Milbloggie Awards 2011 Begins Tonight

At least that's what they said on the Web site.  I am one of the finalists in the Army category.  Last year voting was a pain.  this year they said it would be better.  I will try it out when they open up voting and see if it really is easy.  Thanks to everyone who voted last year.  I will be at the milblogging conference Saturday and see the other contestants.

Jacari's Adoption Hearing Goes Smoothly

Today we adopted Jacari in Lancaster County court.  From left is Amanda Moore, Jacari's social worker, Nigel, Jacari, Annalisa, me and the Judge.
Since Jacari is 12, he took the witness chair and said he wanted to be adopted.  The hearing is mostly a formality, but it still marks a big change for Jacari and our family.
The judge said we would get an official birth certificate in 6 weeks and that it would be perfectly legal if Jacari decides to run for president.

If anyone reading this is in the Lancaster PA area, we are having an adoption party tomorrow from 6 - 8 pm.  Send me an email if you need directions.

More Air Assault Shots

Here's some more.

Air Assault Training in Western PA

More later, but for now, a few shots from a hillside on a farm where Alpha Company, 1-10th Infantry, 2nd Brigade practiced air assault and extraction.  These photos are of one of the platoons running back to the Chinook at the end of the mission.

Grounded

This morning I showed up for a 0730 mission brief at the Flight Facility on Fort Indiantown Gap, PA.  When I got there, the day's mission had already been cancelled for weather.  The mission to western PA may be rescheduled for tomorrow when the sun is shining.

I went to Plan B.  Go to Marquette Lake and watch fire-fighting training with Blackhawk helicopters.  Our Blackhawks were slated to scoop up water from the lake and practice dropping it on a point and across an area.  I went to the lake 30 minutes ahead of the first mission.  An hour later I switched to Plan C--take pictures of two soldiers from Echo Company who were graduating from the Warrior Leadership Course.  That worked.  Graduation was indoors, on time.

Then I went back to the lake.  It was beginning to rain.  I waited about 15 minutes but the mist turned into rain, the wind kicked up to 25 mph.  Mission cancelled.

Tomorrow the main mission, air assault training for an infantry unit in Western Pennsylvania may go ahead as planned.  More tomorrow.

Milbloggie Awards 2011

Tomorrow night nominations open for the Milbloggie Awards for 2011.  I will be attending the Milblogging Conference at the end April.  When voting opens next week, I will be asking you to vote for my blog.  The people who run the site promise it will work better than last year.  I will post the link after I try it out myself.  Last year I know it was a big hassle to vote.  If it is as bad as last year, I won't ask.

Thanks in advance.

Neil

Half Marathon with My Wife and Running with the Boys

On Saturday morning I ran the Garden Spot Half Marathon in New Holland PA.  I did not run more than seven miles at one time in the last month and my time showed that.  I finished in 2:09:14.  Even allowing a half-minute to get to the start line a pace of 9:50 per mile.  My wife and I started together with Catherine, one of her running partners.  Catherine dropped back right after the start so Annalisa and I ran together for the first eight miles.  The out-and-back course was more uphill on the way out, more downhill on the way back.  Annalisa is faster than I am, but I run better up hills, so I would go ahead up hills then she would catch up on the flats and fly downhills.  She was way ahead on the downhill to the turn around, but at a short, steep hill on the way back, I caught up.  The next big downhill she was gone.  We finished a minute apart.

Terilyn, another member of my wife's running group, skipped the event , but brought Nigel and Jacari to cheer for Annalisa and I.  She is good with a map and brought the kids to cheer for us at mile 5, miles 8 and mile 12.  Some other people we know who were running told us afterward that Nigel and Jacari  cheered louder than anyone else along the course!

Jacari ran the last mile with Annalisa.  Nigel ran the list mile with me.  When we got home, Nigel and Jacari ran another mile with me.  They run at least two miles with me each day on weekends when I am home and sometimes during the week.  On Sunday, we ran another two miles.  Nigel was hurting on the second mile, but his brother Jacari stayed with him right to the end.  Nigel did not quit and even put on a short sprint at the end.  I finished third.

We sing Army songs when we run.  It seems to help them.  Some of them are Army classics "C-130 rollin' down the strip. . ." and some I make up.  If I see one or both of the boys are feeling lazy, I make up a song with "My Little Pony" in it.  My Little Pony is a very girlie toy advertised on the Cartoon Network.  If I make up a line with "I wanna play with My Little Pony" they both straighten up and keep running.