Special Dedication: Mom & Mrs Strandmark!!!

Andi and Zoey at breakfast.
Andi doesn't want to stay in her high chair.












Andi loves her pancakes : )















Leaving Colorado Springs in style!!

Artistic Andrea Ann - (Jaimers Photo Galleries)

Colorado Springs Trip

Playing in the grass for the first time!!










Walking downtown Colorado Springs on a warm winter afternoon











Happy Hour with FREE pretzels!!












Celebrating our 30th Birthdays....80s style!!











Skiing at Keystone Mountain...fun day in the Rockies!

Snow Day Saturday

Yup, after about a 6-month hiatus from this blog, it's time to reopen the thoughts and let the words flow. It snowed about 20 inches this weekend and we fully enjoyed the time "trapped" at home. Jenny had hit the grocery store on Friday with all of the other crazy Apocalyptic shoppers so we were well prepared for a couple weeks of snowed in survival.

Aside for the normal shoveling and uncovering of our vehicles, we were able to venture out pretty well on Sunday. The roads in Northern VA aren't all they're cracked up to be and that combined with the talented drivers, we didn't wander too far from the homestead. We got to see one of Jenny's old college friends who was visiting the DC area in Old Town Alexandria and got to catch up on all the crazy stories of Jenny's wild youth, haha. We took Andi out in the snow and she was burrito wrapped in this Everest Survival Suit that's a nice shade of blue...obviously procured prior to Andi's arrival. (see pictures) Perhaps most impressive is that its got a nice fuzzy hoodie to it do Andrea actually looks like she was hair sticking out. It keeps her warm and aside from the obstacle challenge of ingress and egress, she's a fan of the coat.

Monday was a snow day for the ol' Federal Gov't so we got to sleep in a little and venture out more today. Andi was Baby Bjorn'n it throughout the day and we even took her sledding as we avoiding the traffic. Folks were going absolutely bonkers today with the ice/slush roads and not wanting to chill out and wait for the 1/2 plowed lane to open up. We were glad to watch from the sidelines. I'm back to work tomorrow as usual but it's a short week before Santa's visit.

Short blogo update but more than we've done in quite a while. Looking forward to posting more and hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Jim

Andi's Four-Week Birthday

It's hard to believe that Andrea Ann is already 4 weeks old. She's getting bigger everyday and Jenny's taking wonderful care of her all day long. I'm back at work so I help as much as I can during the evenings but Jenny is doing amazing.

Took yesterday (Friday) off to tackle a few honey-do's around the house. It was a nice day off that started with an early round of golf to celebrate the first sunny day this week and 1st round back in DC in 2009. Ironically, last time I played was on a course in Germany on the Rhine River while Jenny was in the hospital prepping for Andi's arrival.

It's Saturday morning and one of my favorite things to do us to get up early, put on a pot of coffee, and catch up on news/SportsCenter. About an hour later, I sneak upstairs to see both my girls fast asleep. Andi is usually hanging out on my side of the bed with Mom close by. I can't imagine life any different than what we have right now. Tomorrow is the Jenny's 1st Mother's Day and I got some tulips delivered here to remind her of our wonderful time in the Netherlands. I hope Andi likes the yellow, purple, and red colors of the flowers too. Off to play a little early morning beach volleyball and then some car shopping this afternoon.

Special shout-out to our Uncle Pat for the CSU onesy. We'll support the Rams but don't think about sending any of that Cowboys stuff (except maybe diapers).

International Promotion

The past week I got to participate in a promotion notification for one of our British Sergeants that work in the Geo branch here at Brunssum. Since we have only 8 folks on the team, there’s substantial interaction and got to know Mark quite well since my time here. On Thursday morning we (the officers) headed down to the UK Support Element for an office call with the Officer In Charge. He has told Mark to report to his office at a designated time without explaining the reason. While Mark was waiting to be called into the office from the waiting area, we snuck in and walked through what was going to happen. There was a small coffee table with a couple small glasses. The door to the office was closed so Mark knocked once, was summoned in by the OIC, and reported as requested (full with square corners, salute, and eyes locked). The OIC then explained that the results from the board have been released and it was his privilege to inform Mark that he has been selected for Staff Sergeant in the UK Army. As with most things that I’ve come across with the UK military, things were prime and proper as expected. As tradition permits, we cracked open a bottle or port and brandy (depending on your preference) and poured the glasses. Making a toast to the good news and wishing Mark the very best in the new rank and more to follow. I gotta tell ya, a glass of port before 0900 is a nice way to start a day!! Like myself, Mark will be departing Brunssum in the near future and will pin on the new rank upon his arrival to his new assignment.
As much as I’ve enjoyed the job here at Brunssum, it’s the folks you work with are the real reason I want to come to work. The challenges, frustrations, and successes aren’t nearly as memorable if you don’t have the right mix of folks to share them with. I still have some time left here at Brunssum and lots of things that I still want to do but I will always appreciate the finest quality of people that I’ve been around. It’s not everyday you get to work elbow-to-elbow with Brits, Pols, Germans, Belgians, and many more NATO partners.