The metamorphesis started slowly with a "ya'll" here or a "I'm fixin' to (fill in the blank)" there. And then I noticed the kids talking slower, and I'm talking slower. The accent has deepened. And I actually drove right by a Starbucks the other day and didn't think twice about it!!! Holy crap people, we are adjusting to being in the South! I think I'm more concered about the kids not knowing the proper pronunciation difference between a 'pin' and a 'pen' (same sound down here) then I am about missing my mocha lattes. But the other transformation is the one that occurs being in a military education setting. And since we are living in fam camp, it feels like a deployment, without the bombing. There are weeks when we never leave base. I use my bike more than a car. Very focused on the mission. Yup, very similar to a deployment. Except for the family here, and occasional visitors (like Colby and Mom). And when you are deployed, you often get roped into things you would never do at home, like volunteer to organize parties or join weird social groups. This is what peer pressure does people, I'm just saying! Needless to say, I've been running more then normal just in general and doing other community functions that I would typically shun in Colorado (mostly because it was too far to drive anywhere!). No excuse for that in Alabama, so today I ran my first half-marathon with members of my flight group. It really wasn't terrible. No really. I even missed the first mile marker completely. And the stabbing pains didn't start until mile 9 or so. And tonight the heavy meds are allowing me to continue walking, so I think I'm good. And I actually have the desire to put myself through the gaunlet again! Damn endorphins.
Having completed my first race in lightening speed (I really thought it would take 3 hours), we were able to leave for our first vacation on time. We pulled chalks on the trailer and hauled it down to Pensacola Naval Air Station (where the Blue Angels fly from). The trip down was 100% incident free, sorry to disappoint everyone. However, the kids have already managed to induce mild heart attacks in all the RV parks residents here, since the average age is 75. Thankfully, the beach is super close and I think the only thing that allowed us to get our kids out of the water was the lure of food. Oh, and the wild ferral children have settled into being just kids lately--so either they've calmed down or I'm just used to the madness. Either way, the beach here is awesome and the water in the Gulf is really warm. I'm looking forward to a great time. Even though I have an exam to write, I will not let the school's Operation Deny Weekend have any effect on my fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment