Hi Everyone

This is for all those fine Navy gentlemen I met over the weekend. Thank you for the great company. S.O.F.A is a great group of men! (and Ladies)

Here it is Monday morning and 2 1/2 days of my vacation are completely gone. I have been having such a great time, you could not know. I have met some really great people over the weekend I hope will remain friends.

It has been an interesting set events leading up to me arriving in Orlando. I had to stay over night in Albany Thursday do to the snow we were getting. Sue does not like to drive in it to begin with, so when she called me on Thursday, I already was thinking about getting a motel room and shuttling to the airport. She was happy to here this I am sure. Sue and Shelly drove me up and it took an hour and a half for her to get home.

I woke up in the morning to snow falling and snow on the ground, any surprise, I think not. I took the shuttle to the airport and there was a long line for security checks, but it went quickly. Needless to say, I boarded with out a problem, but do to the snow, the plane had to be deiced, not once, but twice.... this led to sitting an hour on the tarmak.

I arrived in Philly and ran to my next connection, and as I arrived, they changed the gate to the other end of the complex which ment running to the next gate to catch the flight. It just happened that when I arrived at the departing gate, they delayed the flight by a half hour, and the luck continues.... I had to call Ron to let him know about the delays so he would not be sitting at the airport and waiting for long. We finally took off 45 minutes late. The weather was so so in Philly, but no snow in sight.

I finally arrived in Orlando and Ron met me out side. It was so good to see him again, I did not realize how much I missed him and Jenny until I saw him. I got a great big welcoming hug, which I greatly appreciated. The weather could not have been better, it was 84 and SUNNY! Off to the stores for some last minute things, then home. The girls were so happy to see me and I them. I was talking with Ron, and Jenny came home, it was go great to see her, I missed her something fierce! Our hug just seemed to go on and on, both of us saying how much we missed each other and how glad we were to see each other again.

Saturday and Sunday were full of excitement, fun, good food, and new friends. Saturday was Rons S.O.F.A. party. This was a gathering of retired Navy men and their wives. Every one brought something, stayed for a long time and just had great time! I was taking pictures of everyone and they most appreciated it. The photo's are being forwarded on to all of the group. Ron received a lot of emails of thanks from all who attended. They all really seemed to enjoy themselves.

Sunday was great too. Jenny and I had lunch with Rosa. This was a girls luncheon and we had a blast! We plan to get together again some time this week. When we got home, some other friends I met back in November were here. It was good to see them, we also had a good time, dinner was great along with the company.

I must say, I really needed this time. I am having a blast and will be very disappointed when it comes to an end on Sunday, when I board the plane for NY. Jenny and Ron have been so great, love them both.

On to other things. Joe's bike ride, a clip from the ride can be found on his blog site, was fun. I was wondering if he taped his camera to his helmet. I was having a great time riding along with him, occasionally looking down at the speedodmeter. Joe, great job, I really enjoyed the trip.

I really want to thank Nancy for feeding my girls. It is so good to know that they are being taken care of and loved. I worry about them and miss them badly. Thank you again Nan.

I went for a walk on Sunday morning, it was so peaceful. I was going to go this morning, but we are having morning showers. Right now the sun is starting to break through and it is looking to be another sunny day.

I am going to say goodbye for now. I will try to post again soon.

As always, you are all always on my mind, in my thoughts and prayers.
Take care,
Joanne

Happy Easter to everyone.

Happy Easter to Everyone!

I hope you get to spend this special day with those you love and care about.

It has been an exciting weekend, not all good, but everyone is safe.

Friday started off ok after I got out of work. I came home, it was cold and windy out and I had made plans to just clean and that went as planned.

Saturday was another story. It started off ok, but then came the phone call from Shelly. Sue was taking her to work and they passed the corner by my house and noticed the fire trucks and police about a tenth of a mile from the corner up 205. Sue noticed it was a car accident, and of course she recognised the truck as looking like Timmy's, but was not sure. She continued to take Shelly to work and in turn, Shelly called me to see if I had the scanner on, which I did, and asked if it was a personal injury and if I knew if it was Timmy in the accident. I told her I would go down and check it out. As I got closer, it was indeed Tim's truck. I stopped and made sure he was ok, which he was. He explained what happened and who got tickets, which he did not. I told him to call his mother and he said he would. I called Sue and Shelly and assured them he was ok and that he would call. I saw him later in the day at Sue and Rogers, and he was ok, but his truck was not so lucky. Many repairs will have to be made, at least it is still drivable.

I picked up Shelly from work and brought her home. When I got home, I noticed a skunk in the middle of the road going in circles. Diana my neighbor, and I tried to coax the skunk to the side of the road so it would not get hurt. Cars were flying over the bridge, which has caution signs all over it, along with caution lights, this is do to the road on the bridge coming apart very badly. Some of the cars were coming to complete stops with out warning to avoid the animal. I called the troopers and told them of the incident and could they send someone before an accident happens. When the troopers finally arrived, the animal was on the side of the road, but quickly went back in to the road. Diane, my sister was sweeping the bread to the side of the road to coax the skunk to stay in the dirt, unfortunately it did not work. I asked the troopers if we could throw some thing over it and carry it back to the other side of the road in to the gully, they said if it is rabid that if I get bit or if any one else gets bit, the shots are not pleasant. They felt the animal was not acting right, so they decided the best thing was to put it down, which they did. I felt really bad for the animal, I tried, but it was not ment to be.

The rest of the day went pretty much normally. I am still planning to do cleaning all day Sunday and get my final list of things I need to do before I go on vacation on Friday, done.

Joe bought a motorcycle. He just loves it. You can see pictures of it on his blog, which there is a link to it listed on the right under Joe's mind.

I received my degree in the the mail this week along with my grades and final test results. I ended up with a 3.65 gpa. I am so proud of myself, to think I worked so hard for it and finally did it. Never think you can not do something, it just takes some will power and support from the people you love and care about, along with special friends, to help you along the way. You can do anything, I did. If it was not for Shannon and Rose, I would never have even started college. I thank them with all my heart for getting me started. Thanks to everyone who congratulated me.

As I stated above, I am leaving on Friday for Florida. Warm weather and good friends. I am hoping when I come home, that I will be bringing spring, warm weather and sunshine home with me. We have had enough of winter and snow, it is time for spring! Please wish me a safe trip both to and from Florida, and say a little prayer too.

As always, I will keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers. Please stay safe and healthy.

Good morning

These flowers are from Nancy's garden last year. I know it will not be long before we see them again, because spring is coming. I hope you enjoy them.

I want to wish everyone a good morning. Hope your day is going well. I am going to keep this short, not much has been happening here.

Amy had her baby shower at her grandmothers yesterday. She said she received a lot of nice clothing, diapers, and wipes.

Michael Ryan also had his birthday party 2 days early, but he seemed like he was having a good time. He had a bowling party over at holiday lanes. His dad was also there along with grandma and many other friends. His cake was a Monster truck cake.

Michael, Dianes husband, had his birthday yesterday. I called and wished him a Happy Birthday too.

John, Chris, and Joe are at Bristol for the race this weekend. I hope they are having a good time. It is good that father and sons are sharing their time together on a special weekend. Please pray for safe travel for them on their return to their homes and family. I know that Kim, Nancy and the kids are doing well, the kids love to have grandma there and frequently ask her and grandpa to come to their house.

I am still on cloud 9 after learning about graduating. I hope this feeling lasts for a while. Thanks to all that have congraulated me, it means a lot to know you care.

I am home this weekend working on my blankets. They are coming along, slowly, but coming a long.

The sun is trying to break out here right now. I do not know how long it will last, but it is good to see the sun.

Everyone have a great day and please stay safe and healthy.

As always, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

love to all.

I finally Graduated from College

I Graduated!

I was notified that I passed my semester finals today and I am now a college graduate!

I want to thank everyone for all the prayers and words of encouragement. It has been a long 4 years of hard work. I never could have done it with out every ones help. I will be getting my degree and transcripts with in the next few weeks by mail.

Thank you all again.

As always, I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.

Hello Everyone!

This is a photo taken by Joe last year. I wanted to share it with everyone as a reminder of what is to come in the spring. Hopefully it will lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face.

Sorry it has been a while since I updated. Things just got away from me. I have been reading a good series of books by Janette Oke. The series is called Love Comes Softly. It is a very good series and I recommend it to anyone who wants a warm feeling and quick reading. I could not put the book down. I just started the second one out of 8. There are also a series of movies based on the books that are also worth watching. Enjoy.

Boy, isn't the weather crazy? First we have warm, then cold, rain, then snow and wind. Now we have flooding followed by snow, wind and temps in the teens. Next week I see we are going to have temps in the mid to upper 40's again, not that I am complaining about that. March, the most unpredictable month of the year, it is a guess what we will have minute to minute.

I got an email from Alice about Karen's web site. Everyone should check it out. She and a friend are selling jewelry at fairly good prices. http://www.advancedcreations.net/ If you click on the link, it will take you to her site. I will also be adding it to my favorite links to the right. Please check it out, I really think you will be surprised.

Well, it is done. I have taken my final semester exam. I will be sending it in on Monday for grading. Please wish me luck that I pass all 5 of the courses, then I will graduate! Thank you to all that have supported me through the past 4 years. It has been a long, hard struggle, but I can truly say that it was worth it.

I will be going on vacation in a few weeks to Florida. I am so looking forward to seeing Ron and Jenny, and of course the puppies and birds. Ron and Jen, it will not be long now. I am also looking forward to some warm weather!

I think you will all agree, it is time for spring up here in NY! It will not be too long, some robins are back, along with the geese. The geese have been flying over head for a few weeks now. I am just waiting for the flowers to start coming up. I don't know if they will get through the frozen ground or not. Hopefully, the sun will start to warm it up so they can come up.

Easter will be here in 2 weeks and I am hoping I can get up to the cemetery then to put the palm cross on Moms grave. It is a tradition that I do this, but the cemetery will not open the gates unless the snow is gone. Please say a prayer we start to get some better weather soon.

Amy is doing well. The baby is growing by leaps and bounds. She is getting quite the belly on her according to Diane. Diane is planning a baby shower for the 12th of April, I think that is a Saturday. She will be having a shower this weekend given by her dad's side of the family. I hope she gets a lot of nice things. After the shower, I will find out what she got and be able to plan, as well as other people, what else she will need for Elizabeth (that is the babies name). Keep them in your prayers for a healthy and happy baby.

Well everyone, I think it is time to close. I wish you all warm sunny days ahead. May they be healthy, happy and safe ones.

As always, you remain in my thoughts and prayers. Love to all.