tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51950642576384799902024-03-05T22:37:05.429-08:00The Life and Times of JenJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-29267162362028192992015-06-14T13:33:00.000-07:002015-06-14T13:33:07.365-07:00500 Shades of GreenIt is always wonderful, driving out to see Julie in West Virginia. Any route taken between the Hampton Roads area and the area just north of Charleston will take you through gorgeous valleys and up and down breath-taking mountains. This was my third time making the trek, and it will most likely be my last. She got married yesterday and is moving far away. I was so blessed to be able to spend her last single night with her, help her find and install her earrings, unexpectedly get to drive her to the church, and be there when she said her vows. Walking down the aisle as her bridesmaid to a bagpipe playing... that was just an extra bonus. Julie is rather in love with her family's Scottish heritage, and I am too. I've always been kinda nuts about Britain. I have English and Irish in my ancestry, so between us, we make up a great country.<br />
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I can't even describe how fun it was to drive through the forests, alternately illuminated in brilliant sunshine or clouded over in low, wispy clouds or enveloped in lighting storms and cascades of rainfalls. The worst part was on the way back, going down a 7% grade slope in torrential rain that made seeing the car in front of me nearly impossible. I don't think I've ever been more afraid! I gripped the wheel with tight fists and prayed. I had already experienced a bit of mild hydroplaning in the flat part of 64 just east of Charleston (going very carefully), so the thought of not being able to stop in time was... fresh in my mind. But after surviving the storm and nearing Charlottesville, the sun poked out and a giant, vivid rainbow filled up the sky in front of me as the many greens of the trees and fields were lit up golden-green all around. Just in case I didn't have enough weather, I was treated to a sudden and violent display of lightning straight ahead as I was homing in on Hampton Roads in the darkness of 9-10pm. Such beauty!<br />
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What made the trip there and back even more fun was the long, uninterrupted time I had to listen to Switchfoot. I have practically everything they've ever released on my phone, so I just selected them from "artists" and let it go. It was so neat to sing along... their lyrics are rather soul-searching, philosophical and sometimes satirical. Very deep feelings involved usually, since a few of their releases have coincided with certain times of my life appropriately. The angry album, just when my friends rejected me (I couldn't listen to all of that one this time... I was too happy... and I didn't like thinking about it as a yuppy word); the hopeful one just as I was joining the Navy and knowing it would be hard (Hello, Hurricane). I listened to most of it straight through... here are a few of the lesser-listened-to-favorites:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEaJcryL4QI">You (from The Legend of Chin)</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXBfcY1fG-Q">Chem 6A</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHSDcsIbRD0">Home</a><br />
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The ENTIRE <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw1UIyMRgiA&list=PL4DB0zZSWftnt73UH62t0fmkWDCIuPmtO">New Way to Be Human</a> album <br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfnSUNY1cYI">You Already Take Me There</a>/ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAmk824eIuA">Playing for Keeps</a> from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6TSOymYmPU">Learning to Breathe</a><br />
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and on the newer side of things, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Hef_YVaUc">The Sound in My Mouth</a> (recently discovered)<br />
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All this doesn't even touch on the brand new Fading West/ The Edge of the Earth stuff that I AM IN LOVE WITH. Also, Vice Verses is pretty fantastic. Good grief. I love it all. I didn't even lose my voice! Amazed.<br />
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But what was really awesome about being there (besides seeing Julie and her family again) was that I got to meet or get to know her other best friends who were also bridesmaids. We had a GRAND time.<br />
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JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-61771804939777018222015-05-19T10:57:00.001-07:002015-05-21T04:57:45.083-07:00Warbirds Over the Beach: A WWII Airshow in Virgina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://militaryaviationmuseum.org/"><img alt="http://militaryaviationmuseum.org/" border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWxj1bkdd_tR-ZW6pGxqPb9eVyOtdRaARNhqvoXyMDhRluI3L8AxNS1JuJv4SmAzHzlK1BvNEhWsBK2THXnFodLWVRMxdus5yOwnLkoJQoTRFjnNYltDCfgnk3lheROuSyYfGqYzjTT4/s400/20150519_100206-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I really do. It's lovely to say that my ship's ballcap was blown off TWICE by a FG-1D Corsair, starting it's powerful Pratt & Whitney 2,250hp engine. <br />
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I sat on the museum's double-decker bus for a part of the first day to watch from a shady shelter. The sun was so brilliant both days.<br />
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Biplane trainers, or in the case of the Polikarpov PO-2 Mule in the foreground... a workhorse of the Russian Night Witches. Behind it is a German Focke-Wulf, and behind that a US Navy Stearman PT-17. It was so neat to see them all fly!<br />
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The museum's own German 88mm anti-aircraft gun that re-enactors (the 62nd FLAK Regiment - a self-titled "non-political, non-profit living history organization) fired several times at passing European theater Allied aircraft. Even though all the German uniforms were really cool (and very authentic), I still felt uncomfortable around them. Felt like a spy, walking around their tents. Once when they fired the gun, a little boy asked his mother why they were shooting at people. He was genuinely worried, poor guy. Only fake wars are fun.<br />
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The B-25 Mitchell.<br />
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Inside the PBY-5A Catalina<br />
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The only operating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_C-46_Commando">C-46</a> in the lower 48 states, the <a href="http://www.warriorsandwarbirds.com/p/about-us.html">Tinker Bell</a>, dropped a <a href="http://wwiiadt.org/">parachute demonstration team based out of Oklahoma</a>. And they want volunteers. !</div>
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Above, the Junkers JU-52 liaison plane. It could take off in a hurry! Also impressive in their German collection was a ME-262 from Suffolk that flew around, but couldn't land on the little grass runway because it was a jet, and also, a 1945 V-1 pulsejet engine recovered from Southeastern Germany and built from labor supplied from Buchenwald. They warned people before they fired it up, it was so startling.<br />
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The Tiger Moth. I was allowed to STEP ON THE WING to get the pic to the right, using the non-skid strip, of course. This little beauty has wings of fabric! Someone told me that the year before a woman in high heels stepped up on it without asking and put her heel through the fabric! I think I would rather die than hurt this little plane. Oh, my heart, when I saw it take off, circle and land.<br />
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Below, the Messerschmitt BF-108 trainer, also with fabric wings, also flying.<br />
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Above, a P-51 Mustang's .50 caliber Browning machine guns in a wing. Below, an FM-2 Wildcat's props.<br />
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Above, a 1941 P-40E Kittyhawk dressed up like a Flying Tiger. Below, the lovely 1943 Supermarine Spitfire MK-IXE that very unfortunately did not fly during the show due to mechanical trouble. It had flown the days before the show though. <br />
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The Hawker Hurricane flew a lot though, and that was neat! Also, they had the ONLY airworthy de Havilland DH-98 Mosquito IN THE WORLD. And I got to see it take off, circle and land. How cool it is that?! Somehow I didn't get any pictures of the Mosquito.<br />
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They were selling rides in this lovely biplane. I didn't put my name in quick enough.<br />
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There were lots of re-enactors, including women! There was a WAAF officer and a lovely girl in a French resistance group that looked rather like Miss Khan from the film <a href="http://www.enemyofthereich.com/about-the-film/">Enemy of the Reich</a>. I was too shy to ask for a picture. When some German officers walked by their exhibit, one of the men shielded their set-up, saying "Nothing to see here!" LOL! The German responded that they were not Gestapo. <br />
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So much happiness in this picture, I can't even say. I want to ride that and that and that...</div>
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Farewell, folks. It was awesome! Looking forward to the <a href="http://militaryaviationmuseum.org/ww1-airshow_2014.html">WWI airshow in October</a>!<br />
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JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-78207069313630274732015-05-16T06:37:00.000-07:002015-05-16T06:37:38.380-07:00Another Temporary Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-82309570014421838932015-05-12T21:43:00.000-07:002015-05-12T22:17:19.569-07:00Flying WatersLet's talk about airplanes.<br />
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When I was a young teen, I discovered that I loved reading about WWII. It was a fascination with military history in general too, but I mostly ended up reading about the Second World War. A few kids books about the Pacific War particularly captured me... <i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=wSqlBAAAQBAJ">The Flying Tigers</a>, Wake Island, Guadalcanal </i>and<i> Midway</i>. But when I discovered the Landmark children's edition of <i>Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo</i>, I was sold. Airplanes were the bomb. Particularly the B-25 Mitchell. Ted Lawson's love of his plane inspired me and I caught the bug. I suppose it helped that I traveled on planes a lot as a kid and thought they were pretty close to magical; but here's where <i>military history</i> met airplanes. :) I even got into modeling as I got older, building everything from the F-4 Wildcat to an F-18 Blue Angel. And I just loved them!<br />
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So my love lay dormant for a while. Fast forward to the middle of last year... in the middle of my first deployment; we were probably hanging out in the Red Sea. I was thinking very hard about what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life (because there's a lot of time to think). And all I could think of was the Facebook pictures of a friend from my university band who worked for a seaplane business about 15 minutes away from my parent's house... and how jealous I was that he got to fly to the islands in the Puget Sound for his job. And I thought, why couldn't I? I would adore it! <br />
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And then I read <a href="http://flytheplanemaddie.blogspot.com/"><i>Code Name Verity</i></a>, which was like pouring gasoline on my little flame of a love for planes; and I was in shock (for a variety of reasons). Just about two weeks back from my post-deployment leave, and I had just made the above linked blog. Due to the nature of the URL (at least, this is the only explanation I can think of), Google popped an add for the regional airport's flying school... "Want to Fly?" it beckoned. After a day or two, I followed the link and discovered the flying school was less than a half-hour away. I jumped at the chance and signed up for a "Discovery Flight". It was so much fun!<br />
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And for Christmas, my husband got me <i><a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Higher_Call.html?id=_fGr3Rm9XIQC&hl=en">A Higher Call</a></i>, which is a great individual story about the German Air Force in North Africa and Germany in WWII. I guess they're going to be making a movie soon. In the back of the book, there is a list of aviation museums around the world... and again, one was only a half-hour away from me. The <a href="http://militaryaviationmuseum.org/">Military Aviation Museum</a> in Chesapeake was fabulous to visit... and it happens to be having a WWII airshow THIS WEEKEND. You could say I've got planes on the brain right now. :)<br />
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I had in my head that I couldn't pursue a license until after I got out of the Navy. I mean, it's expensive. But then I was asked by a friend in late January if I'd taken another lesson, and it got me to thinking. It wasn't until late March that I decided to take the plunge, trust the Lord and the instincts he gave me, and go fly the plane. Took a third lesson April 5th, then after hemming and hawing about the possibility of getting education benefits into play... that and being crazy busy and distracted with family, friends and work... it wasn't until May 5th and 8th that I really got into lessons again. Worked on stalls, LANDING, radio calls, taxiing and whatnot. Goodness. I am in love. There's nothing quite as exciting as accelerating on take-off. But ground school is taxing, and difficult because I always over-think things that I'm learning in class. It's a computer-based training system, just like the kind the Navy uses, except this is actually useful information. We'll see how all this goes, God bless it.<br />
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JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-27732817554690541772015-05-03T11:51:00.001-07:002015-05-03T12:18:05.027-07:00And April.I flew again on Easter (April 5th). It was my third time, and it was right before my church's service at 5pm. Learned all about flaps and airspeed. It was so much fun, as always. I had just finished reading my friend's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Dove-White-Raven-Elizabeth/dp/142318310X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430680547&sr=1-1&keywords=black+dove+white+raven"><i>Black Dove,White Raven</i></a>, moments before heading off for my scheduled flight. I can't tell you how monstrously fun that was to go from book to air to church. There was this one passage (I just found it again! p. 319!)...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"I shoved the power on and my heart soared along with the plane."</span><br />
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...that's near the heart-wrenching ending, and my heart soared along with the character. Now it will be much easier to keep straight in my mind that you push the throttle IN for more power and pull it out for less, which is usually hard for me to do. Oh, my goodness, that book though. There was a bang in the beginning of tender feelings and love and loss, and the middle bogged me down a little with details, but the ending (or the last third) made me glued to it, desperate to know what happens. And it did not disappoint.<br />
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After a lovely time at church with a friend from the ship who visited for the first time, and with my small group friends at the Easter dinner afterwords (I brought a pie I made)... I took off for home to quickly pack my bag so I could head up to Washington D.C. As all this was so highly anticipated, driving until 11 or so at night was NOT a problem. I'm think it helped me be able to sleep when I got to my hotel. <a href="http://nifer-jen.blogspot.com/2008/06/comin-off-high.html">Boy, did I feel like I was 25 again!</a> It was nearly as exciting! <br />
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First thing in the morning I drove to the back gate of Arlington National Cemetery through the fort (because I am special and have military id). At 0800, the guard opened the gate and I walked through the ceremonial entrance to the Tomb of the Unknowns. Besides the always-on-duty-guard, I WAS THE ONLY ONE THERE. It was too soon for the first tour bus to bring a load of tourists. Lord, that was a good moment. When the buses started coming, I took off, ascending the hill to Lee's Arlington House. On the way out, I saw the ceremonial guards of the Third Army with their horses and rifles... and a flag-draped casket. There was a service going on inside the chapel and all were waiting for it to conclude.<br />
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Drove back to the hotel and I caught the bus to the Metro rail that dumped me out a block or so from the Air & Space Museum in the National Mall so that I walked up one minute before it opened at 0959. Rather perfect planning and timing, if you ask me. :) So I first looked at the Wright Brothers exhibit, which was unparalleled, and then proceeded on to the other early pioneers. Spent two hours in that lovely building before heading across the Mall to the National Gallery, which I can only describe as a thousand pleasures. I'd turn the corner inside and be struck dumb with yet MORE great art. The last thing I saw was the Library of Congress, and that was because my feet were very tired and I needed to relax. It was a brilliantly sunny day, so by 2pm the sun was pounding on me as I trudged up and down and around the Mall.<br />
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Recharging briefly back at the hotel, I changed into my uniform for the evening, which happened to include a sweater and a skirt! How I laughed at myself! It was so warm out! But the sweater came in handy a few times... it felt rather nice as I ate outside in the shade at a restaurant across the street from the bookstore, and after everything was over, it felt Heavenly as I visited the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials all lit up in the blackness of the night. <br />
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Meeting Elizabeth was incredibly fun, and we were able to chat briefly before her presentation, and afterwords too for maybe 15-20 minutes as I maneuvered my way to the back of the book-signing line. It was so fun to be in a room full of CNV fans... but I was astonished that none of them mentioned what I was wearing! I surely would have! And I was so glad they all politely left after getting their books signed! <br />
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Next day I saw three things. First, drove in the main entrance of Arlington this time to look at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial... which I had not seen before. It was fabulous, and I'm thinking of submitting a little blurb about myself for their archives. Then I checked out the other Air & Space museum... the Udvar-Hazy Center near the Dulles airport... and was boggled. There were simply too many awesome planes for one building. It was sheer pleasure to look around everywhere. Lastly, before heading home, I stopped by Manassas National Battlefield (for the 2nd time - first time ten years ago). Wandered around taking pictures and sat down under a tree to listen to the birds, rest, and think about the war.<br />
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If this wasn't enough excitement, Saturday the 11th held out hope. Mom and Dad came to visit me at my new little apartment for just over three days. We didn't <i>do</i> a whole lot, besides going out to eat, watching the IMAX film <i>Living in the Age of Airplanes</i> at the museum in Hampton, TV shows on Netflix and Acorn at home, and <i>Cinderella</i> at the local Cinema Cafe. The best part though, was just sitting and chatting. And being able to have them stay at my place! But they were able to watch my team give honors at a funeral at the Veteran's Cemetery in Suffolk on Monday and they greatly enjoyed seeing what I've been doing in the Navy these last few months.<br />
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I also managed to read quite a bit... finished up the Jasper Fford book <i>The Well of Lost Plots</i>, re-read <i>30 Seconds Over Tokyo</i> on the 73rd anniversary of the attack (April 18th), began Sarah Helm's book on Ravensbr<span class="st">ü</span>ck, started Agatha Christie's <i>N or M?</i> and blazed through <i>A Little Princess</i> like there was no tomorrow. I am sad that I didn't read that as a kid... I was usually put off by books because they always caused my older sisters to not want to play with me. Meg told me it was good... I just never bothered.<br />
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And concerts! April 23rd I went to the Virginia International Tattoo for the second time (<a href="http://nifer-jen.blogspot.com/2013/04/two-very-fine-evenings.html">previously in 2013</a>), and greatly enjoyed the bagpipes and the bands. Last night, I saw the symphony perform 9 selections from Disney's 1940 & 2000 Fantasias live. They had a big screen overhead showing the shorts they were playing, and it was incredibly fun to laugh out loud at the symphony! One woman not far from me exclaimed "Oh, God!" quite loudly during a pause in the Dance of the Hours as the elephants were coming out. LOL! <br />
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JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-13353379614378541252015-03-31T13:55:00.000-07:002015-05-03T09:06:44.120-07:00March MadnessMarch 8th, I FOUND MINI TUSCARORA! As in, my home away from home. <a href="http://www.tuscaroracanoe.com/">The original</a>, just across the border from Canada in the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area, is where I spent a month of every year as a child, canoeing, fishing, hiking, playing, exploring, camping... living. TWO MILES from my new apartment in Chesapeake is Oak Grove Lake Park. A perfect 1.5 mile track around a cute little lake with bunches of pine trees everywhere so you feel you're in the woods. And I bounced for joy as I walked/ran around it the first time, I was so pleased. A week later I was running a 5K (two laps) for only the second time in my life!<br />
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I've been getting to know my church friends better through... Sushi Nights! March 6th/13th. Two weeks in a row! One of our own used to make sushi professionally, so he graciously shared his talents with the rest of us. I feel sort of adopted by them... which is quite lovely; I'm part of the family instantly.<br />
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And I met Sharon at these things. Also a friend of Kristin's; it all comes around in a marvelous circle. Sharon and I really hit if off, and so we went biking on the beach, Saturday the 15th, out at Back Bay near NC. Marvelous! The tide wasn't the best for biking, but we sat down on a log and talked and talked about things very near our hearts, and I hope (and believe) it was as encouraging for her as it was for me.<br />
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And then I found out (on the 16th) my dear friend Julie had <i>met someone</i> a couple weeks before. They've since met each other a few times and talked every day, and are getting married in June. What wonderful news for her! But I will miss her! She had been thinking of spending time with me in Virginia during the summer before this happened. At least now I have a reason to visit Indiana.<br />
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After finishing the last two books of my favorite author/friend, I re-read Code Name Verity for the 6th time (in as many months). This time taking it slow, March 9-16. Not sure why I couldn't before, but it really affected me so that I was finally able to cry about it. Maybe because I was on deployment and was repressing emotions and "soldiering through" things as much as I could. And also, I had in my head that it was "just a story". And I was mad at the end because it was so shockingly sad. But even then, I cried a tear because something was so touchingly close to the way my heart works. I became one of the characters. March 17th, I re-read the sequel and forgot about everything else in the world while I was reading it... it is so gripping, and wonderfully told that I could barely breathe, and I was clutching the book as I read the middle part. Rose Under Fire. Just wow. It makes me want to write my own story.<br />
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And then, March 21st, I decided to take my second flight lesson. I had been thinking about it, but I just figured it would have to be something I did after I got out of the Navy. And then I thought, why? Go for it now! What's HILARIOUS is that it was my CNV blog that introduced me to the flight school in the first place, back in December. The url is flytheplanemaddie... so Google in their brilliance, caught that and an add from Horizon popped up on the side of my browser asking Want to Fly? Why, yes, I wanted to fly. And so I did again. It was sweet bliss.<br />
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March 23-30th, I flew again to see my husband in Norman, OK. I've always wanted to be with him on my birthday, and why not? It had been three & a half months since we'd been together. Much too long! It worked out well with my work schedule, so there I went.<br />
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<ul>
<li>First day, the 24th, we got haircuts together at campus corner, then went to see his family in Lawton and had a fabulous dinner and long evening talking. But before we met up with everyone, we stopped at the Fort Sill Artillery Museum, which was out-of-control fabulous with guns everywhere!</li>
<li>My birthday, the 25th, was extremely singular. Went and saw Rear Window on the big screen, then hunkered down at home as a severe thunderstorm swirled overhead and hit (and a tornado hit Moore again) and then ventured out again much later to have dinner at the restaurant where we'd had our wedding reception. Goodness, it was glorious!</li>
<li>Thursday we made our pilgrimage to the OKC Zoo, like we always do. And since it wasn't August, it was refreshingly cool! We had to wear coats! Particularly loved the sea lions and the lorikeets and the wolf who howled for us. And then we went back to the theater and saw The Breakfast Club! I had never seen it all the way through before.</li>
<li>Friday was the Medieval Fair. We saw a lot of Michael's favorite folk band <a href="http://tullamore.info/bios/index.html">Tullamore</a> (three separate times! he is a fanboy! I understand!). Loved the exotic animal petting zoo and got to hold a Joey! </li>
<li>Saturday we took the train to Fort Worth, Texas, for the weekend to visit our friends John and Sue. We saw a special exhibit of the art of Chuck Jones at the Museum of Science and History. It was just fabulous! Then had dinner at P.F.Chang's downtown before going to a Mary Chapman Carpenter concert at <a href="http://www.basshall.com/">Bass Hall</a> and I heard her songs for the first time. Including Why Walk When You Can Fly? Loved it, and I guess I took it literally.</li>
<li>Sunday we went to the <a href="http://www.flightmuseum.com/exhibits/735-2/">Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas</a>. Lots and lots of stuff there! Had a wonderful time overall, and had to take the train back that evening. </li>
<li>Our last day, the 30th, we spent at home and it was<i> lovely</i>. He worked on the computer and I worked on a project of my own. And it was So Nice to just be together. Went out to The Library (which is a pub) for the first time. Had quick burgers before having to run off to the airport.</li>
</ul>
It was sad to leave, as it always is. But we try not to think of that when we're saying our goodbyes. Had a really lovely time and it put my heart at peace.<br />
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JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-61872063296394085282015-03-03T16:44:00.000-08:002015-03-03T19:29:58.226-08:00Where Have I Been?I've been flying over Scotland, in prison in France, chasing sky-pirates in the Un-United Kingdoms and thinking way too much about the Nazis. I'm just now getting back to Virginia. I'm very happy to be becoming good friends with some really neat people from my local church. And I'm longing for home and missing my husband. Work has been very busy, but it's also a very big blessing and honor. It was a rough week though. I lost my dog on Sunday. He was 12.<br />
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I've moved into my third temporary home in Virginia this weekend. It's really a neat little one-and-a-half bedroom apartment on the first floor (which is terribly exciting for me) and I'm loving setting it up and settling down. My Navy friends helped me move the big things again (they did it back in December too) and I moved all the little things myself. The mover people are emptying out my storage unit tomorrow, so I will finally be put together again after being back from deployment for three-and-a-half months. And I am living alone and without stairs for the first time... ever. I am really excited for this year and where it will take me.<br />
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<a href="http://flytheplanemaddie.blogspot.com/">I've been sorta consumed by a pair of books</a> I read mid-way through deployment. But suddenly I feel like I'm getting over them a bit after finishing my fan-fiction. I still do think about them a lot and I'll never fully recover from them... I can't, and I don't want to. It's been six months since I've read them. Yeah, they are that good. It's WWII, friendship and resilience. <br />
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I've experimented lately with music, branching out from my Christian-only (ish - I do love the '60s stuff my husband loves) past. Don't misunderstand - I still love my music that celebrates God and his love - what's better than that? But I'm also enjoying the independent sounds of things that make me think of Scotland and more randomly (not possible? LOL!), a little Ingrid Michaelson, Taylor Swift, Jasmine Thompson, David Guetta/Sia, Weird Al, Lorde and Imagine Dragons.<br />
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The Verizon guy just set up my Internet a couple hours ago. I'm loving my new place!<br />
JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-37855972756614144982015-02-28T09:33:00.000-08:002015-05-03T12:11:27.262-07:00Back-Dated I've noticed, since I've been back, that I've really left off blogging, favoring writing everything interesting on Facebook instead. While that's probably a better way to share with my friends, it leaves stuff out and doesn't create the lovely archive of my life that blogger does. So, I'm going to record a little bit of the early part of the year here and go over things I missed.<br />
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January 18th, the Seahawks won an unbelievable championship game that included a $5 bet between my husband and I about a certain first down. That spectacular ending made the Seahawks represent for me that Galaxy Quest sentiment... Never Give Up, Never Surrender. Why should I feel like giving up? Because I realized that I'm not really home yet. I've been longing for home since 2011. Coming back from deployment has crystallized this in my mind. I may have had a couple break-downs these first few months this year, but Mike has been there (on the phone) through them all. Actually, I feel like writing everything down today (it's May 2nd) because I have been going through it these last couple days. And I already feel a little better, looking back at everything.<br />
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On the 19th, I visited the Norfolk Botanical Garden for the first time, walked around for a few hours and sat down every now and then to read one of my Christmas presents from Mike, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Higher-Call-Incredible-Chivalry-War-Torn/dp/0425255735">A Higher Call</a>. It was a gorgeous day... and there's a Facebook album. This book actually led me to discover the <a href="http://militaryaviationmuseum.org/">Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach</a> (really near me). I decided to drive out there January 25th, and was absolutely wow'd by everything. They had four separate hangers full of WWI - WWII aircraft, all privately owned. <br />
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And then my heart nearly exploded when I received a box of books and a card from a wonderful lady on Jan. 21. I am not used to being able to communicate with my favorite authors; this is because I mostly love reading history and classics. C.S. Lewis, Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen and Charlotte Bront<span class="st">ë</span> can't write back. So finding such a deep connection with a real, live, living person through reading four of her books and everything she had said so openly online was quite shocking and wonderful. And she turned out to be incredibly friendly. Finished reading <a href="http://www.elizabethwein.com/sunbird">The Sunbird</a> on the 27th (it was in the box), and anticipated finishing the other two before her next came out on my brother's birthday (two months away). We had been emailing since my dad's birthday in December... the strange timing! and nine days beforehand she invited me to meet her at a book-signing in April. <br />
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Oh, I just looked back at Twitter, and on the 24th, I went to the symphony to see Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony (1829) with Navy friends at Regent University. And on the 25th I watched the film The Silence of the Sea from 1949. And on the 26th I watched The Book Thief. WWII, every time, all the time. Loved them. Now that I think of it, it was the first few weeks of February that the new season of Foyle's War came out on acorn.tv. So I watched them all and was amazed, like usual. Especially the last episode about SOE stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttZc7Kq8fm2IMEPLDbrSeuXXrC5_pHt6HcwxmBfALWWl3AmxWXX1-oM0l7rVTnRTkKryCm5iECGvOP-OUElzngufrlSZhIanpsJFAbPboTPLT5tcXR0trcBP_8eRNsSMON8gzm2y9XUA/s1600/leaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttZc7Kq8fm2IMEPLDbrSeuXXrC5_pHt6HcwxmBfALWWl3AmxWXX1-oM0l7rVTnRTkKryCm5iECGvOP-OUElzngufrlSZhIanpsJFAbPboTPLT5tcXR0trcBP_8eRNsSMON8gzm2y9XUA/s1600/leaf.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>On the 27th, I shared this photo that I took outside my temporary <a href="http://www.hideawayatgreenbrier.com/">Apartment complex</a>
by Greenbrier Mall - on December 24! Don't know why I waited a month to
share it, but whatev's. My Jr. High band director paid me a huge
compliment by becoming the first person to buy a picture from me, he
liked it so much. <br />
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On the 31st, I got a last minute ticket to see Beethoven's Ode to Joy at the symphony downtown and they
started with William's Fantasia (from Master and Commander) and it
caught me off guard. Had to dry my eyes in the restroom during intermission. It is etched in my mind with the movie... when they lose one of their crew at sea during the storm.<br />
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February. I started following Corrie Ten Boom (on facebook) on the 5th. The first wonderful post I saw: <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">“I’ve experienced His presence in the deepest darkest hell that men
can create. I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you
can count on them. <span class="text_exposed_show">I know that Jesus Christ can live in you, in me, through His Holy Spirit.</span> You can talk with Him; you can talk with Him out loud or in your heart
when you are alone, as I was alone in solitary confinement. The joy is
that He hears each word.” -Corrie ten Boom "<b>Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord</b>." -Psalm 31:24</span><br />
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I think I needed to hear this again this morning. (I say morning and it's 2pm... slept in till noon today)<br />
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On Feb 6th, I had a wonderful sushi and wine date with my two Sonar Girls from the ship. Got to visit a new house and meet a new dog!<br />
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Feb 11th I watched the film <a href="http://ragamuffinthemovie.com/">Ragamuffin</a> on Netflix and the Lord used it to tell me he loved me and I didn't need to have a complex about not being best friends with anyone besides my husband. (Okay, that hurt to write down.) And I gave it over to him for the first time. I've taken it back a few times since, but I'm trying to let go. <br />
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Next day, more tears. Like I said... it's been wild this year. <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/29219/11-women-warriors-world-war-ii">Women Warriors of WWII</a>. <br />
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Then I checked out the neat independent bookstore in downtown Norfolk... Prince Books. Ordered one of Jasper Fford's and bought <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Ottokar%27s_Sceptre">King Ottokar's Scepter</a> for the fun of it. Also found a WWII Reader's Digest book that had this incredible POW's poem in it:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"When twilight calls and silence calls To evening prayer. Fair forms and hover near About my chair. Soft hands entwine themselves in mine. Lips touch my face; Then miles are not and time's forgot, As souls embrace."</span><br />
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On the 16th, I visited the Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preservation in Portsmouth that I had found out about at a symphony concert before deployment. Another Facebook photo album and absolute joy in a walk in the woods.<br />
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There had been a lot of snow and freezing temperatures throughout Feb. & Mar. On the 19th, with everything caked in snow, I went back downtown to pick up my book and greatly enjoyed starting it at a restaurant on the waterfront... crab salad and coffee!<br />
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Also, either that night or the night before I had a wonderful time hanging out with a few of the women from church. I had joined a small group at the very end of 2014, meeting a mutual friend of Kristin's. And I hit it off with them immediately. It was a gift from the Lord.<br />
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Not sure exactly when, but I spent a great deal of time the first part of March helping out my friends Kristin and Dan who were moving away to Utah mid-month. I found out when I came back from liberty on December 2nd. K & D have been the ONLY people I knew here in Virginia since moving here in the summer of 2012. They were home base. I had my first sangria with Kristin on her deck a couple weeks after moving. We watched John Adams together. And later on, Arn the Templar Knight as well. They were my only refuge here, away from the Navy for two years. I was at their house when they brought their adopted baby Sawyer home on
Christmas Eve. One of the first people on earth to hold him. :) So it was difficult to let them go. I painted the railings on their deck and helped them pack. I also took care of their dog and their chickens whenever they needed me to. I loved house-sitting for them. It is so quiet out in the country.<br />
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JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-71151834340190512322015-01-15T17:06:00.000-08:002015-01-15T18:45:41.861-08:00The First Half of the First MonthWell, to start off the new year, I was on leave from work for the first eleven days. Not bad, I'd say. It was a sort of miracle that I did, since I had taken post-deployment leave for two weeks in November, right after we pulled in. When I got back from that leave, it was only three days before I transferred to a new command (temporarily). My first day on the job (December 8th) I was asked which two-week holiday leave period I wanted. And I could barely believe it! I had a lot stored up from being gone so long, so it was even possible! <br />
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It felt strange, not spending it with my husband, but our relationship is odd all the time, living so far apart from each other. We did, however, see each other for two whole weeks at Thanksgiving. So he understood when I told him I wanted to go see my grandparents for a couple days and then my girlfriend for a few after that. I had already promised my friends in Virginia that I'd house sit for them for New Year's... (including the first 5 days of my leave) so it was all settled. And it went off wonderfully!<br />
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I had some time to myself at first, taking care of their chickens and their dog, watching a lot of <i>Call the Midwife</i> on Netflix (which my friend introduced me to) and taking the plunge on Twitter, setting up an account because I wanted to conveniently follow my favorite author (that sounds so creepy). I've since learned people don't need an account to follow people, but because I had buried my head in the sand and treated Twitter like The Plague, I didn't know that. But now I also conveniently follow C.S. Lewis, Cute Animals, WWII History and Historical Pictures. LOL! Oh, social media. <br />
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So, I got in my car on the morning of the 3rd, and drove all the way to my grandparent's place in western North Carolina. Lord, how I love the Blue Ridge! It was so fun to go back! The last time I had been there to see them was a year and a half before (2013), as I was driving through with Michael as he was working long distance that summer so he could live with me. Long time ago!<br />
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It was so lovely to sit and chat with no time schedule just like we always do when we visit. I guess I say "we" because I'm usually with Mom when I'm visiting. This was the first time I visited them alone since 1998! And they were living in Missouri then... and I was 14! So anyway, we caught up. Talked a lot about deployment and different aspects of it. They had lots of questions for me.<br />
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Had dinner with them and my aunt and uncle at the favorite haunt the first night (Mexican restaurant oddly called "Papa's and Beer" - shouldn't that be "Papa's and Cerveza"? Whatever. It's a wonderful place.) after we went to see the film <i>Unbroken</i> (which has an opening to die for in the belly of a B-25). The next day, between lots more relaxing, chatting, reading and puzzling, we saw the film <i>Wild</i>, and went over to my aunt and uncle's house for a fun evening.<br />
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Late the next morning, I took off for West Virginia to see Julie. How beautiful are the mountains! I was in awe, driving across the Appalachians of Tennessee, then the Shenandoah through Virginia, and <i>through</i> a couple mountains/hills as I came to the winding roads of WV. So much fun! And so was seeing Julie for the first time in a year! I had flown her out to Norfolk last January for a quick visit before I left... and that is much too long to wait to see a dear friend like her. My goodness, being deployed makes you really miss people. I have gone years in the past without seeing her... I think being far apart brought me closer to people. I thought that a lot as I wrote emails to people at least monthly while I was gone. Which I never do when I'm at home. Irony.<br />
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The first night we went out to dinner and spent nearly the whole time giggling like adorable idiots... just like we always do. If I've said it, I've said it a thousand times... we are like peas in a pod, the two of us. Suddenly and actually by accident, we started talking about our fears... it was my fault, as I happened to use the phrase "top ten" when I told her about someone I was afraid of. It'll be one of those conversations I'll never forget; it was intimate and encouraging.<br />
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The first three days I visited were working days. So suddenly I was a fourth-grade teacher's assistant at a small, private school. It was SO MUCH FUN! I had to re-learn a bit of multiplication tables and help out with book reports on a book I've never read (flashbacks about <i>Balboa: Finder of the Pacific</i> came to mind as the kids could barely remember the plot). Julie even had me give a little presentation about the Navy on my first morning. I wore my working uniform, showed the kids pictures of ships and rating badges and youtube clips of the Truxtun in the Turkish straits... and the kids were amazed. :) I heard from one parent later on about my celebrity status. And it was super fun to watch Julie teach. <br />
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We spent the rest of our time together relaxing, reading, watching Weird Al youtube videos and laughing our guts out. And we went out to dinner with her church friends twice! And we all got along marvelously! First restaurant was in a town called Nitro! What a name! Had to leave on Sunday after church, but I thought to myself, why should I rush back to Norfolk? So I stayed an extra couple hours for a fabulous lunch with the same crowd. It hurt my heart to leave.<br />
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So I've been back in the Navy this week... continuing with Honor Guard duty. Five funerals this week... no time to even practice after a long break. I actually cried at the last one today... the pastor gave a great message quoting Paul about faith and Revelation about worshiping God... and there was a bagpiper playing Amazing Grace... and I was already emotional before it began. Shooting the rifles went PERFECTLY. But I need practice on six-man flag folds.<br />
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JwJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195064257638479990.post-68486966929278822872014-12-16T16:41:00.000-08:002014-12-16T16:41:30.692-08:00How Does One Begin to Tell the Story of One's Life?As a fan! I get a ridiculous amount of pleasure from quoting things, obsessing about things, and letting things change my life... <br />
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The title of this is pulled from an episode of the TV show, <i>Remember WENN</i>. This show aired on American Movie Classics from 1996-1998. I was a teenager. I pretended I was best friends with the main character. Yes I did. Spanning the years 1939 to 1941 in an independent radio station in Pittsburgh, this lovely little comedy delivered drama, big time! The major plot line centers around the Blitz of London, with a mighty big nod to Edward R. Murrow. My love for WWII, history and having a good laugh all met here, and because of it, I met my second family (unofficially adopted) and my husband (officially). <br />
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As a kid, there were a few TV shows and films I liked best:<br />
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Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood... down-to-earth, normallness. I was wonderfully sheltered as a child, not even knowing there were problems, such as racism, in the world. Fred treated everyone equally... and he was honest. This was a big role model for us.<br />
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Re-runs of F-Troop. This has got to be the silliest thing in the world to shape your life, but it was in watching F-Troop that I fell in love with the military as a young kid. It had to have been the uniforms, or something. Maybe because Ken Barry and Melody Patterson were so darn cute! I so wanted them to get married!<br />
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The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Sign of Zorro (1958), The Chronicles of Narnia (1980s). My sisters and I played each of these stories out a thousand times in our big backyard. They were our favorites. It is what made me love reading Howard Pyle's King Aurthur books, and propelled me into a infatuation with medieval times. Also, it's where I got my very old-fashioned love of chivalry. Later on, Beauty and the Beast (1991) could have been added to this list. We filmed our very own production downstairs with our home-school friends.<br />
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I also grew up watching re-runs of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Get Smart, Mister Ed, and other 1960s silliness, including the plethora of wonderful live-action Disney films from the same time. I think Mary Poppins is my favorite... and maybe That Darn Cat. The Adventures of Tintin was a staple of my early reading. Maybe that's one reason I like to travel so much. <br />
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Recently? Oh, you mean what things did I like that were made when I was alive? LOL<br />
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Well, I loved the TV show Monk... all 8 seasons! The Sharpe's Rifles series (1993-1997, 2006, 2008), the Horatio Hornblower series (1998-2003), and Foyle's War (since 2002)! New episodes next month! <br />
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Movies? Goodness! Besides those already mentioned, I love Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland... we watched a lot of classics growing up... there's too many to think of.<br />
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Oh, recently? I really like Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman... Ever hear of Arn? That's a neat series! It's Swedish, but that makes it more awesome. Comedies like The Princess Bride, Galaxy Quest, Dave... I feel kind of burned out on action movies... but I do like The Hunger Games, Iron Man 3, Ender's Game... I really love serious historical stuff... 12 Years a Slave, The King's Speech, The Blind Side, Miss Potter... ever seen To End All Wars? I've only seen it once, but I can't forget it. And yes, the romantic stuff... Jane Eyre (1983), Pride & Prejudice (1995), Emma (1996), Sense & Sensibility (1995), Hitch, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Ever After... there's so many. This is a really random list, but I think you get the idea.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427919842881755118noreply@blogger.com0