Karen’s Place

I just added the photos I took in Virginia. You can find them under the photos tab. I think some of them turned out pretty good. The slide show goes fairly quick, so if you want-pause it and go through each of them individually. I’m hoping to have my North Carolina pictures up in the next couple days. Oh, if you aren’t enjoying the music you can find the music player at the bottom of the page.

It’s a little scary to fly when the pilot tells you the plane needs to be deiced before you can take off.

How is it that your luggage still makes your connecting flight even when you barely do?

What did we do before GPS?

I’m in a tiny terminal in Detroit and overhear the very nice man next to me on the phone talking about having to write a letter to MY department at MY company.  Can I ever really get away from work?  To answer your question, yes I helped him.  Just because I wasn’t on the clock, doesn’t mean I don’t still believe in great Customer Service.

Surprise whirlpool bathtubs in hotel rooms are a VERY good thing!

So, as you can tell, I’ve begun my journey East and I’ve brought my GPS along for the ride.  I tell you what.  With Jill as my co-pilot.  I think I could drive just about anywhere!  I’m not all that confident she doesn’t take me in circles sometimes around town, but you know what, as long as I get there that’s all that matters to me at this point.  Jill was the Garmin budget model and right now she’s working out just fine.  As a matter of fact, considering I don’t know the town anyway-how do I really know if I’m going in circles???  hummm??? 

Yesterday I flew into Norfolk, then rented a car and drove down here to Fayetteville NC.  I love this part of the country.  I’m serious when I say I’ve never felt more at home anywhere.  My company has an office in Raleigh,  I often look for openings one day if the time is right…The first thing I had to do was maneuver through downtown Norfolk.   I really had no idea how big this city was.  Or how much traffic it would have at 5:00 on a week night!  Ugh!  So, I’m sitting on the freeway and all of a sudden I start seeing signs ahead for a drawbridge.  Whoa!  A drawbridge?  Now that was pretty cool!  Too bad there was too much traffic that I couldn’t actually see around it or over it, or anything else.  It just looked like any other bridge to me at that moment.  Well, except for the fact that this one had gates that raised in lowered when needed.  I’ve never seen that in the middle of a highway.  Then not long after the drawbridge I began seeing signs for a ‘tunnel’.  A tunnel?  I drive though tunnels at home once in a while, out DOT never felt the need to announce it.  Holey Moley that this was not a little tunnel that goes under a street or railroad bridge…If I’m understanding correctly, and I will have to ask my Navy friend tomorrow.  This particular tunnel went under the ELIZABETH RIVER!  Now, this was impressive!  I was a little nervous at first, but then I loved it!  Again, I owe it all to Jill (my GPS), she was there the whole time coaching me to stay to the left on I-such and such.  So my normal worry of being lost in an unfamiliar area was gone.  I could really just enjoy traveling.

Last night I was able to go to my friend’s pub and listen to the guys do their thing.  They placed this song "The Green Fields of France" just for me.  They know it’s my favorite.  With my friends all going off to Iraq (or at least it seems), it felt appropriate.  I’m heading back tonight.  I hear Friday nights are crazy and lines are around the building to get in.  Good thing I know people! 

Tomorrow I head back to Virginia to spend the weekend with my Navy friend.  I’ll get to tour his ship and see the sights.  I’m not sure I’m coming home.  Brother Dan, think you can pack up my things???  :) 

The agenda for my trip out East is coming together.  Things have changed from the initial plans, it’s getting more exciting all the time.  I’m still not at all happy about why I have to go out there.  I won’t get into a political tirade this time.  I’ll just say I wish it didn’t have to happen.  I’ll also say this one other thing on the subject-I’ve now discovered a new friend who is also going to Iraq.  This is not unexpected, and won’t be for as long, but unlike my Navy friend.  My new friend will be in the heart of combat…

Now, on to my trip.  I’ll be flying into Virginia Beach on a Thursday.  Unfortunately, we’ve found out his ship, The Roosevelt is now preparing for inspection so until Saturday, his time would be limited.  I’d been wanting to drive down to Fayetteville, NC to see some old friends who play music anyway, so the decision has been made that I would drive down without him and stay a couple nights.  This way I’ll get to see two of their shows.  I talked to one of the guys last night and they were genuinely ecstatic I was coming down.  He’s ready to bend over backwards for me.  When he asked me where I was staying and I told him I was staying at a motel, he insisted on finding one for me then told me he’d make me breakfast, cook me dinner whatever I needed.  The generosity these folks are placing toward me is really amazing.

This vacation is going to be really different for me.  I’m not taking anyone from home with me.  I’m going to be on MY own time.  I’ll get to do what I want to do, stop where I want to stop, eat where I want to eat,  not to mention how welcome my friends are making me feel.  I know that sounds selfish, but I’m so ready for this time to myself.  Who knows, I may get used to this way of vacationing.  I just hope the next one isn’t because someone else I care about is headed off to war…   

I received this email this morning.  Wow!  I must of won the lottery or something!!!  I can’t believe it!!!  Yeah, whatever!  I feel so sorry for the people who fall for these things!

________________________________________________________

FROM MR XXXX XXX.
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT.
FOREIGN OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT.
ECOWAS BANK, LOME- TOGO.

Dear Friend,

                                   STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we never met before. I am the FOREIGN REMITTANCE MANAGER of ECOWAS Bank Lome Togo West Africa, I Hoped that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that I am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families. I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of (10.5 million US dollars). Ten Million Five Thousand United States Dollars immediately to your account. The money has been dormant (in-active) for long in our Bank here without any body coming for it.

I want to release the money to you as the nearest person to our deceased customer Mr Gabani Badran from Albanian the owner of the account who died a long with his supposed next of kin in plane crash since 31st OCTOBER 1999. I don’t want the money to go into our Bank treasury bank account as an abandoned fund, so this is the reason why I contacted you, so that my Bank will release the money to you as the nearest person to the deceased cutomer. Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send you full details on how the
business will be executed and also note that you will have 40% of the above mentioned amount if you agree to help me execute this business.

This is my phone number +228-096-29-43 MY PRIVATE Email Address we you can contact me (XXX@hotmail.com)

Thanks and waiting for your urgent response,

Best Regards

Mr. XXXX XXX.

As Rob said in his blog. It doesn’t matter what your political views are, this is really good. I like what it has to say.

My Goddaughter went home tonight…my house seems so empty without her.  Anyone have a 13 year old for rent?

My Goddaughter is staying with me for a few days.  Aside from the cruise I took her on a couple of years ago, this is the first time in 13 years she’s stayed the night with me.  It’s kind of strange having a teenager in my house.  I couldn’t ask for a better kid though.

Last week she had a spill during basketball practice and broke her arm. It’s now casted all the way up past her elbow and driving her insane!  In fact, if anyone has any ideas on how to get a pen cap out from inside a hard plaster cast, I’m open to suggestions.  I would appear it was lost in the attempt to scratch.  The pen cap is stuck somewhere near the elbow.  We’ve tried spoons and tongs so far.  She has an appointment tomorrow with the orthopod so we’re hoping because her arm is so loose now, he will recast it.  I told her when he takes that cast off it will be like emptying a little boys pockets.  They’ll be pulling out pen caps, spoons, worms, jax, you name it! 

Ahh.  I love her.

Last weekend after we had our Greek dinner, a few of us went out dancing.  I love dancing so much, and I love music just as much.  I only hope my friends will stop me before I become that old 70 year old woman still on the dance floor doing the Electric Slide.  I wonder if there’s a place for 70 year old women to dance… hummm???  Maybe a future business idea.

Anyway, we tried a place that’s been open a long time, but new to us.  It was fabulous!  It had a huge dance floor, video monitors all over the place playing videos of the songs being played, a small balcony that outlined the parameter of the dance floor so you could have an eagles eye of the entire place, and yes even a couple of cages to dance in should you so desire.  I knew the place would be great when as soon as I walked in the door, they were playing Barry Manilow.  Not only were they playing Barry Manilow, but the people were loving it! The mix of music ranged all the way from hip hop to 80’s rock to classic rock.  It was right up our alley. 

The best part of the night would be when my posse and I were up on the balcony against the railing singing our hearts out to “I Will Survive”, come on-what woman can’t resist that song?  It’s timeless!  One of the not so good parts of the night would have to be when we were out there dancing to the great song “Low”, each time we went low, low, low, low, low… it was harder, harder, harder, harder, harder for me to get back up!  Ugh!  Sometimes my age really does show.  I blame it on my boots though.  Yeah, that’s it.  The boots! 

Really, how can you not dance to this?