11.09.2011
November 9: For Ellie's cute smile, I will always be thankful. Tonight, I was taking a late-evening nap in the recliner and she would come up to me, pop her little head up over the side and say "Hi... Hi!... HI!... HI!!!!" until I would look at her. Then she'd smile, say "Mommy?" and walk away. Over and over again. Toddlers are sweet. None as sweet as my E.
November 8: I'm grateful for my tried-and-true enthusiasm. It was something I was definitely born with, and though I got my fair share of teasing for it as a teenager, it has been my biggest strength. It's helped me get countless jobs, make new friends in absolutely strange lands, and more than anything, it has kept me busy and happy over the course of this deployment. I'm glad that I make the commitment to say "yes." Sure, having a job, going to school, taking care of Ellie, sending packages to Andrew, etc etc etc is hectic and busy and wild. But, I'm happier for it and I'm proud to say we're officially 8 months finished with Andrew's tour in Afghanistan.
11.08.2011
Weekend Trip to Cambridge
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| Ellie loves car rides... obviously. |
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| @ Hemingway's-- a seafood restaurant directly off the Bay Bridge. |
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| The view from our room! |
So, our weekend trip was fantastic. I've already written about the memorial, but I wanted to post a little ditty about the fabulous hotel and the beautiful time we had.
October
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| Pumpkin girl. |
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| Bubby gets his learner's permit! |
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| After volunteering at the Haunted House |
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| Soccer game @ BW |
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| Western maryland Scenic Railroad |
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| Birthday girl! |
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| Duck feeding |
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| NHS induction! |
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| Halloween costume |
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| Soccer Homecoming |
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| First snow of the year! |
11.07.2011
Kenan Knieriem: A Celebration of Life
Andrew's PopPop had a brother named John, who after serving in the military in both Germany and Japan, retired in New Jersey and had a family with his wife, Helen. They were parents to John Jr, Guy, Jane, and Kenan. Kenan Knieriem was the baby of the family and was a soccer star throughout high school. When he came to be an adult, he attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where he played varsity soccer as a Freshman. He won both leadership awards as a senior and is the sixth all-time most scoring player to ever attend the Naval Academy. He did his active duty time at Pearl Harbor and this is when he fell in love with Hawaii.
And Hawaii was where I fell in love with him.
Before Andrew moved to Hawaii in March 2010, Andrew's Dad send an email to Kenan letting him know that a Knieriem was moving to the island. Prior to this email, Chris and Kenan had only seen each other twice in their lives. This; however, did not stop Kenan from picking Andrew up at the airport in the late evening and driving him to base. This also didn't stop him from kidnapping Andrew for a weekend of resort hopping and seeing the best of Hawaii. When I moved shortly after, I had the privilege of meeting his son, Keno, and getting to know Kenan as our Island Dad. Whenever we needed help, we knew we could count on him. He was Hawaii. He was Aloha.
Tragically, he passed this September and I've hardly had a nerve to write about it.
My favorite memory of Kenan was the day Ellie was born. We were 6,000 miles from any of our family members and now had this little stranger to take care of. I was laying in the hospital bed, about 8 hours into EB's life when he walked into the room carrying two dozen pink roses. He kept telling me that "You did it. You deserve all the credit." I kept seeing the glimmer in his eye as if it were his own baby, and I could hear him saying the same words to Judy [his first wife] whenever their children were born. He was the first relative to meet our daughter. He was the first congratulations. I wish I remembered more of that conversation, but the pain from my procedure was outrageous and I fell in and out of consciousness. He would take us on harbor cruises and tell stories about his favorite fishing spots.
I've never fallen more in love with a person so quickly as I did with Kenan. It was instantaneous. He was love.
So, this weekend, we went to Cambridge to celebrate his life with his children, family, and friends. There was a fantastic slideshow and I met many of Andrew's famous relatives. Let me say this, the Knieriem's are a good time. There was a toast with MGD and plenty of hilarious stories, exactly the way Kenan would want it.
But, I woke up the next morning with a broken heart. How can he be gone? He was Hawaii. How can I move back without him there? We'll never take a fishing trip. We'll never go to the Sandbar. My Ellie won't get to see the man that greeted her into the world again.
I don't want to have to miss him every day for the rest of my life.
I just want him to be there. Lei in hand. Smile on face.
And Hawaii was where I fell in love with him.
Before Andrew moved to Hawaii in March 2010, Andrew's Dad send an email to Kenan letting him know that a Knieriem was moving to the island. Prior to this email, Chris and Kenan had only seen each other twice in their lives. This; however, did not stop Kenan from picking Andrew up at the airport in the late evening and driving him to base. This also didn't stop him from kidnapping Andrew for a weekend of resort hopping and seeing the best of Hawaii. When I moved shortly after, I had the privilege of meeting his son, Keno, and getting to know Kenan as our Island Dad. Whenever we needed help, we knew we could count on him. He was Hawaii. He was Aloha.
Tragically, he passed this September and I've hardly had a nerve to write about it.
My favorite memory of Kenan was the day Ellie was born. We were 6,000 miles from any of our family members and now had this little stranger to take care of. I was laying in the hospital bed, about 8 hours into EB's life when he walked into the room carrying two dozen pink roses. He kept telling me that "You did it. You deserve all the credit." I kept seeing the glimmer in his eye as if it were his own baby, and I could hear him saying the same words to Judy [his first wife] whenever their children were born. He was the first relative to meet our daughter. He was the first congratulations. I wish I remembered more of that conversation, but the pain from my procedure was outrageous and I fell in and out of consciousness. He would take us on harbor cruises and tell stories about his favorite fishing spots.
I've never fallen more in love with a person so quickly as I did with Kenan. It was instantaneous. He was love.
So, this weekend, we went to Cambridge to celebrate his life with his children, family, and friends. There was a fantastic slideshow and I met many of Andrew's famous relatives. Let me say this, the Knieriem's are a good time. There was a toast with MGD and plenty of hilarious stories, exactly the way Kenan would want it.
But, I woke up the next morning with a broken heart. How can he be gone? He was Hawaii. How can I move back without him there? We'll never take a fishing trip. We'll never go to the Sandbar. My Ellie won't get to see the man that greeted her into the world again.
I don't want to have to miss him every day for the rest of my life.
I just want him to be there. Lei in hand. Smile on face.
November 7: I love FOOD and I'm thankful to have plenty of it. This weekend we celebrated Uncle Kenan and mourned his passing at the Hyatt in Cambridge, Maryland. Besides being a fantastic memorial to a man that I loved very, very much, there was an abundance of fantastic food. I'm talking tables upon tables. Organic bleu cheese, locally harvested honey, fresh breads, crab soup, wild mushroom soup, mini paninis, chutney, brie, and on and on and on. I thought I would pass out. And, then, at around 10PM as I curled into my overstuffed bed in a private, waterfront room, I decided I was hungry and ordered room service. Let's be real: Parmesan truffle french fries are ALWAYS a must. [Did I ever mention that I eat free at Giuseppe's? Talk about more good food!] So, this November, as I eat like a mad woman and gear up for Thanksgiving and Christmas eating marathons, I will be reminded that I am so incredibly fortunate to have food. I've never had to suffer through hunger or worry about my next meal. Thanks be to God.
November 6: I'm grateful for college educations. As I get close to transferring to the University of Hawaii and finishing my accounting degree there, I'm thankful that I've been able to go back to school. I know that I'll be able to open doors for Andrew, Ellie, and I once I finish and I look forward to moving on to my Masters.
November 5: Giuseppe's. Oh, how I love Giuseppe's. I'm grateful that my boss gave me a job, knowing that I'd be leaving in less than a year. I'm grateful that I meet really fabulous people by waiting on their tables. And, more than anything, I'm grateful for the extra income. We've been able to save every penny that Andrew earns and live only off my pay in order to save for our future. Maybe a house, maybe just a safety net. It doesn't matter. Giuseppe's helped me gain an identity and helped my family.
11.03.2011
Woeful Car Problems
I drive a 2003 Ford Taurus with 158,000 miles. After selling my beloved Cavalier in Hawaii and being more than a little stressed about finding an inexpensive, but reliable car for my 11 month stay in Maryland, my in-laws offered up their Taurus. My father-in-law had recently upgraded to a new Ford Fusion and so it was a bit of timing magic. That is, if this "timing magic" didn't involve over $1,000 in repairs before I could even drive it. So. The saga:
May 10: So, the Taurus was in rough shape. Think in terms of needing four new tires, new hoses, new brakes, air filters, and on and on. I spent about $1,000. This, however, is a bargain if you consider that this car was just given to me and I would have paid quite a bit more to purchase any other car, which may have come with many of its own problems. So, I'm WINNING on May 10th. I'm even winning on May 15th when I pay the Maryland MVA over $160 to title it. I'm even winning on May 16th when I pay $60 to inspect it.
Now, this part gets FUN.
All summer the car worked fine. I did some routine oil changes, but overall, the Taurus was a road-trip beast. We went to Ocean City, DC, Pittsburgh, and Ohiopyle. Come September, a problem that my father-in-law had experienced starts cropping up again. To put is shortly: In order to start the car, I had to have my right foot on the brake, my left foot pushing around on some exposed wires, and my hand cranky the key over. Whatever, it started. The REAL issue was while I was going 70 MPH and the car would. just. shut. off. Seriously. Lose all power. Die. ON THE INTERSTATE. And it didn't just happen there. It would occur in the drive way, in the middle of the night, just whenever it decided it would like a quick snooze. So, two weeks ago, I took the ole girl in to have this issue fixed. Cost $177.00 and it included an upgrade on some old spark plugs.
So, I leave the mechanic office that afternoon and within 5 miles, the car is overheating. What? New problem? BUT WHYYYY? Figuring that this had something to do with them having the car idle for long periods of time in order to test part two of the above problem, I happily filled 'er with coolant and went on.
And then it overheated 4 days later.
And then 2 days later.
And then twice in one day.
Oh, and did I mention that it shut down on I-68 the day after I got it back?
So, as winter approaches and my coolant usage is almost abusive, I call the mechanic and explain the issue. This time, though, I can't be without a car for days in a row as I've got many obligations this week. So, he offers a "loaner" car that I can have free-of-charge while he solves all these issues. Great. Perfect. That is, if I can wait until Thursday. That means Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday my car sits and I carpool with my dear sister to school and hitch rides to work. [Lame.]
WELL, then today is Thursday! I pump the radiator full of water, pack an extra jug, and leave Ellie with Uncle Brooke. About half-way, I realize that my car temperature is rising quickly so I stop, fill it back up with water and continue. I make it there safely, thank God, and I get the keys to the loaner.
It's a 1985 Mercury. Whatever. It only had 114,000 miles and it was only temporary. You have no idea how temporary...
I drive .9 miles and all of a sudden, the rear-view mirror crashes to the seat. The glue is SHOT. I turn myself right back around and bring the mirror in with me to the office. Their reply, "What?! We just put that on there!" [My thoughts, "Yeah? When? In 1996??"] The guys even asked me if I could drive without it. Really? You know, sure. Why not just do that with my child in the car. Oy vey. In replacement, they load me up with a 1990s-something Subaru Legacy. Now THIS is actually okay with me. I love Subaru. Well, I should rephrase. I love Subaru's that have gas in them. This one did not. They pump me with a gallon and I drive to the nearest Sheetz. After putting in $10, I realize that the fuel gauge doesn't work. WHATEVER.
I get home, safe and in a single piece. After 4 1/2 days without a car, I'm itching to do some errands and Brooke, Ellie, and I head out. We have a lovely dinner at Fratelli's and the car is handling fine. We leave there to go to a Magic: The Gathering shop for some Andrew essentials and when we try to start the Subaru, the battery is dead. Well, okay. No biggie. A couple geeky Warhammer 40K guys help us out and we take the long way to Walmart, thinking that this was just a minor glitch and won't be a recurring problem.
Insert Walmart nonsense that included a noticeably transgender man and a cranky 8:30PM Ellie.
We go back out, car dead.
Lisa, Rhett, his sister, and his foreign exchange sister are all at Walmart. Glee.
They come by, jump me up but when I turn on my head lights. Dead.
And a second time.
And a third time.
Well, I'm no dummy, so for the fourth time, I don't turn the headlights on. I drive around the parking lot a bit to be sure I'm safe and as I go to leave, dead.
Take a guess what it is? Any takers? That's right! It's a bad alternator.
So, tomorrow, I have to call my incompetent mechanic and tell him that his second loaner is a piece of junk and that I'd kindly like him to have it towed back to him on his dime. Kindly. Oh, I'd also like my car to be fixed. And, I'd also like to you reimburse me for the shotty work done two weeks ago. And, I'd also like you to never touch another vehicle that I own.
In conclusion: I wish Allegany County had better public transportation.
May 10: So, the Taurus was in rough shape. Think in terms of needing four new tires, new hoses, new brakes, air filters, and on and on. I spent about $1,000. This, however, is a bargain if you consider that this car was just given to me and I would have paid quite a bit more to purchase any other car, which may have come with many of its own problems. So, I'm WINNING on May 10th. I'm even winning on May 15th when I pay the Maryland MVA over $160 to title it. I'm even winning on May 16th when I pay $60 to inspect it.
Now, this part gets FUN.
All summer the car worked fine. I did some routine oil changes, but overall, the Taurus was a road-trip beast. We went to Ocean City, DC, Pittsburgh, and Ohiopyle. Come September, a problem that my father-in-law had experienced starts cropping up again. To put is shortly: In order to start the car, I had to have my right foot on the brake, my left foot pushing around on some exposed wires, and my hand cranky the key over. Whatever, it started. The REAL issue was while I was going 70 MPH and the car would. just. shut. off. Seriously. Lose all power. Die. ON THE INTERSTATE. And it didn't just happen there. It would occur in the drive way, in the middle of the night, just whenever it decided it would like a quick snooze. So, two weeks ago, I took the ole girl in to have this issue fixed. Cost $177.00 and it included an upgrade on some old spark plugs.
So, I leave the mechanic office that afternoon and within 5 miles, the car is overheating. What? New problem? BUT WHYYYY? Figuring that this had something to do with them having the car idle for long periods of time in order to test part two of the above problem, I happily filled 'er with coolant and went on.
And then it overheated 4 days later.
And then 2 days later.
And then twice in one day.
Oh, and did I mention that it shut down on I-68 the day after I got it back?
So, as winter approaches and my coolant usage is almost abusive, I call the mechanic and explain the issue. This time, though, I can't be without a car for days in a row as I've got many obligations this week. So, he offers a "loaner" car that I can have free-of-charge while he solves all these issues. Great. Perfect. That is, if I can wait until Thursday. That means Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday my car sits and I carpool with my dear sister to school and hitch rides to work. [Lame.]
WELL, then today is Thursday! I pump the radiator full of water, pack an extra jug, and leave Ellie with Uncle Brooke. About half-way, I realize that my car temperature is rising quickly so I stop, fill it back up with water and continue. I make it there safely, thank God, and I get the keys to the loaner.
It's a 1985 Mercury. Whatever. It only had 114,000 miles and it was only temporary. You have no idea how temporary...
I drive .9 miles and all of a sudden, the rear-view mirror crashes to the seat. The glue is SHOT. I turn myself right back around and bring the mirror in with me to the office. Their reply, "What?! We just put that on there!" [My thoughts, "Yeah? When? In 1996??"] The guys even asked me if I could drive without it. Really? You know, sure. Why not just do that with my child in the car. Oy vey. In replacement, they load me up with a 1990s-something Subaru Legacy. Now THIS is actually okay with me. I love Subaru. Well, I should rephrase. I love Subaru's that have gas in them. This one did not. They pump me with a gallon and I drive to the nearest Sheetz. After putting in $10, I realize that the fuel gauge doesn't work. WHATEVER.
I get home, safe and in a single piece. After 4 1/2 days without a car, I'm itching to do some errands and Brooke, Ellie, and I head out. We have a lovely dinner at Fratelli's and the car is handling fine. We leave there to go to a Magic: The Gathering shop for some Andrew essentials and when we try to start the Subaru, the battery is dead. Well, okay. No biggie. A couple geeky Warhammer 40K guys help us out and we take the long way to Walmart, thinking that this was just a minor glitch and won't be a recurring problem.
Insert Walmart nonsense that included a noticeably transgender man and a cranky 8:30PM Ellie.
We go back out, car dead.
Lisa, Rhett, his sister, and his foreign exchange sister are all at Walmart. Glee.
They come by, jump me up but when I turn on my head lights. Dead.
And a second time.
And a third time.
Well, I'm no dummy, so for the fourth time, I don't turn the headlights on. I drive around the parking lot a bit to be sure I'm safe and as I go to leave, dead.
Take a guess what it is? Any takers? That's right! It's a bad alternator.
So, tomorrow, I have to call my incompetent mechanic and tell him that his second loaner is a piece of junk and that I'd kindly like him to have it towed back to him on his dime. Kindly. Oh, I'd also like my car to be fixed. And, I'd also like to you reimburse me for the shotty work done two weeks ago. And, I'd also like you to never touch another vehicle that I own.
In conclusion: I wish Allegany County had better public transportation.
November 3: I'm really, super, extra grateful for the United States of America. I watched a youtube video last night entitled "Why I do NOT support the troops" where this ignorant little girl goes on and on about how the military is evil and dumb and full of serial killers. Obviously, she has a screw or ten loose. And, for her sake, I will be EXTRA grateful to be a citizen of this country, and supportive of the most faithful military on the planet.
September
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| Bowling |
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| with Sharon |
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| boys soccer team |
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| Brooke baked this for his girlfriend on their anniversary! |
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