VICKI GOT A GUN FOR CHRISTMAS, UH OH!!!

Howdy Christmas People!!!

So here is a photo from our last minute Christmas Card Photo Shoot this year. I have several actual cards that I brought home with me to mail out, unfortunately P Diddy (my mom) will not let me mail them out or post them online for the following reasons...

1. They have an extremely "distasteful nature".

2. They represent "John Waters at it's best"

3. And finally, she claims that I am "exploiting Vicki".

Anyway, maybe one day my XXXmas card will be available for public viewing. Until then enjoy the photo of Vicki shooting me with her candy cane gun. I apologize for my ugly chest hair which Dustin has pointed out is extremely disturbing and should be shaved.

Oh yeah, two more quick things.

1. Uncle John, the hubcap christmas trees are about the coolest things ever. Seriously, you could sell those to so many eccentric rich folks in LA who would pay serious cash for works of art like that. Nice work man, seriously, if I ever have an actual yard I am going to commision a hubcap tree. And I'm not joking or being sarcastic, I seriously think they are really aweome.


2. Calvin, I dig your white christmas song man. I'm doing my best to belive I'll see some snow tomorrow. Also, thanks so much for the book. I dig it man, super cool.

Anyway, Merry Christmas. Matt I'm sorry your not home man. We definitely miss you bro!

Peace and Respect!
Tanner

Merry Christmas to all

The party at Tim & Paula's was special as always,

But there were a couple that were not there, and one to leave shortly, that make it
possible for all of us to enjoy the life style we have.

The below is something sent to me that I always enjoy reading this time of year.
They do it, by choice, for us!!

Thanks Tee, & Matt.

Merry Christmas to all!!,

Uncle John




It was the night before Christmas
He lived all alone
In a one bedroom house
Made of plaster and stone

I had come down the chimney
With presents to give
And to see just who
In the home did live

I looked all about
A strange site I did see
No tinsel, no presents
Not even a tree

With medals and badges
Awards of all kinds
A sober thought
Came to my mind

For this house has different
So dark and so dreary
The home of a soldier
Now I can see clearly

The soldier lay sleeping
Silent, Alone
Curled up on the floor
In this one bedroom home

The face was so gentle
The room in such disorder
Not how I pictured
A United States Soldier

Was this the hero
Of whom I’d just read?
Curled up on a poncho
The floor for a bed?

I realized the families
That I saw this night
Owed their lives to these soldiers
Who were willing to fight!

Soon around the world
The children would play
And grownups would celebrate
A bright Christmas day

They all enjoyed freedom
Each month of the year
Because of the soldiers
Like the one laying here.

I couldn’t help wonder
How many lay alone
On a cold Christmas eve
In a land far from home

The thought brought
A tear to my eye
I dropped to my knees
And started to cry

The soldier awakened
And I heard a rough voice
“Santa don’t cry
This life is my choice
I fight for freedom
I don’t ask for more
My life is my God,
My Country, my Corps”

The soldier rolled over
And soon drifted to sleep
I couldn’t control it
I continued to sleep




I kept watch for hours
So silent and still
And we both shivered
From the cold evening’s chill

I didn’t want to leave
On that cold dark night
This guardian of honor
So willing to fight

Then the soldier rolled over
With a voice soft and pure
Whispered “Carry on Santa
It’s Christmas day, all is secure”

One look at my watch
And I knew he was right
“Merry Christmas my friend
and to all a good night”

the store

Hey All,

I just wanted to remind the family that if they order a deli platter for the holiday please give a special thank you to the grocery store. I made 25 deli platters while at my 11 hour shift today at work. That is about 2.3 platters an hour, which may not seem a lot, but it is! Slicing the deli meat/cheese, cutting fruit/veggies arranging it all, taking note of special requests etc! Not to mention the billions times a day a customer stops you to ask where the crackers are or why dont we have imported sheep's milk feta cheese!!!!! Nevertheless, work is still a lot of fun and I am working with great people, plus I am always active.
SOOOO after my 11 hour shift I get home start some left over spaghetti (my diet consists solely of pasta cover with a various dressing, sauces and cheese). I then stared at the pile of dishes in the sink, pile of clothes in my room, and pile of unwrapped gifts. It looked like an enormous task after such a hectic day. SOOOO I decided to call the CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!!! It was really good to talk to all of you, and I hope you had a great time. I am sure it got you pumped for Santa on Tuesday!!!

Thanks for thinking about who Scott can crash with, Amanda I still might tell him about your friend. I think they are staying with someone that is not in the location he wants, I will talk to him. Aunt Pam, I am sure Scott and his friends would love adding starring in a real Hollywood movie to their road tripping stories!
Miss you guys!!!!

Emily

Merry Christmas

yes i said Christmas not holidays but i'm sure most of you know where i stand on that topic. I really wish i had exciting stories to share with everyone but i don't...which i'm sure my mom thinks is a good thing. Tanner i thought ou video was awesome but it has a catchy tone so i get it stuck in my head all the time. So i just found out my leave got switched from may to Feb (yes mom i know you are hearing this for the first time) but not sure what i'm going to be doing yet. anyone up for a trip to Australia? thank you for all the food and gifts that everyone has sent. everyone is wondering when i will run out of a supply of homemade cookies and popcorn. Em i can talk to katie about San Diego and i'll look into New Orleans but i think my buddy moved away from there. ok well hope everyone has a great Christmas and please don't use global warming as an excuse not to hang Christmas lights.

Feeling Like Snow?

I’ve been dreaming of White Christmas for years now. I can’t recall the last time I woke on Christmas Day and a blanket of snow covered every surface making the most exciting day of the year feel very still and peaceful. So in the hopes that we shall receive a “White Christmas” I’ve conjured one more Christmas song. Though I’ve heard “Christmas Sunrise” is the hands down favorite, this one might rival for listeners affection. I’m creating my own Christmas Legend that if enough people hear the song it should snow Christmas Eve. I know what you’re saying. “Where can we hear the new Christmas Song?” I made a video and placed it on YouTube. I don’t have Tanner’s skills of film making or editing. It’s just me playing guitar and trying to enlist enough folks to believe in a white Christmas so we can have one. Here’s the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV4kac7wRuM, Enjoy.

P.S. I will put this extra song on a CD just for you Amanda+Kenny since you didn’t get a CD at Thanksgiving.

Scott's After Graduation Road Trip

Hey Family!!!

I am asking us to use our huge family powers. Scott and his buddies are planning a four week road trip after graduation. They would like to do this on a budget so they are going to bunk up with whoever will have them. You know Scott is a gentleman and I approve the buddies he is going with. Does anyone know people in the following places that would be interested in hosting them for a night sometime between June 10th and July 10?

Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, New Orleans, Houston, St. Louis & Cincinnati

I know it sounds like a lot of places, but they already have places to stay in Minnesota, Denver, Seattle, Portland (the other one), San Francisco & Arizona.

Just let me know if you have any old college, work friends etc that would be willing to do this.

Hope everyone is doing well and that you are ready for Christmas!!!!
Keep your fingers crossed that my flight home Christmas eve will not be delayed. We have a lot of snow here but it is not that bad.

Miss Everyone!!!

Emily

i did hear from matt

I did get my first email from Matt in a couple of weeks.He said nothing new there and his internet has been down and he has been real busy. And that pretty much sums it up. He did say so far he has held off on opening Christmas presents but it is getting harder. My quess is he has not seen the blog (Where I elfed him and Bridget)or i would have heard about that. I will keep you posted on any more news.
Love mom,aunt mary

Revitalized Christmas Cartoons are Hogwash

Has anyone else noticed the obvious lack of "traditional" Christmas cartoons/shows on the airwaves this year? I mean what is the problem? Is today's generation too good for out-of-focus, slightly mishapen claymation figures? Not so conveniently, I decided going into the holiday season, I was going to make it my mission to watch all the Christmas shows from our childhood: Rudolph, A Year without Santa, Frosty (yes, not claymation but still a classic IMO). Even Charlie Brown, Winnie the Pooh and a Blustry Day, and the Grinch Stole Christmas. With seven days to go, I have crossed zero of these off my list. Perhaps a few have aired, that I have missed, but if I am not mistaken, they have reallocated that air time to Jim Carey's Grinch (you know how I feel about him), and other ridiculous made-for-tv movies starring the likes of Tim Allen and Jenny McCarthy. Seriously people, why is everything changing?

It seems everytime I post, I am complaining about something. Hmmmm. I think I just like to inspire conversation. So you guys let me know if you have noticed this tragic situation. And, please, if you know when any of my childhood favorites will be on tv, please let me know. And its gotta be before Christmas eve.

Calvin and Jeanine's Trip to NYC circa April 2007: Old blog

Per my post below. Since no one is posting and since my life is unexciting at the moment. I have produced an old posting from my 1st blog. This is a short story of what happened as Calvin and I drove to NYC for a job interview back in April. Enjoy.

Time Line

Friday, April 13th = Friday the 13th

12:30 AM: Finally get into bed after working late until 9:45 on Thursday and distracting myself from worrying about my interview by watching TiVo'd episodes of "The Office."

1:30 AM: Fall asleep

3:30 AM: Alarm goes off. Wake up. Want to kill myself.

5:30 AM: Leave for NYC (a half hour late)

5:30 AM - 6:30 AM: Calvin speed demons his way through PA. I brought a bunch of stuff to study for my interview in the car, but it's too dark to read anything...shit...so I look out of the side window in an attempt to not notice how fast we are going.

6:30AM - 7:00AM: Calvin slows down somewhat because he has a speeding ticket he hasn't paid yet in New Jersey and I told him if he got arrested on the way to my interview for unpaid tickets I was never going to speak to him again.

7:00AM - 7:15AM: Fall asleep for the briefest of moments and wake up to the realization that Calvin missed our exit to the Holland Tunnel. The exit sign said "Blah, Blah and the Holland Tunnel, exits 22A,B and C" So, in Calvin's defense he thought he had until 22C to get off the turnpike, but in reality the sign was to get off for all three exits at once. Had I been awake, I'm confident I would have realized this.

7:30AM - Try to take the Lincoln Tunnel, but Calvin gets frustrated because of traffic and decides to turn around to go try the Holland Tunnel again. I sit there and don't say anything because I don't want to get into a fight before my interview. "Ahhhh Serenity Now!!!"

7:30AM - 8:00AM - Listen to "Freestyle Fridays" on a progressive talk radio station. They were talking about the Imus issue, people were calling in and such. At some point Calvin says in retaliation to a caller "If stupid people are too stupid to realize how stupid they are then they must be stupid." I laugh and he is my friend again. It also turns out he was right to turn around and go back to the Holland Tunnel because it took us right where we needed to go.

8:15ish AM - Arrive in Downtown NYC. I know the address to the company to be 165 Broadway. We find Broadway and something within the street number range and I convince Calvin that it's better to park and walk to find it then to drive around until we see the building. This is right by the World Trade Center site so roads are all blocked off and it's confusing.

8:20ish AM - We set off to find the building. Instantly my comfy new shoes start to hurt and it's colder than I thought it was going to be. I quickly realize the street numbers are going in the opposite direction than where we need to be headed, so we turn around. The conversation goes something like this...

Me: Walking...."This isn't the right way, we are going into Tribecca, we need to be going towards the World Trade Center."

Calvin: Walking...."I told you we should've found the building before we parked." "This is West Broadway, lets walk over a couple of streets and see if we find just plain Broadway"

Me: Turn around and walking..."There can't be two Broadways, the street numbers must start over again on the other side of the World Trade Center." "Then it probably changes into East Broadway or something." This, I feel is totally logical.

Calvin: Walking some more..."That seems like quite a ways (we were in the 90's)."

Me: Walking...."No it's not we're at 90 now, they will go down to 0 in a block or two."

Calvin: Walking more..."Um nooo. They have to go from 90 to 80 to 70 etc."

Me: Stop walking. Out comes the map!

Me: "Oh, there is another Broadway a couple of blocks over."

Calvin: Just looks at me and smiles. I'm not is friend anymore.

Me: I'm so tired of being wrong. I also realized I left my black pen in the car and all I have is a red pen with psychedelic designs on it that I got in my stocking at Christmas.

8:45 AM: Jeanine and Calvin make a pit stop at Duane Reade for a normal pen.

8:50 AM: Find the Zurich Building. It's right next to the World Trade Center site (scary), but also right next to Century 21 (SWEET!) (for those of you who don't know it is a huge store full of discounted designer stuff Wooohaa!!).

9:00 AM: I down a coffee and a glazed doughnut. I don't even like glazed doughnuts, but after going on about 3 hours sleep and the adventure into the city, I feel like I'm going to fall over. The sugar works and I pray it will get me through the whole interview. I also blame my grogginess for the reason I was not up to parr with the whole directions thing.

9:30 AM: Interview. I think it went well on my part. But the 2nd person to interview me, who will be one of my managers should I get the job, was kind of weird. She was a bit on the rough side and ended up complaining about how the Swedes were taking over Zurich.

Jeanine (in my head): Ummmm...It is a Swiss company...Zurich is in Switzerland...wouldn't it be the Swiss taking over the company?...Why is she telling me this???? Wow, this kinda sucks.

11:30 AM: Interview over and back to Calvin and Starbucks

Calvin: "How did it go?"

Jeanine: "Good I guess, but I don't know about working here anymore."

Calvin: "OK, what's wrong?"

Jeanine: What a nice guy. He takes off work and takes me into NYC, waits while I'm in the interview and I probably won't take the job anyway now. And I'm wrong with all the directions. And he still doesn't want to kill me.

Lucky me.

Where is everybody???

I keep waiting for other people to post because I don't feel like I have anything exciting to say at the moment. But, no one is posting so now I feel compelled to make a post even though it is about nothing. So here is my post...about nothing.

Perhaps it is time to go back to my old blog archives and resurrect something interesting.

merry christmas from me

matt and bridget do not know i did this but enjoy
click on the link
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1396123745

merry christmas

Hello family,
I have no news on Matthew. I have not heard anything from him in a while.(10 days)
We did recieve a Christmas card from his unit and I think we can see the side of Matts head(maybe). I know he did get Tanner's viedo and he thought it was great.
He wonders how he thinks of all the things he does. (I do give the credit to Pama and not T). The packages and cards continue from all of you and John and I thank you for that. I think we feed his whole troop. I am looking forward to next weekend and I understand that Paula and Tim are the proud owners of a one of a kind Christmas Tree! Thanks again for all you do to make sure Matt knows he is missed.
God Keep,
love
mom,aunt m

The Remix

Maybe an idea for Tanner's next music video...

People miss Matt Funk so much at the dentist, they forget to get their teeth flossed

(pause so uproarious laughter can subside)

People miss Matt Funk so much at airports, they forget the 3-1-1 liquids and gels rule

(pause so everyone can Google "3-1-1 liquid rule")

and then my favorite...

Amanda misses Matt Funk so much on car trips, she forgets how to hold her bladder for more than 90 minutes

(pause, so Amanda can emerge from yet another rest station bathroom and get back in the car)

-Kenny

Watch this!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1179288681

go there!
I think it will make a laugh for everyone.



-The Pat Almons

Poor Paula

Bad news for Paula,

I disobeyed the orders & made a present for Paula. It is very cool and ever one, ( except for Big Mamma Mary), likes it.

The bad news is that Paula can't have it now. Now I am stuck and will have to get her something like a gift card for Bass Proshop, or Auto Parts world.

Unless all the lawyers and the rest petition for the release of the fine, one of a kind, special,
seasonal present.

Paula can return it if she likes, ( providing she has access to a truck).

I cant give out details but I am sure she will show it off more then the mobile people did!!!

So please call or write Mary and have her release it.

i am in maine

Hello family,
I am currently in portland with Emily and they are callling for a foot of snow!
we travled by train to Boston yesterday and did a lot of window shopping in saome fancy stores. We also took a duck tour.Emily thought this would be very very corny
but she had to admit that it was a lot of fun.
See amny fo you shortly.
Love mom

Holiday Fun

Dogs and babies

This is really for Anna or Sarah who brought this subject up at T-giving, not sure who did.
The question was how do you take a dog out to do his business when you have a baby? I have an answer. Today I had the pleasure of having Abby at my house all day. She hates Patches because he barks or whatever. And when I would change Abby's diaper in the living room, Patches would do his business on the kitchen floor. This happened just about every time so no need to take the dog out at all really. So it's very simple, buy a good mop.
It is like having twins. I rocked Abby and Patches at the same time because then she wouldn't cry. When Abby went to sleep, I put Patches in my bed where he usually naps, but had to lie down with him until he fell asleep so he would not wake Abby for a half an hour.
So a dog and a baby at the same time -- just like twins.

And here is Samantha

Hi all -

I am happy to say that Samantha and family (not pictured) are doing very well & will be returning home on Saturday.

Ocean City Pics

I'm sending you all a link to Snapfish for the rest of the pics. Here is one of the takes from the Gmom and P lunch @ Dr. Unk's. In this pic, Ben's head is kind of hidden. I have two better shots, but my computer has been randomly choosing which pictures it will let me load up into Snapfish. I don't know what is going on. I will work on the problem tonight and hopefully have the better versions over to you tomorrow. The ones @ the Dunes actually turned out really well with everyone, but it's not letting me load those either. BAH!!!!

I'd also like to direct your attention back down to my post prior to Joe's hilarious one. The link should be working now.

I did it again!

After some initial confusion, here I am! I agree with everyone that Thanksgiving was great. We did miss Kenny and Matt, though. Hope Joe's arm is feeling a little better. What did the Dr. have to say-- are you in a hard cast now? Glad we heard from Matt on both the phone and blog -- after all, he is the reason that we are all here. I am sure that the blog will live long after Matt's return. Take care, everyone, and get ready for winter to roll in...Emily -- keep up posted on your snow count up there!

Message from Joe....

Instead of creating my own account, I have decided to use Anna's. The last thing that I want to do is bother some computer guy for help.

There have been several questions about the status of my arm, so I have decided to post an update on the blog. First, I have posted a scanned X-Ray of my arm after the emergency surgery. Please keep in mind that the pins appear to be more painful than they actually are:


















Later, Anna thought she would be funny by taking an X-Ray of herself. In the X-Ray below, she decided to wave to the X-Ray machine while wearing her biking helmet. Anna really likes to 'be careful' when she rides. That's one thing that I really love about her.















All joking aside, my elbow is fine. I am more embarrassed that I fractured it playing nerf baseball. Who does that, really? I didn't even fall.

On a different note, I would like to thank everyone for another fun Thanksgiving.
Hope all is well,
Joe

I thought maybe Uncle John could help this guy out...

Click on the link below:

CLICK

For those of you who don't know Craigslist is a place where you can find anything for sale, worldwide. It's great when searching for apartments (that's how I found mine) or furniture (it's where I got my coffee table). But, it's full of other random posts as shown in this example

Hey Super Cool Family!!!

So, I wonder if we are going to have more bloggers, since it seemed to be the topic of a lot of conversations at Thanksgiving. I do not recommend working the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it is a big drag! But I do have to be thankful that I had no delays either way!

I want to give a shout out to Calvin's Christmas Cd, I like the first song the best! I listened to it on my way to work which is a twenty minute drive, so I got to listen to a couple of times. It was in my head all day, it is really catchy!!!! Good job Calvin!

Abby - Stop being so cute, I miss you already!!!!

Joe, how is the ole' radial?!?!?!? This at least gives you an excuse to sit on the couch and watch TV all night.

Hope everyone else made it home safe. I think it was an awesome weekend and I can not wait till next time we are all together!!!

Love,
Em

Matt!

love the dress !

phone call from matt

Welcome back everyone,
We did get a real phone call from Matt on Sunday Morning,
Anna,Joe,Tim,Paula Amanda and grandmom and pop all got to say hi.
He sounded good but this was the first time I got to hear him without a lot of noise or getting cut off so just hearing his voice was terrific. He daid say how much he missed the fun so send him lots of stories to keep him smiling. It was great to see everyone enjoying everyone.And grandmom Skowronski along with her side kick grandmom almon join us at Zippys. Looking forward to the Christmas Party.
God Keep,
Love mom aunt Mary

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Well I think it is about 2am there so a few people are probably still holding out and waiting for everyone to make it down but were probably kicked out of the bar a little while ago. I can't thank everyone enough for the emails, cards, and packages. I really wish I could be there to beat everyone in poker (kenny and rob please practice) and run circles around everyone in football. We've actually had two days of overcast here for the first time so i hope the weather is nice back there. They are having a Thanksgiving lunch rather than dinner here which i think is kinda lame, especially since i'll just want to sleep after i stuff myself with food. No new or exciting news around here to share. Hope everyone has a great time and i'll call when i can. Miss everyone.

Pam's Boy Is Home..............

After one year I am so happy to see "The Boy" again. Already he's taken photos of me doing stupid stuff on his camera phone. Some things never change. He wishes he had Calvin to help him do the music portion of Matt's videos. I think they'd make a great team. We have to come up with something amazing with Abby in a video at Thanksgiving. We'll figure out something that won't emotionally damage her for the rest of her life. See ya'll Wednesday (sound like Britney Spears, don't I)?

Hey Matt here's another stupid video I found.

Hey Matt,

So yeah, I found another video that I think you should know about. Here is the link...

Matt Funk Song

Yeah man, I'm sorry you can't make it home for Thanksgiving. Hopefully this stupid song will bring back a few memories from back in the day when we kicked it old school playin step ball on your dads porch.

Anyway, it is 3:45am and I have to go get on a plane.

Take it easy,
Cousin Tanner

Ha! Ha! Ha!

According to this story, that's what Santas down under will be saying this year instead of the more traditional - "ho, ho, ho." Apparently Santa's typical greeting is derogatory towards women. OK seriously? Mr. or Mrs. Claus could not be reached for comment, but I am fairly certain this has caused a lot of uproar up north.

So in case anyone is keeping track:

1) My kids will wonder why Santa is always laughing
2) She (yes, she) won't be able to bring cupcakes into school on her birthday because some kids are too fat and lazy
3) She'll be solving algebraic equations in elementary school instead of going to recess/gym/art/music. Oh well, I guess she won't be left behind.
4) Will be called out of school on Halloween to march around the parking lot with her mom and dad (camcorder rolling) because having a school-wide parade is un-PC.
5) Will be reciting a God-less version of the Pledge of Allegiance.

If you can tell, I am fired up and I just wanted to see what everyone's thoughts are on the above matters. I am sure Uncle John will have a lot of wisdom to offer.

Matt, you are a pretty important person....can't you take care of some of these things? Oh and while you are talking to "them" please tell them to let you come home early. We miss you. And if you are still reading this, Kenny and I need Christmas ideas for you pronto!!

Ho! Ho! Ho! I mean...."Ha. Ha. Ha."

You got me again!

John -- I fell for Matt's driving a tank hook, line and sinker. Here I have been worrying about him in a tank, where he would be going in a tank and why is he in a tank, and you are joking???? I guess that is better than the real thing happening. Just watch what you are saying and who might be so gullible as to believe you!

Bloggin for Dummies

This post is only for Paula and me to see if can figure out how to post our own blogs. We did not want to bother our kids again.

Kenny or Dwight?

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would give everyone the opportunity to see Kenny in action as the newest member of the WXII12 news team.

Please enjoy these Halloween antics.

Yes, this was actually on the air.

He does serious news stories too, in fact his sweeps piece is to air this evening and is bound to raise a lot of discussion among Winston-Salemians. You will be able to check out that video and its corresponding forum online soon.

100th Post

I would just like to note that Uncle John's post below was this blog's 100th POST!!
That is a pretty impressive amount of posting for just a short period of time!! I thought it was fitting that the 100th slot went to Uncle John and one of his stories. I do not believe the line about the tank getting stuck in the sand. If Matt was to take tank driving lessons (which I am ashamed to say, I kind of believed at first), then he wouldn't get it stuck in the sand.

News from the Easternshore

To all,



I have been told that Tom, Ben & Amanda, are planning to foot the bar tab the first night,in appreciation for all we have done for the little rug rats over the years. I cant wait!!
Thats so nice of them. Its not as good as the lunch they give the Grandparents ,
but its still nice.
We heard from Matt this week. He thanks everyone. He got his tank stuck in the sand.
The boy still can't drive.
Mary & I spent a lovely evening with the the Mother-in Law. She is so sweet and such a lady.
Pops OK too. I had to go over to their kitchen and take care of a problem, seems that a rat ate a
hole under the sink. ( got some work for you now Tom, where is my drill)
Tom made the paper again for catching the bad guys., Good Job Tom.
I went up to see Emily last week. She is very excited to come down for Thanksgiving and see everyone. Her house is cool, and the cat wild.

I hope the Uncles want to do something cool in OC next week. I am ready for that.

thanks

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the emails today. To be honest I had no idea it was even a holiday but I and everyone over here does appreciate the thoughts. Really nothing new or exciting going on over here. I'll try to call on Thanksgiving but for anyone I don't get to talk to HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Wish i could be there and i'm sure i don't have to say this but have a drink for me. oh the one exciting thing i did find out is that apprently the army has adopted a new policy where if you have deployed more than once withotu being home for two years you get a bunch of extra vacation time. i know its still kinda worthless but when i finally make it home i'll have almost a full month of free vacation. normally when we get back from deployment the unit gets 3o days where people can use thier vacation so with this i might be able to take an entire month off work. i mean just think a whole month i can spend with my mom and grandmom just working in the yard and sewing. if however they get a little bored with me plan on me randomly showing up at some ofyour places. ok well thanks again for everything. You all really are the family there is....or at least according to ben we are the best looking

matt/Veterans Day

Good morning family,
On a day like to day i miss matt more...if that is possible.
We had a small cermony at school when we raised the flag and many asked about Matt.
I did email Matt this morning with a special thankyou. I also wanted to thank everyone in this family. Matt knows he is loved and thought of every day. He is able to share the many packages with others that do not get packages. So please accept our thankyou it is meant from the bottom of our hearts!!!
Love
Aunt Mary,mom
God Keep

Calvin & Jeanine vs. Wild

Calvin & Jeanine vs. Wild

Hello Matt. Sorry I have not participated until now with tales from the states, but patience is a virtue and this story was worth the wait (Hey! that rhymed).
Last Friday I decided to take Jeanine out to dinner. We went to a small bar/restaurant called Pete’s two blocks away from our place. While enjoying our meal we noticed the sun had disappeared and a blanket of ominous grey clouds were closing in. Accompanying them were rather strong winds that made the underside of the leaves show with their gusts. A tell tale sign that a storm is coming. Not to worry. Jeanine I brought our handy green & black dollar store umbrellas. I was confident that no amount of rain could penetrate our fortresses.

We left the restaurant and the first block was not so bad. It was heavy rain, but as we hoped, our $1.07 investment held up, then came the next block. We encountered gale like winds along with heavy rain that swiftly imploded my defenses into collage of thin medal poles and a green tarp upon my head. Jeanine faired no better as she leaned into wind the water passing through her umbrella as if it were a strainer. It would have been enjoyable I think if we had a set of goggles. I was able to peer round the streets and sidewalks during our attack and saw that we were the only daredevils out braving the elements. We finally reached the sanctity of the side of our building. As suddenly as it started the rain stopped and the lack of onlookers was quickly replaced with a myriad of people wondering why Jeanine and I had decided to shower in our cloths. We entered our building, sopping wet leaving a trail of wet prints so anyone who wanted to join the imbecile parade could hop on. We finally reached our apartment hung up our cloths and reflected on the events that just occurred, Calvin & Jeanine vs. Wild, I think we lost.

News from Carhead

Well I have been asked why I have not been on this blog:

1.) Mary told me to stop writing.
2.) I have been too busy trying to fine Paula a gift card because I am not allowed to give her a
home made item. I guess Pam & Laura are still upset.


I went up to see Emily this week, and it was a good thing because Scott was there!!!
I have to keep an eye on him. Emily said she had a good time with Anna, but was glad to see someone from Vally Wood show up, ( finally). We had a good time!!, cant wait to go back the firts of December.

If any of the men care it looks like the rock fish are starting to feed. Let me know if any one wants in. It will eb done by hanksgiving, and yes its cold and wet but that is fine for "Real Men"

Matt called me and he is now taking tank driving lessons after work.

Many thanks to my Mother-in-law for transporting me to the airport the other day. If anyone wants to get a cardio-workout with out moving just ask her for a ride!!!

Matt!

Hi Matt-

Just wanted to let you know that there are some fun pictures and an even more fun card on the way over to you. Thought you might want something to look forward too and keep an eye out for it.

Stay safe!

Sarah & Rob

Phone call from matt

Hello family,
Well i got a phone call form Matt on Sunday sort- of. He called my cell and it was a quick hello and then a disconnect but I told him to call the grandparents phone and he did. I quess the computer works better on land lines but that conversation was cut off quickly as well. He has not seen the fantastic viedo from tanner but emily is going to put it on a disk and send it to matt for his viewing pleasure. I told him he had to by home by august 2, he did say that was cutting it close. So we may just have to pull all the frequent flyer miles together make our own recon mission and bring matt home for the first boy cousin to take the plunge. Personally i do not think Ben could have been any smarter to hold on to Merideth. So cousins unit and get ready for the trip over seas.Uncle john will be your leader so God help all of you. That was really all we had a chance to say. I will keep you posted.
Love aunt mary, mom

Visiting Emily

Hi Everyone,

Well I've been trying to post all week about my visit to Maine, but I couldn't figure out how to download the picture below. As Emily stated, I forgot my camera (big surprise), but I was able to find the picture below on the website for Bradbury Mountain State Park where Emily took me hiking - the picture below is taken from the same point that Emily I hiked to. Emily also took me to the beach where we searched for creatures (hermit crabs and snails) - of course I only looked, while Emily picked the creatures up and made friends with them. We also went to Mackworth Island on Casco Bay where we had lunch on the beach and walked the trails. I also was able to enjoy some Maine food favorites - clam chowder and lobster. I did learn how to knit as well (Emily and my wild night out), however, my scarf came unraveled on its voyage back to Baltimore, so I'm now starting from scratch. I need to practice at Thanksgiving while I'm surrounded by experts!

Alright, on my list to visit next are the Philly cousins (long over due) and then I'll make it down south to VA and NC to visit Rian and the Becks. Not to mention I need to get to Hollywood to visit Tanner and Vicki! Perfect ways to fill my weekends while Joe's in class!! Anyway, I highly recommend visiting Emily while she's in Maine - it's great and close (from Emily's apartment to my house took only 3.5 hours). I'm going to try to make it back next summer to go to Acadia National Park.

Only two and a half weeks to Thanksgiving - are you kidding me!

Love,
Anna

Anna's Visit

I just want the record to be shown that Anna was officially the first family member to come to maine while I have been here with the exception of my wonderful parents. We had a great time and besides a little rain the whole weekend went smoothly, which is surprising with both our families' trip histories. Anna and i did a lot of hiking/walking/relaxing, trips can be geared to what ever you would like to do. Snowshoeing and snowmobiling are possibilities for those who want to visit in the winter:) Amanda - Anna is now a knitter also!!! I showed her how while she was up here, and she is NOT a bitter knitter she picked it up quite nicely and seemed to enjoy it. We will see what has developed at Thanksgiving.
Last thing - the world continues to be a small place - my housemate in college works with Ben!!!

Love to all
Em

sorry no pics. Anna forgot her camera and I dont have one :(

A good thing in a time when only bad stories are told?

In my recent state of unemployment, I have been watching a lot of TV and reading a lot of articles online. At times it seems like everything is going wrong. Fires, wars, kids not being allowed to eat cupcakes at school....the list goes on.

Well, I saw literally 10 seconds of the documentary "Darius Goes West" on this morning's Today Show and it made me think that there are good stories to be told. I was a teary mess after just 10 seconds so I can't imagine what the entire film must be like.

Check out the film's website

The video doesn't seem to be available yet but it will be soon.

I suggest everyone finds a way to watch it!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Introducing... Calvin as "The Dude" a.k.a. The Big Lebowski, and Jeanine as an 80's Movie Extra.... Please note that the shirt I am sporting was indeed worn by my own person in the actual 80's. I have saved it for this long because who could throw away a shirt like that? I was just waiting for the opportunity to wear it again.


AND....I had to include Calvin's Flip Cup Inaugural Event. He was not only playing for his first time, but also drinking beer which is a rarity.

Please note...The cigarette of Calvin's was for costume purposes only. He is a non-smoker.

Hey Matt I found this on You Tube

Dear Jean and Mom Paula

Jean - I will send you the link to set up a new account ONE more time. Hopefully this will solve your blogging disfuctions.

Mom - I'm proud of you that you've finally gotten re-started. Please try to keep Jean in line

If anyone else is having problems let me know and I will send you the link again.
SHEEESH!!!

Love, Jeanine

conversion from jean to pam

just checking to see if this works.

I did it -- I'm back!

I think I can now write in this thing again. For awhile, I could only comment. Matt -- hope you are getting as much fun out of this blog as I am. I love when I open it and there are new "postings" ( is that what you call it?) Sure would be nice to hear from some new family members, and , John, where are you?? Let me go see if this works now! Take care, Matt! We think of you lots!

Just wanted to say...

I had an exceptionally terrible day today. So I am home now and I opened up the blog to look at Abbee's picture to cheer me up. Then I read all the other posts. You know, all the people that are mean and evil in the world are probably that way because they don't have anyone who loves them. I am so lucky to have you all and after reading everything (and seeing Abby of course) I don't feel bad anymore. Screw the bad people (sorry for the language Mom), I have family who loves me. So there!

Love U, Jeanine

PS. Calvin said he loves me too and he's not the "bad people" referenced above. Hehehe

Abby's Halloween Party

I am many posts behind (pictures to post of the Bouyea birthday, the Ben/Meredith engagement and Sarah and Rob's wedding) but, in the meantime, I thought you would all get a kick out of "Abbee." She had about 10 of her "friends" over on Saturday for a costume party. Now that Abby has Halloween behind her, she is counting down to Thanksgiving. Love to all! The Bouyeas

(Sigh)

I found this article today on-line. (click on "this" it will take you to the article).

Well, I hafta say I totally disagree with this article. But, Philly just can't win ANY contests it seems. Go Eagles?

Love, Jeanine "Not Unattractive in Philly!!!!"

we heard form matt

Ok several attempts were made this weekend by matt to call home using his computer-The first six tries were an occasional hello and a lot of noise,
most of the noise being me saying Matt matt are you there!
Finally sunday night we did carry on a conversation. Sometimes you would loose matt all together and others you heard him as easily as you do on the phone. If any of the smart people who read this know what to tell uncle john to get so he can talk on line to matt please pass that on.
Matt wants to send out thankyous to uncle booby /aunt judy
aunt pam and uncle t and jeanine and calvin - i hope i have not forgooten any one
He was mentioning names and going in and out at the same time I may have missed some.
The temperture has dropped some over there it now stays around 90%-he continues to work many nights and days at the same time -
Not much else to report on what he does but he has enjoyed hearing about the wedding and the travels from amanda and kenny. John and i do want to thank everyone for keeping matt close even when he is so far away! love mom.

A Toast to You (Matt!)

More wedding details

So glad to hear from you Matt!!! I feel like this wedding was not particulary full of embarrassing moments, but of course I could have just missed them or indeed been a part of them unawares. One happening I failed to mention was the fat lip Sarah gave me while dancing. Luckily it wasn't too obvious, but it existed nonetheless. I believe her wayward elbow was the culprit.

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the dance that Ben does, but he did it full out 100% that night and while I wouldn't call it embarrassing, it definetly was pretty spectacular. I hope they caught the full thing for the wedding video.

I would also like to note here that I was very happy that since Meredith will be joining the family soon, I will no longer be the only cousin with brown eyes. We did a nice dance to "Brown Eyed Girl" to celebrate.

Here are some more pics!

As if we needed any proof...

As if we needed any proof that I am the superior driver....today the state of North Carolina has my back. Yours truly aced the drivers test with a 100% score and zero questions skipped. Kenny was up next and failed to meet the standards I set. Passing one question and answering one incorrectly, the boy walked away with a lowly 95%. Perhaps this story would have been a lot more humorous had Kenny failed outright, but I still felt it was worth sharing.

So the poor driver and I are now official residents of North Carolina .

In case anyone is interested, our licenses look like something you would give a child to play with at home. We were able to pick our background though.....a lighthouse, state seal, state map or a Wright Brothers plane. I should note that when my friend Morgan (an NC native) told me about the opportunity to select my license background, my immediate thought when she said "seal" was, "Why would an aquatic animal with tusks, flippers and a red ball on its nose, be chosen to represent this souther state. Going in, I thought the cute seal or the lighthouse would be my selection, but upon further review it was quite difficult to ascertain that it was a house of light. So I went with the state seal. Kenny picked the state map which was a poor choice IMO because it looks like a big blue blob. I wonder if there is a study being done about which is the most popular choice.

Cheerio. Time to await the movers arrival. Can't wait to unwrap my bottles of vitamins and pencils from tissue paper. It will be like Christmas.

So no surprise but it looks and sounds like the wedding lived up to the almon tradition. sorry i couldnt be there but from the pictures it looks like i managed to see most of you. glad everyone had fun and keep the pictures and stories coming (i know somene made more of a fool of themselves than the last post lets one)

SARAH AND ROB WEDDING EXTRAVAGANZA

Hi Matt and Family Bloggers,

Hopefully everyone has recovered by today from the "Wedding Spectacular" that was the wedding. Highlights for me were of course the ceremony which was beautiful, I loved that they rang the church bells when Sarah and Rob came out of the church, did you hear them? The "Beat It" dance off which included Mike Bouyea (you always have to say the last name just cause it's such a cool last name)tying a tie around his head in true 80's gangster style and busting out Michael Jackson moves was not to be missed. Grandmom dancing with Ben and Tom to "Sexy Back," was something I would have never anticipated. And of course "Livin on a Prayer." There was a mystery photographer that captured that song and the ensuing mayhem on my camera so I'd like to send a shout out to whomever that was. Please let yourself be known. Also, just in case anyone was doubtful, Rian's fiance, Mike, was in true "Almon form" with his dancing shoes on. Emily and Dustin's new bowes were also lots of fun and spotted throughout the night on the dance floor as well.

The Matt Head had lots of fun. He was the life of the party actually next to the stars of the show, Sarah and Rob. He was spotted all over the place with the bridesmaids and with Sarah's college buddies. He drank A LOT, being served drinks by the groom himself, Aunt Judy and Aunt Carol and he even was toasted by the men of the family, the groomsmen and whomever else happened to be in the vicinity. Whatever drink shot that was looked totally disgusting, I think it was black. Hopefully it didn't make the Matt Head too hungover the next day.

I want to post bunches of pictures here on the blog, but I'm worried if I do that it will take to long for the real Matt to load up on his computer. Hopefully, Matt, you were able to access the pictures on Snapfish. If you weren't let me know and I'll send them to you directly through email. I did pick a few to show here. Enjoy!!!

First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY Amanda!!.
Well is sounds like alot of effort had to go into making me presentable so just make sure all the single girls no that i'm very high maintenance to look that good. Can't wait to see all the pictures.

ATTENTION...

The "Matt Head" has been completed. He is printed, cut out, pasted to some cardboard and ready to party. I'll have you all note two things. #1 Matt's(Your)original picture was without a right ear because it was hidden behind Jenny's head. I, with all of my crafty artistic skills, managed to cut what looks like an ear from part of Jenny's face (sorry, that's what happens when you associate with our family). #2 Matt's(Your) original picture also came with a flat head since it was cut off at the top. I employed my crafty skills again and printed out two Matt heads; cutting the hair off of one and pasting it to the other in order to round off the top of his(your) head. I swear you can't even tell. I ask you all to examine "the head" closely on Saturday and I'll bet you don't even notice my handywork. That is why I had to point it out here, you see.

All in all the "Matt Head" is lookin' good and is ready for a close-up. Good choice of photo, Matt.

We really are going to miss you Matt, but you will be there in spirit and before the reception is over everyone there who doesn't know you already will know all about you, how much you are doing for us and how greatful we are.

Tims Fish

This is one of the fish Tim cought !!!

hey

so the blog seems to go in spurts with activity here. Ben congrats. that said you better not be havign a fast wedding and getting married before i make it back. not much new going on over here. as my mom stated before i have made it to the pool that is at a base close by once. i jump a 20min shuttle ride then walk about a mile to get there but it was def fun and something to break up the day. does anyone use yahoo messenger? rumor is you can talk online through it for free but i don't know anyone who has it. if any is on it let me know or send me an email...i dont want to post my IM name for millions of people to see. i mean i'd be harassed constantly with thousand of women and couldn't' get work done. i do have one request for the upcoming wedding. can matt's head replace the matt looking like an idiot for the photo? i think since i was given admin right i can actually switch it out with a more flattering picture (kenny looking your way here). how is the new house hunting going anyway? why weren't you all down there a few years ago and i could have made the trip from fayetteville there. ok well hope everyone is doing well and talk to you all later

matt

Great Forum for Posting Good News

Just wanted to make certain family members aware that this here blog would be a great place to post good news. :O) What a great way to update all of the family on recent happenings! Pictures of happy moments can be posted and shared with one little click of the mouse. Ahhhheeeemmm....

i heard form matt

Good morning to all,
I did hear from Matt this morning,(email)
he said it is a little cooler and his hours are long
i quess some days start at seven he and he works until after midnight
he has gotten to go swimming in a pool over there
and that reminds him of home
he aksed what was happening at home and i did fill him in on the big news from Ben

he had little else to share
keep the letters and card coming
looking forward to seeing every one at the wedding and hitting the dance floor.
Love to all
mom,aunt mary \,mary

Since noone is posting...

I thought I would insert a "Hall of Fame" worthy post from my old blog "If I could write a book." Some of you may have seen this before if you were reading my old blog, for that I apologize. I think it's worthy of a re-read just the same. My personal blog lasted for about 3 months during the spring when I actually had a bit of spare time. Unfortunately, I had to give it up to do things like work. Blah.

Top 10 Awkward Things That Can Happen When Dealing With Strangers

10. The eye contact you, as the driver of a car, receive from a pedestrian as they are crossing a crosswalk and you are stopping at the stop sign to let them cross. I feel I am usually the receipt of a questionably "I dare you" type look, like I am going to blow through the stop sign and run them over.

9. When a new line at the grocery store opens up and everyone swarms over to the new lane. Either you get some butthead who was at the end of the original line, but becomes the 1st person in the new line (so everyone is pissed off). Or you get a "You go ahead." "No you go ahead." type situation. "Fine. I'll go then. Bye"

8. The pressure you feel to check out as efficiently and error free as possible in a Self Check-Out lane with people waiting behind you. I find this especially stressing in a place like Home Depot where you have to manage a bunch of oddly shaped objects that never seem to scan correctly.

7. I don't feel this way but apparently others feel compelled to leave a voicemail when they dial the wrong number. Obviously the person on the message isn't who they want to talk to, but they leave a message saying "Sorry I have the wrong number." Why do people do this? It baffles me. I don't know if this counts as an awkward social situation, but I'm thinking the caller of the wrong number must be at least somewhat awkward if he/she is leaving this type of message.

6. Being followed by another car back to your parking spot in a crowded lot. I absolutely hate that. I'm always paranoid that person is going to hit the gas a bit too much and accidentally run me over. Is it that serious to find a spot? How do they know my spot isn't the absolute last spot in the aisle? One time this actually happened and my spot was not only the last spot in the aisle, but it was the last spot in a satellite parking lot across the main parking lot road. The people followed me the whole way and then didn't take the spot. Then sped off like they were mad. Now that I think about it, maybe they were going to try and rob me or something and decided against it at the last minute. Whew!

5. When people I don't know tell me "Awwww your dog is so cute" or "You have a beautiful dog." I always say "Thanks" But, this is really a stupid response because I have nothing to do with how fabulous Chloe is. But, I can't think of anything better to say. And if I said "I know" I would sound conceited even though I'm not talking about myself.

4. Waiting for people to move out of the way in card stores. I just really hate that. There is never anywhere else to really "be" when your waiting for someone to move away from the cards you want, so then I always end up flipping through the "Mahogany Happy Birthday to my Daughter" cards, or some such other card type that does not relate to me in any way.

3. The feeling of someone directly behind you pushing a shopping cart. Can't you just feel the pain of that cart running into the back of your ankles??!!!??

2. Waiting in bathroom lines and trying to judge who you think looks the cleanest, so given the option you'd go into the bathroom stall recently vacated by them. As opposed to Donna Disgusto right in front of you.

1. Riding in an elevator for a substantial amount of floors with one other person that works for your company, but you don't actually know who that person is. You only know they work for your company because one of your company's floor buttons is depressed. Then when the first person leaves some sort of vacant pleasantry is exchanged, like "Have a good one" (I hate that saying) or some such. To me, I just think this confirms that both people are sitting there right next to eachother thinking "This is awkward" "What can I say?" "I'll be damned if I talk about the weather." Then this pressure is relived somewhat when the person exits and comes up with a witty comment like "Have a Nice Day."

I don't recommend...

anyone doing this after Sarah and Rob's wedding.

Anna Finally Posts

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it has taken me so long to post - I'm a bit slow. I figured, however, that if Abby could figure it out, so could I! It's been great to read about what everyone is up to and to see such great photos! Jeanine, I was just reminiscing this weekend about how the year I had the mullet was the worst hair year of my life - it's the reason why I grew my bangs out in the fourth grade and haven't changed my hair style since! Well, August and Septemer have been crazy busy me. Work has been nuts but it should be calming down soon - thank goodnes. For those of you who may not know, Joe has started an MBA program at the University of Maryland - he is a part time weekend student. This coming weekend will be his first weekend off in six weeks. Needless to say, his already busy schedules just got busier.

Well, I just wanted to say "hi." Jeanine, thanks for setting this up - it's great. Matt, I hope this post finds you safe - we miss you!

One more thing - for those of you who have asked, I've attached a link to some pictures of me from the Iron Girl triathlon. Registration for the 2008 Iron Girl opens in October - I'll be recruiting some of you Almon women to join me!!

Love,
Anna

http://www.asiorders.com/estf.asp?EVENTID=19392&PWD=&BIB=1925

I love this blog!!!!

I was going through my picture archeives today looking for something and came across this pic. Laura saw this in Sarah's album not to long ago and said we looked like the happiest kids in the world. :0)

The funniest part about this picture is that Laura, Anna and myself (although you thankfully can't really see mine) all have a mullet. Luckily for Amanda and Sarah, this picture was taken prior to their Dorthy Hamill "bowl" cuts.

Bouyea Night Recap

Well I figured I would make my 1st post a recap of the evening. The Bouyea's had alot of sodas. The women were drinking some kind of green conjunction (Calvin thats for you). It looked weird but they seemed to enjoy it. Dont worry Matt jack and cokes for me all night (thanks for driving Jeanine). I ate alot of food. They had some of the best potato skins I have ever had. I think I ate 15 of them (not a Sarah exageration). Sarah had like a billion beers (3). I agree the cake was great. All and all a great time.

Amanda I hope you are joking about a plane ticket to Greensboro. I used to make it to Myrtle in 7 hours and passed Greensboro at around the 5 hour mark. Me and Sarah will stop on the way to our future home in Myrtle where I can play golf year around.

Matt upon your arrival home another 4 hour breakfast (on me this time) at Kiss Cafe. Stay safe and keep doing your thing man! You will me missed at OUR wedding, but I will be sure to feed Matt Head jack and cokes throughout the evening.

We'll Post When We've Recovered

The Bouyeas will draft a post regarding their birthday party when they are well enough to do so. A long night of partying took quite a toll on the 30 year olds. I guess it was good practice for Sarah's wedding. Apparently, we needed the practice.

BTW, I have sent Matt's address to Jeanine. I didn't do it before because I figured 4 or 5 aunts would have already e-mailed it.

Hmmm...

Was everyone under the impression that since this was being read by the whole family, someone would get back to me with Matt's address? Well, nobody did. Slackers.

I have this big box of snacks on my floor at work and I'm tired of explaining to people that I am not a huge pig about to eat 20 snack size bags of chips, bags of candy, etc. And I am also fending people off daily who want some for themselves. Although, once I say who they're for, they usually back off. :0)

Please email me with the address to jeanine.almon@marsh.com

Matt you'll be happy to know that it looks like Britney is going to be the next one going to jail. She hit someone else's car in a parking lot, and drove away without leaving a note. Sucks for her that the paparazzi were there to capture it all on film. To make matters worse, she doesn't have a license. Dumb!!!! And the fact that she drove away without leaving a note used up any remaining sympathy I might have had for her.

Matt's address please

Hello out there...

Can I have Matt's address please? You can email it to me: jeanine.almon@marsh.com
Don't post it on this site.

Muchas Gracias,
Jeanine

P.S. I was hoping for a recap of the Bouyea 30th Bash by one of the Bouyea's themselves. Warning: I have pictures and video, that will be posted if someone doesn't beat me to it. Thanks for inviting me!! It was lots of fun and I think that was the best store birthday cake I've ever had. We need to remember that for future family gatherings that require a cake. I think my favorite highlight of the evening was Mike's outfit and his serenade to Matty Nebowitz (sp?.

Hey Y'All

Kenny and I thought we would drop everyone a line from our new home, Winston-Salem, NC. Or at least we hope it is our home. Kenny has the job part down, now we just need a house and perhaps a job for me. Hopefully the former will come before the latter, because it would be a tough commute from Salisbury and well, I think I would enjoy some time off. Please keep your fingers crossed that we find the perfect place tomorrow. Matt, maybe you can put in a good word with your roommie?

Anyway, we are excited about the adventure and looking forward to getting settled. In case anyone wants to start planning their vacations to visit us, we should be ready to welcome visitors by November. Matt, when you get home we're just five hours away!!! We're already counting on a trip (further) South.

Oh funny - the waitress at the restaurant we went to tonight commented when she saw our licenses (I guess they card people down here for milk ;O) ) that she was from Salisbury. Turns out she is 25 and went to St. Francis De Sales. She said "Funk" sounded familiar but she couldn't be sure. What a small world.

Can't wait to see you all at the event of the year!!!

Best to all,

A&K

Big mouth women

I knew the true Almon women would come ouit of the woodwork.

Now the useless babble will never stop!!!!

I should think before I talk

TGIF

In my attempt to procrastinate at work, I thought I would make a quick post. Nothing very exciting going on with Rob and I, other than we are getting hitched in T Minus 3 weeks. For the most part, I am calm and collected with moments of shear panik. Hopefully there won't be any freak events that cause the DJ not to show and hopefully my dress will fit when I put it on. All of my wedding related nightmares have revolved around these topics.



Bubba would be excited for the wedding also, but he isn't allowed to participate. When I leave for work, he sometimes presses his nose against the front window inbetween the blinds. This makes it even harder to go to the office. It's like his last ditch effort to get me to stay home. One of these days it is defintiely going to work.

Matt- it was great to hear from you. Hope things are going okay and that whatever you are working on over there is going okay as well. Jeanine is busily working on your wedding face, so get ready for an onslaught of dates when you get home. I'm sure the face will be a very popular dancing partner for my friends. Hopefully, we won't leave you at the bar again this time around, or then again maybe that is exactly where you'd want to be anyway!

Posting due to reprimand

Since Uncle John has reprimanded the woman on this board for not posting, I thought I'd better get on the ball quick. To be honest nothing really exciting has been happening to me so there hasn't been much to post about. Calvin is back finishing his last two semesters of college and is out of the house from 6:00am to 10:00pm, and we are also on a strict budget for future home buying purposes so I've been alotted about $10 per month spending money. Not a lot of fun happening with that.

I expect there might be something to post about in the aftermath of the Bouyea's 30th Birthday Party which is happening this weekend. Just a hunch, but I think there might be a story or two coming out of that. I'm bringing a camera too to capture those Kodak moments.

The celebrity world sans O.J. has been pretty quite lately. I love that everytime the press interviews OJ's girlfriend she digs him further and further in the hole. She better be watch out. He's not the type of person you'd want to make mad. As long as she stays alive though I feel I can laugh at her stupidity.

That's it for now. Thanks for posting Matt, it's always great to see you pop up on the board. Even though you did have to harass me about the Eagles. I'll give you a pass for your first offense.

oh almost forgot who won that eagles/skins game?

just thought I'd add a "little sporty competition" trash talk to this blog

Ok so I'm actually back at my original base now. I've moved into a chu which is basically a trailer. Picture a normal redneck trailer (this should be easy for most of you) divide it into 3-4 seperate rooms then put two people to a room. Work is going ok...enough said about that. I'm happy to see all the very important things going on back in the states like OJ can still threaten to kill people and probably get off, Britney is fat and losing her kids, and i'm sure her side kick Lindsey is up to something (Amanda any news?). I mean that is much more important than France wanting to go to war with Iran, Bin Laden doesnt' like Pakistan, and the Iranian president wants to head to the trade center to see his work personnaly. Ok enough of my bitterness toward the media. We actually had a reporter in our TOC (small command post) when i was out at Kalsu (other place i was) and she is great friends with a girl i went to highschool with her mom taught me math (mom she was friends with Ashley Hare). Very small world. Tanner i'm really not sure how you have been arrested and tazed yet but nice funkfest. Just to upset my dad i am doing this whole fantasy football thing for the first time ever in my life and won my first two games. Not really sure how or why but who cares. ok well its 3am here so i'm heading to bed but hope everyone is doing well and thanks for the packages that you all have sent...oh and let grandmom and pop know that my roommate is the chaplian and that he is a catholic priest. I figure i don't even have to go to church now.

Talking Almon Women

For such a cool site, very few seem to be using it.

Where are all those big mouth Almon women?
In any other forum you cant get them to shut up .

Matt needs something to read at night.

Additionally, Amanda I do not rember you & Kenny getting approval to move out of town.

Kenny when are we going fishing??

Cousin Lunch!

Hey Guys,

I know it is REALLY early, but I am thinking about thanksgiving already! Probably because I still get super excited for it every year and it is starting to feel like fall here! The leaves chaning and all that! Anyways can we PLEASE talk about making the cousin lunch on Friday. I am flying back to Portland on Saturday at 7:00 pm. Speaking of which anyone else in the B-more area have to be a bum like me and leave early?!?!?!
love you guys and miss you!!!

I am counting down the days till we get our groove at Sarah's wedding!!!
Tanner I loved the picture and the rally! Glad to hear it was a success!!!

Emily

TV Sports suck

You TV sports people need to get a life !!!!!!, and do real sports not watch them. It does not count to have a 6 pack, under the keg you built above your belt!!

NOW for the real sports, fans::

A new record was set in Matt's car Sunday at the drag strip , WoW, ( where were you Anna & Amanda?? thanks fot the support you said you were comming up to the track).

Big fish is starting this week, be sure to sign up.

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

GO EAGLES!!!! Just thought I'd add a little sporty competition to this blog. If the Eagels don't win tonight the city might riot, in which case the military may need to deploy here to keep me safe. I will put in a special request Matt's unit to come to my rescue (I have pull on these types of issues). Well...on second thought...Matt might be safer in Iraq.

Way to pull one out yesterday Ravens Fans.
Booooo!!! to anyone rooting for the Redskins!!!!
Joe, I guess your Patriots can win on their own after all. But, I still want our Superbowl back!!!! :0)
Mike, I can't say anything about the Giants yet, for fear being in the same boat.

heard from matt

I Heard form Matt on Saturday by phone
can not compete with the "Funk Rally" that Tanner gave but will try
Actaully he told me had yet to back on the big base but was heading thier that night
He is not sure how i screwed things up but i am sure i wll do it again
He told me he is still working 12-14 hours
with his return to base he thinks things will be even more busy until he "catches up"
he did say it is still 100 degrees but a little cooler
still no specail request
he had been working out and his shoulder is hurting
when i asked him about going to the PT he said that PT doctor was 40 miles off the base so he has not gone in 2 months it is not a safe ride
YEA ARMY
i got an email this morning and he is on base and living in a "chu"
not sure what it this is- he said it is smaller. cleaner and more privacy than the tent all good
saturday he thought he would be in a trailer at the bigger base but i guess he got this instead
he did yell at me for the picture on the blog WHICH I DId NOT POST JEANINE
so now you are in troubl I told on you
it is in english thank you sarha and he enjoys keeping up with the news
keep the stories coming
it does take a long time to get on the blog and i quess his free time is short so we will not hear form him as much as we want but the blog does give him time to smile
and reminds him of home
Thanks to all
love
god keep
mom, aunt mary

FUNK RALLY IN HOLLYWOOD!!!

Yo Matt to the power of FUNK! What's goin on my man? Oh yeah, this is your cousin T to the power of ANNER (Tanner). Anyway, I just wanted to say hey and let you know a little bit about a rally I organized in Los Angeles in honor of all things Funk. Basically, it took place this morning at Funk Brothers Auto Repair in the heart of Hollywood right off the Sunset strip. The event was a huge success. We had a moon bounce, a slip and slide, and hot air balloon rides. It was so neat man, seriously, the moon bounce was off the hook for sure. We then had a protest where everyone in attendance held up signs proclaiming the awesomeness of FUNK to everyone driving along the Sunset Strip. Natually, we ended the day with a glow in the dark dance party. It was super swell man, I wish you could have been there. Anyway, I meant to take a bunch of pictures to send your way but I was just having so much damn fun on that moon bounce that I was only able to take one. The picture that I have hopefully attached to this blog shows Funk Fest 07 at the peak of it's awesome glory.

Anyway man I hope you are doing well wherever you are at. We definitely miss you over here so hurry up and finish up the war so you can attend Funk Fest 2. You didn't hear this from me, but word is Funk Fest Two will feature not just one, but two, that's right, two magicians. Now if that's not motivation to head on back to America I don't know what is.

Oh yeah, aside from Funk Fest 1 you are really not missing too much over here. I think the Orioles lost like 72-3 a few weeks ago, or something like that. If you review the footage I think it's pretty clear the the entire Orioles pitching staff was replaced by Koala Bears in the third inning, so I guess they did pretty good considering. Oh yeah, another big thing was that some NFL quarterback killed a bunch of dogs. I hear he has since found Jesus so overall it's a pretty uplifting news story. Unless your a dog I guess. In entertianment I'm not too sure what's going on. I'm pretty sure Britney or Paris or Lindsay probably had a mugshot taken. Superbad was a pretty funny movie, I think your brother could learn a lot from the cops in that movie.

Shoot, I gotta get to bed. Sorry. Anyway, I hope that all is well with you and that you enjoy the photo of Funk Fest 07. You shoulda seen the reactions we got when we held up our other sign which read "honk if you like funkin!". All I can say is that people in LA definitely are down with the power of funk!

Take it easy Matt,
Tanner

Hey All!!

Hey Everyone!

I got a call from Matt yesturday sadly I was in work and could not have my cell on me. Big sad face!!! But it was still nice to get a message from him! Laura I had not heard the Daisy story yet. That is awesome and I really believe in "signs" like that, I am glad you guys had a good time. And just so all the cousins know. Anna is one-upping all of you, she has a ticket to Maine at the end of October. Dont worry she will have a great time and then everyone else will want to come!!!

I love you all

Em

Daisy in Lake Placid

I think a lot of you have already heard this story but I thought it was a "feel good" story that might lift everyone's spirits. My Dad took my family to Lake Placid--one of my mom's favorite places--last month so that we could all be together. As you know, daisies were always my Mom's favorite flower. Anyway, there was no garden at the house he rented for us. However, in the rocks, there was one and only one weed--a lone wild daisy. Coincidence, maybe, but this isn't the first time we've experienced something like this this year. So, when you are thinking of Matt or worried about Uncle Mike or trying to get through anything else for that matter, keep your eyes open--you never know--you might just see a sign that Aunt Sharon is right there with you.