October 2010
1 post
It was really nice to meet you; goodbye.
About 38 days ago I lost a good friend, Army 1st Lt. Eric David Yates, in Afghanistan to an IED.
I’ve stared at this screen, blank pages of paper, and into space a lot over the last few weeks in attempt to get something, anything, out of my brain to make sense of this. And the more I’ve stared, the more I’ve realized that there is no easy way to put to words what I’ve...
September 2010
1 post
Dear United Airlines -- I am not a fan
So after a rather excruciating experience with United Airlines today, I thought to write them a short, which ended up being rather long, note. Long story short, don’t fly United, especially in or out of Chicago. D-i-s-a-s-t-e-r.
To Whom It May Concern: My experience with the entire United Airlines Travel process was beyond frustrating today. My experience with your airline began this...
July 2010
1 post
May 2010
8 posts
Warrior Games Open →
A new friend of mine, Senior Master Sgt. Mike Sanders, is competing in these games. He’s a 2+ year cancer survivor and puts my, and most people I know’s, fitness level to shame. I’m super excited for him and can’t wait to see how he does!
airforce:
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote on his official blog, and recorded a video, about the incredible spirit...
New Omaha Favorites
During my trips home to Omaha, I always go out with my friend Rhonda and her two daughters. Rhonda and I go way back to my Panera Bread bagel-slinging days, and she’s become one of my best friends. Tonight she introduced me to two newer Omaha establishments.
The first one was Maria Bonita, a little 50-seat Mexican restaurant on Missouri Avenue in South Omaha. The place is owned by a...
March 2010
1 post
Dear John Letter
My dearest John Wayne, You have served me well these last three years, my beloved MacBook Pro. Your charm, your ease of use, and your smashing good looks — my love for you has not dwindled over time, much the opposite in fact. However, regardless of my indescribable love for you, it is time that we bring in another computer into our home…the Asus Eee. I recognize that this addition...
November 2009
1 post
3 tags
Thanksgiving 2009
I opted not to go home but to stay in the STL for Thanksgiving this year. Instead my friend Jenn came up from Kentucky and we celebrated the holiday together, sipping wine and cooking our very first Thanksgiving dinner. Neither of us had ever attempted to cook a turkey before, but we somehow managed to do so today, and quite well I might add. We named him Bartholomew…and man, was he...
October 2009
1 post
A 365 Day Review...
Today marks a year from my first TDY, or Temporary Duty assignment, aka business trip and although that, in and of it self, is not a huge deal, I’ve reflected on the last year and realized that I’ve done a whoooole lot of traveling. And while I should be writing my final paper for my International Relations class, I decided to take the last few minutes, before I drift off into...
August 2009
5 posts
jrtc adventure day 9
Tonight, I ate alligator and frog legs. Yes, I am in Louisiana, I guess that’s what you do here. The alligator wasn’t bad, very chicken-y. On the other hand, I can’t say I’ll be eating frog legs again anytime soon. We (combat camera folks & me) hit up a local cajun restaurant down the street from the hotel we’re in. None of us were terribly impressed, but we...
jrtc adventure days 4-8
{Editor’s Note: It’s been a long day of story editing, so I make no claims as to how well this story will be edited. Hopefully I’ve gotten the large mistakes. :o)} Ok. So it’s been a few days, but it’s not my fault, I swear. Internet service has been sparse at best. And time has been at a high premium. It’s been a complete blur since I last blogged on...
jrtc adventure day 3
This morning started at 3:15 a.m. And it hurt, but I made it and I loved every minute of it. Well, except for the minutes with the bugs, I could have done without the bugs, but I digress. Today we hung out with the C-17 fellas and we had a 4:30 a.m. showtime at the training squadron to sit in on the aircrew’s mission planning. Since I had to check out of lodging, I had the pleasure of...
2 tags
jrtc adventure day 2
I am exhausted. Today was long day of meetings and briefings, the majority of which, I admittedly did not understand. Lots of piloty lingo and jargon, I’m sure that my facial expression was somewhat like a curious dog’s when they hear something strange…you know, cocked to the side quizzically. But I made it. And even managed to glean some useful information from it. Next...
JRTC Adventure Day 1
After an unprecedented morning of lucky traveling, I find myself in Little Rock, Ark. I arrived at the airport around 6:45 a.m. and was greeted by Southwest Airlines attendant who was awfully chipper for that time of morning. Which is fine by me considering I was in a rather good mood myself. I was checked-in, checked my baggage, and through security in no more than 10 minutes — a...
June 2009
1 post
January 2009
1 post
3 tags
The 2009 Resolution
OK - I know that several posts back I said I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions, I don’t see the point. However, there is no better way to get started doing something than to say you don’t or won’t do it. It occurred to me as I was cleaning and reorganizing my apartment today, that I have a lot of books…and I mean A LOT of books that I haven’t read. ...
December 2008
1 post
4 tags
Happy Christmas & Merriest of Merry New Years!
Coming home this time was different than it had been in the past. This time around, while seeing friends is nice, I was really only concerned about seeing family and a few chosen close friends. And I’m for certain past the stage of going out and acting ridiculous — not sure if I ever hit that stage, at least not past a mild level. A lot of my friends at home aren’t past that...
November 2008
3 posts
2 tags
Water Cooler Talk
Ok, so this conversation didn’t actually happen at a water cooler, but it did happen around an office member’s desk that has candy bowl on the corner, so it’s kind of like the same thing, right? This conversation spun off a conversation that we were having about the Home Use version of Microsoft Office. Katherine: Do they have the Home Use for Mac? Bekah: Yep, I just got it last...
2 tags
Amado, AZ
I got to spend Wednesday with this guy. Suffice it to say it was probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. The stories Col Halvorsen shared with us, the things that he’s seen and done are absolutely incredible.
2 tags
November 5th
The election of 2008 may be over, but the campaigning does not seem to have found its end just yet. And so, the nasty exchanges between McCain and Obama supporters continue to flare despite the fact that the decision has been made. And for what else, other than to drag out an already excruciatingly long election for absolutely no purpose? No amount of debate, no amount of argument, and no...
October 2008
4 posts
3 tags
Found him!
Good to see that President Gary Ransdell is finally available to make a comment on the suspected shooting at WKU, even if it is 24 hours AFTER it happened.
3 tags
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The Gary...
The WKU Herald, WKU’s independent student-run newspaper, ran this this morning…still no word from President Gary Ransdell. Why? Something doesn’t seem right here, stories aren’t meshing well, things just aren’t adding up. One thing I’d still love to know is where in the world is Gary Ransdell? It’s not that I have a conspiracy theory behind his absence,...
3 tags
Shooting on WKU's Campus!!! Oh wait, omg, jk...
I was walking into Steak ‘n Shake today when Jon turned around to me and filled me in on the news that there was a shooting at WKU and that it currently looked like there was a hostage situation in the process. According to his radio station that they were suspecting that it was the next Virginia Tech. I told him to shut up. And then he stared at me, and I fought what he was saying for about...
3 tags
God Bless Texas
I find myself in San Antonio, Texas this week for an Air Force journalism conference. This morning has been solid briefings — while not the most exciting things ever, they were at least somewhat informative and a good thermometer for the current public affairs climate in the Air Force. We’re staying a hotel near the Riverwalk which is nice. The one huge drawback: no wireless. Well I...
September 2008
3 posts
1 tag
I've been spotted!
Well folks, despite my best efforts the WKU Alumni Association has found me! Having had to work for said Alumni Association (although admittedly, only for a week and a half, I just couldn’t handle asking people for money) I understood the plight of the Sophomore who called me — she was really nice and sweet and I was nothing but the same back to her. Don’t get me wrong, I have...
1 tag
To-Do List
I never make New Year’s Resolutions. There are sometimes some practices that I think I should adopt, but there never really January 1 centric as much as they are just enhancements that I think I should add to my life and they come at all times of the year. However, they generally pop up in excess around the August/September time frame. I think it’s probably because it’s...
4 tags
Meet My New Baby
OK, so it’s been a while since my last post - I have been extraordinarily busy, to the point of ridiculousness. My new job is amazing, it keeps me busy and I absolutely love the work as well as the people I work with. They are fabulous. In addition to the craziness at work, I’ve had many visitors already. Two weekends with my frien Rhonda and her daughters, and then a weekend with...
August 2008
2 posts
1 tag
Fleeting
Fleeting (adjective): passing swiftly; vanishing quickly; transient; transitory; fade away Someone that meant a lot to me told me that I was fleeting to them tonight. It’s going to take a while to recover from that.
2 tags
Still Moving In
So, I suck at life. Or at least at blogging. In my defense I have been fairly busy with moving in, getting everything put away, acquainting myself with my new surroundings and basically just adjusting to life as an independent adult. The move, outside of the movers dropping my brand new washing machine off the back of the truck, went very well. And, gratefully, my washing machine did, in fact,...
July 2008
2 posts
4 tags
I'm a Gypsy
It’s true. I am a gypsy, at least part gypsy — it’s a part of my honest to God blood line. I swear. It wasn’t until the other night when my friend compared me to gypsies that I truly took ownership of that part of my background. I’ve never really been one for ethnic stereotypes you know, all Irish drink a lot, all Germans like beer, all Native Americans do rain...
3 tags
Post 4th of July Post
Hey All! I can only say that I hope everyone’s 4th of July post was as fantastically fabulous as mine was. I went out to the Wagner’s for their 4th Annual 4th of July awesomeness and if I do say so myself, I think this year was the best year yet. The poster that creatively inclined Michelle created for the event promised a special guest and after much anticipation and excitement the...
June 2008
8 posts
4 tags
Whoops...
It’s been a few days and it’s been a whirlwind of activity since I returned from my Seattle vacation, which was amazing by the way. I returned on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday began preparing once again for the move — tying up loose ends, running random errands, etc. I FINALLY received my orders first thing Thursday morning in and e-mail and spent all day finding people who...
2 tags
Last Day of Vacation
Well, after two rather violent tremors today we decide that it was time to call the front desk and find out what that is. We knew it wasn’t an earthquake, but this time, the mirror on the other wall was shaking…we wanted an answer. It was the laundry. So today was our last day in Seattle, nothing too special. We did go up to the observation deck (floor 73) of the Columbia Center...
2 tags
Seattle Day Three
Since our hotel internet was being shady last night I suppose I have two days worth of blogging to do this evening. Yesterday was awesome. We started off our second day with some coffee from Seattle’s Best which, I dare say is better than Starbucks! *Gasp* Blasphemy, I know! After grabbing our coffee we walked over to the market and realized that we were still too early as a good portion...
Wet T-Shirt Contest!!!
After I crawled out of my surprisingly comfortable hotel bed I found my suitcase in the dark (Jeremy wasn’t up yet so I didn’t want to turn on the lights) and found my clothes for the day: jeans, white Old Navy t-shirt, socks, underwear the whole bit and I head to the bathroom. I turned on the shower because it takes a minute to get warm and I removed Jeremy’s swim trunks from...
2 tags
Pictures, finally!
The internet finally stabilized enough to upload pictures now let’s see if I can get Photobucket to cooperate One of the beautiful skies I was telling you all about. Bored in the car. Meandering in Seattle. A sampling of the many beautiful flowers in the Pike Place Market.
2 tags
Seattle Day One
I’m writing to you poolside after some amazing Olive Garden salad and soup. Jeremy is swimming and I’m sitting on the sidelines because I didn’t bring my bathing suit, it’s not warm enough for swimming (at least for me) and when I looked at weather last week it was supposed to be in the 50s with some rain. Well it’s been an interesting first day in Seattle. First...
3 tags
Road Trippin' Day 1 & 2 (and part of day 3...
Well, hallelujah, praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition, folks!!! We are finally in Seattle after two loooooooong 13 hour days in the car and I finally have what seems to be a solid internet connection — at least until I said that and my bars all disappeared. I guess I’ll just keep typing and then when I get a full signal I’ll copy all my words to make sure I don’t...
2 tags
It's 6 PM...
….and I’m brewing a pot of coffee and preparing for a night of thunderstorms and “tornadic activity.” I’m still holding it down on the homefront and am enjoying every moment of it…for the most part. I could do with going to work but hey even that’s not that bad knowing that I get to leave in just a few weeks since I should be leaving for my “real...
May 2008
6 posts
2 tags
Severe Storm Warning
…That’s what all of our television network stations are telling us. Severe thunderstorms mostly, but I think a few counties have tornado watches. We love storms in the Clark household, well with the exception of my little sister Jennifer who, according to her twitter “less than <3s thunderstorms.” When the storm started naturally my Dad, Mom (both former...
3 tags
My Six-Year-Old Self
As you all know I just graduated a few weeks ago, and I’m staying with my parents in Omaha, Nebraska until I move for my “real job” in July. I’m loving being home and I’m terribly excited about moving into my first place that I can call my own in a couple months. I’ve found the apartment and I’m getting more and more preparations finished (i.e. bedding,...
1 tag
Teh neu apartment
I founz it. For those of you who don’t speak Lolcat that means I found my new apartment. And I am totally pumped. It’s a two bed and two bath, 1100 square foot apartment. It has a switch-on fireplace and plenty of space. I’ve already started dreaming up different decor ideas because I’m a huge geek. I cannot wait.
1 tag
Shhh....I'm hunting apartments.
Well, as Andy so aptly pointed out in the comment section of my last blog, I am now graduated and I do need to change my About Me page. I figured I had a few days to do that since I didn’t realize that anyone actually read this stuff, but apparently they do, so thank you Andy, I’ll have that fixed as soon as I finish this blog entry. :) So, yes, I graduated on Saturday and it was...
1 tag
Graduation Day
Last night, I slept on a windowsill. The family descended on my house on Thursday evening after a very long car ride all the way from Kansas City, MO to Bowling Green, KY for the glorious occasion that is my college graduation taking place this afternoon at 3 PM. Got the entire apartment loaded up into my family’s three cars (including my car) and we’re ready to get the heck out of...
1 tag
So, I just got a phone call from Robert Schwartzman of Rooney to say hi and congratulate me on my impending graduation from college. And no, that is not a joke. It’s one of the cooler things to happen to me recently. My sister went to their show since they were in my lovely town of Omaha and she got him to call me from her phone, it was pretty neat. So, thanks to Robert, I was already...