The last six weeks since I last updated have been pretty good for me. I was able to be up North (or what people would probably currently term is the land of the frozen uninhabitable tundra...)
I spent a chunk of my time making up guard drills at the fuel shop. I initially made up to Januarys guard drills. (But I ended up with an extra months drills due to AL football.) I definitely had a lot to catch up on with training and what not. Whats extra fun is getting caught up on the online version of our AF 623 tasks (TBAs=online personnel record of the tasks in our AFSC and aircraft) and then finding that the site decides to go down...[I usually get farmed out to the other back shops to show them how to use the program online...I guess it helps to be going to school to be a librarian] I enjoyed it though. I miss all those maintenance guys and working on the airplane.
It was pretty even
tful other than updating records and turning wrenches. They finally decided to fix the heat in the shop for the first time in 3 years or so. When it got to -20s (plus whatever the windchill) and the 'heater' was pumping in unheated outside air....it got pretty dang cold in there! Well that didn't go without some sort of drama - involving stoves and people finding out really quickly that its not a good idea to yell at others for something they had nothing to do with...Ah well they learned and now get off their duffers to physically check the buildings.
I also was able to visit people at the Chester Fritz library - though I didn't get to see everyone. I visited with as many as I cou
ld though. It was soo good seeing people there. Caught up on the happenings of the library. Another time I was up in Grand Forks, we hit up a Fighting Sioux hockey game. They won! 4-1! Hey Sioux Sioux!
For other than stuff that was going on, I spent another large chunk of my time with Jarrett and Firestarters, well mostly Jarrett. With Firestarters, caroling the one evening in Ottertail was soo much fun! The other days getting together with them for the Christmas party, Talent night, and New Years was more than I expected. Its just amazing the types of things going on out there in Ottertail at the old Creamery building. I always felt so refreshed, alive, safe, loved out there with their meetings on Sundays and Wednesdays.
With Jarrett, there was a lot of fun as well- we went out for dinners, shooting, hunting, Gun show, movies, hung out with friends and family. Brunchs at the Permann house are amazing! (So blessed that Jarrett and his dad can cook! [Though I did manage to not burn my grilled cheese sandwich the one day - which I think was a fluke!] I was laughing about that I can get that signed off on my 623s for cooking.) His dog, Annie, who actually just had puppies on Wednesday, was just huge in the weeks prior. Shes a German Short-haired pointer. The puppies are adorable!
Speaking of dogs, on a kinda sadder note, I had to put down my dog, Nala a border collie mix, of 15 years. She was having quite a bit of health problems from arthritis, going deaf and blind and what not. She was the coolest dog ever! She loved to play with pinecones and when she was younger, she would chase airplanes. I miss her and it was very hard to do, but I know she's in a better place. As for now, I guess the other furry black and white long haired mammal in the form of a cat named Tequila who will play fetch with you, will help. Who said my animals had to be normal.
So classes started this week. Classes would have normally started last week, but since Alabama was in the Rose Bowl, the university dismissed classes. We followed the game from Fe
rgus Falls (Still surprised they did that - UNDs big this is hockey and they never cxled school for the Frozen Four...hmmm) Oh well, it was nice to be able to stay another week.
It was great that you got to spend so much time back home up here. I miss you. It has been an adventure this past month and a half.
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