Bye-Bye Biloxi

Goodbye beach.

Goodbye Gulf of Mexico.

We will miss you!

Goodbye My Friend

Dear Bethanne,

I'm so thankful we met at Heartlink.

I'm so fond of all the times we spent together... drinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate... going on walks... chatting in between bathroom breaks ;o) 

I'm so jealous you never saw a single cockroach in your house.

I'm so happy you always saved us a seat at church!

I'm so glad you were so generous with your time...i.e. watching my kid at the drop of a hat... as in when I went into labor ;o)

I'm so excited for your little man to be born soon.

I'm so thankful you loaned me your camera when my camera was at the doctor's... I would have been a very sad Momma to have missed so many memories without it!

I'm so wishing I didn't have to follow Air Force Wife Lesson #2 right now.

I'm so going to miss you!

Love, Jess

 

PS: I think it's so hilarious that we own three identical pairs of shoes ;o)

The Kobularciks are off to Kansas

Last night we hung out for the last time (sniff sniff) all together with Bonnie and Andrew.  He's graduating this morning (yay for him!) and then taking his lovely wife and cute boys back to Kansas to see family and then to their new base in Illinois.  (Boo for us.)

Though, to be fair to them, it's not like things would be much fun here in Biloxi in about two months... by which time both the Aiduks and the Ives will be in Germany.  So I guess they're gettin out while they can! ;o)

Which means that this crazy crew of kiddos will not be having a play date together anytime soon!  But it was sure fun while it lasted! 

Blessings to you guys as you travel and start out fresh at Scott!  We're gonna miss you!

Going Out With A Bang

A few disclaimers before I begin my tornado story:

1.  To the Grandmas - both of your granddaughters are safe.  As am I.  As is Jesse, I am sure... there are no windows in his schoolhouse (which I find a bit ironic for a weather training complex, don't you think?).

2.  During a certain part of this story you may get concerned that I value naptime more than life.  Don't judge me.  I have two babies, people!  Naptime is sacred around here! ;o) 

3.  I'm still not really sure if there was an actual tornado in Biloxi or not.  I'm sure I'll get the whole story later.  Some people are saying that there was one sighted in Gulfport (20 mins away) and some said one touched down just under ten miles from here!  And I guess most of Biloxi has lost power.  But I think the tornado watch is over... we still have flash flood warnings and river flood warnings all along the coast.  I read on one Harrison County site that even pickup trucks can be washed away in two feet of running water... they said, "Turn around and don't drown."  Catchy. 

Oh and I also need to note that we have an emergency alert system here in military housing.  It's a big huge loud speaker in the middle of the neighborhood up on a huge pole.  But I can never hear it.  All I hear is blah blah blah wa waa waaa beeeeeeeeep and stuff like that.  I have mentioned this to Bethanne, and for that I am very thankful!  Her house is closer to the speaker so she usually hears the actual announcements.

Now for my story!  You may have noticed on facebook that my status this morning mentioned how nice and cozy the thunderstorm was.  This was about ten minutes before, while piddling around online, I decided the storm was bad enough that I should go get Lily so she wouldn't get scared.  So we went and snuggled in my bed to enjoy what I *thought* was just going to be a nice thunderstorm. 

Then I heard the loudspeaker announcing *something*.  But I ignored it.  Then I heard a text from my phone downstairs (why do I keep leaving my phone where I can't get to it easily??).  But I ignored that, too.  Then I hear someone trying to call me on my phone... downstairs... which... I still ignored. 

Okay okay I know.  I should have checked right away.  It wasn't till about ten minutes later that I hear from the loudspeaker, "blah blah blaaaah waaa wa wa TORNADO blah blaaaah TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY blah blaaaah beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep..."  Great.  So I grab Lily and scurry downstairs to see a text from Bethanne and a call from Bonnie. 

Smart girls.  They know I'm a dummy ;o)

Bethanne said she knew I couldn't usually hear the loudspeaker so she told me they said there was a tornado warning and we should shelter somewhere safe.

Enter the crazy-mommy dilemma:  I'm downstairs with LJ, who is going to need breakfast soon.  SJ is upstairs sleeping.  Sleeping soundly.  Sleeping peacefully.  I know the safest place to be is in the laundry room.  It's looking rather threatening out there, but it just seems like a really bad storm so... is it really worth getting her up if... BOOM!  CRACK!  Yikes... okay okay I'm going!  (I'm pretty sure God was telling me to GET MY BABIES SOMEWHERE SAFE NOOOOOOW!)

Now please enjoy a good laugh as you picture me running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  I ran upstairs with LJ to grab SJ and a burp cloth... then back down to grab two bananas... then to the laundry room.  As I'm doing this I can see that it's getting awfully creepy looking outside.  Sam is wondering what the heck is going on.  I scurry back out to grab a blanket for SJ (just in case we're in there long enough that I need to get her back to sleep) and some toys for Lil. 

I get back in the room and sit down against the wall just in time to feel the house shudder and shake.  Well okay then, I guess they weren't kidding! 

We spent the next twenty minutes munching on bananas listening to the thunder and hearing some mighty strong wind.  About the time SJ started screaming was when I hear "waa wa waaaa blah blah blaaaaah beeeeeep..." and then shortly after a text from Bethanne telling me the coast was clear. 

Whew.  We made it ;o) 

Our hideout.  Not pictured: the banana peels on the dryer and the dirt in the corners... I didn't realize that the floor in there would need to be play-worthy! ;o) 

Our side yard.  Not pictured: my recycling... three boxes of cardboard that is now completely soaked.  I wonder if they're still going to take it?

I know girl, it's very confusing that Momma opened the front door but did not put your shoes on.  No.  No we are not going outside right now ;o) 

I don't know if you can really tell how bad it is... but this river is usually just a meandering little stream.  With alligators in it. 

Well that's all I got folks!  Nothing like a tornado warning to start the day off right.  Now I'm off to turn my hold baggage list into a hold baggage pile. 

Night-Night Biloxi

So my camera is home :o)  It got back just in time to snap a few shots of this lovely sunset the other night.  I'm so happy to have it back, in fact, that I'm not taking it with us to New Orleans tonight for fear something bad will happen to it.  Jesse's iPhone takes pretty good pictures... and is much easier to carry around a crazy busy city anyways!  

So peaceful...

Two Discoveries from Today

1.  Beefcake is becoming less of a blob and more of a little person.  She likes to look at toys now!  And sometimes accidentally gets them caught on her hand, which she thinks is very fun!  She kicks and wiggles and giggles away!

2.  Mississippi does not have seasons.  There's two weeks of "fall", two months of "winter", and two weeks of "spring".  Other than that:  SUMMER :o)  Though I like it... sort of... I think I'm looking forward to living in a more normal climate.  This humidity is brutal.  As in, was I running or swimming this morning??? ;o)

Don't Drink the Water!

Here you have water.  Lots of water.  That I'm boiling.  To drink.  And wash dishes.  Because I don't have enough to do around here ;o)

And really because Keesler got a big fat "F" on their "how clean is your water" report card from the Mississippi State Health Department!  Sheesh. 

This means that we all got fliers in our door today telling us there's a boil-water notice in effect for the next two days... at least.  Joy. 

Makes me realize how much I take clean tap water for granted! 

The funniest part about this was that I realized we really only drink water!  At the time we got the notice, all we had in the fridge was a pitcher of tap water with lemon, a tiny amount of old apple juice, three bottle of beer, and a little bit of Chardonnay.   Needless to say, we were feeling a bit thirsty while we waited for the water to cool.  I know, we could have run out to the store for some bottled water... but I was feeling lazy and cheap and eco-friendly. 

So let the boiling begin! 

BUGZILLA RETURNS!!!!!

There were a few blissful months there where my home was cockroach free.  But the other day I saw and killed what was most likely a baby.  So I knew this was coming.  And I was surprisingly calm about it, considering how early it was... probably thanks to the six hours of sleep I got last night (thank you Sam!).  No shrieks, and no heebie-jeebies.  Just acknowledgement of it's presence and a relatively mad dash to the kitchen for a jar.

Because I catch them.  I don't kill them... right away.

Why do I catch them?  Because I'm a chicken.  And freaked out.  I'm a chicken because I don't want to hear any crunching so I won't squash it.  And I'm freaked out cause someone told me if it's a momma cockroach and you squash it you can end up spreading her eggs around (*gag*) and I DEFINITELY don't want none of that happening on my carpet.  Oh, and I'm afraid to poison my kid with Raid, so I don't want to spray it in the house.  OH, and someone freaked me out about flushing it down the toilet because they told me the things can live in water and so I'm scared it'll crawl out!  BLECH.

So here's my method, fine-tuned after my summer and fall here.  I'm pretty much a pro.

First you capture that sucker in a glass jar so you can be sure you can keep an eye on it's creepiness at all times.

Then you use a plate to do the flip-er-oo.

Then you take that sucker outside, dump him out, and drown his tush in Raid.  (Though, LJ now likes to play in the yard, so I guess I'll have to take him outside the fence... which does put me at risk for being seen and laughed at by the neighbors ;o) but it's a risk I'll have to take!)

For perspective, this one really isn't that big.  Still creepy and gross, but not big.  

Nothing like the very first, true-blue BUGZILLA I saw on my ceiling. 

PS:  Bethanne and I are pretty sure we figured out why I'm the lucky one who gets them in the house... the benefits of being by the water (i.e. getting to see alligators from your upstairs window, not having a view of other houses in your back yard like everyone else, etc.) come hand in hand with more bugs, apparently.  Because Bethanne and Bonnie live on the other side of the neighborhood and have NEVER had a cockroach in their house!  Lucky me :o)

To the Park We Go

Lily, Sam, and I have been meeting up with some friends at the park lately.

Lily is a huge fan of the park now that she can get down and walk around and play.

Dirty butt!

This is Bonnie.  Her son Landon is 3 and Nikolai is about 8 months.

They're from Kansas.

And they're really cool.  Both Bonnie and I are kicking ourselves for not getting together sooner and more often.  Sheesh... we live on the same street and everything! 

"Here Momma, have some dirt and wood chips!"

Loves them swings.

Note Sam in the moby.  She's such a good, happy, easy baby!

Silly Lily.

"Hi Nikolai!  How are things down there?"

And I thought Sam was a beefcake.  More on this in a minute :o)

"Hey Landon.  Am I ever gonna be big like you?"

"Don't count on it Shorty."

Flirts.

Bonnie rockin her cool Polaroid camera.  Did you know they stopped making the film?  She has to special order it.  Her camera is so fun!

And she's a lot of fun.  Cloth-diapering, boxed wine, and everything.  We're kindred spirits.  She teaches Landon about taking care of the environment and exercising so he says awesome things like "Why are they hurting the earth?" while he picks up trash at the playground and "I have to exercise to keep my body strong" while we walk back from the Post Office.  So cool!

She's going to Scott AFB in Illinois the week before we leave.  Did I mention I'm kicking myself that we haven't hung out sooner?  I think there's definitely another Air Force Wife Lesson in this...

Confession

I *might* be falling in love with the south.

Winters down here are awesome.  Sorry to my friends in the tundra if this is depressing for you to read about ;o) 

Now, I HATE cockroaches.  And I didn't love the months of August and September (and I heard July is pretty brutal, too).  But despite Mississippi summers, I may be convinced that the Gulf Coast is a pretty cool place to live...

I walked outside in my sweatshirt and slippers to take this picture this morning.  I ran by the beach yesterday. I didn't wear a coat to church!

Just so you know, we're *pretty* sure another 4-year enlistment is in order for the Aiduk clan.  And one of our options in weather is to come back here to Keesler to teach. 

I have to say after experiencing this beautiful Mississippi winter, I probably won't complain!

Weeds

It's *probably* time for Jesse's landscaper to get back from maternity leave ;o)

Another Beautiful Mississippi Morning

 The view from my front door this morning.

 It was about 6:30am :o) 

I *guess* I have Sammy to thank for being up to see this ;o) I like how it made all the houses look pink.  And when I came back in to drink coffee and sit in my comfy chair the whole living room was tinted pink, too!  It only lasted a few minutes, but it was nice!  

This is what we see on the Gulf Coast in the middle of winter... instead of snow...

Keesler's 70th Anniversary

So apparently Keesler Air Force Base is celebrating a big one this August... 70 years!  According to General Mueller, our base is the bomb.  Okay, he didn't *actually* say it that way.  But he did mention a couple pretty cool things...

First, since 1941, more than 2 million students have graduated from various forms of training programs at Keesler! 

Also, Keesler was the first tech school to introduce "television technology" (ha!) to the classroom in 1962.  Cutting edge stuff, people! ;o)  I just thought that was funny... and my head started spinning when I thought of how far technology has come since the tv busted onto the scene! 

As we approach graduation and leaving Keesler, it's cool to think about how we share this common ground with over 2 million other former students out there.  General Mueller inspired me to "...take pride in your contribution to our rich heritage of training, caring, and innovating.  Train to fight, train to win." 

Okay, so I'm not doing much in the fight/win arena... but my man is certainly up to his eyeballs in training, caring, and innovating and I'm mighty proud of *his* contribution to this base over these past seven months.

Happy Birthday to Keesler AFB!  It's been great living here: shopping at your rockin' Commissary, having my baby at your lovely hospital, enjoying this crazy southern weather, and working alongside My Love... watching him grow into an Airman.  Keep up the good work!