tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28523683381880373652011-07-28T16:44:12.409-05:00G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.comBlogger1321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-74278501818895287252009-11-30T21:29:00.002-06:002009-11-30T21:36:55.257-06:00

I started my DSL tech training class today at work. It lasts for 5 weeks. This class builds on what I'm already trained one. Exciting days ahead. We spent the first 2 hours of class playing musical classrooms, LOL.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-33919496657722252942009-11-24T16:29:00.001-06:002009-11-24T16:34:05.753-06:00

Jan got herself an iPhone 3GS today. She's like a kid in a candy store now, LOL. We enjoyed goofing off together today and raiding Wally World.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-56225802894650442722009-11-12T07:52:00.002-06:002009-11-12T07:55:06.560-06:00

Louie Vincent US Army 1945, originally uploaded by stowm50.Aaron's grandfather & my father @ 21 years old. Just before he was released from the Army. He was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and had been a POW in Halle, Germany for 4 months right before this picture was taken. He's 85 now and still kicking, cuts his own grass!Pray for and thank a veteran for the freedoms you enjoy today!!

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-3415007174875461172009-11-10T15:57:00.002-06:002009-11-10T16:25:02.958-06:00

Today is Aaron's birthday. Well, sorta.... Today IS the birthday of the Marine Corps. It's a very big deal for all Marines, active and retired."During the American Revolution, many important political discussions took place in the inns and taverns of Philadelphia, including the founding of the Marine Corps. A committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern to draft a resolution calling

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-46153900357377463422009-10-01T07:55:00.002-05:002009-10-01T08:00:38.626-05:00

Aaron finally got the off-base housing allotment approved and he's rented 1/2 of a condo in Carlsbad, about 20 mins from base and literally a stones throw from the Pacific. One of his runner friends is in the other half. He's happier that a pig in mud now, LOL. He's shopping for a bed and desk now for his BR.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-71952989134626034192009-09-20T15:56:00.003-05:002009-09-20T16:18:51.371-05:00

Jan's off this weekend so we're just relaxing and unwinding. I put the Pig out in the backyard and let her graze on the fresh grass, Jan gave her a pedicure, and I changed her bedding. The riding mower should be ready this week. Got some trimming to do in the newly cleaned out area outside the fence.The Tide & Tigers had a great weekend, both undefeated. Jan made a delicious apple pie earlier

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-54691011925902063192009-09-18T20:14:00.002-05:002009-09-18T20:26:52.118-05:00

Aaron Vincent was just awarded a Certificate of Commendation (CertCom) for superior performance of duty during the previous 13th MEU deployment :) Quite a few SNCOs and officers have told me that I deserve a Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal (NAM) for what I did, but, unfortunately, there's only so many of those to go around for each deployment.Way to go Aaron!!

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-16092633979929452682009-09-15T11:29:00.002-05:002009-09-15T11:43:59.236-05:00

Aaron made his whirlwind stop here last week and is now back in California. It sure was nice to have him around for a few days. He cracked the glass faceplate on his new iPhone, the iPhone itself still worked, and had to get a replacement iPhone when he got back to CA.He looked great, lean and mean (actually a lean pussycat, LOL). Dad didn't get a chance to see Aaron but they did talk on the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-68887731511700978962009-09-06T08:52:00.003-05:002009-09-06T09:02:40.957-05:00

Kimberly got married to Robert Cole last week. Rob and I have become Facebook friends. We now have a multi-cultural extended family.Aaron's in Colorado this weekend competing in the Inter-America Hash Run. Runners from North, Central, and South America get together once a year (I think) and have a running & beer drinking great time. He'll be HOME tomorrow at 7:00pm until next Sunday, YEAAAAA.I'm

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-50649351003799971692009-08-29T08:30:00.002-05:002009-08-29T08:44:41.266-05:00

I was in the 7th grade and Andy Griffith had just finished a movie entitled "Onionhead". In it, he was in the Navy and had his head shaved, hence the nickname. I went to the barber and asked for a "GI haircut". I didn't have a clue what that was but it sounded cool at the time. Next day at school, I became the overnight sensation, "Onionhead", Onion for short.In the 9th grade, I had the head

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-34687245954088672572009-08-28T21:17:00.002-05:002009-08-28T21:40:47.290-05:00

When I was in the Air Force, as was the case in all the services, troops were identified by their last name by the other troops. This resulted in some odd nicknames. In my case, Vincent came Vince or Vinnie. Additionally, I had a name that could be used forwards or backwards: Gregory Vincent or Vincent Gregory, works either way.When I met, and subsequently married my ex-wife, we were were both in

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-50630069777832051952009-08-07T21:38:00.002-05:002009-08-07T21:45:45.676-05:00

Aaron got a new iPhone 3GS and a new 24" iMac computer. He's a dyed-in-the-wool Apple-holic now, LOLToday is 27 years of wedded bliss for Jan and I. We couldn't possibly be happier. We have a real live US Marine for a son, money in the bank, a roof over our heads, cars to drive, food to eat, good jobs, a small zoo of pets...and all of this goes to the glory of our Lord and saviour, Jesus

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-69485843736622954432009-08-02T09:29:00.002-05:002009-08-02T09:35:01.983-05:00

Aaron arrived back at Camp Pendleton on Friday. He got checked in and retrieved his car so he's mobile! He got a new iPhone 3GS yesterday and retired his Blackjack II phone. He has a BIG weekend planned with his hashing buddies and main squeeze, Lisa.Welcome back Marine! Mission accomplished!

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-50108108536990911722009-07-26T20:09:00.001-05:002009-07-26T20:09:05.027-05:00

Ready to man the rails for Pearl Harbor on July 17, originally uploaded by gvincent1.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-38126449601966779472009-07-26T07:19:00.003-05:002009-07-26T07:57:02.313-05:00

Aaron left Hawaii last Friday and is on his way to Camp Pendleton. He said the went on a six hour hike with friends in the foothills of Hilo and got some great pix. The ship should arrive on July 31. I don't know who's more excited - him or us. They have to offload equipment at Camp Pendleton before continuing on to San Diego. He'll stay with the equipment. He says they have a month's worth of

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-54989801901000498722009-07-19T16:26:00.000-05:002009-07-19T16:26:36.081-05:00

PIC-0019_1.jpg (JPEG Image, 1600x1200 pixels) - Scaled (56%)

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-60029977087824677332009-07-18T18:14:00.002-05:002009-07-18T18:20:33.220-05:00

Aaron arrived in Pearl Harbor yesterday for a seven day stay before coming to San Diego at the end of the month. Check out the pix he made yesterday in Pearl Harbor while still on the ship before docking at Pearl.He called us last night from the ship as soon as he got a cellphone signal. It was GREAT to hear his voice again. He'll be home on Sept 7 for a few days.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-14300135254851203442009-07-07T18:50:00.004-05:002009-07-07T19:23:14.976-05:00

Dennis and I got the riding mower fixed again this morning, a drive belt came off. Got all the grass cut. Enjoyed a nice day off today. Got my pistol permit renewed for another year.The tree guys are coming Thursday to finish the tree project in the back yard. Gonna take down four trees (2 live, 2 dead), trim the rest, and finish cleaning up around the drainage ditch beside the house.Several of

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-68764125588089142582009-07-01T22:13:00.002-05:002009-07-01T22:18:50.844-05:00

Bought a tee shirt from Sgt Grit with a picture of our Marine on it. A bunch of Marines and sailors got the flu while in Thailand so the commander decided to bypass their next port call, Hong Kong, China, in deference to a "friendlier" port....bummer.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-60705973243953221752009-06-26T08:21:00.002-05:002009-06-26T08:28:54.562-05:00

Aaron's in Thailand for a few days of sun, sand, and suds. My guess is his next stop will be in Singapore on his way home.Joined two new Facebook groups, THS Class of '66 and The Emmaus Community Alabama Emmaus Walk #235, Table of PeterCheck 'em out!

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-6084708517462849332009-06-23T07:40:00.007-05:002009-06-23T07:56:15.733-05:00

Been doing some research on ancestry.com and I found the draft card that belonged to Aaron great-grandfather, Louie Benjamin Vincent. Is that cool or what? So far, I've been able to track back to Aaron's great-great-great grandfather, Thomas W Sullivan, born 1814.That's John Wesley Vincent's wife's father. John is Louie Benjamin's father. Both are buried side-by-side at Blue Eye Church in Lincoln

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-24163562026666136492009-06-22T18:06:00.002-05:002009-06-22T18:07:27.078-05:00

The iPhone 3.0 feature compendiumPosted using ShareThis

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-16350649748506331272009-06-21T15:42:00.002-05:002009-06-21T15:57:15.778-05:00

Aaron's on the way home! They performed the WOG ceremony on board ship yesterday that transformed the new troops from Polliwogs to Shellbacks. It's a Naval tradition for the benefit of troops that cross the equator for the first time. King Neptune appears on board for a day's worth of friendly hazing and hilarious shenanigans for the entire ship's company.He's says they're making two port calls

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-1114977397203335092009-06-07T13:00:00.003-05:002009-06-07T13:09:01.904-05:00

We got some pix from Aaron today taken on June 1 while they were in Aqaba, Jordan. They were doing an agricultural contamination wash down of all the equipment before heading back to San Diego. Also gave them a chance to get off the ship for a few days.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-85632415755288490462009-06-04T18:32:00.004-05:002009-06-04T18:47:39.347-05:00

We received word today from Aaron that he has spoken with his Staff Sergeant and has volunteered for a 6-7 month deployment to Afghanistan early next year with his supply unit. It was his choice and I fully support him. However, Jan definitely has different feelings regarding the matter. Being his Mother, she is rightfully entitled to these feelings and I fully support her as well.His pay will

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-88112099531612107242009-05-25T09:03:00.001-05:002009-05-25T09:03:49.108-05:00

Our son has grown up!! This is one of the most well-thought-out essays on why one should join the US military I have ever read. To say Aaron is a changed man is an understatement. Of course, time will tell. But I do feel he has definitely (and POSITIVELY) "turned the corner" as it were. I was beaming as I was reading this with a sense of family pride such as I have never had. Aaron is carrying on

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-13581650973296263472009-05-20T08:07:00.002-05:002009-05-20T08:34:54.375-05:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged. Lots going on. Aaron has had several days of liberty in Dubai, finally, after over 90 days at sea. He's seen the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai and shopped at the world's largest mall, the Dubai Mall. How cool is that!!We're looking forward to meeting him in Hawaii in late July or early August. He's been busy while at sea. His ship was host to

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-89922189001579039102009-04-04T14:27:00.002-05:002009-04-04T14:32:11.716-05:00

Well, i finished the grass, went to walmart for stuff, went to Andy's market for veggies, got the Lincoln turned back into a white car from a yellow (pollen) car, took a shower, had some lunch, now just waiting on Mom to get home...Had a video chat using Skype this morning with Tony. He's in Columbia, South America working. At the same time I was exchanging emails Aaron, he's in the Middle East,

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-36350458368485326192009-03-29T18:58:00.004-05:002009-03-29T19:22:57.685-05:00

This weekend was one for the books. Jan was in Hattiesburg on business and was supposed to catch the AmTrak back to Birmingham for me to pick her up at 2:30p Sunday afternoon. Pretty straight forward, right? WRONG!On Saturday, I decided to go to Dad's and spend some time with him and check on the status of the house add-on. I took some pix of the progress on the add-on and they can be viewed on

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-7057270173760339062009-03-18T22:04:00.003-05:002009-03-18T22:23:59.266-05:00

AT&T now has it's newest employee as of 3/17 (my birthday) :-D I'm going thru 4-5 weeks of training now for DSL service and tech support: 2 weeks in the classroom and 2-3 weeks on assisted phone calls. Then they'll turn us loose! To say I'm excited would be a major understatement! I'm on the 11th and 12th floors of the downtown AT&T building at 600 18th St N. These two floors were very recently

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-40073934883958810562009-03-11T10:21:00.004-05:002009-03-11T10:46:49.233-05:00

It's official, Aaron is now an anti-pirate. His ship, the USS Boxer, is now the flagship for the piracy task force in the Middle East. Read about it in the article from the Marine Times. Should be easy duty for his unit. How about a skull & crossbones ribbon?The job with AT&T is 98% official. Had my drug test Monday and they are planning on getting me started in the April training class, YEAA!

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-141129174155770872009-03-02T10:55:00.003-06:002009-03-02T11:36:38.955-06:00

In the late 50's, I have vivid memories of "colored" water fountains and restrooms in the county courthouse on the square in Talladega, AL. The blacks had to sit only in the balcony, accessed from a side entrance, of the town's only movie theater.When I was a teenager in Talladega in the 60's, there was a great BBQ joint adjacent to the Talladega College campus. It was owned and operated by a

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-19711523783038570362009-02-23T11:18:00.002-06:002009-02-23T11:24:00.745-06:00

Aaron survived Phuket, Thailand in one piece and is on his way to points west. He sent us a LONG email detailing his exploits. Suffice it to say, he had a BALL: bought stuff, saw stuff, took pix, ate stuff, and is back on board ship for 70+ days till his next port call. We wish him good sailing and calm seas ahead.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-20661633641057876882009-02-20T10:16:00.002-06:002009-02-20T10:35:32.184-06:00

Aaron's ship dropped anchor off Phuket, Thailand on Tuesday for four days of liberty (sand, surf, suds, etc.). His unit is split between three Navy ship. Two of them went to Singapore for liberty and his (on the biggest ship) went to Thailand. He says the place is beautiful. Apparently a lot of Europeans use it as a vacation site, much like we use Florida beaches. He's taking a couple of guided

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-73232321822006800882009-02-16T12:59:00.003-06:002009-02-16T13:04:52.297-06:00

I just found a website about the Batcats of Korat RTAFB. I was stationed there in early '70 originally for the full one year tour, but I was shipped out for medical reasons after three months. I spent about two weeks in Clark AFB, PI hospital for diagnostics. Then I was air evac'ed on to Guam (overnight), Yakota AFB in Japan (overnight), Elmendorf, AK (refueling stop), and finally Maxwell AFB, AL

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-47273805286146183762009-02-10T11:53:00.002-06:002009-02-10T12:10:56.908-06:00

Here's a news story about Aaron's unit's recent stop in Guam. They left Guam a couple of days ago for points further west. He said he went to a McD's on the island and they had fried banana pies in place of apple pies that we have here. He said they were quite tasty. He characterized the water on the beach as "crystal clear, turquoise blue, and waist deep" for about 100 yards off shore to the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-79874451976958703492009-02-09T11:45:00.001-06:002009-02-09T11:45:04.226-06:00

Aaron should be leaving Guam bound for Iwo Jima and points west about now if their plans are current. Haven’t heard anything from him since he left Hawaii. Guess he’s doing Marine stuff. He should have received his first care package from us in Guam. If anyone wants to write him or send him a care package while he’s on deployment, the Department Of Defense (DoD)states: “DoD continues to

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-28793503203105942252009-02-07T21:12:00.001-06:002009-02-07T21:12:37.641-06:00

test blog

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-79613669653752288302009-01-29T12:01:00.003-06:002009-01-29T12:42:05.584-06:00

I downloaded Windows 7 Beta over the weekend and loaded it onto 2 PCs, a Toshiba laptop and a Dell desktop. The download ( and subsequent burning to a DVD) allows loading on up to three PC's with the same key. All the reviews , so far, have been very positive regarding this beta version. It's the Ultimate version and is good til Aug 9, then automatically stops working. I'm running within Windows

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-83467330353706922092009-01-27T13:33:00.002-06:002009-01-27T13:45:14.310-06:00

There is a popular Cuban song entitled "Guantanamera" that is decades old. I never knew what that word meant. When the song came on it sounded all the world like he was saying, "One ton tomato", so that's how I always sang the song. It aggravated the crap outta Jan but I enjoyed it (and aggravating Jan, LOL).Today I looked on line for the definition of the word. Much to my surprise, it means "

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-46226774337034660942009-01-26T14:58:00.002-06:002009-01-26T15:07:23.679-06:00

Aaron crossed the International Date Line. It's Tuesday morning where he is, 18 hours ahead of us. I downloaded Windows 7 Beta over the weekend and loaded it on two PCs to play with. Pretty cool so far. Definitely faster than Vista with not as much "fluff" on board.Went to Top of the River yesterday with the folks and had some good catfish, greens, slaw, onions, etc. Made me a chocolate cake cake

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-84650092962019613842009-01-22T14:11:00.002-06:002009-01-22T14:36:13.644-06:00

Aaron (for lack of a better term) is "stuck" in Hawaii. Apparently, one of the main systems on board his ship broke down and has to be repaired before they can leave Hawaii. This could take several days according to him. So, in the meantime, the Marines on board have liberty in and around Pearl Harbor until the problem is fixed. Funny how the ship just "happened" to pick Hawaii to break (LOL).

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-1834890044447810682009-01-20T11:30:00.002-06:002009-01-20T11:39:17.117-06:00

We have a new President, our first African-American President, Barack Obama. Martin Luther King's dream has come true and is alive and well in the United States. God bless America!We got a phone call from Aaron yesterday! He called from Pearl Harbor after the ship had docked. He was just released for a 12 hr liberty in Honolulu. They leave for Guam this morning.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-63535134669783890072009-01-15T08:27:00.002-06:002009-01-15T08:37:37.303-06:00

Our niece & nephew, Lea Ann & Tony, are in Okinawa, Japan now visiting their daughter's family (Mandi, Sophia, & Mike). Mike is a minister on assignment there as a missionary for five years.Aaron should be about 1/2 way to Hawaii by now. Wonder if he's seasick yet, LOL.Pat's coming over this weekend. We always enjoy her company. Jan & Sandy cornered a chipmunk in the bedroom a couple of days ago.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-49095901876180137412009-01-10T20:05:00.001-06:002009-01-10T20:06:55.125-06:00

Here's a Navy Times article describing Aaron's recent deployment.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-27914666021779363842009-01-09T10:48:00.002-06:002009-01-09T11:05:54.381-06:00

Just spoke with Aaron on the phone. He's in the hangar deck on board the USS Boxer at San Diego Naval Base. They'll be manning the rails for deployment out of the harbor in about an hour. Next stop, Pearl Harbor in about 12 days.He says he just found out they'll have a 3 day liberty in Hawaii before proceeding to the next port call, Guam. He says the weather there is cloudy and will be windy and

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-9499652155261407722009-01-06T12:09:00.002-06:002009-01-06T12:41:09.871-06:00

The last several days have been real dreary, wet, and rainy. At least the new year is getting a head start on the drought monitors (LOL). Aaron got all packed up and was waiting on the trucks to arrive at our last conversation. Today is the day he takes his car to the impound lot for deployed troops. He says he's having a blast with his new iPod Touch. He downloaded the 40 most popular apps (out

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-72871987332415664022009-01-01T10:51:00.003-06:002009-01-01T11:25:27.500-06:00

Happy new year! We brought in the new year sleeping soundly. Yea, I know, we're getting older. LOL We had the Carrolls over last night for some homemade turkey soup & cornbread. Sorry we missed Warren and his "air crew", but they were at her folks for the holidays. Can't see everyone, I guess.Aaron's back at Pendleton safe and sound. He got a ticket on base for speeding (45 in a 35) over the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-11271638382611931062008-12-30T10:37:00.002-06:002008-12-30T11:19:45.739-06:00

He's come and gone. A flurry of activity around the house while he was here, but now he's back in the saddle again :-( It was SO nice to have the folks over to our house on Saturday: my Dad, Pat, Lea Ann, and Tony. Dad seems to have had a great time with Aaron talking over old times. Aaron, surprisingly, didn't do much running around while he was at home. Fine with us! He seems to have enjoyed

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-9250948562023862742008-12-24T12:08:00.002-06:002008-12-24T12:18:45.649-06:00

I've been looking for new friends on Facebook. I've added Paul & Gretchen McDaniel, Kati Carroll so far. Aaron's at home with Jan watching Wall-E, good movie! It's been great to have him home. I'll get some pix and movies this Saturday when the gang comes over for dinner.I'm into book #5, Apollyon, in the Left Behind series. This is my second time through. A good series if you haven't already

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-37492509475136651932008-12-22T11:41:00.002-06:002008-12-22T12:11:07.286-06:00

Aaron's home for Xmas and Jan's surgery went great. She's beginning to putter around the house with her walker, breaking in her new knee. All's well with the world. We had a good home-cooked breakfast Sunday morning for the three of us. I cooked scrambled eggs, sausage, oatmeal, milk, coffee, toast. Doesn't get much better than that.We gave Aaron an early Xmas present: a new 16gig iPod Touch to

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-30486193247190699052008-12-18T12:56:00.002-06:002008-12-18T13:13:43.766-06:00

Jan's surgery went great. Exactly 24 hours after surgery, they had her up and walking to the door and back, amazing! She'll probably go home tomorrow. I'll pick up Aaron from the airport tomorrow at 2:00p, come to the hospital and pick up Jan, go to Jan's work and pick up a prepared meal, then go home with the "gang". I'll be off til Monday.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-2910357414081441462008-12-16T08:50:00.002-06:002008-12-16T08:57:48.675-06:00

Almost every morning, I go to Waffle House for breakfast on the way to work. This morning, I did my Christmas good deed. There were a couple of Army women eating at a table and I bought their breakfast in honor of their service to our country. I had never done that before and it made me feel REAL good. I pray someone returns the favor for our son serving in the Marines. These people are putting

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-61265256958627863252008-12-15T10:58:00.002-06:002008-12-15T11:04:11.168-06:00

This promises to be an interesting week at home. Wednesday, Jan is having a full knee replacement done on her left knee at UAB Highlands. Friday, Aaron's coming home for 10 days Christmas liberty until Dec 29th. I've gotta pick him up at the airport around 2:00 pm.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-33088829143631251892008-12-12T11:29:00.002-06:002008-12-12T11:51:30.439-06:00

Heard from Aaron just now. He just off loaded from the USS Boxer onto an LCU landing craft and is on the way to San Diego (about a two hour windy and cold ride) after finishing his training exercises. Here are some pix. One week from today and he'll be home! Aaron had his picture in the B'ham News today regarding his recent promotion to Corporal.Eight inches of snow in southern Mississippi last

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-64222298016990367712008-12-04T09:26:00.002-06:002008-12-04T09:44:50.341-06:00

I had the 2nd half of my root canal done yesterday on my rt lower molar. Sat in the chair for an hour & a half while he drilled away. He was able to process two of the three roots and was satisfied that the remaining root wouldn't cause any more problems. Time will tell. Gotta have the permanent filling or crown put in next month.Haven't heard too much from our new Corporal. He said this 2 week

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-46127317319510347892008-12-01T11:19:00.003-06:002008-12-01T13:53:52.314-06:00

Aaron is officially a Corporal in the Marine Corps now. He's on sea duty for the next couple of weeks off the coast of California.Promotion pix We have a new critter in the house. The change in the weather has made Jan sound like an old bull frog, LOL.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-47572000916883348392008-11-27T14:36:00.002-06:002008-11-27T15:01:20.319-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!I had a minor fender bender yesterday evening. A young Hispanic male, high on something, turned into my lane while I was waiting on the light to change and plowed into my car's front bumper. I was blowing my horn like crazy but he just kept coming. My 5 mph bumper prevented any damage to my car. He was so high, he was stumbling when he got out of his red Chevy Blazer. He never

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-44379524576997606962008-11-22T12:52:00.002-06:002008-11-22T13:12:28.555-06:00

Went to the new Bass Pro Shop in Irondale/Leeds today off I-20. This place is huge. Think hunting, fishing, boating, camping only in a Super Walmart. The pix I took, don't really do it justice. The second floor alone is nothing but footwear, firearms, cammo clothes, and archery. You can get everything from a $2 fishing lure to a $1,100.00 handgun, to a $34,000.00 bass boat and anything in

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-39031435340421884732008-11-18T10:11:00.002-06:002008-11-18T10:42:45.017-06:00

One of Aaron's guinea pigs, Montana, passed away yesterday. She developed a tumor on her right side at her shoulder that we found about two weeks ago. She stopped eating regularly and began to waste away. The other pig, Sparky, began to distant herself from Montana and hog the pig house. Sparky is still healthy and now has the whole cage to herself. Aaron said it best: it was Darwin's rule of

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-19055987943222952922008-11-13T10:10:00.003-06:002008-11-13T10:32:33.722-06:00

The jury is still out on the tooth. It changes from day to day. I'm still taking the antibiotic and it seems to be lessening the over all effects of the tooth. We'll see.Aaron is on his way back to base today after three weeks on the Pacific. Their gonna use LCU landing craft (D-Day style, but updated, bigger, modern versions) to "storm the beaches" at Camp Pendleton. He'll be on base for a

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-10218247954881181362008-11-07T15:25:00.003-06:002008-11-07T15:34:33.315-06:00

I had a partial root canal done on one of my molars on Wednesday this week at UAB. As of today, the pain has returned just as bad. I have a call into the dentist to call me back so we can decide what to do next. Not too happy right now.Aaron's run into a couple of his hash buddies on board ship and has been getting the "behind the scenes" tour that regular Marines never see. He's real excited

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-58028311309113376792008-10-30T10:11:00.003-05:002008-10-30T10:27:46.434-05:00

Construction has FINALLY begun on the widening of I-65 from Valleydale to the tank farm exit. They're going to eight lanes. Construction barrels, survey crews, tractors, bucket trucks, erosion barriers, flashing signs: they're all there doing their thing. It'll probably take 2 years to complete because of the bridge widening that has to be done also. It's about time. They're also adding center

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-91147595079610644342008-10-27T10:31:00.004-05:002008-10-27T10:55:04.952-05:00

Aaron had to report early on Saturday to the San Diego Naval Base for guard duty prior to leaving on three weeks of sea trials tomorrow. He's moved into his decidedly cramped quarters on board the USS Boxer for the duration. He says the Navy guys are pretty cool guys, and has picked up a lot of good info from them already. They gave him a heads-up on the port calls for the upcoming deployment

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-16357451130536673942008-10-23T10:16:00.002-05:002008-10-23T10:27:26.179-05:00

The injector pump for the septic tank went out earlier. It pumps the downstairs sewage to the septic tank. We're having it replaced as we speak....ONLY $1100 :-( The a/c-heating guy is servicing the furnace for the season also today.We got Aaron's new phone in the mail to him yesterday. He should have it by Monday, just in time to not have access to it while he's on sea-trials for 3 weeks (LOL).

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-54881366641566498842008-10-22T10:39:00.003-05:002008-10-22T11:05:38.434-05:00

Long story short, Aaron lost the Treo phone we sent him a month ago after he damaged his Blackjack II. I contacted AT&T who, in turn, contacted the phone insurance company for us. Now, Aaron's getting a new Blackjack II phone to replace the damaged Blackjack II he had, compliments of AT&T (Yeaaaaa!). The funny part was, the insurance company said that because this was his 2nd replacement within

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-54301941944298941152008-10-17T11:20:00.003-05:002008-10-17T11:53:52.444-05:00

Aaron squeaked by this time. The wildfire was stopped about 50 yds from his barracks. He'll just have to wash his clothes to get rid of the smoky smell, otherwise, all appears to be well. Looks like he'll be up for Corporal on Dec 1st. That'll be just in time for his deployment sometime in January as a new NCO. Ten days 'til sea-duty training!The kitchen has been 95% completed: removed old

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-79759820112687116522008-10-14T13:51:00.002-05:002008-10-14T14:04:44.717-05:00

Aaron's had an interesting last two days. The CA wildfires came WAY too close to his barracks and the base commander ordered an evacuation of the entire area. Aaron said the fire line had been halted about 50 yds from the barracks this morning. They weren't even allowed to go in for a change of clothes due to continuing hot spots in the area. The fire DID destroy the rear gate for his area of the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-66643794458914216892008-10-08T15:13:00.002-05:002008-10-08T15:37:16.290-05:00

Finally got some rain this morning after about a week and a half of beautiful fall weather. Aaron is up for a special award, more later. He's not leaving for the sea trials until Oct 27.Jan hired a man, Chris, to clean the outside of the house and deck with bleach last week. Did a good job. Now the same man is helping to finish the kitchen by removing wallpaper, popcorn ceiling, spackling, and

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-32951646077789470282008-09-30T10:46:00.003-05:002008-09-30T11:11:52.594-05:00

The timing of sending the Treo phone to Aaron was perfect. His Blackjack II screen was broken at work last week, compliments of a wrench. The phone still works, but only 1/2 the screen lights up. He should have the Treo today or tomorrow.I saw a "critter" at work the other day. Turned out to be a groundhog, Thanks go to Tony and Buster for the ID. It's the first one I've seen in the wild. This

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-11777481079992754612008-09-25T13:19:00.006-05:002008-09-25T13:47:21.643-05:00

The weather has been gorgeous the last few days. No rain in the forecast until next week. I've been working longer shifts since Gustav hit LA. Guards were sent down to LA on temporary duty and the ones left (me included) are filling in as needed.I'm getting used to listening to music on the iPhone thru the earbuds. Actually, pretty good and not intrusive at all. I ordered an armband for the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-43947481586232753722008-09-14T13:27:00.005-05:002008-09-14T13:53:16.819-05:00

I bit the bullet and bought an iPhone yesterday. Now that Apple has updated their software with version 2.1 and supports 3G networks, I figured, what the hell, you only get one chance at life... Love the phone! It's so easy to use it's ridiculous! I got the 8 gig version, I'm not into iTunes like some people. That said, I DID upload all the music I has on my PC, all 325 songs used up only 2 gigs

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-13024325474136586062008-09-11T15:38:00.002-05:002008-09-11T15:42:50.532-05:00

We had some serious hot wings yesterday at Hooters. Going to the gym today after work then hamburger steaks with tons-o-onions, rice, green beans for supper. Jan has her surgery date for the knee replacement set for Dec 17, a Wednesday. She should be home by that weekend. We hope Aaron can be home with us then.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-3283181155244567032008-09-03T11:05:00.002-05:002008-09-03T11:19:44.905-05:00

We dodged the bullet for Gustav. He went parallel to the coast and missed N.O. for a direct hit. They did get their share of rain & wind to be sure & the city was evacuated. The brunt of the damage was along the coast just west of N.O. in Cajun country. Lotta trees down, power outages. The levees in N.O. held (until the next one). B'ham only got a little wind and a lot of evacuees from N.O. 

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-62138647669687424502008-08-25T09:18:00.002-05:002008-08-25T09:47:37.818-05:00

Fay has left her imprint on the area. After making a record four landfalls in Florida for the same storm, she has dumped, and is continuing to dump, copious amounts of rain on our fair city. At least I was able to get the grass cut between downpours on Saturday morning. Of course, with all the rain, I'll have to cut it again real soon this week (booooo).Aaron has been busy with his hash run

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-24625355626515627662008-08-21T09:08:00.003-05:002008-08-21T09:27:52.715-05:00

I was eating popcorn last night and bit into a kernel against my, already cracked, filling in my upper left molar. Surprise! A big hole in the tooth where the filling used to be. Apparently, enough of the filling stayed in so the nerves were not exposed...so no pain...so far. I gotta get it fixed tomorrow afternoon. I had made an appointment to have the cracked filling replaced last year, but the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-87960290988718951272008-08-20T13:46:00.001-05:002008-08-20T13:48:18.853-05:00

Among other things at work, I sit and watch the monitor at the front gate all day. I can see the red lights at the Valleydale/Riverchase Pkwy intersection on the monitor. If you know to press "0" on the keypad, I'll pick up and respond to your inquiry and/or let you in the gate. If you DON'T know the code, your basically stuck on a long curved drive and you have two options: 1) back down the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-86893159562036966722008-08-20T10:01:00.000-05:002008-08-20T10:02:58.836-05:00

Aaron returned from Jordan about three weeks ago and went straight back to his home base at Camp Pendleton just north of San Diego, CA. He attended a supply school last week at the Naval base in San Diego to acquaint him with the "Navy's way" of doing things onboard a supply ship. As part of the school, he got to tour the USS Boxer which he has been told will be the ship he will deploy on later

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-33027097163368243852008-08-14T13:01:00.002-05:002008-08-14T13:11:53.868-05:00

Aaron's in supply school this week and is touring the ship, the USS Boxer, today. He says he will probably deploy on this ship. He's excited about getting to have the run of the ship and figuring out where he'll be working and living on board. Looking forward to some pix of the ship.We had an all-day soaking rain on Tuesday, the first one in 2-3 years, I believe. The grass grew like crazy the

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-19410975210071942992008-08-12T11:01:00.003-05:002008-08-12T11:24:43.388-05:00

Aaron finally went to Las Vegas with some of his friends this weekend. They stayed in another friends 11th floor condo. His biggest complaint was the weekend wasn't long enough (duh, is it ever?). He called last night to fill us in on Vegas. Sounds like he had a great time, glad he got to go and it was GREAT to hear from him.He's in a supply school at the Naval base in San Diego this week to

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-70876464221414366452008-08-05T10:42:00.005-05:002008-08-05T15:22:35.862-05:00

Chatted with Aaron last night. He said he had his recent routine counseling and passed with flying colors. The Sergeant said he was a shoo-in for corporal in October. They were very pleased with his overall maturity, task management, staying out of trouble, and was A+ across the board! He just needed to work on his physical training.They have assigned a corporal who is built like "Arnold" to work

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-30236039672303148862008-08-01T12:42:00.004-05:002008-08-01T13:23:21.110-05:00

Where to start... Aaron's safely back from Jordan and settled in for the next big excursion for him to Afghanistan later this year. Due to the need for "feet on the ground" now in Afghanistan, he said it was rumored that they may fly to the overseas site when the time comes rather than taking a Navy ship over as usual. Time will tell. He has a ton-o-pix on his Flickr site from Jordan. I think I

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-48183541100788150752008-07-25T09:48:00.002-05:002008-07-25T09:53:13.827-05:00

Just got a v/m from Aaron. He landed in Chicago at 12:30 this morning for a five hour layover before going to CA. He said they stopped in Hungary & Iceland on the way back and he has four days off to reset his body clock when he arrives in CA. He'll call later today. It was great to hear from him. :-D

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-42814589550645901582008-07-18T14:50:00.002-05:002008-07-18T14:53:44.876-05:00

Just got a voice mail from Aaron via satellite phone. He'll be coming home late next week via Hungary and Iceland! Looking forward to seeing the pix and hearing from him back in the USA. More later...

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-51449567509997395382008-07-16T15:14:00.002-05:002008-07-16T15:19:49.127-05:00

I took the Ford Fusion down to the tint shop yesterday to have the side and back windows tinted. It allows the a/c to cool a lot more efficiently and holds down on the sun glare. It'll be ready this afternoon, Mandi and the crew left yesterday for Okinawa. It's apparently a 23 hour flight including layovers, so they should be arriving just about now. Pray for their safe passage and return.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-22902944340047712632008-07-14T10:33:00.002-05:002008-07-14T10:52:16.000-05:00

We met Lea Ann, Mandi, Mike, Sophia, and Pat for supper on Saturday in Lincoln at R & B BBQ (in the old town section of Lincoln). Mandi and Mike leave this evening for a missionary trip to Okinawa, Japan for five years. Here's a link to the church they will be going to: http://www.baptistchurch.jp/ This trip is a part of Mike's doctoral dissertation in Theology. They will be in a very nice

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-55258443349898127612008-07-08T10:19:00.003-05:002008-07-08T10:37:53.779-05:00

We got an email today from the middle of the Jordanian desert from Aaron. He's positioned for the exercise they went over there for and Internet access is required. The exercise won't start until tomorrow so they were allowed access to the Internet to check email, etc. It's been 110-120 on the coast in Aqaba, Jordan but it's "only" 95 where he is. He spent the weekend touring some historical

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-68156081320096155522008-07-04T14:27:00.004-05:002008-07-04T14:46:45.199-05:00

Here it is Independence Day, July 4th. Jan's working, I'm working, Aaron's in Jordan. Just another day in the neighborhood. The neighbors on both sides of us are on vacation: one in Russia and one in Arizona. Thinking about going to the Baron's game tonight have a hot dog and see the fireworks.Aaron called Wednesday from Jordan. He said he was on guard duty from midnight to 0430 the other day and

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-10576770382070577942008-07-03T11:46:00.003-05:002008-07-03T11:57:58.168-05:00

Jan is deathly afraid of snakes. Bugs and other crawlies don't bother her but don't even mention a snake! Our neighbor was over yesterday with his house key (going to Phoenix, AZ on vacation). He noticed a snake's newly shed skin in our front yard in a tree stump hole. It apparently was a garden snake about 3.5 ft long. The skin was in excellent condition. I had her take what I thought were pix

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-16291849132740513662008-07-02T12:16:00.002-05:002008-07-02T12:38:33.949-05:00

Just heard from Aaron via satellite phone compliments of the US Marine Corps from the Jordanian side of the Red Sea. They had an hour and a half layover in Germany for fuel and new air crews, then straight to Jordan on the same DC-10 airliner. He said his tent city is on one corner of a Royal Jordanian military base. His tent is about 50 yards from the shore of the Red Sea (awesome!). He can see

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-22276736431961953242008-06-30T13:38:00.004-05:002008-06-30T13:55:45.011-05:00

Well, our Marine is in Jordan now. He called from Maine on a one hour refueling stop on Friday night about 10:00 pm and said the flight to Germany would be seven hours, then on to Jordan. I'm sure he's mucho busy now. I haven't heard anything from him since Maine. I hope to hear from him soon though (hint, hint) :-\This weekend was nice and quiet. Jan worked and I went down to see Dad on Sunday.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-85200702886656864532008-06-25T10:28:00.002-05:002008-06-25T10:51:50.675-05:00

Aaron leaves for Jordan tomorrow, the 26th. His unit is flying from Camp Pendleton via March AFB in California direct to Germany then on to Jordan for one month of training with the Jordanian Army. Apparently, the Jordanians have started their own version of the Marines and have invited us over to show 'em how it's done US-style (training, billeting, resources, etc.). He says he will have two

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-66774635818982547412008-06-23T13:50:00.004-05:002008-06-23T14:33:29.282-05:00

We made it back save & sound on Sunday afternoon, just tired from all the flying in VERY small seats. Boston is a great city to visit. The weather was very nice compared to B'ham. Winter, however, would be a different story. We had some great seafood at Union Oyster House (est'd 1826) on Saturday. Jan and myself each had a whole live lobster cooked. Her's was baked with bread crumbs and mine was

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-55853824280452742312008-06-20T21:20:00.002-05:002008-06-20T21:32:55.020-05:00

When on the Duck Tour this evening. It was surprising very cool. Went out on the Charles River and got a river's eye viewpoint of downtown, MIT, Cambridge, Back Bay (that's where the $$$ is), etc. Then we took a taxi to North Boston for some simply fantastic Italian food at a restaurant called Five North Square (actually the address of the restaurant). Drove on the new fancy cable-stayed bridge

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-319832583691587842008-06-20T07:16:00.003-05:002008-06-20T07:45:01.120-05:00

Took the Old Town Trolley most of the day on Wednesday. Got MUCHO pix, see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gvincent1/sets/72157605694210399/ Was gonna go to the New England Aquarium on Thursday but here a little matter of a parade for the World Champion Boston Celtics that had downtown closed down! So, I went to the parade and got videos instead, see: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-52784441572788454702008-06-16T09:53:00.003-05:002008-06-16T09:58:54.241-05:00

Garrison Keillor on Methodists:We make fun of Methodists for their blandness, their excessive calm, their fear of giving offense, their lack of speed, and also for their secret fondness for macaroni and cheese.But nobody sings like them. If you were to ask an audience in New YorkCity, a relatively Methodist-less place, to sing along on the chorus of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," they will look

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-50525404852099346232008-06-12T11:26:00.002-05:002008-06-12T11:45:42.253-05:00

Things are quite around here for now. Jan's trip to DC was a resounding success. She stated that she had many new contacts and networked well. Now it's on to Boston next week!Jan just called and said she was stopped by the county sheriff yesterday while downtown. She wasn't speeding and couldn't think of any other reason she should be stopped. The officer approached her and said he just wanted to

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-50499890167694473152008-06-04T09:38:00.002-05:002008-06-04T10:00:35.499-05:00

Aaron spent the long holiday weekend & leave running & drinking with his hash buddies and proceeded to get majorly blistered, LOL. Been there, done that! Apparently they had a BIG annual run in downtown San Diego over the weekend called the Red Dress Run. Check out his Flickr site for some funny/great pix: http://www.flickr.com/photos/espanol/He also found out he had to get a smallpox shot as

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-51831444164067170882008-05-28T17:03:00.003-05:002008-05-28T17:28:43.297-05:00

We had a hilarious candid camera moment last night. Sandy, one of our cats, brings in various "presents" from the backyard from time to time (wood roaches, lizards, birds, moles, etc.) Most of the time, they are played to death prior to our finding them. He brought in a mole last night and presented it, STILL KICKING, to Jan in the bedroom. She had already retired for the night and was reading.

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2852368338188037365.post-80601475676077103192008-05-18T18:27:00.002-05:002008-05-18T18:47:36.239-05:00

We've been busy lately. Aaron made his first trip to Los Angles today. I'm anxious to hear from the trip. He got his passport compliments of the USMC in anticipation of his month-long junket to Jordan in June/July. He's been busy with his hash groups on weekends. His roomy got a car so the roomy won't be bugging Aaron to use his car anymore.I start a new post Monday at Harbert Corporation on

G.Vincenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00004999012379588780noreply@blogger.com1