Time To Head Home

Well our little quick trip to Washington in December was coming to an end.  We had such a good time and look forward to when we can return. 

We arrived at the Tri-Cities Airport and guess what spot we parked in?

Our flight left at 9:00am and after waiting to check in we headed to the security gate.  It was not open yet - apparently we arrived before the employees.

Once they arrived we passed through security and headed to our gate.  Guess what?  Our plane wasn't even here yet.

Finally time to board.  I always get a kick out of the fact that you have to walk outside the terminal to board the plane.

As usual I played my, "What's In The Seat Pocket In Front Of Me" game and was disappointed to come up empty. :(

For my snack I chose apple juice and a biscotti cookie.  As you can see I was going to use my time on the plane to address my Christmas cards to some soldiers.

Here's the view from my seat.

Looks like a man or something, doesn't it?

Here's the head of some weird animal....

We arrived in Seattle and saw the Q400 which (according to the Horizon Air magazine) is among the quietest and most environmentally friendly commercial aircraft in the skies today.  It burns less fuel and produces fewer emissions than similar-capacity jet aircraft.  We also saw another collegiate airplane.

It looks like I am going to be timed or something on these emergency procedures.

And this lady really is propelling herself out of the plane.

It's like this girl is a zombie or something....take me to your leader....

Snack mix and a coke with no ice for me on the second leg of our flight home.

Fun fact that I learned on this trip:

Boston has the oldest subway system in N. America, with the first underground streetcar traffic dating back to 1897.  The system was developed to help clear the streets, which had become clogged with streetcars.  New York City's first subway line debuted in 1904.  I mean seriously, who knew?

 

Technorati Tags: Washington state,college airplanes,Q400,Horizon Air,Boston subway,What's in the seat pocket in front of me game,coke no ice,AF WingMom,WingMom,Air Force WingMom,I'm still waiting for Southwest Airlines to offer me an awesomely fantastic job,travel

Thankful Thursday - MS Society

My featured charity tonight is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  This was recommended by my friend Carla.  I didn't actually know much about it so I checked out the website (and you can do as well by clicking here).  From the website I learned that Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease.

That's a lot of info but what does it mean and what does the MS Society do?  What it does is helps each person address the challenges of living with MS through their 50 state network of chapters. They offer a variety of programs and services to help you meet those needs.

I asked Carla why this was important to her?  Why this charity?  She said it's because she diagnosed with MS in1994.  She would like a cure to be found so she doesn't have to do daily injections or use a cane anymore.  Think about it.  I go through my life and I do what I do and I don't have to deal with something like that.  I am so thankful for my health and so I gladly donated this weeks $5 to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  I urge you to consider donating...even donating a dollar to this organization. 

And if you are thinking that perhaps my small donation may not help very much but it certainly helps more than sending no donation at all.  I am sending in $5.  Most of these charities will accept as little as $1 - won't you consider donating a dollar today? 

Technorati Tags: Thankful Thursday,charity,National Multiple Sclerosis Society,$5,MS,Air Force WingMom,WingMom,AF WingMom,I'm still waiting for Southwest Airlines to offer me an awesomely fantastic job!

A Hockey Game on a Saturday Night in Washington

We went to see Kelly's younger brother play hockey.  We have a team in Dallas.  You may have heard of them, The Dallas Stars?  Well because of that I was somewhat familiar with the game.

As you can see these two Longhorn fans are intently watching the game...

Who doesn't love to watch the Zamboni resurface the ice?

After the win we headed home to get ready for our flight home the next day.

Me and the triplets

Me and Hansy

Me and the <3 of my life

Such a fun quick weekend getaway was coming to an end but you know how we are....there will be another trip soon!

Technorati Tags: hockey,Longhorn,zamboni,AF WingMom,WingMom,Air Force WingMom,family,Washington state,travel

Friday in Washington

It had snowed in Washington before we arrived.  And it snowed again during the night.  In Texas, at least where we live, we don't see much snow and so when you wake up and hear a snow plow it's a pretty cool thing.

We bundled up and headed out unlike in Texas where everyone would run to the store to stock up on provisions in case we were snowed in or something.

We ate at Red Robin and I must say they have the best strawberry lemonade EVER.

The girls having fun...

After some running around we headed home where M decided to shovel the snow off of Hans and Kelly's driveway.

Anna approves

Visiting Washington is always fun.  Spending time with family is one of the best things I love about my life.

Technorati Tags: Red Robin,strawberry lemonade,snow,snow plow,Washington state,AF WingMom,Air Force WingMom,WingMom,I'm still waiting for Southwest Airlines to offer me an awesomely fantastic job,travel

Thankful Thursday ~ Patrons for Patriots

So I was thinking about how I wanted 2011 to be different.  One of the things I wanted to do was give back more.

I decided to make a small donation once a week and I asked my friends to suggest charities that I could highlight and make a donation to. 

I am apparently blessed with very generous and giving friends who quickly supplied me with enough charities to fill my year. 

My hope is that some of the featured charities will inspire you to make a small donation as well or possibly encourage you to become involved and/or donate to something you are passionate about. 

Perhaps you are thinking that my small donation may not help very much but it certainly helps more than sending no donation at all.  I am sending in $5.  Most of these charities will accept as little as $1 - won't you consider donating a dollar today? 

My wish for all of you is to live this year with an attitude of gratitude.  <3

It is not the attitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters. ~~Mother Teresa

Today's Thankful Thursday is featuring Patrons for Patriots.

This was recommended from my friend Carol.  She said, "When I was first asked, when this first started back in October, I was hesitant. The rest of the group, which there are 12 of us, is younger than me. But I thought why not me. We all have the same ideas. We all have the same pride for our country. We all want to help others. Age shouldn't be an issue. I was at the first 5 minutes of the first meeting and realized this was exactly where I belonged. The passion to help was amazing. It's such an inspirational group of fine young people! It's all about giving! The last couple of days have really been a whirlwind! Watching people support us by giving so much in a short amount of time! It brought us all to tears! "

The chairperson for this event is Scarlett Maria Meyer and she likes to throw a big birthday party with bands. Basically it is a great way for her friends to get together and raise awareness for local music. She added a major twist this year and wanted to turn her birthday bash into a fundraiser for The Patriot Guard Riders.  This organization is the group of volunteers that escort our fallen soldiers and their families to their resting places. They protect them peacefully from protesters while honoring the families privacy. The funds will be used for flags, scholarships for the children of fallen soldiers and the upkeep of the memorial wall.  So my friend Carol thought what they did was important and wanted to be a part of it. 

What I like about Carol is when I asked her about why she was involved she said that it was in her heart and she absolutely LOVED what she was doing.  She considers it an honor and a privilege to be involved.  The words that impacted me the most was her closing statement, "I am so blessed to be able to say, YES I made a difference!" 

Isn't that something? 

To donate to The Illinois Patriot Guard just click HERE.  It's that simple.  Maybe you can just donate a dollar or maybe $5 like me.  Whatever you can give I'm sure it'll be appreciated. 

Technorati Tags: Thankful Thursday,Illinois Patriot Guard,Patrons for Patriots,Patriot Guard Riders,charities,AF WingMom,WingMom,Air Force WingMom,I'm still waiting for Southwest Airlines to offer me an awesomely fantastic job