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.)