The Perfect Pair

Shopping for jeans that fit well is like going on a quest for the holy grail. It takes courage, endurance, fortitude, and you are almost guaranteed to fail. Two years ago, my favorite jeans gave up the ghost and for two years now I have been searching literally across the country (Boston, Dallas, & Tucson) for a pair of jeans to replace them. I'm not asking for much, I just want a pair that sits comfortably around my waist, but not too high that it looks granny-ish and not too low that it shows too much when I sit down. I want it to be tight enough to prove that I have curves somewhere but loose enough to be comfortable. They have to be the right length- not highwaters when I cross my legs and not dragging on the ground when I wear my beloved flip-flops. I also have to be able to wear them without a belt which means it needs to fit perfectly around my waist. A medium blue with a light wash is preferred. Am I asking too much? In the past two years I've bought four pairs and been given several pairs that come close to perfection, but fall short in one category or another. Finally, the other day I was shopping for summer shirts at JC Penny's, not looking at jeans at all. Walking down the aisle a shaft of light came from heaven and illuminated a random pair of jeans. I decided what the heck and tried them on. Hallelujah! Perfect fit. Unbelievable.

The Candy Bomber

We had a neat Sacrament Meeting speaker in church today. The retired colonel Gail Halvorsen spoke about his experiences in the time after WWII. He was actually the keynote speaker at an ROTC function I went to on my first date when I was 16 (back in Utah) so it was interesting to hear him again almost 10 years later. This is part of the story he shared during his talk. I was looking for more information on him and found this article so I thought I would save myself the effort of retyping what he said.

American Forces Press Service

"WASHINGTON, May 15, 2008 – While members of the allied air forces delivered millions of tons of food, fuel and vital staples in the Berlin Airlift almost 60 years ago, one American pilot stood out as a favorite of the sweet-toothed children in the German capital.

The idea grew out of a chance meeting with a group of hungry German school children gathered near Tempelhof Airport in Berlin to watch the giant airplanes land and unload, Halvorsen recalled in a February 2007 interview with Air Force Public Affairs. “They were just grateful that we were bringing in the supplies,” he said.

“They had been through Hitler, and were going through Stalin,” he continued. “After a while, I realized I had talked to these kids for an hour and they hadn’t asked for anything. I found out there hadn’t been any candy in months.”

Halvorsen gave the two pieces of gum in his possession to the kids, half expecting them to fight over the rare treat. Instead, he recalled, the children split the sticks into miniature morsels, and those who didn’t get any gum were given small strips torn from the foil wrappers so they could smell the confection’s sweet residue.

The pilot promised to bring the children more gum and candy on his next flight into the airport. Though the decision could have earned him a court-martial for breaking flying regulations, Halvorsen vowed to drop the goodies as he passed over them before landing.

So they’d know which of the huge airplanes was his, Halvorsen said he told the children he would “wiggle” his wings as he approached their position.

When he returned to his quarters at Rhein-Main, Germany, then-lieutenant Halvorsen requested his fellow pilots donate their candy rations to disburse to the children. His Air Force comrades warned him of the consequences of throwing unauthorized objects from an aircraft in flight, but he refused to be swayed from delivering on his promise.

After attaching makeshift parachutes of handkerchiefs and string to each chocolate bar, Halvorsen brought the airworthy goodies onboard and kept his oath to the children during his missions over the following three weeks.

Local newspapers picked up the story, and Halvorsen’s fame started to spread. At his home base, Halvorsen began receiving mail from other pilots who wanted to help. Donors sent candy, volunteers made handkerchief parachutes and the tiny parcels began to fall all over Berlin.

On a brief trip back to the United States, an interviewer asked Halvorsen what he needed to continue his popular “Candy Bomber” operation. He jokingly remarked, “Boxcars full of candy!” Sure enough, shortly after his return to Germany, a train car loaded with 3,000 pounds of chocolate bars arrived for “Uncle Wiggly Wings.”

Sixty years after the Berlin Airlift, or “Operation Vittles” -- the largest humanitarian effort in Air Force history -- the mission is remembered for relieving some 2.5 million beleaguered West Berlin residents and striking a blow against the communist Soviet government depriving them of essential goods."

Brother Halvorsen emphasized how much these kids wanted freedom, even more than the flour and other goods the military was dropping to sustain their lives. He also talked about their gratitude. Another thing I thought was interesting was how he said that he felt that God prompted him to share his two sticks of gum with the kids by the fence. Out of that small and simple thing an amazing thing was brought about that blessed countless children, brought great honors and recognition to Brother Halvorsen, and certainly smoothed intercountry relationships in the time following WWII. What a great example of service!

Bargain hunter

I want to be one of those ladies that go garage sale-ing and find fabulous stuff for their families at a fraction of the original price. "Why yes, I got this sweater for $.25! Isn't it fabulous!?" "This entire brand-new looking living room set was on Craigslist for just $300!" Isn't it fabulous!?" Those are my friends talking. I want to be them. Sadly, I lack the knack apparently required to be a bargain hunter. The combination of luck, persistence, and intuition evades me. My experience today is typical of my efforts to be "one of them." I spotted a sign on the way to drop Ellie off at preschool. "Estate Sale!" it proclaimed. "Why, that must be like a garage sale, with more stuff!" I thought. "Maybe I'll find an amazing bargain here that I can brag to my friends about!" I followed the siren song of the yellow signs deeper and deeper into the winding streets of the neighborhood. I finally saw the familiar sight of cars piled up in front of the curb. There, in the driveway, stood several ratty chairs, some assorted stuffed animals draped forlornly off to the side, and a sink. Yes, a stand-alone, sink-on-wheels, hoses sprouting out the back sink. That was all. A pretty pitiful estate if you ask me. As I drove away the bitter truth hit me. I just don't have what it takes. I resolved then and there that from now on, I'll leave the bargain hunting to the professionals and go back to where I belong. Walmart, I'm coming home!

Aaaahhhh, the weekend!

We just had the nicest weekend. Dave had to work all day last Saturday, so his boss let him take a half-day Thursday, and he already had Friday off. Thursday we went to a huge nursery to get our landscaping plants for our backyard. I thought I was in heaven! I love plants and flowers, even if I'm not great at keeping them alive. We got a bunch of plants and two citrus trees. Thursday evening Dave started digging the tree holes and turning the dirt for the other planters. That's hard work in Arizona! We have this stuff called caliche that's basically clay and minerals that hardens into a rock-like substance. It's all over in the ground and extremely hard to dig. Dave hacked at the ground for an hour, got two huge blisters, and only dug about a foot in each tree hole. We'll finish that project this weekend. Friday morning we drove up to the Phoenix area. We had made arrangements to go to the temple but sadly it is closed for several weeks. Instead we went to a birthday party for some girls I used to nanny for when we lived in the Mesa area. It was great to catch up with their family and see how the kids are growing up. Than we drove to our old neighborhood to visit Stock, my good elderly friend across the street from where we used to live. Ellie and I used to visit with him almost every day while we were waiting for Dave to get home from school. It was great to catch up with him and he was really happy to see Ellie again. We spent that night with some of Dave's friends from school. Pete and his wife, Maria recently built a huge beautiful home right in front of the Superstition Mountains. We got the grand tour and enjoyed a great dinner and evening with them. Saturday we visited Dave's brother John and Rachel in Tempe. We got to go to this fantastic Thai restaurant with them which was great-we really miss having a Thai restaurant close by! After lunch we made the long drive home. Saturday night we all put out our Easter baskets. Early Sunday we opened our baskets and headed to church. Ellie looked so cute in her Easter dress and hat! Sunday afternoon we did an Easter egg hunt and dinner with some new friends here where we live. What a great weekend. I love spending time with friends and family!

Easter Eggs

Last night for Family Home Evening we decorated Easter eggs. We all had so much fun. Kids are such a great excuse to do the fun things we remember from our childhood and still enjoy! Happy Easter everyone!

Life in Limbo

Those of you who have been following our moves around the country for the past several years may remember that this June, Dave "places out" of his program. In other words, we get to stop moving every 8 months and pick a more permanent residence. When we first moved to Tucson from Dallas, I really wanted to go back to Dallas. Even though I like our little house out here, I was just not loving this area. However, Dave started seeing some good job opportunities here in Arizona, so being the good sport that I am, I tried to find things to like about the area. I made more of an effort to make friends, get Ellie involved in activities, etc. Well, now it's looking like we might go back to Texas. Arrgh! Now I feel like my life is totally in limbo. If I make any kind of plans for our future past the next month or so, that guarantees that Dave will change things up on me. I've lost all interest in making an effort to get to know our neighbors and people in the ward because kind of what's the point? I hate not knowing for sure what's going to happen or where we'll be living in two months. At least it will all be over soon. That's what I keep telling myself.