Cold Case

Have you ever watched that television show called Cold Case? It is a crime drama and the storylines involve unsolved cases. I have seen it a few times. It is kind of fun to watch because the story is always told during the era of the crime, then it flash forwards to modern day. The actors can be teenagers and then *flash* they are adults. And the show usually incorporates music current to the time of the storyline.

As many of you know I am currently living back in the town that I grew up in while Micah is deployed for a year. Talk about BIZARRE!! This is probably the most I have been here since moving away after high school and it has been 2 years since I last visited. I feel like I am in an ongoing episode of cold case. I run into people that looks SO familiar and yet I don't know who they are, or I do know who they are but they look OLD! Which means that I must look old too!!

One day I heard my dad talking to a man and when I walked into the room and saw who it was *flash* I was at a stake dance and R.E.M. was playing. I registered the boys for baseball and ran into a man there. I had to ask who he was because he looked so familiar. He was a grade older than I and married to one of my H.S. friends. *flash* back in high school...STRANGE!! Just yesterday I ran into a woman in Costco. We saw each other and at the same time said, "Hi! Who are you?" Then we laughed. We had gone to girls camp with each other as young women.
I went with my mom to get my haircut, and the woman cutting our hair worked with me during a summer job....and she told me that she had a picture of me. I said, really? And she said, "yah it was with the copy machine...we were messing around.' okay....don't remember that!

Anyway, it is a strange strange experience! But I have to chuckle because it is JUST like that show. Crazeee!

Dust Storm

Here is another Micah adventure. I was going to wait a day or two to post it but Porter's response to the pictures was too hilarious. That kid just cracks me up sometimes. There are two photos of Micah outside. One is during a dust storm and the other on a clear day.

Why is this funny? Let me refer you to a post/conversation that we had last fall. I can't figure out how cut and paste and the kids are going beserko, so go read this. Then come back.

Okay...ready now? So, Porter looks at this last photo of Micah and with a bit of disappointment says, "Well where are all the pirates?"

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Afghan lessons

An update! Micah has deployed to Afghanistan for a year. In the meantime we are living in Idaho near my parents and doing some work on a house. The house isn't quiet ready yet so we are staying in a friends basement. We expect Micah home in about 11 months and 2 weeks or so. He does have a mid-tour when he will come home for 2 weeks time. While he is away I will be posting our adventures as well as some of his.

Micah sent me an email the other day. Thought I would share it:

"Ok, so these pictures stink, but there is a good story behind them. I took the first picture of the Mi-17 we were flying with in formation with. I then decided that it would be a good opportunity to get a picture of me flying so I tightened up the formation to about 3 rotor diameters and told my Afghan flight engineer (FE) sitting in the middle seat to take a picture of me in the left seat. The idea being to get a shot of my face with the other Mi-17 and the mountains in the background. I then gave the controls to the Afghan pilot sitting in the right seat so that I could look back while the FE took some pictures. The Afghan pilot had flown very well earlier in the sortie but as soon as the FE started yelling at him to make flight adjustments ( I think that is what he was saying anyway) the other pilot started getting really jerky on the controls. Then the Afghan pilot started yelling back at the FE and this went back and forth for about two minutes. Again, I can only assume what these guys were saying and in their defense most Afghan do raise their voice in normal conversation. Anyway, the lone picture the FE took during this two minute ordeal was when I was looking back over at the other aircraft to make sure that we were still in formation and not about to run into something. After I took the controls back the two guys continued their 'conversation' and a couple minutes later they started laughing when I started shaking my head and laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation."

She's 2!!

Ella had a birthday...shout hooray! She is definitely a 2 year old girl. Sugar and spice (LOTS of spice) and everything nice. I am so glad that I have a little girl. She keeps things interesting. We had a quick little birthday party with her. My mom made some yummy chocolate cupcakes with pink almond frosting. They were too delicious. She opened opened one present and then tried to pass around the others. She didn't quite get that they were all for her, but she caught on quickly!

Exhausted!!

Totally exhausted these days. We are living next to the folks, sort of. Long story, but we are renovating a house and are working to make the upstairs hapitable. The bathroom was gutted so as soon as it is operational we will be moving in. For now we are staying in a friends basement apartment. Totally grateful for a place to go and sleep every night.

Every day my AMAZING mother watches my kids while I go work on the house. Super amazing because she has my sisters 5 kids too. She watches them, feeds them, gives them naps, feeds us dinner and makes it possible for me to save some money by doing the labor myself. Along with my dad and brothers that is. And with the help of their wives. Bobbi is my design consultant.

AND GRANDMA S!!! She has come over to help wash walls, cupboards, floors, counters, mud drywall and sand. And twice she has brought lunch to all of us. I hope one day that when I am her age I will be as young as she is. She works harder than I do!! AMAZING!!

Sooooo...that is my reason for not posting. Gonna get to it soon.

Got a good post brewing in my head. Too tired tonight to post it. But I will sooon! If any one is itching to volunteer free labor I might know a place... :)