GI Jesse

Jesse came in and laid across our bed the other night just to talk. My kids have done this from the time they were little. Sometimes we had to practically run them off when we were sleepy, but it has always been a joy to have kids who want to be with you and tell you about their day.
Since I had not seen Jesse for a few days, she had lots to tell. She and Lindsay had gone paint balling with the younger kids from our fellowship. I have never been a big fan of paint ball games. It seems a little cruel that they hunt each other down and shoot each other. I know that it is all in fun and that they play games like Capture the Flag, but being hit with paint balls just does not sound like fun to me. But I am just a mother – what do I know. Apparently more than Jesse and Lindsay did.

Jesse has never been very good at Hide-an-seek. As a little girl, she always got too excited to stay hidden. Usually she would squeal and give away her position. Now picture these two beautiful 23-year old girls in their cammo clothes and paint ball gear (mask, gun, and canisters) among a group of jr. high and high school aged kids – mostly boys. J and L thought they were going to have fun and shoot up the kids. It did not turn out so fun. Jesse said that they were repeatedly shot up by the boys. She was quite entertaining as she told how she was still taking the safety off of her gun when she was shot. She said she had difficulty seeing out of her mask (it was probably covered in paint). Then while army crawling up a hill thinking she was out of sight, being very cool, someone shot her in the back. At one point she hid behind a tree while two of the enemy were near by, but she was too excited to shoot (at least she did not squeal). But the funniest was that someone shot her in the belly – up close and personal. She said she fell over backwards as if she were dead. The kids all thought she was great – very melodramatic, but she said she was really hurt.

Lindsay did not do much better. They were both covered in bruises. Toby and I could not help but laugh at her story. Then she showed us the welts – perfect circles- on her belly and back. Ouch! Next time maybe she will listen to her mother – yeah right.

I am headed back to WF today and will be there until after Thanksgiving. Be in prayer for my family.

The Fighting Barkers

What is it about being with your family (brothers, sister, mother…) that slaps you right back into your old ways that you thought you had out grown and learned to overcome? Maybe there is something about my body language that says, " I am pretty low-key, but I will fight if pushed." Maybe it is a combination of personalities that when they come together sparks fly. Sparks are not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes those sparks are just us having a good time. When the Barkers all get together, there is always lots of laughing and joking – sometimes at someone’s expense. Maybe we all have grown somewhat, because I can see each one of us holding back a smart remark or argument that would send us into the ring for round or two. My grandpa use to say, "Wanna scrap?" We kids were always up for a good scrap. The other day, Mom said, "I just want to fight." Hmm, I wonder whom she wants to fight with?

The Social Services lady came by Mom’s to see if we needed anything and talk to us about getting ready for death. She was a quiet, mousy young lady with weird hair (I think we could have fixed that for her). Probably the name "Social Services" just makes me want to fight. I wanted to be reserved with her, but Mom and Kathy started spilling stories of our family to this stranger. Before I knew it, we were fighting right there in front of her. Actually, it was very funny – it was just family fun – picking on each other. Mom said all of her children looked alike, but the truth is that Kathy and I do not look much alike at all. You could see the SS lady looking at us like "yeah sure". So, Kathy said that she actually looked more like the boys (where does that leave me?) So, I jumped in, and said that I looked more like the boys and that Kathy did not look like any of us. Kathy's lip came out, her jaw jutted forward, and I could see the fight coming. Mom stepped in and said, "Lou is just messing with you. Don’t get all huffy." It made me laugh. When will I out-grow that mean streak?

There has been several times in the last few days with my family, that I have wanted to correct Mom. She will say something that is somewhat wrong, and I want to correct her. She told someone that Adam (her grandson) is "a big broad-shouldered young man". He is actually about 5’9" and weighs about 145 – not very big in my book. I found myself saying, "He is not that big." Then I immediately thought, "What am I saying? Who cares how big Adam is?" I can see the fight in Mom’s eyes, so I back down.

Then my big brother from Austin showed up with his liberal views and opinions and debater style arguments. He seems to think that everyone must be a liberal like him because his conversation constantly puts down anything conservative (Bush, the military…) I have to bite my tongue knowing that an argument with Craig is fruitless. Then a friend of Dad’s showed up and gave us his religious views. I really like this man, but he was way off on religion. I bit my tongue again.

I love being with my family, but I think Dad’s cancer is making us all tired. It was good to come home and rest my bitten tongue and brain. My family probably all sighed with relief too. Be in prayer for all of us.

Answered Prayer

From the time that Dad was diagnosed with cancer, my prayer has been for mercy and time. God has certainly granted those things to Dad and to me. It has been nearly three years since he was diagnosed. The doctors really did not give him much hope saying about ten months would be normal life expectancy for this type of cancer. Yet, Dad has continued to get up every morning, get dressed, and carry on as if everything was normal. He has gone to coffee with his buddies every day possible. He has been amazing. Through out this whole cancer thing, Dad has not been in pain nor had many of the physical sicknesses associated with cancer and chemo. I would say that was very merciful.

In the past month, we initiated hospice care for Dad. Although the chemo has kept the cancer at bay, it has caused Dad to grow very weak. Now, he has run the gauntlet of chemos, and there is no more that the doctors can due to fight the cancer. This means that cancer is now running unchecked in his body. In the past the cancer has manifested itself in the form of brain tumors. We assume this is happening again because Dad has stroke-like symptoms or seizures occasionally. Hospice was a necessary step to help Mom with the day to day needs like getting Dad in and out of the shower.

The last few days have been hard. Dad has not been able to walk. Mom has not been able to move him by herself. Yesterday, he was pretty much in bed all day. He does not know what all is going on around him (yet he checks his watch for coffee time). He seems to be going down faster now. There have been times in the past couple of years that I thought there was no way Dad could keep going, but he did. I have that same thought now. Maybe I will be proven wrong again.

Because I do not know how things will go, my posts may be sporadic for a while. I may be in WF most of the time, but I will try to be in touch. Jesse will be holding down the home front. We will carry on as normal, because that is what my Dad would want. God is good and so is His timing. He has blessed us and answered prayers. Continue to pray for us.

Tidbits

My computer has been to the computer doctor. It has been updated and de-fragged. The spies and cookies have been taken care of. Because I no longer have DSL, I take my computer to town for Ernie (my computer hero) to use his internet connection to take care of my computer. It is good to know a man with connections.

Yesterday, I went shopping in WF with Patty (Ernie’s wife, Sara’s mother, and my good friend.)We hit the mall early and shopped till we dropped. Patty’s son is getting married in January – so we were looking for a "mother of the groom" dress. Shopping is always fun, but being with Patty was especially fun. We had a nice lunch at On the Border. When we tried to divide our bill, things got confused, and we got tickled. Both of us are married to accountants, and there we were struggling with the money. What is it about women and dinner tabs?

By the time I got home, I was worn out from all the walking and shopping. Once again Jesse had dinner ready – yeha! She had taken my car to Lawton earlier in the day to have the oil changed and to do a little shopping herself. Her latest project is a baby quilt for one of her girl friend’s new babies. Chris (the father of the new baby) recently got his pilot’s license so Jesse is making an airplane quilt.

Jesse also started working with the Duncan Little Theater doing some set designs. The latest play is called "Forever Plaid". Jesse painted several large backdrops to look like plaid. Some how she even had me painting with her. The man in charge of the sets is Ian from Australia (he works for Haliburton). He seems like a nice man, but he and Jesse have difficulties in communication. The man may be speaking English, but he says things in odd ways. He also explains how to do things in great detail – things like swinging a hammer. Of course, Jesse can do all sorts of construction things, and it makes her a little miffed when Ian explains simple things. But she got free tickets to the play on Friday night and had a blast. All is good.

We put more stucco on the house this weekend. No one got shot with the stucco gun although Jesse did drop a large blob of mud in my eye (my fault for working under her). She, of course, said, "Here’s mud in your eye." We did not get the stucco finished. Bo was not able to help us due to his hurt knee. It seems that there may be some torn cartilage floating around in his knee causing swelling and pain. You know me, I thought he could have helped anyway. Surely he could have used a trowel or mixed mud.

It reminded me of my good friend, Lynda Donnithorne. Whenever one of us would say we could not do something, the other would say, "A real cowgirl could do that." When I came off my new horse, she asked me if I had gotten back on. I told her no. She said, "A real cowgirl…" When I asked her to pull her big gooseneck trailer into our pasture, she said she did not think she could maneuver it through the gate. I said, "A real cowgirl…" Usually, we would laugh when the other said this, but there was definitely a competitive sprit between us pushing us to do better or try harder. Lynda was a real cowgirl and a good friend.

Girl Talk

My art girls were here yesterday – it was a really good day. Sarah has been coming early so that we get some serious painting done, and I get some "Sarah time". She asked Jesse to be one of the greeters (the one who make sure you sign the guest book) at her upcoming wedding. This is Jesse’s favorite job. Jesse asked if she would need a new dress for the occasion. Any excuse for a new dress!

While they were discussing dresses and such, it reminded me of last year’s banquet in DC. Jesse and I searched almost as much as we had the year before for just the right outfit. Once again, the dresses were much too "floofy" or too revealing. It is difficult to find simple and elegant, but not old and stuffy. At one point she found slacks with a really beautiful top. It was not low cut or anything like that, but it was very flowing and feminine. Jesse looked great in it, but I had my doubts whether it was right for a banquet. I asked the sales girl (young black girl) to take a look at Jesse and see what she thought. The girl took one look at Jesse and began dancing around the room swinging her arms and singing, "Go Mama. Go Mama!" Jesse and I just stood there with our mouths open. It was such a great response – certainly unexpected, but not exactly what we were looking for. We did buy the pants and top because every girl needs a "go mama outfit", but she did not wear it to the banquet.

Later at art, the girls were talking about Jesse and Lindsay’s rock climbing adventure in Colorado last summer. Lindsay had everyone laughing including Shelly, who is a new student and an elder’s wife. Lindsay said she looked up at Jesse hanging on the side of the mountain in her harness and thought, "Boy, does her butt look big! Jesse is really small, and if her butt looks that big, mine will look huge. There is no way I am climbing up there!" You just never know what Lindsay will say next and in front of whom.

There were lots more interesting art conversation, lots of laughing and enjoying each other. They are all really special girls. Recently at an art show in Duncan, the art teacher from Marlow (a man about my age) asked Jesse and Lindsay if they had any special young men yet. When they said no, he said, "There are a lot of stupid men in the world."

Helping Daughters

Yesterday I went to WF to help Mom and Dad run some errands. It is more and more difficult for Mom to get Dad out and about on her own, but sometimes Dad just insists. It is a great thing that he still wants to go and do. He is truly amazing. Uncle Paul is just pretty amazing too for taking Dad to coffee every day and being such a good friend and brother-in-law.

This day I was helping. Dad wanted to go to Wal Mart and Sam’s Club – two places that wear on the best of us at the best of times. We got a late start because Yvonne Sampson Smith came by to visit (having old friends stop by is always a treat). Dad wanted a new electric shaver from Wal Mart, and he did not want another "cheap one". Hey, if Dad can tell the difference between a cheap shaver and an expensive one, and he wants to pick out a new one, I am all for doing it. He pointed out the way to the electric shavers in Wal Mart, and he chose his new shaver. He also paid for it (he still keeps the money in his wallet, and Mom still asks him for money). Then we headed to McDonalds for some lunch. I am leaving out all of the small things like getting Dad up and down out of the wheel chair and having Mom choose from the menu at McDonalds – things that make life interesting.

At Sam’s, Dad got his bag of chocolate candy and his cigarettes (old habits). He told me where to check out which made me smile because it was my dad being his old self. Once we got back to their van, Mom looked at the clock and said we should head on over to coffee although we would get there a little early. As we drove across town to the coffee place, Dad was complaining that it was too early to go to coffee. Mom and I just ignored him, and told him that it was not that early. Finally he said, "This is will be a pain in the butt" which caused me to laugh. Mom checked her watch. Sure enough Dad was right. Mom had never set the car clock back – it had the wrong time. We had an hour so we took him home and called Uncle Paul to come get him for coffee. Mom and I laughed and laughed that we were the crazy ones and Dad was right.

By the time I got home from WF that evening, I was worn out. Jesse had made a new pasta recipe and baked a pear pie. Daughters are a blessing.

DC part 5

Our evening in Old Town Alexandria ended with Jesse and I walking with Jeff back to the Metro. We said good-bye knowing that we were leaving the next day – Veteran’s Day. We also knew we only had the morning to cram in a few more sights before catching our plane home. We wanted to see Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Jesse and I woke up early (as we had the other days in DC) to catch the metro to Arlington Cemetery. Once there, we picked up a map and headed into the Cemetery to see all that we could see. Our first hint that something was up was all of the young soldiers in full uniform beginning to line the streets of the cemetery. We saw big canons being unloaded and the place was filling up with all sorts of people. By the time we got to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there was a huge amount of people. The area was roped off and had different checkpoints where men in black were searching people and bags as they entered. Jesse and I got in line with other tourist, military, veterans, and important folks. Getting in was not too much of a problem. We watched the Guard at the Tomb, which was awesome. Then we needed to move on if we were going to see the Iwo Jima Monument and other sights before heading back to gather our stuff and check out of the hotel. Getting out of the circle of guards around the area was much more difficult. At each checkpoint the men in black would send us to a different checkpoint. The uniformed soldiers (Old Guard) were no help either. They had a plan for checking people into the area, but not one for letting people out. Who would want to leave? After all, the President was due there any minute to give a speech. That would have been interesting, but we were afraid we would never get out of the area once the President and his security arrived.
Jesse finally asked one serious soldier if he would handcuff us and escort us off the premise. He actually laughed and got us out one of the checkpoints. We hurried off to see the other sights which was quite a walk, but well worth our time. It was really a beautiful fall morning, and we got lots of great pictures of the Old Guard doing their job. Knowing we were only minutes away from seeing the President made the morning even more exciting.

We eventually made our way back to the hotel to check out and then head to the airport. It had been a whirlwind five days of grand adventures - getting up early, staying up late, seeing the sights, eating at different and exciting places, visiting with new and interesting people, being with the Barker Clan. Sitting there at the airport waiting on our plane, I asked Jesse if she had had a good time. Tears started streaming down her face. She felt silly for crying, but I knew the feeling well. It was the same sort of feeling that I used to get as a young girl when I had to leave the mountains at the end of the summer. It is a feeling that you had such a great time that you do not want to leave - not knowing if you will pass this way again. Part of her tears was probably due to exhaustion, but it was also knowing that the adventure was over and it was time to go back to reality. I know that Jesse also fears that she will not get to have lots of grand adventures and interesting travels (I think we get the travel bug from our grandmother, Lou Ella). But who knows what her future holds. In fact, she has had a few adventures since the DC trip. Knowing Jesse, life will always be an adventure.

DC part 4

I wish I could express all of the feelings we had while in Washington DC for the Ia Drang reunion. Although we had the Barker Clan and Jeff there, we had a no real responsibilities. We did not have to cook or clean or plow or feed animals. We could come and go pretty much as we wanted without a word to anyone. Just being able to ride the Metro made us feel like "big girls". We were just soaking up every minute of our vacation.

On Monday, Jesse and I, along with Pam and Morgan, got up early to get passes to tour the Capitol. Once we got our ticket, we had a little time to kill before our scheduled tour, and the art museums were close by – you know where I wanted to spend my extra time. One museum had a special Picasso showing. I don’t know how others feel, but when I stand in front of a famous painting by one of the Masters, I get that awed feeling. Picasso is just pretty impressive. We also did some shopping in the gift store of the art museum – another favorite pastime.

When we finally got to tour the Capitol, it was worth the wait. We had an excellent guide who told us lots of interesting facts. After the tour, Pam and Morgan split off to do their thing; Jesse and I went to eat. Someone had told us to try the cafeteria under the building that offices the Senators and Representatives. It was a huge place and the food was reasonable. We got to eat cheaply and watch lots of different types of people. By this time it was afternoon, and we called Jeff who gave us instructions to ride the Metro to Old Town Alexandria to meet up with him. This was probably one of my favorite places of our trip. I loved the Old Town with its cute stores. I could have spent much more time searching out the nooks and crannies. Jeff also took us down to the river – with the sun setting it made some pretty pictures. Here we met up with the Barker Clan. Jeff got a taste of "herd shopping". He also got to keep the younger boys from diving in the fountain (it’s a long story), but I appreciated his patience with us all.

Some friends of Uncle Bob’s joined us for dinner. They chose to eat at an old pub that had lots of history. George Washington had his last birthday party there and once reviewed his troops from the doorway of the pub. Thomas Jefferson had his inaugural ball at this place – very impressive. When we opened the menus, Jesse gasped. Each entrée was about $20.00 or more. She leaned over and said, "What do we do?" I answered, "We eat." It is not every day that you get to sit where George Washington sat. About that time, Chip Parker, who had been a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and was a good friend of Uncle Bob’s, said he wanted to buy our dinner. Wow! This certainly made the evening even better. We ate well and had a great time.

Bad Baggetts

I have to interrupt my Veteran’s reunion story with an update on the house. The DC story will pick up after the update. Bo came this weekend to help blow the stucco onto the house. I say "blow" because Toby bought a special tool to shoot the stucco on the wall (Toby the Tool Man). Picture an airgun with a bucket attached on the end. The gun was hooked up to two air compressors. One of us would mix mud (cement), one of us would shovel mud into the bucket, one of us would shoot it onto the wall, and one of us would trowel it smooth. If you pictured the big mud gun correctly, then you know that someone was bound to get shot with cement. Three evil Baggetts (I am not included in that list because technically I am a Barker) just could not pass up such an opportunity. It was all just a matter of time and who would shoot whom.

It took a while to get all of the equipment working. The cement mixer had to run off of the tractor – don’t ask. The mixer also needed a little "fixin" to get everything working well. During this time, Jesse baked an upside down apple cake (a new recipe from Southern Living). About the time the cake was hot out of the oven and ready to eat, it was time to work. The cake would have to wait until later that afternoon when we stopped to eat lunch/supper. The cake was wonderful, but it would have been great if we had eaten it while it was hot. Toby commented that the apples seemed "old". Bo, being the typical brother, added that the apples should have been caramelized not rubberized. I thought they should just have been happy that someone baked them a cake, but then, they are smart Baggetts.

Have you guessed who got shot and who did the shooting? Late in the afternoon, Toby handed the empty gun to Jesse (the meanest most 'onriest Baggett of 'em all) to hold while he did something. She pointed it at me like "stick em up". I put up my hands – playing the part, but not dreaming she would really shoot. When she pulled the trigger and mud hit me in the face and chest, the look on her face was pretty priceless – it was a good thing I could not see my own face. She thought the gun did not have any mud in it (sure). Toby tried to snatch the gun away from her because he knew what was coming (we have been married 29 years – he knows me well). She would not let go of the gun figuring I would not hurt the gun (expensive tool that it was) or her while she had hold of it. The three of us went round and round, but I managed to give her a big hug with my muddy front and rub my muddy cheek to hers. Toby managed to save the gun. Jesse was still a little too proud of herself – I feel revenge will be mine.

DC Part 3

We arrived at the Vietnam Memorial Wall before the sun came up. It was as if people just appeared out of the dark to gather in front of a specific panel and huddle together for warmth. As the sun peeked up, the bagpipes began to play and the honor guard stood at the top of the wall presenting the flag. The fall leaves were a beautiful backdrop. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway took turns reading out the names of the men who died in the Ia Drang Valley. You could hear the leaves rustle. I don’t think anyone could keep tears from falling. After roll call, the men who fought together hugged each other. Some ran their fingers over the names of fallen buddies as if that would bring them closer. Maybe they were praying for their wives and children or moms and dads. It was another life changing experience that I will never forget.

A little later, Jeff walked us over to the Korean Memorial. It, too, was very impressive at dawn. Then as the sun began to rise, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial. What a perfect time to see such sights – sun rising and no one else around – it was beautiful. It was also very cold, and we moved on to I-HOP to meet up with the Barker Clan for breakfast. We needed the fuel for our serious sight seeing. We left the Barkers on their own.

Jeff, Jesse, and I hit the sights hard, but there is just so much to see. I could have spent all day just in the art museums. Jesse could have spent all day in the air and space museum – in fact we did spend lots of time there. We probably did spend too much time in the Archives, but it was a fun time. Jeff found us a funky little place to eat lunch. He was very accommodating taking us to see things, and giving us great tid-bits of info. It all made the day very special. I always have this idea of trying to "soak up" the feelings and sights knowing that I may never get to experience these things again. It was a constant feeling when we were in Rome several years ago. It is as if you want to take the feelings and pack them away with you so that when you are plowing a field or something in Oklahoma, you can just reach inside yourself and pull out those memories of new and wonderful experiences.

That evening we went out to an Irish Pub where musicians were playing Irish music – of course, we had a pint. Being with the Barker clan is always a party. It was a perfect day.

DC part 2

It was exciting to meet up with Jeff. He had read the book, "We Were Soldiers Once" and was excited to be attending the reunion with us. I believe he said at one point that reading the book was a life changing experience. That would be exactly how I felt. We were all looking forward to attending the reunion functions and meeting the heroes of the battle.

Jeff had other plans that first night we arrived – so he dropped us at the Hampton Inn. After checking into our hotel room, which was very nice, Jesse and I headed down the street to the Hilton where the reunion was taking place. Not all of Uncle Bob’s crew had arrived and the rest had already eaten. We met some of the reunion vets including Hal Moore who called Jesse "my girl" (Jesse just swooned). Eventually, it got late, and Jesse and I were starving. We headed out on our first adventure – finding some place to eat. We found a Chili’s next door to the hotel. The place was packed, so they seated us in the bar area. There were all sorts of people there – military, business, veterans – we weren’t in Oklahoma any more. I could feel the excitement growing in Jesse. We were on our own, this was all going to be new stuff, and it was all to be enjoyed.

The next day we met up with the cousins and crew. Our first lesson of the day was how to ride the Metro. A very nice policeman gave us instructions and helped us buy our first tickets. We rode the Metro into the heart of things and got off near the White House. From there, we walked the rest of the day until our shoes were worn thin. It was a beautiful fall day. The White House looked great from the gate. It took us a while to walk toward the Mall area and up around the Capitol, but we were a big group with several kids. The boys loved running through the park and down the Mall. John put his son, Caleb, on his shoulders. Caleb loved dragging his hands through the leaves on the trees. I kept thinking, "Here we are in Washington DC, and we are playing in the park." It is funny what kids will be impressed with. The whole day was pretty much like that. Although Jesse and I had fun with the cousins, we were a little anxious to do some serious sight seeing. No offense, cousins.

We had to hurry back to the hotel that afternoon to get ready for the big Ia Drang Reunion banquet. Jesse and I had been preparing for this for weeks. We had shopped all over OK to find just the right dress. It is difficult to find a dress that is dressy, but does not look like a prom dress or something your grandmother would wear. She ended up borrowing a dress that was perfect, and she looked beautiful. Jeff picked us up wearing his dress blues and all his medals and ribbons. Not only were us hicks impressed, so were the old soldiers at the reunion. Jeff was swamped by the men asking about his medals and his military history. I don’t know who was having more fun; Jeff talking to the old soldiers, the old soldiers talking to him, or Jesse and I watching it all. At one point Joe Galloway asked Jeff to take a picture with him. Jeff complied of course, but he did not hear Joe say, "and your wife too" thinking that Jesse was Jeff’s wife. So, Jeff got into the picture with Joe Galloway, but left Jesse standing there. Some girls might have felt putout, but not Jesse. She got a real kick out of it. Who knows what Joe thought? If Jesse had felt more comfortable with Jeff, I’m sure she would have teased him right then.

The banquet was the highlight of the trip. It was a "life changing experience". From hearing the men sound off at each table, to hearing the speaker, and later getting autographs, it was just awesome. Jesse and Jeff were all over the place getting autographs in their books – there is just something about a man in his dress blues that commands attention. Jesse was smart to follow in Jeff’s wake. At one point Jeff was introduced to General Peterson (Joint Chief of Staffs) who was so impressed with Jeff that he took Jeff’s name and said, "You will work for me."

It was a long evening of meeting real heroes. It was very emotional. We also met the wives and children of the fallen soldiers. It is difficult to imagine the sacrifice these men made for their country, but they did it. At one point, Sheri looked at me with tears in her big eyes and said, "My father came home, but her father did not." This was a life changing experience.

Jeff walked us back to our hotel knowing that he would pick us up in a few hours for the sunrise service at the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

DC Part 1

It was about this time two years ago that Jesse and I were getting ready for our first trip to Washington DC. My Uncle Bob had invited us to attend his Ia Drang veteran’s reunion (this is and open invitation to all nieces and nephews and good friends). Having read the book "We Were Soldiers Once", I really wanted to attend the reunion with Uncle Bobby. Being with him and his family is always a good time. Seeing DC would be really great too. Then we had another reason to go to DC and that was to see Captain Jeff Donnithorne of the USAF who was working at the Pentagon and going through a special leadership program at George Washington University. We were just pretty excited about the whole trip.

Sometimes Jesse has the attitude that we (she and her family) are all just a bunch of hicks from Okie Dokie, OK and Smalltown, NM. I think she was a little worried about the logistics of the trip – getting us there, getting us around and getting us home. She was probably looking at me thinking, "This is the woman I have to trust my life to, and Dad normally takes care of her!" What she didn’t know was that I had been catching airplanes way before her dad had, and that as parents, we have worked together on our trips. I’m not a total blonde. I do pick up a few smart ways now and then. So, Jesse was impressed when I was able to get us parked in the far-out lot, catch the bus to the right terminal, get us checked in, and find the right gate – all without a hitch. It did turn out that Uncle Bob and Aunt C. had been bumped to a different flight, but it was not a problem because Jeff was meeting us at the airport in DC. This was a relief to me as well as Jesse – there is always that fear of the unknown airport.

We managed to arrive in DC without problems, find our luggage and find Jeff. When Jeff spotted Jesse standing there waving to him, he did a one-handed leap over some fence railing to give her a big hug. I was watching all of this from a short distance, as was some strange lady next to me. The lady looked up at me and tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "Very impressive." I would say that was the exact description of our whole trip, but I will explain more tomorrow.

The Office

Toby asked me to come by his office yesterday because they were dressing up their supervisors for Halloween. He promised to take me to lunch, but he thought I might enjoy seeing the costumes. Jesse and I had dressed Toby as a "gangsta" or a gang member, as some would say. He wore baggy carpenter pants - he sagged them way down and had his boxers showing. he had a chain on his belt loop and an earring in his hear (diamond stuck with fingernail polish). He wore a flannel shirt buttoned up to the top and a toboggan. He was cool. I passed several people at the office who told me that Toby had been showing his underwear, and they loved his earring - was it real!? People got a real kick out of Toby dressing up as a homeboy.

His office workers divided up into teams and drew names of the supervisors. Toby's team drew Alan- who is a pretty good size man. They put him in a hospital gown, bandaged his head, speared some fake blood, and handed him a jar with a pea in it - representing his brain. He was a brain doner. Someone made a fake butt out of styrofoam which they attached to Alan's butt. He looked great with his fake butt hanging out of the hospital gown. What was really funny was the comments by all of the accountants at the office who are dry, shy, and typical accountants. One lady said, "Nice butt" and then turned bright red realizing how that sounded. Another accountant pointed out that he was "all boodie and no brain". They all had a good laugh, but nobody laughed as much as Toby.

The other supervisors were dressed as a large pumpkin (costume from a store), a cowboy (pretty generic), a chicken (made from a cardboard box - kind of neat), and a table (another box with her head through the box as if it were on a platter on the table - very inventive), and of course the brain doner. There was then a contest for the best costume. Although the brain doner got most of the laughs, the chicken won. Silly people! I did not vote, but I did get Toby to take me to lunch - yes, in his gangsta outfit.