Halloween

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. Ours was good in a very crazy sort of way. We left Thurs night and drove to St Louis, making the rest of the drive to Nashville on Halloween. After checking into a hotel, we went to my grandparents' house where the kids put on their costumes. Gabby was Pocahontas and Sam was a frog. Then we went to my cousin's house to trick or treat. Their neighbor made a hayride out of their trailer and the kids all rode for a while and walked for a while. Sam really enjoyed the houses with lights and decorations. He went at it hard and was a tired little frog at the end of the night.

Camping with the Girl Scouts

Ahhh, camping with the Daisy Girl Scouts! For those not yet schooled on Girl Scouts, these are Kindergarteners and First Graders. So five and six years old. We took 13 of them camping a few weeks ago. My thanks goes out to the troop leader, who was gung-ho and really made it a great weekend. We did get to sleep inside a lodge, thank goodness, since this was our first really cold weekend. But we cooked outside and spent the day Saturday outside playing parachute games, fishing, doing crafts, and finishing it off with s'mores around the campfire with the whole group of Girl Scouts from the Fort Leavenworth area. Gabby enjoyed herself and was not ready to leave. I discovered the adults have a secret stash of chocolate and Excedrine handy. Was it like that when you took us, Mom? I left with no speaking voice but also really enjoyed myself. I hope we can find such a good troop at Fort Lewis.

Election Day

Hope everyone has already voted or is on their way. Please vote! We have the honor of voting that many around the world still do not have. Enjoy your freedom today!

Robert's trip to France

Robert returned last Saturday night from a two-week exchange to France. A group of majors from CSGC went to work with the French military at their equivalent school. They spent the first week in Paris working with the team there. They then spent the weekend exploring Normandy before going to Compeigne to do a training excercise with the French team. They had one day at the end to enjoy Paris before coming home.

While we had been to Paris and Normandy when we lived in Germany, he managed to see some things we didn't have time to see, such as a World War I museum at the Chemin des Dames. It was a neat opportunity and they had a good trip.

Red Barn Farm

So Gabby's Daisy Scout troop planned a trip to the Red Barn Farm in Weston, MO for a

hayride and hot dog cookout. We were supposed to go last week but it was rained out and postponed until this week. The big rain blob was on its way but we thought we could make it before it got here. Of course we were wrong. About the time we took off in the hayride, it started to rain. We took a quick circle and then went back to the barn. The girls (and Sam) did have a chance to see the farm animals and run around before the rain came. And they sang some songs and had some fun in the barn while waiting for the rain to slack up. So I still don't have any great shots of my kids at the pumpkin patch this year!

Sticker shock!

But in a good way! I bought gas yesterday for $2.55/gallon! I couldn't believe it! I don't usually pump the gas when Robert is around. Ever since he returned from Iraq in 2004 and I told him my grandmother never pumped gas in her life, he has been committed to doing the pumping for me. I have done it a few times since then, when he has been gone, but not many. So I don't pay much attention to the price any more. I just see the totals that run through the checkbook. He filled up the van before he left for France but my light came on yesterday (almost made it!) I ran over the bridge to Missouri (where the tax is cheaper) and there it was: $2.55. I thought it was a mistake! Needless to say, everyone at the gas station was in a much happier mood than usual. People were smiling and talking to each other. Funny how it lightened the mood! Don't know how long it will last since OPEC is meeting in Nov but I am certainly happy to see it right now.

Deanna Rose Farmstead

Monday was a holiday so we headed down to the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park. They have farm animals, playgrounds, historic buildings, pony rides, a fishing pond and all kinds of fun for kids. Sam found some slides that were just his size and Gabby loved riding the pony. It started to rain at the end but we had a good day.