Life with Spectre

Saturday, November 28, 2009

We've moved!

Come visit us! (Just click here: http://www.lifewithspectre.com/ ~ John & Hol

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy 4th!

Of course there was whipped cream/ berry cake.

Of course there was.

And a tired puppy dog. With lots of hungry guests.

And beautiful flowers - courtesy of my "Mom" - Jan. She always has fresh flowers.

A wonderful quality in a home that I always hope to emulate.

There was Pico de Gallo (yeah!) and fresh Watermelon Chunks...

does it GET any better???

...and 7-Layer Mexican dip with Tortilla Chips...we are such a multicultural Nation - without even trying. I mean - are we BBQ? Pizza? CheeseSteak? Oxtails?

Won Tons? Lobster? Mofongo? Papadam? Schwarma? Fromage et Pain?

Whatever.

Some things are universal.

Like a 12-week-old Labradog.

OH! LOVE that puppy breath!!! :)

See? What a cutie-pie!!!!

Somebody stop me: makes me want another one...

Happy 4th of July / Independence Day - to everyone in this Great Nation.

I'm so proud of my Country.

Love you Guys.

Oh, yeah. I really, really do.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

...still waiting...but in the meantime

The Men I'm proud to call my Comrades:

I still love this blog. I love the outlet it gives me.

I've heard a lot of things - namely, that we should not say every little thing that comes to mind.

Amen.

(Especially in my case. Holy Cow.)

But in the meantime, there are bloggers out there like Sarah and Anna who just inspire me.

So, I was thinking: Wow. I'm nearing the big FOUR-OH. What do I do with the last half of my life?

A few things came to mind:

Saddlemaker

Gardener and Local Food / Farmer Advocate (I have this idea that if we actually do move to West - By - God - Virginia, I will be able to raise goats for meat due to the huge West Indian/African population boom in D.C.)

Rescuing Broken Horses / therefore Rescuing Broken Kids in a "HorseCamp" project

Beekeeper

A Mom? (I can only hope...but I don't think it'll ever happen...)

But, in the meantime I am what I am.

Which is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.

Which is a very happy partner to a man I love more than anything I've ever loved. (Whoa. He better not ever let me down.)

Which is an executive officer to a very decent, patriotic General officer. I'm proud to work for him.

Which is a daughter to two really super parents - I never doubted their love for me or my brother.

Which is, a sister to an incredible man I'm proud to call my best friend and my brother.

and,

which is, a best friend to four incredible gals - one is a mama, a creative individual, and everything that I am not - who could as for better in a bosom bud? - one is a fellow horsewoman, a mama, a teacher, and the one who led me to Christ, and ... - one is incredibly intelligent - a doctor of philosophy, actually...and who is the person I admire most in this world for her intellect, and her grace - and lastly, the one who challenged my "beliefs" and who made me question everything - to the best outcome of all: TOLERANCE and ACCEPTANCE. I love all of them.

So - these two pictures are a slice of my last few days - a "Spartan Formation" - thought up by our Command Sergeant Major - to honor those who have gone before us...who've paved the way.

I love this young Air Force Tech Sgt...so pensive. And the rose in the vase that signifies the POW/MIA who can never join us. It's out of focus, but so what?

It's beauty. It's devotion - and it's what we should never forget.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

"These things were done in Bethany by the Jordan..." ~John 1:28

The last day we were in Jordan, John and I made a Pilgrimage of sorts - to the spring at Bethany-on-the-Jordan - to the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

Here we are at the site.

Logic and recent (circa 1996) archeaology almost guarantees that this spot was where Jesus and John the Baptist actually entered the water. This view is of a spring, and the water from it used to join the Jordan in this spot. (After Syria and Israel put up their various dams, the Jordan shrank significantly, which is why you don't see the rushing waters right now.)

If John the Baptist had picked any other spot, he couldn't have baptized anybody, because the Jordan was so swift then that people would have been swept away.

It was an amazing sight - and very moving.

"Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'

"For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

" 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.' "

"Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

"Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins."

"...and he said

'I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming
after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand,
and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat
into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.' "

" Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him."

"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him."

"And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying,

" 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' "

~ Matthew 3: 1 - 17

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Jerash

I'm going to go ahead and start this off with a great picture of John with a Jordanian goat. The thing had enormously long ears...freakishly long, actually...and followed him around like a dog.

This will come in handy, later, as you see the pictures of me trying to get one to even let me get close.

It kills me that I am the hardcore animal lover in the family, yet they all gravitate toward HIM. (It also kills me that as the public affairs officer in the family, where taking a decent picture is a Level 1 Task, John also just has an "eye" for photography and takes way better pictures. Photo credits (except when he's in them) go to John.)

Anyhoo, Jerash is a small site of Roman ruins about 45 minutes north of Amman, and we were in Jordan for a conference. The conference ended and we had one day to travel before we flew out.

So, we did. (Travel to a Jordanian site, that is.)

And we're so glad we did. Jerash was amazing. See the little lizard on top of the column?

We were amazed at the pillars - this particular one (complete with cute little birdie) moved a little bit when the wind blew - a bit disconcerting.

Here we are in front of a fountain dedicated to the Nymphs.

Men were men, even back then.

{Sigh}

And here we are, in the Northern Theater - so amazingly acoustically perfect that we could hear each other from opposite sides, even when we whispered.

All right. So here we go. This is the Goat Sequence.

MAN was I frustrated when after all this, John had a little one just following him around!

But this was before that.

This is called "Showing John How It Should Be Done."

Step One: "Heeeeeeere, Billy Goat!"

"Wanna be friends?"

"Yeah, right, Lady...not on your life. Let me sniff you before you take another step."

"And I guess you can pet my head...

"...hmmm.

"Maybe I should head-butt you..."

"Look, John! What a sweet Billy Goat!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hmmmm....yeah, this broad is really starting to annoy me now. If I get a running start...."

"Maybe I could bite her fingers instead?"

"Unbelievable. Is she for real?

"Finally!

"Ugh...that's 5 minutes of my life I'll never get back."

Meanwhile, here came John, who handed me the camera, looked around for a goat, and all of a sudden - there she was...ready to get a pat on the head from him.

Hmmph.

Here it is, again: