Having a Man Around the House...

...makes dealing with little mishaps like this MUCH easier.  In fact, you can probably imagine what I said when I discovered this. 

Can you see it?  I was so irked...

Can you identify it?  How did that happen?

 Are you sure?

Fortunately, Charming was on hand and so I effectively delegated the task of resolving the situation to him.  His shoulders are broad enough to handle the load!  One less toddler-sized cup in our cupboards...time marches on!

Self Protection

Dear Family -

The Middle East is a very dangerous place.  Danger lurks around every corner, behind every bush, and yes, even on top of your closet!  You never know when a marauding hoard may descend upon you.  

That is why I am glad you sent me the new NX 5000 Blade Weapon.  It is the perfect weapon of choice for home defense!  I easily sent those marauders packing back to the stone age.

Love you!

Self Reporting of Violation

Dear Family-

I guess that it is better to come clean now....I have to report a violation of my man card.  I am not proud of it, but I watched "Letters to Juliet" and loved it.  There was not one car chase or explosion.  It is definitely a really good movie that leaves you feeling great in the end.  I apologize for this.

Love you!

Food for Thought

Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of the living.

-Miriam Beard

Flying

Dear Family -

As you know, I have racked up thousands of miles in the air over the last year.  One of the weirdest things to get use to is landing.  I have found that looking out the window is neat, but sometimes it can be a little disconcerting.  This is mainly caused by landing in a crosswind.  What this means is that there is wind blowing across the runway as you are approaching to land.  In order to get around this, the pilot has to kind of steer in to the wind to keep lined up on the runway.  It feels odd because you have straighten out once you land.  Check it out.   Crosswind at Heathrow

Life in Wonderland

Dear Family-

As you may recall, the gang arrived via the postal service last week.  Needless to say, there was a lot of grumbling about the accommodations and how rotten the service was in stowage.  In addition, I did not get much sympathy about the cramped leg room I experienced or the long lay over in London.  I walked in today to find them back in their old pattern.  Making a mess in the living room and playing Halo.  I just sat down, took off my boots and took some pictures.  It is really amazing to me that in the last hour I have not heard the phrase "screen peeking" one time.  Imagine that!

Love you!

Life At Home

Big Brawny Army Bear...

A few months at home with girls...


Fairy Princess Bear!

Getting Back To Normal

Dear Family -
Well, this is my first post after a truly great vacation.  I wanted you all to know that I had a great time and appreciated all that you did to make it so special.  Driving to Seattle and back was truly heroic in my book.  For my first post, I just have to tell you about my visit to London.  As I am a very inexperienced traveler, I just don't know all the ropes about getting in and out of the airport and such.  Afraid I would get stuck somewhere, I chose not to venture far from the airport.  So, this left me sitting in the airport for a long, long time.  Even when you are vegetating in an airport, you get hungry.  Heathrow is a big place, so I started looking earnestly for something familiar and cheap.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  All they had were trendy restaurants that start at 10 Pounds for an appetizer.  Way out of my price range for airport food.  The only fast food was Starbucks and that was expensive as well.  I found the typical airport travel store that sold water, chips, sodas, etc.  I thought that I lucked out because they had a cooler full of sandwiches.  I ran to the door and opened it.  It was appalling.  Row after row of "prawn and cheese" sandwiches. 

Seriously!  Who the heck eats a prawn and cheese sandwich?  Obviously no one does because they have a cooler full of them.  As I left the store with my Coke Zero (which later exploded over me), I found a place to enter traveler's comments.  I wrote a page and a half about the need for a McDonalds.  EVERY airport I had been to before that had a McDonalds.  Kimpo in Seoul had a McDonalds.  Even Wonderland has a McDonalds.  You can see where my rant is going.  Maybe, just maybe, by the time I go on leave again, they will mend their ways and start having real food.

Love you!

Boys will be boys!

Wrestling at the table...

Then gesturing in a NSFW manner...

Keeping arm's length away because you're "men" and you don't hug ...

And then admitting you're best buds who are going to miss each other terribly.