Summer 2010!

Where did July go?

Here we are at August 1st already.  How did that happen?  The hightlight of July was Caresse coming home for a quick visit.  She had a pass the weekend after graduation from AIT so she chose to spend it with us!!  She flew in on Friday night and took the red eye back to NC on Sunday night.  We had a great visit with her.  Threw her a party and took her to get an hour massage

I had a very enjoyable birthay.  I spent the Saturday before going out to breakfast with friends followed by the zoo. Sunday I had a car club event.  We drove through the Gorge which is one of the most beautiful places on this earth.  Monday was quite. Larry made me dinner and we enjoyed a quiet evening home.  I got a new Wii Fit Plus to help on my quest for 10 lbs in 10 weeks.  After 4 weeks I have lost 5.  I hope it keeps coming off but have a feeling it’s going to get harder.

I talked to Caresse tonight.  She jumps out of a perfectly good airplane tomorrow. I asked her if she was scared – she said “no”.  I asked her if she was excited – she said “no”. I said “well then what are you?”  She says “I just want to get it over with”.  Can’t say that I blame her there.

Catch Up

It’s been awhile since I have written. I hope you all are having a good summer. Since returning home from Caresse’s graduation she we have finished school, Elisha has come to visit for her summer vacation and Tanner has left for Texas to visit his dad for the summer.  Time goes so fast.  Tanner and I kept our annual tradition and went to the local fireworks tent and bought an array of fireworks. We set them off on Friday night.  It is always so fun watching the kids line them up and pick which ones to set off first. This Thursday Elisha flies to Minnesota to spend 10 days with her friends there and Rebecca flies to MO for her visit with her mom.  Then on Friday Caresse is flying in for a quick weekend visit.  She is at Fort Bragg and received a 4 day pass and wants to spend it with us   Four trips to the airport in 3 days will be a challenge but well worth it.  

Work was extremely busy for me up until then end of June.  This is my “breathing” time.  I am not traveling as much and for whatever reason my schedule does not seem as full.  I have pictures to post from Tanner birthday party and a trip Elisha and I took to the coast.  That will be my goal next week when it is quiet in the house.

I did start a program at work – 10lbs in 10 weeks for $10 in 2010.  We had 13 people sign up. I am awarding weekly prizes for those who stay on goal.  We will also have a big cash prize at the end for the one who loses the most plus team prizes.  The contest has created some fun competition in the office plus made us all more aware of our need to have better health. I can’t win the prize since I’m the boss but I am enjoying being on the program.  I made it back to the gym yesterday after a long hiatus and focusing more on not skipping meals, drinking water, walking 4 times a week and going to the gym 2 times a week. I will let you know how it goes.

The family is doing great – just the normal bumps in the road.

Caresse’s graduation from boot camp

April 27- May 2nd Tanner and I flew to Oklahoma City and then drove to Fort Sill in Lawton, OK (about an hour and a half away).  Thursday was Family Day.  Her Battery put on a short program for us including skits and then they were released on pass for the day.  The first thing Caresse wanted was Starbucks!  So off we went in search of a Starbucks.  It soon became obvious that we were not in the Pacific NW!  No Starbucks to be found (later we googeled one)   My parents arrived around lunch time and we all met at Red Lobster for lunch.  Caresse’s first real meal – crab legs!  We then went to the Fort Sill museum and then back to the hotel to relax and later joined up with one her good friend’s family for dinner.  Graduation was Friday afternoon.  If you have never seen a graduation ceremony you are missing out.  It was very impressive.  The video above was part of the graduation ceremonies. After graduation we went to Olive Garden to celebrate.

Caresse is doing so well. It was hard to say goodbye but there were also tears of joy as we think back about how far she has come in the last 4 years.  She is now at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.  She will be there for her MOS schooling for the next 8 weeks or so.  Around July 4th she will be transferred to Fort Benning in Georgia for her Air Born and language school.  She has been told that within 9 months she will ship out to Afghanistan.  Her MOS is highly specialized and they try to train and ship them through the program as fast as possible so they can get the soldiers overseas.  We will take one day at a time.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.  As you can see by the pictures she is very happy and seems to have found “her spot” in life.

April Birthdays

April is Birthday Month for our family.  On April 12 Elisha turned 16 – whoo hooo. That is always a fun and exciting birthday.  We celebrated with her when she was in Portland for Spring break.   Next was Sarah’s 22nd Birthday on the April 23rd.  Sarah is very busy but doing well with college and her job with the Missiouri National Guard as their official broadcast journalist.  Then on April 27th Rachel celebrated her 20th Birthday.  No longer  a teenager – whooo hooo!  Rachel is at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio going to school for ER.  She has her ups and downs and ready to be back in Portland but overall I think she is doing well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our beautiful 3 daughters!  We are so blessed

Spring Break Toes

Spring Break Toes

Originally uploaded by jlupescu

Elisha and I opted for polka dots at our pedicure. What’s more fun then polka dots in the spring?

Spring Break 2010

Another spring break has come and gone.  Today we put Elisha on a plane to head to the big state of Texas.  We had such a good time with the kids.  We played our favorite game – Apples to Apples, took lots of walks with the dogs and of course went shopping.  I took Thursday off work to hang with the kids.  Elisha and I got pedicures – polka dot toes!  Then Elisha, Tanner and I went to PF Changes for lunch and then to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D.  I actually liked the movie.  Thursday night we went to our favorite neighborhood restaurant and celebrated Elisha 16th birthday. She’s such a great young lady!  Looking forward to summer visit already

Caresse

I talked to Caresse briefly yesterday. I was surprised by how happy she sounded. She said she Love it and Loves her Sergeant and she’s two points away from making Expert Shooter. It did my heart good to hear from her and here she was ok.

Elisha and Tanner fly in today. Elisha is flying in for a week of Spring break and then she heads to Texas. Her dad is moving to TX. Can’t wait to see that girl!! She’s excited and nervous about her move. Tough age to be moving. She’s a trooper.

Tanner is staying in OR – whoo hoo! He has wanted to move back for some time and we worked it out for the school year 2010. But with his dad moving to TX it did not make sense for him to start a new school for two months and then move here.

We are so excited to see both of the kids and thrilled to have Tanner back. Rebecca says she get’s lonely as the only child. In preparation we painted Becca’s room and put new carpet in both rooms. Today it’s time to put the rooms back together before the plane lands.

Caresse

Caresse

Originally uploaded by jlupescu

We finally got Caresse shipped off last Thursday. It ended up being quite the ordeal. MN forgot to send the paperwork to OR so they weren’t going to let her go at the last minute so MN told me to get her on a plane so she could ship out of MN…well that plane was leaving in an hour. Frantic rush to the airport, 10 phone calls later and Caresse got to stay in OR. Paperwork was overnighted and she shipped on time. I talked to her several times over the last week. She was loving it and had made friends with all the girls. There are about 40 girls in this group. Today however her life will change – first day of basic training. She has crossed my mind and prayers many times over the day. Funny thing though, whenever I start feeling a little sad, or scared for her I think of all the grief she put me through the last 4 years and and say GO ARMY HOOAH!

Today – February 17

I am not sure if I am dreading today or excited. The Army will come and pick Caresse up some time this afternoon and take her away. Part of me is terrified and part of me is helping her pack She’s ready to be on her own. She needs to be on her own, responsible for all her decisions. So that makes the Army a good place. She will be surrounded with rules, regulations, a controlled enviroment. How did Caresse Brooke Oldenkamp who popped into this world on January 9, 1992 full of attitude, dark dark brown eyes, bows in her hair and I’m ready to conquer the world demeanor get to be an 18 year old woman who, at least for today, doesn’t need her mom anymore. She’s her own woman. Now time to cry or celebrate?