Life: Idiotropic

More than just a Navy base, but... unfortunately this is about all we saw of this tiny town just across the water from Cadiz, another town that we didn't see.

I'm not quite sure what we were thinking.  I suppose I'll blame it on that whole "adult responsibility" thing winning out over the carefree me that wanted to stay a few extra nights.  School?  Work?  Eh.  How often do we get to see this??

So we spent Thursday in the car - all day.  From 1030 until close to 2000 with just a stop for gas a stop for a really average lunch that was edible, but not the hot and hearty I craved.

Friday was at the Navy base from 0730 until close to 1800.  Doctor's appointments for all 6 of us and commissary shopping which is a joy after being without it.

We found out that Tiara may have asthma and does have migraines.  Arianna has migraines too and scoliosis.  Luci's perfect so far except for her eyes, and Elise got an antibiotic for her lingering ear infection/ear drum perforation.

I liked my doctor enough until I left and realized that I got absolutely nothing accomplished.  Every single gripe/concern was met with a very smiley "you're in your 30's."  Great.  Fab.  So I'm getting older.  But last time I checked, "30's" wasn't old.  Do I really have to deal with pain now? The other humorous nugget of my visit is that I don't know if I need these visits and have no idea still what exactly was removed (or not removed) during my hysterectomy 2 years ago.  Time to dig up a German dictionary, get a copy of my record, and find out.

Bonus of this all:  An inexpensive lunch and dinner (how pathetic are we??) at Subway and a couple hours to leisurely walk around both the NEX and Commissary where we loaded up on cheddar cheese and Italian sausage among other things.

This walk on the beach was the only bit of Andalucia that I got this trip.  Tragic that I drove over 16 hours and an hour on the beach is my only reward.  But, then again, we got stuff done.  Kids have meds, I have a quandary, and the fridge has cheese.  Whoopeee.

27 years is a long time when you're only 36 and friendships that last that long are as precious as they are rare.  Today I had the privilege of visiting a dear friend who I haven't seen in a couple years.  I saw her cheery yellow house and her wonderful kitchen, walked around her garden and talked "candidly."  I don't like "candid" or "realistic."  But I love my friend.

It's 1:42 am and I've already been up a while after being asleep may be an hour. Two little girls lay on the guest bed behind me curled up having just fallen asleep to the soothing music of Jim Brickman. Twenty four hours ago we thought we'd be packed now, heading to Barcelona in the morning. But this afternoon we canceled our hotel and for the first time ever canceling a trip, I actually felt ok.

I should be blogging about the bull run or the parade we saw tonight. The culture is rich and endless in Spain.

But no matter where I find myself, there my family is, as it should be, and tonight - these last couple days, they are the ones that occupy my thoughts. My girls, their school, our family time together, and Misha.

It's been almost 50 hours since I've seen my cat. The most amazing cat who's been in my life and part of my family for over 21 years. I saw her last on Wednesday afternoon as I backed out of the driveway. She was sitting by the garage door wanting in, but I was in a hurry, running late, and wouldn't be gone long. She never goes anywhere.

I got home, I took care of the girls, I grilled hamburgers for dinner. I didn't think about Misha. She's always there. All the house doors were open. She could come in at any time. But she wasn't by my pillow that night. She wasn't curled up in the sunny spot in the garage the following morning. I've searched everywhere. I told the security at the gates and the ones who drive circles around the neighborhoods all day. We called the animal shelter. We've taken walks.

The parade tonight was great. I saw the costumes and took pictures. But being home kills me. I keep looking for her where she should be, wandering to the garage door where I saw her last. Twenty one years. I know she lived a wonderful life. It was going to be "time" eventually, but I want her here now. I need to see her, to know she's ok, or to know where she is and if she's hurt. She transcended "cat" a long time ago and became, everything. A friend, family, caregiver of sorts. She ran to my girls when they cried as babies. She'd jump into their crib and sleep always by their feet. Sweet, patient. They loved her and she tolerated even their most difficult stages. She used to take walks with us...

So we're here. Waiting and hoping. The house sitter who was going to stay with the dog and cats had a cousin in town and it didn't feel right to leave anyway... not if there was any chance of Misha coming home. So I hold out hope though it's fleeting fast.

My youngest two sleep soundly now. I hope it lasts the night. We all need sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring now.

Sadly, I can't take credit for these pictures. My husband had his fini-flight today - his final flight here before he moves to Belgium - and, per tradition, the fire truck awaited him in the 2C weather (32 degrees) to hose him down with equally cold water. I was so excited to be there. All four girls were hyped up about riding on the firetruck and spraying daddy. It should have been a beautiful moment. But, my medical clearance appointment went long and his plane landed early. :( So we missed it and the kids whined and I whined and poor Kirk was beside himself with 5 mopey girls, so he did what any considerate (not to mention brilliant) man would do in his shoes and he brought home not 1, but 3 containers of Haagen Daaz ice cream and a jar of maraschino cherries.

I'm still quite sad, but the good news is that we got our medical clearance (a prerequisite for the move to Spain), AND... I have it on good authority that we may be able to hose Kirk in May. :) He won't mind. It should be warmer then.

I'm going to be a colonel's wife! :)

But... I digress... this isn't about me, it's about my super-star husband.

Wow. This is big. Kirk is amazing. He's worked so hard here and it's paying off. His PRF (promotion recommendation form) was so great, he got a DP (definite promote) from the general and his #1. We've been waiting since September for the official results...

And they're here! Kirk made Lt. Colonel!!!!

On Thursday the AF list of Lt. Colonel selects came out. This is the list of all the majors that will be promoted to Lt. Colonel. They all get a number and then they'll start pinning on the new rank little by little. So, come September, Kirk will be sewing his new rank on all his uniforms - the silver leaf pictured above.

But, wait... there's more!

Way back, months ago, Kirk went to Florenne, Belgium for a TDY. The curious guy he is, he met some folks there and learned a bit about the program - TLP (basically the NATO version of Red Flag). He loved the area, so a couple months later, we drove down to Dinant for the day just to see the little town and soak up the ambiance of the area (plus I had an article due, so I wrote an article about it too). We got back late from Dinant and there was a message on our machine from his boss - would he be interested in a job at TLP? Just back from the beautiful area, we both smiled and said "YES! Definitely." And then Kirk started thinking... TLP is moving to Spain in July...

So, we waited and waited hoping that this job would become official and it did! On Thanksgiving day we got the official word that Kirk got the job!! He starts on 6 April in Belgium and in July, the entire program moves to Spain.

But wait... there's more!!

I'm going to be a commander's wife! :) Lol. Ok, once again, this is not about me and truly, I think it's kind of funny. After all, it's just little ol' me.

Two of the US positions at TLP are consolidating into 1 position. That's Kirk's job. And, one of the perks of this change is that they've made it a command slot. So, on 8 April of this year, down at Ramstein, we'll be attending Kirk's change of command ceremony as he steps into a commander's position at TLP.

I am so immensely proud of him. He has worked incredibly hard and has earned this. He's absolutely more than cabable and will do great things in this next chapter for us.

And YES... if you didn't quite catch it, it's Spain. Around the first of July, the girls and I will be jumping into the van and driving to Spain for a three year assignment. We are all SO excited.

:)

I grew up on Chinese food. Seriously. When the Webers get together, they eat Chinese. Strange for immigrants from Germany and Austria? Not if they'd lived in Shanghai.

Grandma told me more about her time in Shanghai during our visit today. All positive. The time spent dancing, and romancing... told nostalgically from grandma, the "German hausfrau" who has a home beautifully decorated in Chinese decor. Guess Shanghai made an impact.

So tonight, as usual, the family descended upon Tams, a favorite Chinese restaurant in Sharp Park, Pacifica. Delicious. I'd forgotten how amazing sizzling rice soup can be. Think they ship it?

It was one of the best dinners I'd been to in a long time - not just the food, but I actually got to visit a bit with my relatives and all the kids filled a separate table. (None of which were my own - sorry girls, I love you... but it's nice to have an evening without the "mommy" chant and the tugging of my arm.) Ahh. Peace. It's nice. :)

You know when you're little and you have to write essays about your heros? Well, I always had several - all family members who I still think are absolutely amazing - and one of them was (and still is) this beautiful lady in the picture with me here - my grandmother.

Lucky me... I got to spend a week with her in January just noshing on great German food and talking at the little dining room table she painted herself probably about 50 years ago.

At the moment, there seem no words to really quantify the time spent. My mind's been spinning since in a murky stew of those times shared and all the planning I have to do now. So though I want to sit, reflect, and put together this story, it's not time now.

Needless to say, the time itself was invaluable. My favorite summer ever was the one that I spent in California and worked at the store with grandma. We took our lunch breaks together a lot - going to Cafe Lucca and having a cappuccino and a delicious sandwich on Dutch crunch bread. I've always missed that time living so far away. That was the only summer when I was close enough - when I felt that I lived there and was a part of things.

This week was too short, but I'm thankful. I learned a lot more about grandma's life. She's pretty amazing.

With a flight to the states early the next morning, we decided to spend New Year's as a family in Brussels. Think big international city on New Years. You expect a few fireworks at least... some music... and the Christmas market that they always advertise as running until after the New Year.

The Grand Place is beautiful no matter what the season, but the relative quiet was strange. No bands. No parties. No fireworks. No market. People - yes. Lots of people. Shops open late - especially some of the chocolate shops. Restaurants putting out menus with elevated prices. Over-sized Christmas trees with oversimplified decorations not fit for this city. A large nativity.

That was it.

So, we walked around, listed to the street musicians, enjoyed a decent meal on the narrow "fish" street jutting off the Grote Markt. This was where Tiara wasn't carded nor questioned, but served a sweet (yes, alcoholic) aperitif. Dinner, chocolates... and back to the hotel for the kid's highlight - swimming in a pool that was much to cold for the wimpy mother. Brrr. I'm more of a hot tub girl, I think.

Cuddled together and watched a New Year's party in London, then the fireworks in Berlin... woke up to the New Year's countdown in New York.

Oh... and the cool moon picture above is one that yours truly took just before we left. Supposedly this was some cool astronomical occurrence. Moon aligning with a couple planets though I only saw one planet.

More Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=84140&l=6e786&id=674507268

Kirk got, well, uh... older today, so we celebrated in the evening with one of his favorite meals - a orange herb crusted pork tenderloin with all the extras - and then I surprised him with coconut cream stuffed pies for dessert. Wow. That home made pudding was amazing!

Tiara was determined to fit 37 candles into something - and of course, the pies weren't going to hold them without completely destroying the crust, so she found a banana and over about 10 minutes, got all 37 candles in. Odd though it is, this isn't new. Kirk had his birthday candles in a potato a few years ago.

Tiara's birthday card to her dad had this on the cover: "37 So many candles yet so little banana."

Sometimes (quite often), my children are not the only big mess makers in the house. We are all learning that messes are best handled with humor... and a quick clean up. Today I heard Kirk yell from the bottom of the stairs, "Tiffany, at the risk of years of ridicule, if you want a good photo op, get your camera!" I ran for my camera and dashed downstairs thinking that the cows were being cute again, and instead, I found the my husband was being, "cute." He was nowhere to be seen, but the evidence was there - sloppy chocolate "health shake" gook all over the previously spotless stove. Where was my husband? Upstairs changing out of his chocolate gook splattered clothing. And yes, he did clean up his mess.