th inaugural parade the cadets have marched in. It will also mark the 100th anniversary of the first time they marched, in 1909 for the inauguration of President William Howard Taft.

It should prove to be a proud and exciting day for our Girl Rat. I hope they have lovely, fluffy snow. Nothing too cold or mushy.

Dad's in Town

Dad is down from Texas visiting his place in Duck this week. Several of us got together at our old favorite restaurant, Gus & George's. Everyone likes it because you can order the spaghetti combo and still have a ton of food left over to take home. A combo is spaghetti with meatballs and pepperoni or mushrooms - all together. Yum. It was nice to see everyone - especially the young folks. I love to see my nieces as they are growing up. They are lovely. And of course the LP - Little Prince - my sister's grandson. Here are a few photos. I'm not quite sure what my Dad and sister were laughing about but it was more than likely a little on the bawdy side. You can't see it but they both were hitting the sauce so there's no telling what they were guffawing about.

Thanksgiving Blessings

This year we had an extra special Thanksgiving. Only I don't have pictures of the actual day because I left my camera in a hotel room in Charlottesville. They were kind enough to send it back to me but I did not get it until Friday. Our day was made special because it was spent with family - we ate at my sister-in-law's house. She graciously hosts us every year. I had picked up Hollywood on Tuesday, along with 2 of her BRs/classmates. Sam is from California and Chang is from Taiwan - neither of them were able to take a trip home so we gladly had them stay with us. Hollywood made a couple of dishes for Thanksgiving - a pineapple/mandarin casserole and a greenbean casserole. Hers are almost as good as mine. Almost.

On Friday the girls braved the shops and hit Black Friday at 5 a.m. with my sister-in-law. They were done by 9 am and had to come home for a nap. They did a lot of napping over the holiday because they don't get to do that much at military school! And speaking of napping, here's what they did on the way back to school: Yes, that's right - they napped! All four (we picked up another classmate for the ride back) of them for at least 2 hours of the 4 hour trip. The drive back was cold, rainy and foggy. They said that the dreary skies were appropriate given that they were returning to school. All in all it was a very joyful few days, just way too short. We have started counting the days down again until December 17th - their last day before the Christmas break. They will have some 3 weeks off at that time. This really gives them something to look forward to and it is very important right now that they know they need to just focus hard for 3 more weeks. Once they get back from the Christmas break, it will be mid-January. They will be breaking out of the Ratline on January 31st and they are psyched about that!

Here's a photo of the group as we dropped them back at school. They all had to be in uniform - in their grey blouse. From l-r - Hollywood, Chang, Sam and Rick.

I want to see if I can post this video of Sam and Chang at the iceskating rink. We have a rink at an outdoor mall. Chang is the one in the pink coat who knows how to skate. Sam is the one just learning!

Moms in Prayer

I have been fortunate to meet the Moms in Prayer group at Hollywood's school. The MIPs pray specifically for the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of our cadets. The group if fairly large and we have a subgroup in our geographic area. We met in person recently at Mary's house - Mary is our point person. They are all very nice people and I look forward to getting to know them over the next 4 years.

A Little (Big) Surprise

I came home from work the other day and went about my business - called
hubby from upstairs and then came on down to fire up the ole' George Foreman for some Boca burgers. I had to do a doubletake because when I rounded the corner, there was a beautiful vase of flowers. No reason. How lucky am I?

Pi Phis for a Cause

I recently got the chance to get together with some of my Pi Phi sisters to bake cookies for the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We met at Amy's house - a beautiful home in Sandbridge - on Back Bay. Amy (in the pink) is a longtime pilot with United Airlines and was a great hostess. She's a terrific role model for young women. We made tons of cookies so I hope we make tons of soldiers happy. I can definitely now recommend those tubs of cookie batter from Costco - I was skeptical but the cookies were delicious. No need for guilt and it saves a bunch of time.

Military Appreciation Day at VMI

I had the pleasure of visiting Hollywood at her school on Military Appreciation Day. The highlight was seeing and hearing Vice President Cheney speak. There was a lot of extra security and secret service around but all and all, not too bad and I got an up close and personal view as the motorcade drove down the main road of the post. He gave a great speech, which included this quote: "In the struggle at hand, the stakes remain high, but I am confident of the outcome. Those who hate America are no match for those who love America. " I have always respected Dick Cheney and felt proud to be there with 3,000 other God-fearing Americans.After the speech, I went to the football game but before the game, the Corps of course marched down to the field. Here is Hollywood and her Bravo Company. She's the short one about 4 rows back. They lost to Liberty University that day, but it was close for most of the time. After the game we went to dinner and then over to my B&B for a little rest. Sunday was church and lunch and then I had to head on back. We really enjoyed the visit. Can't believe how much I miss that kid. They are all looking forward to Thanksgiving. Seems Hollywood is bringing 2 BRs (brother rats/girls) home with her as they live very far from school and will not be able to be with their families at Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to having them and stuffing ourselves shamelessly.

For anyone wanting to read the complete (5 minute) speech by the VP:

Vice President's Remarks Virginia Military InstituteLexington, Virginia

11:02 A.M. EST
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much General Peay. I appreciate the kind introduction. I apologize for my laryngitis today. The good news is it's going to be a short speech.
Secretary Jack Marsh, distinguished guests, members of the Corps, thank you for the warm welcome to the Virginia Military Institute. In all my visits to this campus I've never been more impressed than I am this morning. Ladies and gentleman of the Corps, I know that each one of you is well aware of the place that VMI holds in this commonwealth and in our country. It's made immense contributions to defense of the nation. It's traditions of honor, discipline, character and self-reliance are legendary and unshakable. Its graduates form one of the most loyal and devoted alumni groups found anywhere. For preparing leaders and giving steady service to the nation, VMI is truly one of America's finest institutions.
In a time of challenge for our country, these are the very principles that set America apart from our enemies. Seven years ago a war began with a heartless attack on innocent Americans, perpetrated by men who reject and despise every principle on which civilized life depends. They reject every standard of moral conduct. They live not by a code, but by a cult of murder, suicide and death. They compose not a den of criminals, but a movement with global ambitions and a yearning to seize and use the deadliest technologies against us. They are a strategic threat to the United States. They continue to test us on many fronts, yet this nation remains resolute. And as President Bush and I finish our terms of office, we will ensure smooth and graceful transition of power to President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden, as they take up the duty of protecting America.
In the struggle at hand, the stakes remain high, but I am confident of the outcome. Those who hate America are no match for those who love America. (Applause.)
In the great struggles of the 20th century, Americans never gave in to the demands of dictators, militarists, Nazis or communists. In the great struggle of the early 21st century, we will never give in to the jihadists. We will oppose and confront them until we defeat them. (Applause.)
This war has already extracted a cost from VMI. You've lost men in the attacks of 9/11 and on the field of honor in Iraq and Afghanistan. They will never be forgotten. And for those fighting today, and in the future, we pray they will be strong and victorious, and returned safely home. It will ever be thus, as long as there are men and women like you to carry the legacy. And I have confidence in every single one of you.
And VMI, you follow the same code of honor known to Marshall and thousands of other leading citizens. You order your lives in the same manner. You accept duty in a way that reflects enormous credit upon you and upon VMI. And so I'm tremendously pleased to extend the respect of your fellow Americans. And I thank you for giving me the honor of being on Post today. I wish you well in your careers. May God grant you wisdom, and may he always watch over the United States of America. (Applause.)

Homecoming and "Mr. Purp"

I spent the weekend with my "little guy," G-Man - only he's not so little anymore. My goodness he is getting all grown up. He drove me around in his purple Honda, which he has affectionately named "Mr. Purp," not to be confused with "Mr. Perp," okay? I got a good laugh out of this and the name really grew on me. I was a little amused by the good luck charms in Mr. Purp. Here are two:

As it was Homecoming weekend , the GMan and some of his friends were going to the dance. Apparently you don't take a date to the Homecoming Dance, but rather you only take a date to the Prom. You go with a group to Homecoming. The gang met at the Pizza Palace for dinner before heading over. When he got home, his tie was still damp from the sweating he had done on the dance floor. He said he danced all night and had a great time. Here he is getting into "Mr. Purp."

Perhaps you noticed his "beard." He and some of his buddies are observing "Octobeard" this month and seeing who can grow the best beard. He assures me it will be gone in November. It has kinda grown on me too.

Parents Weekend

Big Dad and I just got back from visiting Hollywood at Parents Weekend at VMI. We had a really great time. We stayed at a very nice b&b, right outside of town called Fox Hill B&B. It was quite nice - spacious, and cozy. Here are a few photos from Fox Hill. We really enjoyed the hospitality of Sue and Mark as well as kitty and puppy. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we could not have asked for anything better.

The highlight of our trip though was spending time with our girl. We actually got to go to class with her on Friday which was quite interesting. In her English class I learned two new words - portmanteau and epiphenominal. I remembered on Friday what they meant but if you want to know yourself, please refer to Webster's because I have all but forgotten. It was quite fun. I can't necessarily call her Calculus class fun because to tell you the truth, Big Dad and I had absolutely zero clue as to what they were talking about. They used arcsin, derivatives, inverse, differentials, etc. Heck, I don't even know if I'm spelling it right. We could have kept up in a class in Japanese just as well. No matter, the important thing is that Hollywood understands and she seems to be keeping up just fine. I also had the chance to tour the barracks and see the spartan conditions of their room. Trust me, nothing fancy.We also got to eat in the mess hall. Here is a photo of Hollywood with one of her BRs (brother rats). On Saturday morning we were able to watch the corps in a parade.

In this last parade photo you can see Hollywood marching. She is 3rd from last.

We had a really fun time on Saturday at the football game. My sister Blondie and her fiance Scamper came to the game as well. Unfortunately my camera battery died around that time. No worries though as Mom Bear took lots of photos and promised to send them to me for future postings. I think she has a photo of the rats doing pushups which is pretty funny. Everytime VMI scores at all, the entire rat mass must run out of the bleachers onto the sidelines and do a number of pushups equal to VMI's new score. They weren't too happy that the score ended up being 47-20 VMI.

After the game we had the nicest dinner with Sis and Scamper. I hope she has some pics of this as well. On Sunday we took Hollywood to Walmart for provisions refill. Before we left we visited with her host family - a family that takes in cadets on the weekends and provides them with a place that feels like home. We are very thankful she has met a family kind enough to take her and several of her BRs in.

Road Trip

I had the great fortune of catching a ride with my bro Mike on Sunday up to see his daughter play field hockey at James Madison University. My fortunes were many as his oldest daughter, a student at Sweetbrier College was able to pick up my daughter, a Rat at Virginia Military Institute, and bring her over to JMU. My greatest fortune of all was surviving the trip as that was in question early on when we nearly ate guardrail soon after we set off. We truly got run off the road by a very inconsiderate driver. My bro does not understand the concept of "the bigger car wins." No, he was not going to let his Toyota be pushed around by a full size Ford Econo Van. After a few tense seconds (my sister-in-law can provide details), we emerged victorious and the van exited at the next ramp. Lil' Red never even looked up from her book. We had a fabulous time as his daughter #2 hosted us at her school. It was Parents Weekend at JMU and we feasted on a lovely breakfast and we baked, I mean basked in the sunshine and enjoyed watching JMU stomp Hofstra. Afterwards was a pasta tailgate party. These ladies know how to throw a potluck!

Hollywood arrived in her uniform and quickly took advantage of her chance to change into "civilians." We camped out in #2's room for a while, just chilling out and waiting for the field hockey game to start. We helped ourselves to her roommates candy - I actually stuffed some into my bookbag for later consumption in case bro did not stop on the way home for a snack (he did not). Here is a picture of Hollywood with #2 before the game and a picture of me with Hollywood. She and #2 are the same age, and grew up together, along with my nephew, The Ladies Man.

At the end of the day my dear sweet niece #1 took Hollywood back to her barracks to begin another week of "straining." No worries though, I will be back there on Friday for her Parents Weekend. Hubby and I will be attending classes with her and then we will attend the parade. Saturday will be the football game, tailgating with the Moms in Prayer group, and dinner at a nice restaurant in town. Sunday will be brunch and church then we'll have to leave. Hub and I are going to take a few more days off and trek up to Wintergreen for spa treatment. I'm hoping the leaves in the Blue Ridge Mountains are at their peak then.

A Good Cause

I had a really nice time on Saturday participating in a Walk for Diabetes.

My friend C. Butler had asked me if I would walk and it turned out to be a beautiful day. I was all set to walk 5K but was pleasantly surprised when we walked from 31st Street south to 17th Street at which time we turned around and walked back. I don't know that we even walked 1 full mile but it was just the right length. I got to meet some new friends and raise money for a great cause.

Team Butler

G-Man

I haven't blogged about GMan lately but he is doing great in school. He is beginning to think about colleges and we are going to get him signed up to start taking his SATs. He wants to major in International Business and right now he thinks he wants to go to school at either the University of Florida or the University of Virginia. Both excellent schools. Here is a photograph of GMan in France back in June - he was over the fact that I kept taking pictures of the teenagers. He politely asked if he would "pose" for me, if I would not take any more pictures. I agreed and while the band was playing the "chickadee" song he gave me his pose. I thought this was funny.I also thought this was a great picture of us as we stood at the border between Germany and Austria. I am supposed to visit with him in a few weeks but I am thinking about fetching him and having him come here in the next week or two. I miss him a lot. He is at a great age and he has the greatest sense of humor.

Happy Belated Birthday Hollywood

My daughter Hollywood turned 18 a little more than a week ago. I had hoped to put a photograph of her as a baby up here along with her graduation photograph but I do not have a scanner and need to figure out how to get the photographs digitized. But I want her to know she is the very best daughter, stepdaughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin a person could ask for. We are all very proud of her and are behind her 100%. Photos will follow once I figure it out. Love you girlie!

Sister/Momma Bear is Okay

My sister, the Old Stewardess, was hospitalized last week and we had a very bad scare. Near the beginning of September we had gone down to visit Dad in Duck, NC and she was uncharacteristically feeling ill. Old Stew is always the life of the party and when she is down, she is down. I took her to the hospital during Hurricane Hannah and 8 hours later they sent us on our way with a few percocets and a cd of her MRI which showed a large tumor in her abdomen and it had been causing severe pain. She will not be pleased that I say this but it was the size of a grapefruit (some 13x8 centimeters). The doctor told her that they suspected cancer, he did not mince words and I was there to witness it. He told her to get to a gynecological oncologist as soon as possible. I was amazed at how she handled the whole situation. She did not panic whatsoever. She was actually quite calm. I would have been beside myself and quite hysterical but she was not. She refused to be alarmed unless and until she knew she had something to be alarmed about. Wow. I kept checking in with her up until the time of surgery and she remained calm the whole time. Many folks were praying for her and once those efforts were underway, I began to relax as well. We were relieved to discover this "thing" was totally benign. I went up to Fairfax on Tuesday afternoon, the day of her surgery. I was there along with Dad and Scamper when she came out of the recovery room. She was chatty within the hour. She got tired quickly and sent us home. The next morning she had made them remove her catheter and she was up and at 'em. They let her go home Thursday - she really is the best type of patient. Here are a few photos, a couple of her, one of me making the bed with the nurse (I think she took this because it is rare to see me do housework) and one of Dad doing what Dad does best. I'm sorry, I'm not good with what I need to do to arrange the photos the right way and I don't care to learn right now.