Wishing all of our military servicemen, servicewomen and their families a wonderful Veteran’s Day today. Your service and sacrifice is appreciated by this gal everyday.
I thought this would be a fitting time to introduce you to my little brother, the newly winged Chief Warrant Officer Michael Gillam. So if you’ll indulge me a proud big sister moment…
Mike with his beautiful wife Katie & my new niece, Hannah
Here's Mike with our cute Mom
Last month Mike graduated from flight school in Ft Rucker, AL and earned his wings. He is now officially an Apache helicopter pilot, something that he has trained and studied and spent the last year and a half working toward.
I tease Mike that it’s worrisome enough for me as his big sister to have him in the Army and to think about him going back to the Middle East (he served time in Iraq a couple years ago) and now he had to go and add the dangers of flying helicopters to my nerves. I mean, I have ridden in the car with him…
In all seriousness though, I am so very proud of Mike. And all of the other men and women who serve along side him all around the world. And those who have served. And those who will serve.
And I’m proud of and grateful for Katie who stands beside him and supports him. And all the others who send their loved ones off not knowing when you’ll see them again.
If you are a parent and you are contemplating the idea of making a move one of the likely things on the top of your list of questions pertains to the schools. Where are they? What are they like? How are they rated? I frequently have clients ask me questions about schools and thought I’d share with you the resource I send them to: greatschools.net.
Greatschools.net is a researching parent’s dream. From public to charter to private schools, you can learn about everything from student and teacher statistics, spending per child, test scores (see Las Sendas Elementary 4th grade AIMS scores above), demographics, extra cirricular activities, parent & student reviews, and much more. You can also compare schools or school districts.
If you have something to say about a school your kids go to make sure to leave feedback for others there, too and then sign up to receive updates about your specific schools.
If you’ve never had a fresh peach straight off of the tree you are really missing out!
We have 3 peach trees in our backyard all different varieties that ripen at different times so we can extend our peach eating season. The first tree is almost empty now and the second is just ripening.
YUMM!
If you don’t happen to have peach trees and you live in the Valley of the Sun you can still enjoy picking fresh peaches at the annual Queen Creek Peach Festival this weekend. Here are the details:
A weekend of peach food sampling, peach pancake breakfast, pie eating contests, chef demonstrations, hay rides to peach orchards for picking, organic vegetable picking, arts and craft booths, children’s crafts, amusement rides, and live entertainment.
May 15-17, 2009
7:30am to 4pm
U-pick peaches for $1.75 per pound
Admission is $2.00 pp and $10.00 for a ride wristband (unlimited) or $2.00 for a train ride and others. Hayrides to orchards included in admission.
Today was Customer Appreciation Day at Joe’s Real BBQ in Gilbert which meant FREE FOOD! And not just any food, Joe’s is the best BBQ EVER! Some people complain and whine that the line is too long but I always think it’s a fun time hanging out and just being part of a greater community. Though a little on the warm side today, the weather is usually beautiful for visiting and chatting with friends and family as we wait in the line for our free food. Here’s Matt waiting in the lunch line:
This evening we went back for dinner too…because the girls wanted to go. ;~) Here’s a fun aerial view of the lines as we saw them:
The red marking is the longest we saw the line and the blue spots are where we waited from (the closer one being lunch). This evening we waited just under an hour.
I’ve been following @JoesRealBBQ on Twitter today and these are some of the stats that were released:
4500 lbs of meat
500 dozen bakery fresh buns
1800 quarts of homemade sides (the best beans in the world and yummy coleslaw)
6184 free meals
Now that’s giving back! Thank you, Joe. We appreciate your appreciation of us and our patronage throughout the rest of the year. And to your hard working staff: YOU ROCK!!!
From our home to yours: Merry Christmas and blessings in the coming year! Enjoy time with your family.
Here are two of my favorite things this year: a quote and a song. My wish is that they will find a place in your heart as well.
…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!
