Duel in the Pool and other Short Stories
As Ross promised, we're back to our regularly scheduled and happier posts! Since all our major adventuring is complete, I thought I'd compile a few short stories!
Duel in the Pool
How do you know if someone graduated from the Air Force Academy? Don't worry, they'll tell you. Actually, they'll just talk about the Academy with each other, but you'll be there to hear all about it. Lucky for me, all the Academy grads that work around me are pretty alright people. What does the Air Force Academy have to do with a duel in a pool? Glad you asked! My budget officer, Lt Miller, is (shockingly) an Academy grad. The SARC (Sexual Assault Response Coordinator), Capt McGuire, is also an Academy grad, just from one year earlier. She swam for the Academy, while Lt Miller played football. He's super competitive. One day they get to talking about who would win in a swimming race. You'd think it'd be obvious, wouldn't you? But Lt Miller wouldn't let it go. So the plan was to have them race. Weeks and weeks went by, no duel in the pool. Time was running out, as Lt Miller was getting ready to head home. Finally, the day was set! The Thursday before Lt Miller heads home. We'd even all go get pizza afterwards.
Somehow, on top of the one on one race, a relay was added. I had listened to some folks talk about said relay, guys vs girls, but didn't really pay much attention. I was looking forward to watching all this play out. Fast forward to THE DAY BEFORE....all of a sudden the girls team needs one more swimmer. You can guess who ended up in the pool. Now, I haven't swam a single lap in a year and a half, but what the heck. It was all for fun! Capt McGuire provided me with a swimsuit, goggles, and cap. Here goes nothing!
The first race was the individual race. Lt Miller was allowed to wear fins, but Capt McGuire knew how to do a flip turn, so we figured that made it fairly even. The race was closer than anyone thought! But the flip turn won out and Capt McGuire was victorious!
For the relay, somehow the guys came up with 5 swimmers and now we only had 4. So not only did I have to swim, but I was the one who was swimming an extra length in the pool. One length is nothing, right? So wrong. So very wrong. I had forgotten a)how hard swimming is, and b)how slow I am at swimming. For the relay, our loss was pretty much cemented in the first leg (not mine), when Lt Burns misunderstood Capt McGuire's instructions and she stayed underwater far too long. We couldn't catch up after that. Ah well. I had fun. Was it time for pizza yet??
But wait! Some were feeling defeated and wanted a re-match! So back in the pool we went. This time I was NOT swimming two lengths. I was still catching my breath from race #1. Unfortunately, even with a great desire for a comeback, speed was not on our side for race #2. This time it was my molasses speed that gave the guys the win. When we watched the video replay, the race was neck and neck until my turn. TSgt Haffner took off like a bolt of lightning and I seemed to mosey down the lane like a semi-buoyant rock. Only Michael Phelps could have made up the distance that was created by the time I finished my length. *Sigh* Sorry ladies.
Despite two losses, fun was had by all. It was a great little break from the daily grind. We had a handful of office mates come and watch as well. The best part was the salad and pizza buffet afterwards!
Things I Miss
As Dorothy said, "There's no place like home." For anyone who's done any traveling, you do start to miss home no matter how long you've been gone. It's been 3 1/2 months now, and I really do miss my family, friends, cooking, work, Wisconsin (except for the negative temperatures!), and just being in my home. I know I could have it a lot worse, so I'm thankful for that! But even with being in Germany, living out of a microwave and crockpot gets a little old from time to time. The new budget officer, Capt Choquette said that he'd have the Finance team over sometime and I could do some cooking. Sweet! While that's all good and exciting, I still can't wait to come home. Charlotte's probably waiting to do more dry ice experiments! My family held off on pierogi making until I come home. The best day of the year is pierogi day! Birthdays are coming up. My mom turns 60 this year! Better get her something good! (Let's see if she actually reads this blog post or just looks at the photos like she says she does) And I still miss Ross even though he just left here a few weeks ago. ;) I still don't know when exactly I'm coming home, but I'm counting the approximate weeks!
Time for Turnover
Everyone who works at the 435th AEW is deployed. We all have 6 month tours, with a few exceptions. For Lt Miller and SrA Haynes, the time has come for them to head home. In fact, the 4 agents down range are all swapping out as well. That means I get a whole new crew to work with for the second half of my deployment! I was able to meet everyone at Shaw AFB last month, which was nice. Lt Miller's replacement is already assigned to Ramstein, so he's been popping in and out over the past few weeks. He finally took the helm just a few days ago. His first day was during a government shutdown. Lucky him! SrA Haynes' replacement is just getting settled in. Even though I have just under 3 months left in my deployment it feels like I need to be prepared for a turnover. It's forcing me to get re-organized and help us as a Finance team re-focus. There are always places where improvements can be made. This is a great opportunity to make those changes. That just means I've been working late all week! Still can't complain. The days are flying by! Inching closer and closer to my turnover and return home.
Duel in the Pool
How do you know if someone graduated from the Air Force Academy? Don't worry, they'll tell you. Actually, they'll just talk about the Academy with each other, but you'll be there to hear all about it. Lucky for me, all the Academy grads that work around me are pretty alright people. What does the Air Force Academy have to do with a duel in a pool? Glad you asked! My budget officer, Lt Miller, is (shockingly) an Academy grad. The SARC (Sexual Assault Response Coordinator), Capt McGuire, is also an Academy grad, just from one year earlier. She swam for the Academy, while Lt Miller played football. He's super competitive. One day they get to talking about who would win in a swimming race. You'd think it'd be obvious, wouldn't you? But Lt Miller wouldn't let it go. So the plan was to have them race. Weeks and weeks went by, no duel in the pool. Time was running out, as Lt Miller was getting ready to head home. Finally, the day was set! The Thursday before Lt Miller heads home. We'd even all go get pizza afterwards.
Somehow, on top of the one on one race, a relay was added. I had listened to some folks talk about said relay, guys vs girls, but didn't really pay much attention. I was looking forward to watching all this play out. Fast forward to THE DAY BEFORE....all of a sudden the girls team needs one more swimmer. You can guess who ended up in the pool. Now, I haven't swam a single lap in a year and a half, but what the heck. It was all for fun! Capt McGuire provided me with a swimsuit, goggles, and cap. Here goes nothing!
The first race was the individual race. Lt Miller was allowed to wear fins, but Capt McGuire knew how to do a flip turn, so we figured that made it fairly even. The race was closer than anyone thought! But the flip turn won out and Capt McGuire was victorious!
 |
| The Ladies! Left to Right: Capt Selvig, Capt McGuire, Lt Burns, Me |
For the relay, somehow the guys came up with 5 swimmers and now we only had 4. So not only did I have to swim, but I was the one who was swimming an extra length in the pool. One length is nothing, right? So wrong. So very wrong. I had forgotten a)how hard swimming is, and b)how slow I am at swimming. For the relay, our loss was pretty much cemented in the first leg (not mine), when Lt Burns misunderstood Capt McGuire's instructions and she stayed underwater far too long. We couldn't catch up after that. Ah well. I had fun. Was it time for pizza yet??
 |
| The Guys! Left to Right: TSgt Haffner, Maj Crosby, Capt Luber, TSgt Webb, Lt Miller |
But wait! Some were feeling defeated and wanted a re-match! So back in the pool we went. This time I was NOT swimming two lengths. I was still catching my breath from race #1. Unfortunately, even with a great desire for a comeback, speed was not on our side for race #2. This time it was my molasses speed that gave the guys the win. When we watched the video replay, the race was neck and neck until my turn. TSgt Haffner took off like a bolt of lightning and I seemed to mosey down the lane like a semi-buoyant rock. Only Michael Phelps could have made up the distance that was created by the time I finished my length. *Sigh* Sorry ladies.
Despite two losses, fun was had by all. It was a great little break from the daily grind. We had a handful of office mates come and watch as well. The best part was the salad and pizza buffet afterwards!
 |
| The Whole Swim Gang! |
Things I Miss
As Dorothy said, "There's no place like home." For anyone who's done any traveling, you do start to miss home no matter how long you've been gone. It's been 3 1/2 months now, and I really do miss my family, friends, cooking, work, Wisconsin (except for the negative temperatures!), and just being in my home. I know I could have it a lot worse, so I'm thankful for that! But even with being in Germany, living out of a microwave and crockpot gets a little old from time to time. The new budget officer, Capt Choquette said that he'd have the Finance team over sometime and I could do some cooking. Sweet! While that's all good and exciting, I still can't wait to come home. Charlotte's probably waiting to do more dry ice experiments! My family held off on pierogi making until I come home. The best day of the year is pierogi day! Birthdays are coming up. My mom turns 60 this year! Better get her something good! (Let's see if she actually reads this blog post or just looks at the photos like she says she does) And I still miss Ross even though he just left here a few weeks ago. ;) I still don't know when exactly I'm coming home, but I'm counting the approximate weeks!
Time for Turnover
Everyone who works at the 435th AEW is deployed. We all have 6 month tours, with a few exceptions. For Lt Miller and SrA Haynes, the time has come for them to head home. In fact, the 4 agents down range are all swapping out as well. That means I get a whole new crew to work with for the second half of my deployment! I was able to meet everyone at Shaw AFB last month, which was nice. Lt Miller's replacement is already assigned to Ramstein, so he's been popping in and out over the past few weeks. He finally took the helm just a few days ago. His first day was during a government shutdown. Lucky him! SrA Haynes' replacement is just getting settled in. Even though I have just under 3 months left in my deployment it feels like I need to be prepared for a turnover. It's forcing me to get re-organized and help us as a Finance team re-focus. There are always places where improvements can be made. This is a great opportunity to make those changes. That just means I've been working late all week! Still can't complain. The days are flying by! Inching closer and closer to my turnover and return home.
As far as the new agents down range, two have seem to hit their stride, one is on the way and the other...well....something (we don't know what) happened a few days before he was supposed to arrive. The day we expected him in Germany we received a message saying he was no longer deploying at all. Yikes! Now what?! Not only are we dealing with a government shutdown, but we also have an absent paying agent. After days of debating which course of action was going to be taken, the decision was finally made. I will be filling in for the agent for one week down range. Another adventure awaits!
Semi-buoyant rock? ...goodie! another one I can add to my collection! : )
ReplyDeleteSure reads a whole lot better than the last post! ...not quite as 'exciting' (?) ...but, for me, it makes it a whole lot easier to sleep at night!
Past half-way (hopefully)... You'll make it back before I do!
Looking forward to the boys coming-down... I guess too early for you... : (
Keep'em coming girl! ...I thirst for your Traveling Pine News!
Love and hugs to ya!
~ Meem