Hi,
WOW, I am doing a blog again this week. Tom and I left Waterloo on Thursday morning and arrived in Omaha, Nebraska about 2 PM. Iowa is mostly flat farmland and we had beautiful sunny skies as we drive across I 80. It was sad to see all the brown corn fields from lack of water. So many tractor trailor trucks on the road. IT is good to see that one profession apparently has job security. We checked into billeting at the O'Malley Inn at Auffit Air Force Base and got settled in and then called Mark who came and picked us and took us to their lovely home. Mark and Linda were stationed in Tucson. Mark was at the Security Forces with Tom and Linda worked with Maryann at the clinic. Matthew and Kayla are their children....well young adults now. It seems the last we saw them was about 20 years ago. We were able to sit and catch up on the past years and memories from Davis-Monthan AFB. Even got to see Matthew. Kayla was at work.
Sitting in their living room chatting was like had never been apart. We then went out for a nice dinner and then Mark drove us around and showed us around Auffit Air Force Base. Mark works as a civilian now that he has retired from the Air Force. You can tell that they are great parents and that they really enjoy life and have such good work ethics. Linda had also served in the Air Force before Maryann was lucky enough to work with her in the clinic. How great it is to be able to cross this great country and see our friends and family again. We arrived in York, Nebraska just in time to meet Merle and Erma Hillen for lunch. We were stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming with them in 1970. They were our friends when we were just dating. We had not seen them for ...hmmm maybe 30 years. Once again it was like we had just been together last week...just had more news to catch up on. We had a 3+ hour and as we drove away, we just thank God again for having such lifelong friends. As we drive toward Cheyenne, Wyoming, we see many more brown fields due to no rain...but have a beautiful blue sky that turns into a wonderful sunset. We talk about how fun it will be in Cheyenne again as that is where we met in 1970 and then we returned there as a family from 1980 to 1984. We arrive at F. E. Warren AFB and check into billeting. When Tom comes out with our assigned billet, it is building 44 and Maryann remarks that that sounds so familiar. AND it turns out that building 44 is the building that Maryann lived in as her first assignment as a LT. in the Air
Force. We arrived at building 44 and how fun that the room we were assigned is right across the hall from where Maryann lived when she was here active duty. We are staying in the room Maryann's friend, Darlene use to live in. What wonderful memories we have of our "young days" here. We called our friend, Judy who we met when we were here in 1980-1984 on our way here. Judy and her John had visited us in Tucson about 20 years ago and we had not seen them since. What friends can you call at the last minute and they arrange to spend the entire next day with you...Judy and John! We met them at their home and went to breakfast and then back to their home to catch up on our lives and their daughter, Penny and family. Judy is quite the frame maker, artist, upholsterer, seamstress, and builds cedar chest, stools, and anything else one would want built or sewn! John of course helps her and finds her treasures to redo. What a team they are. We had such fun seeing all their wonders...and Judy even let us choose a treasure to take home! We spent the afternoon sharing great stories and lots of laughter with Judy and John...what a relaxing time. Then we went to the American Kennel Association Dog Show. This was a first for us and it was really fun. Another event to cross off our Bucket List. Judy is a PLETHORA of knowledge about dog shows so what a treat for us at our first dog show! John took us to a fun sports bar for dinner and he recommended their margaritas and Tom had two as they were great!! Then we went back to their home and it was nearly 10 PM when we were saying our fond farewells to John and Judy. We could not have planned a better day! As we read over this writing, once again we are so appreciative of such great people in our lives and do KNOW HOW BLESSED we are to have had all those we call friends come into our life. We do not think that it was just by chance that we came to know them but that God put us in the right place to have them in our lives.
Today we walked over to the chapel for mass and then walked around the area where we shared such memories. We feel so at home on the base since we met here and then came back here and spent 4 years when the girls were in elementry school. F. E. Warren is the oldest continuously active military installation within the Air Force. It was established in 1867 by the calvary. It is now the home of the 90th Missile Wing which is one of three strategic missile bases in the United States. It has the old red brick building with portches that were built between 1885 and 1933. It also has a beautiful parade field and there are antelope roaming in small herds all over the base. Of all the bases we have lived on or visited, this is and always be the most special...it is like coming home to our roots. As we walked today, it was good to feel the Cheyenne winds on our face. The Cheyenne winds are like none other and there is wind every day!!
Tomorrow we will go to Denver and stay at Buckley Air Force Base. Our friends George and Pat are camped there with their RV. We are looking forward to spending a few days with them and seeing David and Chris and family. We will then head home to give our girls a big hug and to see our Tucson Family of friends.
We did SKYPE with Molly, Samantha and Kirsten tonight and cannot wait to give real hugs vs. syber hugs.
We thank you all for your prayers for our safe travels.
Quote that we found that reminds us of our friends ----"Everytime you cross our mind, we think how lucky we have been, to have you as our special friends."
God Bless you all and we are keeping you all in our daily prayers.
Love ,
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