ShenanINGRAMS

While at Tyndall we met a lovely Captain Anderson.  She was our sponsor (that's military for, let me show you the ropes when you get here) and she immediately fell in love with our perfect children.  It's funny that the first time we had lunch with her, she looked at Chloe, who was 4, and said, "So, what have you done today?"  Chloe, very seriously, said, "I got a lot of spankin's today because I won't listen to Mommy, but she's not mad.  She just spanked me and I stopped but then I did it again and she spanked me again.  Sometimes I don't listen."  Then she grinned.  Kristina thought it was hilarious.  I was shocked that Chloe just stated it so matter-of-factly.  I don't know where she gets that.  I was also a little nervous that Kristina would disapprove and call the authorities.  People do that sometimes, but she said, "Yeah, sometimes we just need spankin's."  She left Tyndall that year to go to Montgomery, AL, but we ke...

We finally have enough closets.  It's amazing what you get spoiled to when you live in America.  We love our storage space.  I like reaching to my right to flush a toilet.  Here, I have to push a very large button on a wall and, depending on what I'm flushing, stop it or let it use a LOT of water.  Water is expensive, so you have the "stop flush" option for lighter loads.  It's comical, I know.  I still grin when I hit "stop."  Central heat and air are also wonderful.  They don't even have air conditioners here.  I'll let you know how that goes this summer.  The heaters are radiators that are attached to every wall in the house.  You have to crank them up or down and one of my kid's chores is to make sure that they are on the appropriate number for the day. Don't ever squat down next to one and then stand up.  Having a radiator knob scrape your lower back is incredibly painful and lasts for days.    The walls are all concrete, which makes...

They delivered our furniture on Wednesday, April 16th.  It was cold and cloudy most of the morning, and then the sun started peeking through and we all "hoorayed."  That lasted about 10 minutes and then it started hailing.  Hail, here, though is very small.  It's nothing like the golf-ball size Texas hail that sends you running for the nearest tree.  The guys patiently worked through.  I kept wiping the front steps with a towel because they're tile and VERY slippery when wet.  They were grateful, I think.  They were very friendly and took orders very well.  I did the typical Officers job.  I sat there and checked off box numbers and when they walked by I said, "Family Room" or wherever I wanted the item to go.  They kept asking, "How many more BIG pieces do you have?"  I just laughed.  I counted about 12 really large items...couch, entertainment center, 5 dressers, kitchen table, dining room table, dining room hutch, curio cabinet, and my elliptica...