Here's a brief collection of our pics from leaving MS/visiting in ND.......

Our final night on the Gulf Coast---we'll miss our long runs on Beach Blvd. for sure.

AEGD graduation.

Suite I!! These are my buds Tony (now @ AFB in England) and Peter (now @ AFB near Salt Lake) whom I shared an office with. The 3 clowns of the residency class for sure.

This story will inevitably be ingrained in JoAnna's memory until the end of time so that she can spout off about what an idiot I am to anyone willing to listen. At our temporary hotel at Keesler AFB there was one of those uber-sticky cockroach traps (classy joint, huh?) sitting in the corner that I obviously didn't see until after I threw a bunch of our dirty clothes on top of. "He's so unobservant. I swear he's an idiot 90% of the day."
{Notice the cockroach just above my blue shorts.}

Breding Auto's 100th Birthday Celebration in Powers Lake

We served free lunch for the celebration. Without RSVP's we had no idea how many people would show---we were expecting 40-50. When we rang the dinner bell 180 people showed up, haha. Somehow we managed to pull it off and feed everyone. I called it "controlled chaos." Jo called it poor planning with an idiot at the helm....that would be me :)

Limo ride to the casino after the celebration...

We went out golfing w/ my grandpa Vernie, 90. He golfs every weekday morning at 8:00 with his buddies. I hope to be able to do that when I'm 80, let alone 90. He beat us both, not kidding. Every shot goes 100 yards and straight down the middle....

This was his 1st shot from the tee box on hole #1. There is a huge coulee about 100-150 yards across. He gets pretty pumped up when he clears it---as seen here.

We took a trip out to my grandparents farm. Jo had never been there and I hadn't been out there in a couple years.

Of course we had lots of play time w/ Jager .... they had a grand time with their puppets and British accents. Who would have guessed a 3 year old could say "res-to-rant" like a young British lad.

Here's Jo with her new purchase---a 2010 Buick Enclave. We sold her car in MS and bought this from my dad when we got back to Powers Lake. Its super-nice. Tons of room for dogs, kids, camping, etc.  

On our way to Morris we stopped in Fargo at our friends Jon and Lou Dahl's new house. We got to see their new house and their new baby, Charlie.


Life is good in California....no news on a house yet.

Welcome to Call-ee-phone-ee-ya....

We're here.

*The Terminator is our new governor (welcome to Call-ee-phone-ee-ya)

* It's hot--but not Biloxi hot. Back sweat has been kept to a minimum so far.

* The base is huuuuge in size--so far on base we've spotted fox, deer, turkeys, a rattlesnake, rabbits. JoAnna says we live in a zoo. Apparently they also let cattle from local ranchers pasture on base. And the speed limit is 50mph. At Keesler it was 25mph and I was once stopped for going 28 so it really feels like I'm breaking the rules when I drive 50 now.

* Jo had 2 interviews--both went well. The 1st place offered her the job, the 2nd place will get back w/ her but she suspects she'll be offered there as well. She's waiting to hear back on a cardiology position that she has her eye on.

* I haven't really started yet--I'm officially on house hunting leave. I stopped by 1 day and said hello to everyone. My boss seems cool and my new assistant is from Stillwater, MN and also a big Vikings fan.

*We looked at 21 houses and just today made an offer on the one we like best. Unfortunately its a short sale meaning it could take a while before we can close. We'll know a lot more in about 3 weeks after the banks assessor does his work.

The housing crisis nailed this area bad. Every single house for sale is either a short or a foreclosure. Some were 3 years old and bombed out on the inside--people just quit caring once they couldn't make payments anymore. It was really awkward to show up at a house and have the owner stand on the sidewalk as we checked the place out. Also not fun was seeing little kids' rooms and nurseries.

At one house the owners had a new Cadillac Escalade in the driveway and a very fancy bedroom set in the master bedroom but the kids slept on bare mattresses and the house was about to go into foreclosure. Odd.

On the Road Again....

A quick update from Casper, Wyoming. .....

We're currently on our big drive out to California, done with visiting everyone back home for now. 2 weeks went super fast but we were able to see almost everyone---pics to follow at some point.

We decided to stop in Casper, Wy last night b/c it was getting dark and we were seeing so many antelope on the sides of the road----i bet we saw 500 total last night.

We did something very uncharacteristic of ourselves and decided to splurge a little and hit up the Super 8 instead of our bread and butter Motel 6. There is definitely a difference in staying at the cheapest motel out there and staying at the 2nd cheapest motel out there.

Motel 6 has provided us with some unbeatable rates and unbeatable stories. We once stayed at one in Champaign, IL that was so trashy we didn't even sleep under the sheets---we just brought in a comforter from the car and slept on top of their sheets. Also, there was a biker gang in the parking lot breaking beer bottles and yelling at each other.....

Today we're off to Salt Lake for the 1st time ever and will see the Lake, the city, the Mormon Temple and most importantly our friends the Frandsens. I'll go out on a limb and predict that Hotel Frandsen will be a step up from both the Motel 6 and Super 8---can't wait.

California by tomorrow!