Tis the season

I don't want to disappoint anyone, but you can all stop checking your mailboxes for a Christmas card from me. I don't have that much to say so I thought my blog would be enough and I also recently joined Facebook. Besides the solo picture tends to look a bit odd.

So if I'm going to rely on my blog to keep people updated, I should probably write more often. Sorry. I've got no excuse...other than pure laziness. So since I last wrote, I went back to the Academy for another year. It went a little better this time. No complete surprises.

After the Academy, I was at home for just 12 days. That was just enough time to...

Bake cookies with Rita, Renee, Tracy and Katie for the 9th year in a row.

Visit my brother in Kentucky. It was very nice to see him. The highlight may have been when he made the mistake off asking me to cut his hair. Need I say more?

Next was Thanksgiving in Hector followed by my nephew Ben's baptism. Katie and I were his sponsors.
Now I'm in DC at a call center. We help verify identities of people traveling without documentation. I've got to get up early so that's it for now. Merry Christmas!

Return to Minnesota after Hurricane Ike

I was sitting on the couch being lazy when Katie mentioned that, "Your blog readers don't even know that you're home yet." She has a good point. Sorry, blog readers. I am in fact home. I've been on vacation hanging out with my family for the past week. The highlight was finally being able to see my new nephew Ben. I'm very amused by the fact that he almost always has a scowl on his face.

Another one of the highlights was the football homecoming game at my alma mater, Gustavus Adolphus College. Unfortunately, Gustavus lost to St. Thomas 22-30. Before the game, I went to the homecoming parade. That was the first time (and probably the last) for me. Lets just say they seemed to be struggling to hold the spectators attention. The mascot Gus passed by at least three times and the closest thing to a float was a car covered with brown construction paper. It was the Proclaim float which was suppose to represent the ark with Noah as the driver. I know this because he had a sign that said, "I'm Noah." It was a necessary element.

The other big event last week was Joey coming over to my house to spend the night. We had him over once before about a year ago when Tom and Jess lost power at their house for several days. He loved playing with/tormenting Katie's cats, Rory and Shay. Last week, Joe enjoyed chasing them all over once again. Rory, however, was glad to see Joey go.

Coming Home...I think!

I don't want to make any promises, especially after the last couple weeks, but it looks like I'll be coming home (FINALLY!) on Tuesday, Sept. 30. I'm due to arrive at 7:00 PM. Can't wait to see everyone. I might have to work a day or two before I start my vacation, but I'm really looking forward to being home for at least a couple weeks. This is normally a slow time of year for deployments so hopefully I'll get to take my whole vacation. See you all soon!

Benjamin Robert (courtesy of Katie)

"You're going where?"

"I said, Beaumont."

"Uhh?"

"BEAUMONT, TEXAS. About 1 1/2 hrs. east of Houston."
"Bomaut?"
"No, B-E-A-U-M-O-N-T."

For those who I have talked to today, that's pretty much how the conversation went. For those who I didn't call, I hope this post makes you feel like you weren't forgotten. I didn't want to leave anyone out, but there's just too many people and too little time. My mom also promised to tell anyone willing to listen all about our more detailed conversation so I'm sure some of you heard this information from her.

Anyway, back to Beaumont. That's where I'm going tomorrow or at least that's where I think I'm going tomorrow. As I'm typing this post, this may change...AGAIN...but as of 22:30 on Saturday, 9/20 I am going to Beaumont. There is a small Category IV airport near there. It's called the Southeast Texas Regional Airport (airport code BPT) and it's actually located about 15 miles southeast of Beaumont. There's more information in the links below if you are interested in finding out more. BPT has just 5 flights/day and less on the weekend. I'll be working a split shift most days from 05:45-10:45 then 12:45-19:15. I don't know what my days off will be or if I'll have any.

http://gc.kls2.com/airport/BPT

http://www.ifly.com/southeast-texas-regional-airport

The biggest question about Beaumont is our accommodations. A hotel is not an option because all the hotels in the area are filled with locals and relief workers. Most just reopened today after receiving generators. Many of the locals' homes remain without electricity and are damaged so they are living in hotels until they can make repairs. It sounds like the damage is fairly minor but costly (roof repairs, flood damage, carpet replacement due to mold, etc.).

There are six NDF scheduled to go tomorrow including me and we'll be figuring out the details as we go. If things go according to plan (and they rarely do), we will be driving RVs from Houston to Beaumont. Once we get there, hopefully we will be able to find space in a RV park. If not, we will park them right at the airport and I'll be taking a 'teacup bath', a term my Grandma Stewart taught me, in the airport bathroom. Sounds like another misadventure!

To close for the night, my sister gave birth to her and Tom's second son last night, 9/19 at 10:43 pm! His name is Benjamin Robert and he was 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 21". I'm very sad to have missed yet another important family event due to stupid Hurricane Ike. In the picture Jess sent me, Benjamin looks like a normal baby. His eyes were closed and his head was covered so that's as much detail as I could get by phone. I'm making myself upset again just thinking about not being home so I'm going to stop writing for tonight. I may not have internet service in Beaumont, but I'll try to at least keep my cell phone charged. Here's hoping my time in Beaumont passes quickly and that I'll see you all in person soon.

Day 3 in McAllen

We just had a roll call, on our 3rd day off in a row, telling us basically nothing except that tomorrow will be yet another day off. I'm really getting tired of this. The only good news is that the big bosses are going to have figure out something for us to do on Tuesday because we'll be fresh out of days off. I was hoping to work now so that I wouldn't have to spend more vacation to cover the same amount of time off when I get home. I guess can't understand what is making this decision so difficult. Are we staying or are we going? Plain and simple question that nobody can answer.

Today I spent my time wondering around McAllen. We've been pointedly asked to not go to Mexico, which is only about 10 miles south, so I searched the paper for something to do locally. There's an old theater called Cine El Rey about 25 minutes by foot away from the hotel. Today I saw a film called At the Death House Door. It was about a man named Carlos De Luna who was convicted and executed for a murder he most likely didn't commit. It also talked a lot about the minister who worked at Huntsville prison where Carlos was executed. Very interesting, but a little long.

I arrived at the theater about 2 hrs. before the film so I walked around. It felt a lot like Mexico with almost everyone being Hispanic and all the signs in Spanish. While I was taking pictures, this man hobbled to his wheelchair and then crossed the street just to come over and talk to me. His name is Lester and he told me all about his life. I got quite a few looks being the only white person walking around the neighborhood. I think many of the residents wondered what the gringa with the camera was doing though most where polite enough to wait until after I passed to talk about me.Well, tomorrow's another day. Maybe I'll have some real information for you then. Adios!

Where am I?

I can hardly remember where I am so I wouldn't expect any of you to know, even with my occasional text messages. I'm still in McAllen, TX. We've been waiting for Hurricane Ike to hit which it finally did this morning. The next step is to figure out if we are needed in the areas effected. If so, we will most likely be traveling to Houston. If not, we will return to our home airports. We were notified today that we will remain in McAllen tomorrow, Sunday 9/14, until plans can be solidified.

It's very frustrating because I've already missed my dad's surgery, Rita's birthday party, and the bike race. Even if I return to MSP on Monday, I'll probably still miss Jeff's brief return to MN. I've accepted all that with the one last big event being my sister having her baby. Any updates on this topic, Jess? If you could only guarantee that you'd wait til the end of the week, I'd whole heartedly hope to stay until we had a chance to do some actual work. It seems like such a waste to do all this traveling (6 airports in 6 days) and miss so much while doing so little to help the hurricane victims.

That choice is several levels above my pay band so all I can do is wait and see what they decide. I'll try to send out another text or email when I find out what's happening on Monday if I have time.

Fantasy Football pics and Rita's actual 30th birthday

The word directly from the horse's mouth (my manager AC Richard Nevels) is that we will not be moving today so I have some time to catch up on my blogging. As I was saying in my previous posting, I took some pictures of some very willing subjects at Tom and Jess's Fantasy Football Party on 9/5/08. Tracy and Jim's kids Parker and Maddie were hamming it up with some pretty crazy faces. Here's my two favorites. (Notice Maddie's backwards shoes.)

Then to my surprise, Renee who likes to tease me about my camera being fused to my face says that she's disappointed that she hasn't seen her picture posted lately. Well I'm here to please so here you go, Renee. Hope it's okay that you had to share space with Tracy. I also managed to snap this one of Jim and Parker.

The next day on Saturday, 9/6/08, a group of us managed to get together at Granite City in Roseville for lunch. It was also Rita's 30th birthday. She's having a party today which I will unfortunately miss, but at least we were able to see each other while I was home. Renee, Julie R., Jess, Joey, Tracy, and Katie were also present. Katie and I made the cake from scratch including the frosting. It actually turned out okay. Everyone managed at least a couple of bites and I didn't notice anyone gagging.

I'm off again!

I know you all (and by all I mean Burman) are anxiously waiting for an update from the RNC and the recent Fantasy Football party at Tom and Jess's. In a few words, the RNC was okay. I just worked at the airport so it wasn't very exciting. I didn't see anyone famous except Ron White from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and something tells me he wasn't hear for the RNC. There were so many NDF here that we were literally tripping over each other. Guess you could say MSP over estimated passenger loads. The party at T&J's was much more fun, but I don't have time for details or pictures now because...

I'm leaving for New Orleans in 2 hrs. for Hurricane Ike relief. Should be interesting. We don't have any details yet as far as what we'll be doing or how long we'll be there. I just hope to be back soon because my dad's having surgery Wednesday and my sister's due in about 10 days and my vacation is suppose to start on the 14th. Basically, I don't really want to go but I have to.

I've got to finish packing. My flight leaves at 12:15. So far no word on return flight. I'll try to send out an update soon. Bye!

See ya, P-town. It's been wicked fun!

Hey all! This will likely be my last posting in P-town, though I'll have to sum up my last few days on the cape after I get back to Minnesota. I'm kind of sad it's over, but now that I got used to the fact, I'm excited to come home and see friends and family. It's hard to believe that I've been here 3 1/2 months already! Time flies when you're having fun and I've definitely had some here.

Last week's big event was the annual Provincetown Carnival. It's kind of like Mardi Gras for the (Gay) Northeasterners and it draws big crowds. We've been busy the last several days which for me has been a welcome change. The time goes much faster when the flights are full. I sent out my Carnival pictures through Snapfish, but I thought I should include at least a couple here. The one above is of Miss Richfield 1981, one of the most popular drag queens in P-town. The float below was sponsored by Bacardi and it was packed with anyone fit and willing to wear a cowboy hat (and not much else). If anyone out there wants to see more and didn't get the invitation to my photo album, just leave a note in the comment section with your email and I'll send them to you.
I better start getting ready for bed. Tomorrow Moose and I are going to bike the Rail Trail which runs all the way down from Wellfleet to Dennis (45 miles round trip). I'm really looking forward to it and I've been talking about it for weeks. One of the Law Enforcement Officers at the airport named Jim who has a very sarcastic sense of humor seems to think this trail is going to be the end of me. After my bike crash a few weeks ago he started calling me Tumbellina. (You've got to give him a hand for creativity if nothing else.) Anyway, he's convinced that I'm going to get more scraps and bruises just in time for my trip home after tomorrow's ride. I told him that wouldn't be so bad. If I do it right, I might get out of working the Republican National Convention. I guess only time will tell, but don't worry. I'll be careful. Besides my biking buddy Moose will be with me and yes, Jess...I did pack my first aid kit.

Tilly and a Member of the House

I know some of my blogger fans think that I am regularly screening the rich and famous so I thought I'd give you an update. On Friday, actress Jennifer Tilly (best known for roles in Liar, Liar, Bride of Chucky, and Bound) came through the checkpoint. No one noticed at first, but then she spoke and I knew it was her instantly. She has a very distinct voice.

Later that night Allyson Schwartz, a member the the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania came through. I would have had no idea who she was had she not said, but it was nice to meet her. She seemed very intelligent and well put together.

I'm watching the Olympics right now waiting for Phelps to hopefully make history. Did you see last night's race? It was pretty amazing. The women's marathon is just ending. They are amazing as well. Twenty-six miles in less then 2.5 hours!?!? The average works out to about 5 min. 45 seconds per mile. I can't run one mile in that time. Never could. They're incredible!

Anyone have a stomach ache?

If so, you might want to close this blog before it gets worse. This house may look like a big bottle of Pepto Bismol, but trust me it's not the cure. It's one of many gingerbread houses in Oaks Bluff in Martha's Vineyard. I think it's funny because my friend LaDonna has mentioned several times how ugly she thinks it is. She says they seem to run into it every time they get lost. On the positive side, all the little girls including Alice's niece think the Barbie Gingerbread house is awesome. Tracy, I bet Maddie would like to live here.

Coming Home Early

Hey all. I bet you are surprised to be getting another update from me so soon. Well, don't get used to it. I just happen to have some big news that can't wait for my somewhat regular monthly post. As the title suggests, I'm coming back home much earlier than expected. As you all know, the Republican National Convention is coming up at the beginning of September. MSP expects significantly higher passenger loads during this time so they requested the help of the NDF. As a member of the NDF from MSP, I automatically will be sent home to assist. I don't have an itinerary yet but my new travel date is August 29th. To be honest, I'm a little bummed. I've really enjoyed my time out here in Provincetown. My trip to Martha's Vineyard to see my NDF friends was the highlight of my time here so far. I'll tell you more details and post pictures later. I also was looking forward to Julie and Katie coming out to visit. Julie, I hope you haven't purchased your ticket yet. After almost six years with the TSA, I should know to expect the unexpected, but this one caught me off guard. On the bright side, I'll probably be home for the birth of my 2nd nephew. And I might get a chance to catch up with some of you. Who knows where or when all be off to next?

Okay. You asked for it.

Here's the pics of my injuries from the bicycle crash. I tried to show all the scraps and bruises in one pose, but it looked ridiculous. So here's the best I could do in my hotel room with the automatic timer. My elbow is healing really well. I guess Neosporin really does work. It was much worse for the first 2-3 days. Puss and blood everywhere. You should have seen my sheets. I felt so bad that I washed them myself. Is that enough details for you sickos? Anyone feeling queasy?

Adventures in Bicycling

It must be time to update again because I'm starting to feel guilty. I don't feel like much new has happened here. We've been having hot and humid weather so I've gone swimming several times since I last wrote. The water is still pretty cold (around 65 degrees), but on a sunny day that is warm enough to feel good.

Tim (the NDF officer from Illinois) went home to accept a promotion so Moose came in to replace him. His real name is Patrick, but he insists that we call him Moose. He got me in the habit of biking to and from work. The bike trail winds and curves up and down the sand dunes so it is a pretty good work out. The downside is the ride home in the dark. The trail isn't lit so Moose bought a light to lead the way. The first couple times we didn't have any trouble...and then there was Friday night. All was going as usual. We got to the part were we go through the Herring Cove parking lot. Next thing I know, I'm face down on the ground trying to figure out if I broke anything. Fortunately, I didn't, but I did manage the scrap and bruise all extremities. My left thigh and right elbow came out the worst. My elbow is now forming a nice 2" x 3" scab while my bruised leg attracts many disgusted looks. The biggest bruise is about 6" x 4" and is a pretty deep purple. Should I post a picture? Maybe I could make an artistic healing sequence with all the color changes. I could disguise it so you wouldn't really know what it was then sell prints for $500 to the rich folk out here.

Despite the accident, I'm still biking to work every day. I'm working 6-10 hr. days this week so I'm sure I'll be tired by the end of it. The good news is that I only have to work 3 days next week so I'm going to Martha's Vineyard to visit LaDonna and Alice. They both also have family visiting during the same time. Hopefully I won't be in the way. I'll post some pictures after my trip there.

Downtown P-town and a trip to New Hampshire

Big surprise. It's been more than a couple weeks, but I'm still under the month mark so this is pretty good for me. I wanted to wait until I had a little more time to get out and see more of the cape, but I know how impatient you all get so I figured I should write something.

I've walked around P-town a few more times since the last time I wrote. It reminds me a lot of Key West because of the large gay population, the close proximity to the water, and the artsy community. The shops are very much geared toward tourists with souvenirs and art galleries. And you can forget about driving in the downtown area. The roads are narrow and crowded so by foot or bicycle is definitely the best way to travel.

I walked out to the end of the cape with Pete a couple weeks ago. He is one of the other NDF deployed to Provincetown. It's hard to tell by the picture, but this a 30 min. walk one way and not a good idea for the unstable (physically, not mentally). The path is made of huge stones with many small gaps.

Several people mentioned that we should take a look in the library so all three of us (Tim, Pete, and I) walked over there on Tuesday. Inside they have a replica of a schooner built to 1/2 the actual size. There is also a monument for the pilgrims that first landed in Provincetown before moving further inland to Plymouth.

In other news, I had to drive all the way to Hooksett, New Hampshire to pick up a GSA car. It will save money in the long run but that was a long drive. The good news is that on the way I had to pick up the NDF from Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard so that they could get GSA cars too. My NDF friends Alice and LaDonna were the two that came from Martha's Vineyard so it was great to see them again.

I haven't done much else yet except for our weekly cookouts on the hotel grill. The water is only about 55 degrees so I don't plan on taking a dip for another couple weeks. On my days off we might make a trip to Walmart though. Sounds exciting, right? We can't make it often since it takes an hour and a half just to get there. We'll probably make a day off it and tour more than just the Walmart. I'll write more later, but I'm not making any promises as to when.

Welcome to P-Town!

I made it to Provincetown (a.k.a. P-town) Tuesday afternoon which was a bit of an adventure in itself. My flight on Northwest from Minneapolis to Boston was pretty uneventful until about 20 minutes prior to landing. That's when we hit the turbulence and started tossing and turning. I thought it was kind of fun, but other passengers seemed to disagree. Several let out involuntary yelps when hit the dips and guy behind me sounded like he was about to toss his cookies. No worries though. We landed safely, but watching other peoples' reactions was pretty funny.

After I landed, I wandered around for awhile until I found the food court. (Imagine me casually strolling along because at this point I think that I have 2 1/2 hrs. to kill). I stopped at the McDonalds to pick up a couple snack wraps, but the cashier said they have nothing fried. The menu was already the reduced menu (no salads, ice cream, etc.) so I'm wondering what's left after you take out the fried food. I almost let out a sarcastic comment like, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were open.", but a managed to bite my tongue. I had to change terminals so the next challenge was figuring out how to get from one to the other. After asking 4 employees, I eventually found my way and went through security again. I wandered around for awhile longer then decided to check in at the gate since I didn't have an assigned seat. That's when I realized that my scheduled departure time was in 15 minutes (not an hour and 15 minutes). I was momentarily panicked but then it became obvious that those tiny 9 passenger planes have their own schedule. We started to board about 20 minutes after I got there, but they had weight balance issues. We ended up going back inside while they switched planes and reorganized. My bag and one of my coworkers didn't make it in until the next day so it's a good thing I carried on a uniform.

The hotel is pretty nice, but the rooms aren't very big. The local staff is great. I haven't had much time to see the sites yet since I've worked every day. I'll write more when I get a chance to look around and take some pictures. Keep in touch! I'll try to update again in a couple weeks.

2008 Quarterly Update

Ooo, first update since March 16th. Even I'll admit that that is bad. I noticed that several of you like to pretend that you didn't know I was back in Minnesota. Come on now. I told you when I'd be home way back on my March 9th post. That's okay though. I know you just want me to stay in better touch. So I got back on April 8th I worked at MSP for a couple weeks.

So what else have I been doing since I've been back? The first order of business was to go over and see my nephew. Then my dad and I took a trip out to my brother Jeff's place in Aberdeen, SD. He was getting ready to move to Kentucky and didn't want to take all his stuff with him. We tried to beat the storm home but decided to stop after nearly sliding into the ditch repeatedly. We made it home safely the next day, but there were definitely some close calls.

My sister Jess invited me to the Guthrie to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was absolutely amazing and the best play I have ever seen! So thanks again Jess for taking me and Tom for not wanting to go. I also had the opportunity to go to a Ben Folds concert at my alma mater with Katie and our brothers Adam and Chris. That was also a lot of fun.

A few days later I got orders to Austin, TX for a three day trip to review and edit the NDO Handbook. I wasn't sure what to think about those orders, but it turned out to be a fun trip despite all the work. We even managed to get some free time to make a trip to San Antonio to see the Alamo and go to the River Walk.

Since getting back from Austin, I took time off from work to relax, spend time with friends and family, and be lazy. All things considered, that has been going well; especially the being lazy part.

The final update, my new deployment orders...
I'll be in PROVINCETOWN, MA until October 14th. That's 5 months for you to come out and visit so check those vacation calendars and come out and see me.

The best of the best (con't)...

I finally made it to the hot springs in Glenwood. I'm diving on the left and my friends Patty, Alice, and LaDonna are on the right.

Here are a couple from when I went dogsledding near Frisco. I don't know the names of the two on the left, but Everest and Simba are on the right.

The best of the best....

I promised pictures so here they are. These are my favorites from the past month. Luis is on the left and Chris is on the right. This was only the third time Chris has ever skied.

I don't know these two people, but the pictures turned out good.

I spent a couple nights in Denver visiting with Marne. I took the first pic. right before we went our separate ways. The one on the right is of Red Rock, an outdoor stadium.

I know...I'm a horrible person.

Well, maybe not a horrible person...just horrible at updating my blog. I've got lots of excuses but none of them are very good and after getting several calls and emails I decided I better not put it off any longer.

I talked to Katie a few days ago (on 3/8/08) and she said, "I figured you weren't coming home on the 5th like you were scheduled." I can't get anything past P.I. Katie. Maybe it was the fact that 3 days later we still hadn't run into each other and we share the same townhouse. But in all seriousness, I have been extended until 4/8/08 and to all those whom I forgot to tell, I'm sorry I didn't pass this information on earlier.

My dad sent me an email recently asking for an explanation for not updating my blog. Here are his ideas on why I'm so out of touch.

1. Too busy having fun out on the slopes.
2. Or maybe you got buried in one of those avalanches and no one noticed you’re gone.
3. Or maybe you’ve become so indispensable to TSA that they have you working around the clock.
4. Or maybe you met a great guy from Venezuela and went there to meet his family, only to get caught up in the border dispute with Columbia .
5. Or maybe you have started a new internet business and are so busy with the manufacture of sock puppets that you don’t have time for anything else.
6. Or maybe you got sent to Katmandu on a secret mission.

They are all entertaining but false, except for the one about skiing. So what have I been doing? We've already covered skiing. I also went dogsledding and to the hot springs in Glenwood. A group of my NDF friends get together at least twice a week to watch a movie or play Shanghi Rummy (Mom, are you proud?).

The other most time consuming activity is photography. Between taking the pictures and editing them, I feel like I barely have time to sleep. Several other NDF have asked me to ski with them so I can take some action shots of them skiing or snowboarding and I've also gone out in search of wildlife a couple times. I just spent too much of my hard earned dough on another telephoto lens and a teleconverter since those bald eagles won't let me walk up close to them. I promise to add some pictures in the next couple days. Please except my apologies.

Love,

Tracie

January Update

Good thing my New Year's resolution wasn't to update my blog regularly. Sorry it's been so long. I've been trying to keep up with Snapfish pictures at least, but I'm over a week behind on that too. If you had a chance to look at my Snapfish albums, you know that I've done some more skiing and I also tried out tubing. The tubing was okay, but the slope was too mellow for my liking. Not $20 worth in my opinion, but we still had fun.

Last week Hoku, Roxanne, and Roxanne's daughter Faye asked me to drive them around since we have the same days off and they don't like to drive in the snow covered roads. They're from Hawaii so they're not used to winter driving. We made good use of their rental during our three days off. First we drove around in search of wildlife and found a herd of elk then we drove about 1 hour east to the Silverthorne outlet stores. On Thursday we went west toward Glenwood Springs. We were hoping to see some big horn sheep and drove all around one of the places that they are most commonly found, but we only saw 1 dead one. It was hard for me to look while we were driving because the roads are narrow and windy. Maybe I'll see a live one before I leave.
Anyway, after we gave up on the sheep, we went to Hanging Lake which is just east of Glenwood Springs. Some of you might remember that I hiked the same trail in last summer when I was staying in Aspen. The ice and snow made it a little more difficult but it was fun to see how it looked in the winter. Here's a picture of each.

On Friday 1/18, Hoku, Roxanne, and Faye asked if I would drive them to Aspen. I was there for 2 months so I didn't feel the need to go back, but I decided to go anyway. We went up to the top in the gondola first then did some shopping. They also had some sort of gay pride thing going on. People were dressed in costumes and skied down the slope then were judged on there technique and outfits. It reminded me of Key West with snow.

After a weekend of fun, I had to go back to work. Nothing exciting to talk about there. Then Tuesday 1/22 and Wednesday 1/23 I went with LaDonna, Patty, Alice, and Rachelle to Breckenridge. We shopped the first day in Breckenridge and then went back to the outlets in Silverthorne for the second day. The others, except for LaDonna, hadn't been to the outlets before so they found a few good deals. We had a Toyota Prius for the five of us and every inch of that car was packed with stuff.

On Thursday, I planned to go skiing with Hoku and Luis but the skis I bought from the thrift shop weren't working. The bindings were set to close together and couldn't adjust far enough for my feet. Gary brought them to a repair shop but they wouldn't fix them because they said they were too old. Basically they just wanted you to buy new skis from them. So I spent the day grocery shopping, doing laundry, and finding a different pair of skis. All very exciting.

That brings us to today, Friday the 25th. I wanted to go skiing and everyone else was either working or sore from the day before so I ended up going alone. I took the bus to Beaver Creek because I had never been there before. I wanted to make sure I didn't hurt myself since I was alone so I stayed on the green slopes. It was fun but by the time the lifts closed at 3:30 pm my legs were sore. There was about 5 inches of fresh powder from the night before so it didn't take much to wear me out. I'll try to be better about updating but don't bother looking for at least 2 weeks. I swapped last Tuesday for this Wednesday so now I've got five fun filled days of work to look forward to. I know what you're all thinking...."I have to work five days every week." Well, I feel bad for you but my shift is 11 hours plus 30 minute commute on each end and that's if there are no delays. That leaves me with enough time to sleep and eat and not much else so by the time that 4th day comes I am ready for a weekend.

One last thing...I almost for got to tell you that the rumor is that we will be staying until the end of ski season. My ticket and deployment report were round trip and I was scheduled to go back to Minnesota on March 5th. We haven't received anything official with different dates yet but the Security Manager told us that we can expect to be here until April 9th. Look on the bright side. That leaves more time for you to come visit me. Why hasn't anybody said they want to come? I know most of you aren't big skiers, but neither am I and look at me. Or what about shopping? There's plenty of that. The least you could do is send me and email and let me know what I'm missing out on.

Love,
Tracie

(**I'll add pics from Breckenridge, Silverthorne, and Beaver Creek later.)