The Jedi Master of Blogging!

OK, my friend Philip got me started on this blogging thing and now it's become quite addictive. I see it has for him as well, because I read his blog everyday and sometimes catch myself checking throughout the day to see if he has posted anything during his lunch break. Philip has become the Jedi Master of Blogging. If he were to have a Jedi name it could be Obie Blog Kenobi! If you haven't checked out his blog you need to do it. It comes complete with music and a fancy clock, "No assembly required" you can check it out at http://www.upwardpoint.blogspot.com/
Well, let's see, what can I tell you that is new from Spain...If you remember one of my previous posts I talked about the stupid Spanish course I enrolled in, well, I finally got tired of learning about Dogs, and Cats, and things that were of no use. I went to the library and checked out some CD's I'm going to give that a whirl and see if I can learn anything that way. Tomorrow I have 9 housing units to inspect. The base just renovated their base housing and I am trying to get all the houses inspected so people that are stationed here for a long period of time can move in. It should be a great learning experience since I have never had the opportunity to inspect houses before. Another first for me will be inspecting the school. The base has a small school and the enrollment is around 60 kids, 1 principal, and 5 teachers. and you thought Greenwood or Mansfield schools were small.

We got the webcams to work today and I was able to see Andria and the kids, it was awesome. We are still working out some of the bugs but it is so cool to be this far away from home and with the click of a mouse button, be staring my kids right in the eye...or in Connor's case his rear. He decided at some point that he had to show me that he could make undesireable noises by cupping his hand under his knee...I'm sure you can imagine what kind of sound you get but in case you don't know...Ah, go ahead and try it, you know you want to! This same sound can be made by cupping your hand in your armpit as well for those of you who are novices. My son will be giving lessons if anyone is interested since he appears to be quite an expert. Classes will no doubt fill up soon, so don't delay in getting signed up. Kids......
Not much else to tell, other than it is HOT here. Maybe the weekend will bring something blog worthy.

Announcing the arrival of the laptop...wahoo!

Well, the laptop Andria shipped me has finally arrived. No more waiting in the lobby to use a computer. This morning we tried the webcams out and I was able to see Andria and the kids. I didn't have my webcam at the office with me so they were unable to see me but I'm going to try and get it working in just a few minutes. I also hope to have some pictures to send soon but I discovered that I left my cable for my camera at home so I have to see if I can borrow one.
Well, I went to dinner with the Commander and staff last night. It was really good, probably one of the best meals I have eaten while I have been here. Spanish dinners last a lot longer than I care to sit at the table but it was pretty cool to experience it. There were 3 appetizers and each was served as a seperate course, then came the main entree, followed by dessert. We left at 7:45pm and didn't get back until after midnight. I had venison which was excellent. That means there's got to be some deer to hunt around here, hmmm! Actually the only wildlife I have seen so far have been rabbits, and birds, oh, and I did see a very large rat running down the road in one of the towns we visited. My friend Jackie Dolan would not like it here, other than rabbits, there's nothing to go hunting for. The other thing I have learned about hunting over here is that it's very formal. Just to go rabbit hunting, they will line up 20 guys on horses and cover a field, now, I'm no hunting expert, but I'd say that greatly reduces your odds of killing a rabbit, and greatly increases your odds of getting shot by your hunting buddy. I think I'll stick to deer hunting in the good ol Arkansas woods.
before I close, I just want to thank all the guys that mowed last week. I really appreciate it and I know Andria does too. Jackie, Aaron, Jeb, and anyone I missed, You guys are the best!

A 3 hour tour and 106 degrees! No, it's not Gilligans Island

Man is it hot! we hit 106 here the other day! I'm told that next month it will be even hotter with temps in excess of 110 everyday. Wahoo, I'm looking forward to that.
Well, here is my weekend for you. Before I get to that I guess I should introduce the group I have been hanging out with. Ron and Tenique are from Baltimore and both are Guard, and Rolando is originally from Panama but now resides in Florida when he isn't here. I met Rolando the first day I got here, we actually arrived on the same day, and he has become a good friend in a few short days. He is really going through a tough time being away from his family. He is stationed here for 15 months and his son was doing so good in school back in Florida that he and his wife didn't want to take him out of school there to let him start school here. He just rented a house in a little village not far from here and he moves in Wednesday. He has a pool and he has already invited the group over for a pool party. OK, on to my weekend:
Friday night we went to Morón de La Frontera and walked around for a few hours. When we got there everything was closed up. We hiked up to the old castle ruins and by the time we walked down the 1/2 mile or so, things were starting to open and people were starting to stir from siesta time. We stopped and got a bottle of water and walked around town some more. It's funny how the towns just look deserted during the day but by night they get a complete makeover and the town comes alive. It's hard to get used to seeing families out for dinner at 10:00 at night. When we are just getting our kids in bed, they are taking their kids out to dinner. It isn't unusual for them to stay out until the wee hours of the early morning!
On with the weekend, several of us went to the beach this weekend in Rota Spain. Now, Rota is supposed to be a hour and a half drive but we got lost several times and it took us 3 hours...Uugh! Thankfully our group included Rolando and although he is from Panama he can understand the Andalucian Spanish dialect enough to get directions. So we finally made it to Rota and went to Rota Naval Air Station to go to the Base Exchange to look around and grab anything that we might have needed. There is only a small mini mart on base so if you need something they don't have you either have to get someone to pick it up for you when they go to Rota or wait until you can make it there yourself. We didn't get back until midnight on Saturday night so Sunday was a day for resting.
I did go to Chapel Sunday and it was pretty cool. It was a contemporary worship service and Chaplin Croft gave a good message. We had some visitors from Malaga Media Center which is really a missionary run organization. We met the couple that run it and their main mission is to minister to the muslims in North Africa. They read several letters from people in Africa that had many questions about Christianity. Even a few from people who said they had been devout muslims for many years were looking to Christianity for the answers. Please pray for these people that run the missionary.
This week is Vacation Bible School at the Chapel. I think I'm going to help out with it a couple of nights, it should be fun to be around the kids, my only fear is that it will make me miss my own kids even more than I already do.
Tomorrow night I have been invited to dinner with the Commander, I'll let you know how it goes!

Time to catch up...the people waiting to use the computer will just have to wait!

Hola Mi Amigos! Well, now you know the extent of my Spanish thus far. I signed up for a spanish course but it hasn't been very helpful so far. I took the first lesson expecting to learn some phrases that might help me but Nooooo. Instead I had to learn about horses (Caballo), and airplanes (I don't remember) and dogs (Perro)....I'm not sure who came up with the course but, so far I haven't found myself in a situation that required me to ask about a dog, horse or airplane. What a stupid course!
Ok, it's time to get caught up on Spain. Lets start with last Friday...as you saw in my last post, I went to Seville with the flight doc. No, we didn't see the barber (Barber of Seville) Ok, bad joke.
Saturday I went on a base sponsored trip. We went to La Rambla which is a town known for it's pottery and then on to Cordoba to see a very old cathedral.
In La Rambla we stopped at one particular pottery store and after everyone had made their purchases the owner took us to the back and showed us how he made the pottery. It was amazing. Every piece is handmade, handpainted, and one of a kind. Next month they are having a worldwide pottery festival in La Rambla and there will be potters from all over the world there selling pottery. It's pretty inexpensive for the amount of work that it takes to make it. I might try to go back.
Next we traveled to Cordoba to go through one of the oldest Cathederals in the world. It was huge! Let's put it this way, it would hold 15-20 FBC sanctuaries. I would completely get it wrong if I tried to explain the history of the place. I'll send the brochure and some pictures instead. We left the cathedral and went to a "Buffet" I use the term loosely because when you are expecting the food bar at Western Sizzlin and you get a few pans of unrecognizable food, it's quite a dissapointment. The food in Spain is very bland! It's definately not La Fiesta!
Sunday I went with the flight doc again to some old castle ruins not far from here. The castle is open and there is no attendant, no fee, nothing. You just drive up and go in. The castle is supposedly haunted by a shadow warrior that walks the castle wall at dusk waiting for his true love to return. I took a bunch of pictures but didn't see any ghost in any of them. The castle ruins are pretty cool and you can definately conjur up images of a king sitting in the throne room or a bunch of warriors defending the castle.
Monday - Today has been pretty uneventful. Sleep, Eat, Work, Repeat! I'm looking forward to this weekend. I'm going to the beach if all works out and also get to go to an american navy base on the coast and do some shopping at the base exchange. Wahoo!
Well, it is very late and I guess I will call it a night! I hope that everyone is doing well back home. Be sure to go to Philips Blog and vote!

News Flash.....Christopher Columbus is buried in two places...How can that be?

OK, so Friday night I went to Sevilla with the Flight Doc. Who would've guessed that only a few miles away from here is the supposed gravesite of Christopher Columbus. The Cathedral in Sevilla is home to his grave or so the Spainish think. Apparently this is a point of contention with the Portugese who also have a gravesite for Christopher Columbus. I didn't get to go in the Cathederal because it was closed but I do plan to go back when it's open. There is a lot of beautiful architecture and many of the buildings are very old. I am thinking maybe this weekend will be a good time to go explore some more of the city. There is also an old castle there that I want to check out. More to follow on Sevilla.

Welcome to Morón de la Frontera

Well, I have had a couple days to get aquainted with the base and a lot of the personnel. The base is small and there really aren't a lot of people here. It's kind of a strange feeling to walk outside in the evening because you feel like you are the only one around. The base is quite old and many of the buildings are in various stages of disrepair. All the buildings have the classic "Spanish" style architecture. The Hotel de la Frontera affectionatley referred to as the "Hotel" is where I am staying on base. The Hotel isn't bad, the food in the dining facility is decent and other than there not being much to do in the evenings, I think this should be a pretty good trip.
I signed up to take a tour of a town called Cordoba this Saturday. We are leaving at 0800 and will be going to several shops and a place that sells pottery and tile. I'll take lots of pictures and send them or post them somehow so you can get a feel for the base and also any tours that I go on. It should be fun, there are several Air Force people going. There are several other trips lined up for later this summer such as a trip to watch an actual bullfight, and a trip to the beach, both of which I intend to sign up for. I had the opportunity to go to a motorcycle rally this weekend in Portugal, it's the second largest motorcycle rally in Europe, this weekend but it was going to require way to much money and work to make it happen so I opted for the free trip hosted by services.
I signed up for a Spanish class today and should start in about two weeks. It's frustrating when you are in the airport or outside of the base. If you don't speak Spanish, it's very difficult to communicate. I probably won't be fluent, but at least maybe I'll learn enough to make conversations a little easier.
I wanted to make sure that everyone is aware of a hidden artist within our midst. I read Philip's blog today and noticed that he has been doing some drawing in MS Paint. His rendition of the classic Arkansas Razorback is one of the finest works of art that I have ever seen. If you want to check it out go to http://upwardpoint.blogspot.com/ It is a classic that may one day hang in a museum. Well, guess I should go, the base library is about to close and the lady at the desk is already starting to close the place up! Picures and more exciting news from halfway around the world coming soon!

24 hours of traveling

Well, I am finally here after 24 hours of continuous travel. I didn't think I would have access to the blog so quickly but there is a computer in the hotel. I will write more later, I am exhausted and there are others waiting to use the computer. Just wanted everyone to know that I am here safe and sound.

Temporarily off the air

Well, it's Sunday afternoon; I was finally able to tie up any loose ends at work and get a chance to come spend some time with my family. The kids just lay down to take naps and we are going to spend the evening with my parents. I think I might follow their lead and take a little nap myself. Like the old song says; "I was tossin' and turnin', turnin' and tossin'; tossin' and turnin' all night!" Needless to say I didn't sleep too well! I always worry more than Andria does about the state of things when I leave. I have to remind myself that I am married to Superwoman. ( I tried to get her to wear the costume once but she refused!) Just Kidding! Andria always gets the kids on a routine and does an awesome job as a single mom while I'm away! The kids seem to be clinging to me more than usual today, I think they realize that tomorrow is the big day. I'm taking advantage of every hug and kiss because today they seem to be even more special.

It is totally God's Will that I am going on this trip, although I did volunteer for this, it is completely Gods plan for me to do this. In the long run it will benefit our family and if God didn't want me to go, he would have closed every available door. It is also an opportunity to serve my Country in another capacity and is a challenge beyond my daily routine. I'm looking forward to the challenge and the change of pace but I am dreading every second I will be gone from my family.

Andria has decided that I needed to repack and is doing a fantastic job of putting everything in my suitcase AGAIN!

I have decided not to take my laptop from work since I discovered yesterday that it won't work unless it is attached to a DoD network. It is also a pain in the butt to carry it considering everything else that I am having to take. Andria is going to ship our laptop and webcam to me after I get over there and then I'll be in business. So, I guess what I'm saying is that if anyone is actually reading this; I will be off the air temporarily until the laptop gets to Spain. They used to play the Star Spangled Banner at night when TV stations went off the air, but I don't suppose anyone has ever temporarily signed their blog off the air like that; so I'll just sign off with "See ya on the flip side!"

A lot of Mumbo Jumbo

What a day! I had so many crazy things happen that its all a bunch of mumbo jumbo in my head. So, I have nothing specific to write about tonight but instead, I think I will just cover my day.
Ok, I got to work at a normal time today and was looking forward to a busy morning followed by lunch with my good friends from church. My first order of business was to go to our Finance section and get a copy of my Spain orders turned in so my pay would not be interrupted as I transition from civilian to military. As I'm walking out of Finance, I ran into our Chaplain and my brother in Christ, Tom Smith. It's funny but God sometimes puts people in the right place at the right time. Tom said he was about to hold a short Bible study if I wanted to hang around for a while. I agreed and WOW! It was perfect for my day. Tom titled his study "The greatest gift" and basically just reminded those of us in attendance that the greatest gift we could have ever been given was Christ on the cross. He then reminded us that no matter what happened to us throughout the day, God's strength was great enough to handle anything that the world may throw at us! After you read the rest of the day, you'll understand why I kept having to tell myself that all day!
So, I get done with Bible study and stop to get my plane ticket and then back to the office to try and get some more last minute stuff taken care of before I leave. My butt had barely hit the chair when I was paged to the aircraft hangar to look at something. I talked with one of the inspectors that is here this week and we come to an agreement and once again I am headed back to the office. By this time it is getting close to lunch, remember, the one I was looking forward to? Well, my boss comes in about that time and says that we need to accomplish two more interviews from a mishap earlier in the week. He tells me that the only time that everyone is available is 12:30. WHAT??? By this time it is 1145 and I am supposed to meet my brothers in Christ at 12:00. I go to Western Sizzlin and meet Jessie, Jeb, and Jackie for what has to be the quickest lunch in history. Jeb bought my lunch and reminded me that he and Jackie will be taking care of my yardwork while I am gone. I couldn't ask for better friends than those that God has given me! I only hope that I can repay the favor one day! THANKS GUYS!
Well, I make it back just in time to start the interviews which turns into 3 hours straight on speaker phone. YUK!
I complained once to myself and then God put that little voice in my head that said "I'm bigger than any little problem you may be having, lean on me!" I also reminded myself of the core values of the Air Force...Integrity First, Service before self, Excellence in all we do! Yeah, I know it's kinda goofy but sometimes I have to remind myself of those. It's a lot like being a Christian, because it's not all about us but about something much bigger than Mike Francis.
Now, remember the inspector I was talking about earlier, yeah, he's a pain in my backside! Guess where I was as soon as the interviews were over? YEP, you guessed it, back to the hangar. Our maintenance guys are awesome and I'm proud to work with them and I truly felt sorry for them today. They have been giving 100% for weeks to get ready and this one guy is giving them fits, so instead of us all going home to be with our families tonight, we worked until 7:00 trying to manufacture a part that will make this guy happy! I think I'll take them some donuts in the morning, they deserve it.
Now for the good part of my day, What's that you ask! Yeah, I actually did have a good ending. Andria came and picked me up at the base and we all went to Logans Road House for dinner. On the way back Lily started asking if we would play the car song. We couldn't figure it out and so we started going through the songs on the CD. When the old tune "Jump, Jive, and Wail" came on she started saying "That's it, that's the car song" I still wasn't getting it, so I listened to her sing it and the reason this is now known as the car song is because of Lily's lyrics which are "You gotta Jump, DRIVE, and wail" I laughed so hard I was in tears! That's my Lily for you! I'm going to miss all the silly little things she comes up with while I'm gone! Well, if you aren't snoring from this extremely long blog...you should be! I'm typing myself to sleep so it can't be that great! See, I told you it was a lot of Mumbo Jumbo!

Wearin' me out!

Aaaaaaahhhh! Lily is wearing me out tonight! I would venture to say that she has been out of her bed at least 10 times! I'm praying for the patience of Job but so far I just keep getting mad. Children can be such a blessing but they certainly give us our share of trials. Sometimes I think God blesses us with children to teach us life lessons. It's His humorous way of showing us how we all sin and misbehave. I can picture God sitting up in Heaven saying "You see what I have to deal with all the time! I think I'll bless Mike and Andria with two beautiful children but I'm gonna make em a little ornery so they can see what I have to put up with on a much larger scale."
Well, as I write she has gone from getting out of bed to kicking the wall...Ah Man, here she comes again.....Whew, Andria saves the day! There are times when I truly appreciate Andria's gift of patience and tonight is one of those nights! Maybe Mommy can talk Lily into staying in bed, only time will tell.

Packing Up

Well, I thought this to be noteworthy...so in the name of the blog..."Here's what I got"
Ok, so I have been doing some packing this evening and even recieved a good packing tip from our friend Carolyn in Nashville. Carolyn suggested rolling everything in to little balls and throwing it in the suitcase, which is pretty much what I have been doing. You know how when you normally pack and your underwear is in one central location and your socks are kinda all together in your suitcase? Well, that isn't even close to what my suitcase looks like! I have a layer of shirts, followed by a couple pair of underwear, maybe a sock or two and an occasional shoe or boot thrown in for good measure! Andria suggested that I make a list of things I have packed or want to take. I scoffed at her idea to make a list. I mean, has she lost her mind? I'm a man, I know how to pack a suitcase...


So...anyway....I made this really great list! I even got a little crazy with the list making and made a list of things I want to take in my carry on bag. In the famous words of my good friend Philip, "Maybe the wife does know best"


Nah, Think I'll keep packing my way! (HA HA)

Final Challenge

Well, I feel like the final countdown has begun for me to go to Spain. I have been frantically trying to get all the last minute details taken care of. I sometimes wonder if God throws us a challenge just to see how we will react to it. For instance, today was a pretty standard day at work with the exception of being a little busier than normal trying to leave my office in decent shape while I'm away when suddenly Murphys Law decided to rear it's ugly head and we had a mishap. It wasn't one of those accidents where someone gets hurt but it did do some damage to one of our aircraft, which is never a good thing. So, my pretty average day just shifted into overdrive and I ended up staying at work until 6:30. Now 6:30 may not seem late, but when you are supposed to be going on a 3 month trip and you haven't packed a single item, any extra time spent at work is not a good thing. To make matters worse, it was Lily's 4th birthday and I missed her birthday dinner, what a bummer! Oh well, tomorrow is a new day!

Good Friends

Well, as an introductory offer on my blog, you will recieve a complimentary set of steak knives just for stopping by.... OK, not really!
First, I should tell you that the name and the whole blog idea were inspired by two of my good friends. Speaking of friends, good friends are hard to come by. We all have aquaintences and co-workers but have you ever stopped to think how many of those people you could really call your true friends? How many of them would come to your rescue or help you in a time of need. I am blessed to have a great group of people that I call my friends.
I am about to go to Spain and my Sunday School class got together last night for fellowship and prayer for my family and me as we are apart. Philip gave me a very nice Max Lucado devotional book to take with me, "Thank's Philip and Kelly".
So, here's the idea behind this whole thing, I'm going to use this as another means of communication to post things from my time in Spain as well as day to day stuff. Hopefully someone will read this thing.

So...Here's what I got!