So there I was...
Riding the stationary bike, watching the Reds and the Red Socks and dripping with sweat. I was thinking about how much I love baseball. I have to admit thought that I was pretty confused cause both teams were wearing solid red jerseys. The sox were wearing the white pants though. Well, needless to say I had a great workout. Today I also lifted biceps and triceps. One most rewarding things for me about lifting weights is getting to check myself out in the mirror after I lift. I know it sounds vane, but I am sure you guys have noticed how your muscles are abnormally large after you lift due to all the blood rushing to those muscles. You should have seen my guns today! ;-) I have to be discreet though, cause I don't want to be one of those guys in the locker room who unabashedly checks himself out. In reality, me checking myself out is more like one of those TV shows where the little kid is flexing in his bedroom mirror than anything else.
But that brings me to my desired topic of discussion: THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE. Now I know you all want to be in better shape...everyone except V that is, cause she runs like 50 miles a day, that is until she broke her foot. I also know that most of you have already gotten my wife's email about the PC, but I am going to tell you about it again because none of you have signed up yet. Jelaine and I have started a group called "The Boyz+some" and want you to join. There are medals awarded after you log so many points and stuff and it is a cool way for us to encourage each other to exercise more. I know you may not have much time, but there are different levels for different people. Just do me a favor and check it out. It is fun to log what you do, and you can even log stuff like mowing the lawn or stretching or other stuff that you wouldn't think counts. "E" could log walking when he makes his laps in the airport. Anyway, here's the link I think: http://www.presidentschallenge.org . Check it out. Jelaine is leading the group right now in points! Hard for me to admit, but I'll just have to work harder.
Oh and about the badger thing...I just wanted to say that.
Kilroy was here!
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
Not dead - or - how bout some nicknames?
So there I was...
Looking at everyone elses blogs for like a week. I was commenting on all of them and enjoying the creativity of them all when I realized that I hadn't written my own in forever. Obviously you all know that I am not dead, but I just want to reasure you. I have decided that I have fallen victim to what Trey refers to as Bloggers Block.
So with nothing better to talk about I wanted to briefly mention my thoughts on new nicknames for the boyz. I began to think about it when My Love began referring to me as A2. So the others would be as follows: The original "E", of course, then S-man, TJ and JT. If you are confused by any of them, you may feel free to comment. But if we can't come up with better, we could begin using these abbreviations to protect the innocent. As if any one of us was... :-)
Anyway, as my wife said earlier oin her blog, I am going to go spend some time with her before we are off to bed. MMMM...Ice Cream!
Kilroy was here!
A2
Bong!
Looking at everyone elses blogs for like a week. I was commenting on all of them and enjoying the creativity of them all when I realized that I hadn't written my own in forever. Obviously you all know that I am not dead, but I just want to reasure you. I have decided that I have fallen victim to what Trey refers to as Bloggers Block.
So with nothing better to talk about I wanted to briefly mention my thoughts on new nicknames for the boyz. I began to think about it when My Love began referring to me as A2. So the others would be as follows: The original "E", of course, then S-man, TJ and JT. If you are confused by any of them, you may feel free to comment. But if we can't come up with better, we could begin using these abbreviations to protect the innocent. As if any one of us was... :-)
Anyway, as my wife said earlier oin her blog, I am going to go spend some time with her before we are off to bed. MMMM...Ice Cream!
Kilroy was here!
A2
Bong!
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Lost my heart in Spokane...almost.
So there I was...
in bed, 0930 on Sunday morning, when housekeeping knocks at the door. So I tell them, "ONE MOMENT," as I jump out of bed reach for the nearest pair of pants and shirt, slide my flip-flops on, and go to the door. They asked me if I wanted room service, and I said yes, cause I sure don't want to make my own bed.
Well I decided that if I was up I might as well go get some breakfast. Lucky for me, on Sundays brunch runs from like 0-dark-30 till 1330, that's 1:30 pm for you non-military/European types. So I had some freshly made french toast and eggs over medium, and then headed back to the room.
When I got back, I saw that my bed was neatly made...but something was missing...MY HEART!!! :-( Where did it go? I know I had it with me when I woke up. Did that guy steal it? Why would anyone want to steal a stuff red heart that says "Lover Boy" on it?
(Ok, I know most of you are wondering why I have a stuffed heart that says that...and more importantly why I brought it to WA with me. Well, my wife gave it to me for Valentine's Day. And I have it with me every night...so :-P Laugh if you want to.)
Anyway, so I walked down all the second floor hallways, and most of the first, looking for this guy...to no avail. I called housekeeping and got the answering machine. I was out of options. So, I decided to prop my door open and stake out the hallway for his return. Sure enough he finally came back and I asked him if he had accidentally rolled it up in the old sheets. He had, and I got it back. But I can't help but think he was laughing at me, a grown man carrying around a stuffed heart. All I know is that if he would have lost it, I would have stuffed his heart. (And those of you who know my dad, shouldn't doubt that I could do it. :-)
So don't worry dear, I didn't lose it. I took it back to my room and curled up in the fetal position with it for a few minutes...and then decided to blog about it. :-)
Kilroy was here!
in bed, 0930 on Sunday morning, when housekeeping knocks at the door. So I tell them, "ONE MOMENT," as I jump out of bed reach for the nearest pair of pants and shirt, slide my flip-flops on, and go to the door. They asked me if I wanted room service, and I said yes, cause I sure don't want to make my own bed.
Well I decided that if I was up I might as well go get some breakfast. Lucky for me, on Sundays brunch runs from like 0-dark-30 till 1330, that's 1:30 pm for you non-military/European types. So I had some freshly made french toast and eggs over medium, and then headed back to the room.
When I got back, I saw that my bed was neatly made...but something was missing...MY HEART!!! :-( Where did it go? I know I had it with me when I woke up. Did that guy steal it? Why would anyone want to steal a stuff red heart that says "Lover Boy" on it?
(Ok, I know most of you are wondering why I have a stuffed heart that says that...and more importantly why I brought it to WA with me. Well, my wife gave it to me for Valentine's Day. And I have it with me every night...so :-P Laugh if you want to.)
Anyway, so I walked down all the second floor hallways, and most of the first, looking for this guy...to no avail. I called housekeeping and got the answering machine. I was out of options. So, I decided to prop my door open and stake out the hallway for his return. Sure enough he finally came back and I asked him if he had accidentally rolled it up in the old sheets. He had, and I got it back. But I can't help but think he was laughing at me, a grown man carrying around a stuffed heart. All I know is that if he would have lost it, I would have stuffed his heart. (And those of you who know my dad, shouldn't doubt that I could do it. :-)
So don't worry dear, I didn't lose it. I took it back to my room and curled up in the fetal position with it for a few minutes...and then decided to blog about it. :-)
Kilroy was here!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The Taste of Freedom...
So there I was...
Pondering the experiences of the last few days. I was reminded of a quote that hit home this week. "For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know." I don't repeat this quote lightly. I don't even claim to understand it fully, for I am one of the "protected." I have yet to serve my country in any significant measure. I have yet to fully sacrifice self for others. I am indebted to those who have though, and I want to say thank you.
The last few days have opened my eyes to a few things, and one of those is the extent to which I have to take my freedom for granted. There are so many heroes out there that have given of themselves freely, voluntarily, and sacrificially for me, my family, and my friends. These heroes sit in the shadows and play down what they have done, but their service should not go unnoticed. One such hero is E's dad, Roland. He is a hero to us all, and yet his humble admittance of his service in one of America's most difficult and complicated conflicts is rarely acknowledged. Trey is also an America hero. Some would laugh at this, including Trey perhaps, but his service and sacrifice should not be overlooked. He has brought life and hope and morale to his comrades and coworkers for several years now and I want him to know it is not superficial.
The other American heroes are the families of those who serve or have served: Debbie, Alyssa, E, Viki, and the countless others. Each have sacrificed hopes and dreams, life goals and more...sometimes temporarily, sometimes all together, just to support their heroes. Some have spent days, months and even years away from their loved ones praying vigilantly for their return. And even after their return, some have had to accept losing a part of their heroes to the memories and experiences they have forcefully subdued in their minds to protect those they have returned to. All the time, never realizing that they are the drive, the inspiration, the very reason their heroes do what they do.
We should all recognize these selfless acts of service. Until we do, we will never stop taking for granted the freedoms we have. We should look upon our heroes with dignity, respect, and even awe. We should keep foremost in our minds the question, "What does freedom truly taste like," and yet hope never really have to know. Because I imagine it may not always be such a sweet and glorious taste. Like wine, it is necessary that it take on a bitter, even sour one sometimes to remind us that it must be nurtured...protected, so that it may age properly and mature into a rich, deep, and palatable flavor. Freedom isn't free, but let us thank those who have given of thier own freedoms to protect ours. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)
God Bless our American Heroes!
Pondering the experiences of the last few days. I was reminded of a quote that hit home this week. "For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know." I don't repeat this quote lightly. I don't even claim to understand it fully, for I am one of the "protected." I have yet to serve my country in any significant measure. I have yet to fully sacrifice self for others. I am indebted to those who have though, and I want to say thank you.
The last few days have opened my eyes to a few things, and one of those is the extent to which I have to take my freedom for granted. There are so many heroes out there that have given of themselves freely, voluntarily, and sacrificially for me, my family, and my friends. These heroes sit in the shadows and play down what they have done, but their service should not go unnoticed. One such hero is E's dad, Roland. He is a hero to us all, and yet his humble admittance of his service in one of America's most difficult and complicated conflicts is rarely acknowledged. Trey is also an America hero. Some would laugh at this, including Trey perhaps, but his service and sacrifice should not be overlooked. He has brought life and hope and morale to his comrades and coworkers for several years now and I want him to know it is not superficial.
The other American heroes are the families of those who serve or have served: Debbie, Alyssa, E, Viki, and the countless others. Each have sacrificed hopes and dreams, life goals and more...sometimes temporarily, sometimes all together, just to support their heroes. Some have spent days, months and even years away from their loved ones praying vigilantly for their return. And even after their return, some have had to accept losing a part of their heroes to the memories and experiences they have forcefully subdued in their minds to protect those they have returned to. All the time, never realizing that they are the drive, the inspiration, the very reason their heroes do what they do.
We should all recognize these selfless acts of service. Until we do, we will never stop taking for granted the freedoms we have. We should look upon our heroes with dignity, respect, and even awe. We should keep foremost in our minds the question, "What does freedom truly taste like," and yet hope never really have to know. Because I imagine it may not always be such a sweet and glorious taste. Like wine, it is necessary that it take on a bitter, even sour one sometimes to remind us that it must be nurtured...protected, so that it may age properly and mature into a rich, deep, and palatable flavor. Freedom isn't free, but let us thank those who have given of thier own freedoms to protect ours. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)
God Bless our American Heroes!
Sunday, March 12, 2006
P. O.ed
So there I was...
I had just finished another funny blog. This time it was about the Febreze monkey. I really want one! Well, I decided to finally use the spell checker on this site so Jelaine and Viki wouldn't have to correct me, and when I did, it went to some other web page and lost my whole blog. It was really long and I am tired and am not going to write it again. So screw spell check.
By the way, the monkey story was to ask you all to buy me one if you could find one since Jelaine wouldn't let me buy it for myself. If you can't find the actual monkey, find a picture of it for me so I can put it on my blog. PLEASE!!!
Kilroy was here!
PS: Tomorrow I return to the RT Lab so say another prayer for me please. I won't be posting again till Wednesday.
I had just finished another funny blog. This time it was about the Febreze monkey. I really want one! Well, I decided to finally use the spell checker on this site so Jelaine and Viki wouldn't have to correct me, and when I did, it went to some other web page and lost my whole blog. It was really long and I am tired and am not going to write it again. So screw spell check.
By the way, the monkey story was to ask you all to buy me one if you could find one since Jelaine wouldn't let me buy it for myself. If you can't find the actual monkey, find a picture of it for me so I can put it on my blog. PLEASE!!!
Kilroy was here!
PS: Tomorrow I return to the RT Lab so say another prayer for me please. I won't be posting again till Wednesday.
Friday, March 10, 2006
The world's greatest brownie - or - a big brown mess of goo...
So there I was...
Preparing to cook my gourmet hungry-man dinner in the microwave. I was carefully following the instructions to pull back the plastic cover on the brownie when I noticed that it really wasn't a brownie at all. It was basically frozen brownie batter. I figured they must know what they were doing and in 4.5 minutes on high in the microwave it would become a tasty dessert. So following the 4.5 minutes, I eaglery removed my lunch and continued cautiously with the instructions. Next I had to remove the so called brownie from the tray and set it aside. It came out, but in a semi-liquid form and not at all in one piece.
Well, i let it sit while the rest of the food was prepared and consumed. I then returned to the brown pile of gew. (On a side note: How do you spell gew. Sounds like dew with a g to me, but it doesn't look quite right.) Anyway, I have a bite, and low and behold, although still not solidified or very brownie like in form, it was one of the tastiest brownie piles I have ever had.
Moral of this little tale: You can't have a drink on the house...no wait, there I go mixing up my stories again. The moral of this story is if you want a tasty dessert and you will still have room after "OVER 1 LB. OF FOOD" (right there on the box)...pick yourself up a hungry-man dinner next time you're in the frozen foods section.
Kilroy was here!
Preparing to cook my gourmet hungry-man dinner in the microwave. I was carefully following the instructions to pull back the plastic cover on the brownie when I noticed that it really wasn't a brownie at all. It was basically frozen brownie batter. I figured they must know what they were doing and in 4.5 minutes on high in the microwave it would become a tasty dessert. So following the 4.5 minutes, I eaglery removed my lunch and continued cautiously with the instructions. Next I had to remove the so called brownie from the tray and set it aside. It came out, but in a semi-liquid form and not at all in one piece.
Well, i let it sit while the rest of the food was prepared and consumed. I then returned to the brown pile of gew. (On a side note: How do you spell gew. Sounds like dew with a g to me, but it doesn't look quite right.) Anyway, I have a bite, and low and behold, although still not solidified or very brownie like in form, it was one of the tastiest brownie piles I have ever had.
Moral of this little tale: You can't have a drink on the house...no wait, there I go mixing up my stories again. The moral of this story is if you want a tasty dessert and you will still have room after "OVER 1 LB. OF FOOD" (right there on the box)...pick yourself up a hungry-man dinner next time you're in the frozen foods section.
Kilroy was here!
At the mercy of others...
So there I was...
Sitting in the auditorium, with some good friends. When, out of nowhere, come five men dressed in black, armed to the teeth to hold us all hostage.
No wait, that was in high school, when the Haltom City SWAT team was having a practice hostage situation. I am getting my stories confused. That one turned out much better in the end. I mean sure "E" got killed in the foyer when the SWAT guys busted in and took out all the terrorist. But I got traded for pizza and got a free lunch up at the fire department, so it wasn't all bad.
Anyway, I made it through the first day of RT. The next few days are classroom stuff, but I guarantee you I will be paying attention in these classes. I'll be thinking about you all while I am up here in snowy Spokane.
Kilroy was here!
Sitting in the auditorium, with some good friends. When, out of nowhere, come five men dressed in black, armed to the teeth to hold us all hostage.
No wait, that was in high school, when the Haltom City SWAT team was having a practice hostage situation. I am getting my stories confused. That one turned out much better in the end. I mean sure "E" got killed in the foyer when the SWAT guys busted in and took out all the terrorist. But I got traded for pizza and got a free lunch up at the fire department, so it wasn't all bad.
Anyway, I made it through the first day of RT. The next few days are classroom stuff, but I guarantee you I will be paying attention in these classes. I'll be thinking about you all while I am up here in snowy Spokane.
Kilroy was here!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Evergreens, Starbucks, and a box JUST big enough for me...
So there I was...
Fairchild AFB, WA. Getting ready for bed. My last night as a free man. At least for now, because tomorrow I start a portion of Air Force training referred to as RT (Resistance Training). I won't be able to tell you anything about it though. First and foremost because I don't know anything about it myself, and second because I'd have to kill you if I did.
Suffice to say the title above, covers all the things that this part of the world has in common at this point.
Say a prayer for me tomorrow wherever you are. I'm going to need all I can get. God bless.
Kilroy was here!
Fairchild AFB, WA. Getting ready for bed. My last night as a free man. At least for now, because tomorrow I start a portion of Air Force training referred to as RT (Resistance Training). I won't be able to tell you anything about it though. First and foremost because I don't know anything about it myself, and second because I'd have to kill you if I did.
Suffice to say the title above, covers all the things that this part of the world has in common at this point.
Say a prayer for me tomorrow wherever you are. I'm going to need all I can get. God bless.
Kilroy was here!
Friday, March 03, 2006
A salute to The Boyz - or - the adventures begin.
So there I was...
New Years Eve, standing behind the fence of an apartment complex in Haltom City, TX. Just me, four of my best friends a jar of peanut butter and unsuspecting Andy...
For those of you who were there you know what comes next. For the rest of you...it's none of your beeswax. :-)
Back to the present:
My wife came home last night from a trip to San Antonio. It was kind of a geeks convention. She is a physisist you see. But she came home last night after stopping off in DFW to see my best friend who works at the airport. (Questionable at best, but what can you do, he's my best friend...) When she arrived, she proceeded to roll her lugage into the house. She rolled it through the kitchen and set it down, tripping over it in the process. Then I asked her to take it to the bedroom. So she did, tripping over it multiple times on the way. (She is obviously very smart, but she is also quite clumsy sometimes especially when she is being silly, and believe me as you will soon see she was being very silly.)
Well she got to the bedroom with the light still off as I followed to make sure she doesn't break something. Then she remembered that she was hungry. So what does she do but open her lugage to retrieve a pizza. (Now it should be noted that this was not carry on lugage, but lugage that was checked. It should also be noted that the pizza was purchased in San Antonio three days ago at the California Pizza Kitchen.) The story continues: She doesn't take the full size pizza box to the kithen to heat it up, but she sits on the floor in the dark, opens the box and begins eating a piece of her leftover pizza...and then wonders why I am laughing histerically on the bed beside her.
I love my wife! We have so much fun laughing at, I mean with, each other.
If you've made it this far through my ramblings though, I do have one more comment to make. This one is directed to "E"...BONG!!!
Kilroy was here!
New Years Eve, standing behind the fence of an apartment complex in Haltom City, TX. Just me, four of my best friends a jar of peanut butter and unsuspecting Andy...
For those of you who were there you know what comes next. For the rest of you...it's none of your beeswax. :-)
Back to the present:
My wife came home last night from a trip to San Antonio. It was kind of a geeks convention. She is a physisist you see. But she came home last night after stopping off in DFW to see my best friend who works at the airport. (Questionable at best, but what can you do, he's my best friend...) When she arrived, she proceeded to roll her lugage into the house. She rolled it through the kitchen and set it down, tripping over it in the process. Then I asked her to take it to the bedroom. So she did, tripping over it multiple times on the way. (She is obviously very smart, but she is also quite clumsy sometimes especially when she is being silly, and believe me as you will soon see she was being very silly.)
Well she got to the bedroom with the light still off as I followed to make sure she doesn't break something. Then she remembered that she was hungry. So what does she do but open her lugage to retrieve a pizza. (Now it should be noted that this was not carry on lugage, but lugage that was checked. It should also be noted that the pizza was purchased in San Antonio three days ago at the California Pizza Kitchen.) The story continues: She doesn't take the full size pizza box to the kithen to heat it up, but she sits on the floor in the dark, opens the box and begins eating a piece of her leftover pizza...and then wonders why I am laughing histerically on the bed beside her.
I love my wife! We have so much fun laughing at, I mean with, each other.
If you've made it this far through my ramblings though, I do have one more comment to make. This one is directed to "E"...BONG!!!
Kilroy was here!
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Unoriginal Armand...
So there I was...
Now I know what you are thinking. "What the heck Armand, I know you are more creative than that. Just because you are a pilot you think every story should start with, 'so there I was?'" That however is only partly true. Some of you who know me better might think that I have creativity flowing at Mach speeds through my veins, but I also have a side that likes patterns, order, and tradition. So, we are going to try, at least for the time being, to have a theme to my new blog entries.
..."And now", as my favorite newscaster would say, "the rest of the story:"
So there I was...sitting at Obadiah's apartment in Enid, OK, trying to come up with my very first blog. It was pretty exciting. I just helped my beautiful wife create hers a few days ago following the inspiring examples of our Italian friends, Trey and Viki. And now it was my turn. But alas, I had nothing important or profound to say. Just the ramblings on of a man stuck in a friend's apartment while his wife was at a conference in San Antonio. Not to worry, she will return tomorrow. And then, the true adventures of Armand will continue. But until then, to those select few of you who might have another reason to start a story with "so there I was", other than being a pilot...I'll leave you with the knowledge that I WANNA GO BACK TO...well, you already know the rest of the story.
Kilroy was here!
Now I know what you are thinking. "What the heck Armand, I know you are more creative than that. Just because you are a pilot you think every story should start with, 'so there I was?'" That however is only partly true. Some of you who know me better might think that I have creativity flowing at Mach speeds through my veins, but I also have a side that likes patterns, order, and tradition. So, we are going to try, at least for the time being, to have a theme to my new blog entries.
..."And now", as my favorite newscaster would say, "the rest of the story:"
So there I was...sitting at Obadiah's apartment in Enid, OK, trying to come up with my very first blog. It was pretty exciting. I just helped my beautiful wife create hers a few days ago following the inspiring examples of our Italian friends, Trey and Viki. And now it was my turn. But alas, I had nothing important or profound to say. Just the ramblings on of a man stuck in a friend's apartment while his wife was at a conference in San Antonio. Not to worry, she will return tomorrow. And then, the true adventures of Armand will continue. But until then, to those select few of you who might have another reason to start a story with "so there I was", other than being a pilot...I'll leave you with the knowledge that I WANNA GO BACK TO...well, you already know the rest of the story.
Kilroy was here!
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