Deb's Retirement

Wednesday afternoon's retirement ceremony began with the families (Rower's, Ellis, Van Vleet and Beatty's) being escorted into the room, and seated in the first two rows. On my assigned seat was packet of Kleenex. Who knew? Good thing, because the ceremony was one big, long kleenex train, and not just for me. First, the Honor Guard posted the colors and the national anthem was sung. First Kleenex.

Lt Webb narrated the ceremony, Ed Luminati (the man who led Jeff to the Lord) gave the invocation. Kleenex #2.

Debbie's close friend and fellow White House nurse, Colonel Kim Sinisculchi, gave the tribute. She spoke with no notes, detailed Deb's entire career and accomplishments for the Air Force, which were many with deep impact on the way Air Force nursing would be done in the future, and even spoke of Jeff's dedication to the home front so Deb could serve her country. Kleenex #3 and 4.

Neighbor Lori sang a song called "My Daughter's Eyes" that Deb dedicated to the girls, who are pictured here with their grandparents and aunts. Add another 2 spent tissues to the purse. Fellow nurses from Mountain Home, Idaho, Andi and Will performed a flag folding ceremony, then Debbie gave the flag to Dad in honor of his service in WW2. Tears, tears and more tears. I'm even tearing up as I post this. It was very moving. Next, Parents medals were given to Mom and Dad Rower, Children's medals given to the girls, and the Spouse medal given to Jeff's mother, Nina. The packet of tissues is almost gone at this point. Finally, gifts were presented by a variety of nurses, nursing organizations, and letters read from commanders who could not be present, including the current Commander in Chief George W. Bush, and former Commander in Chief, George H.W. Bush. The letter from Bush #41 finished out my tissue pack. He really loves Debbie.

There was a nice reception following, with good food and fellowship. The medical world in the Air Force is small, and people knew each other from previous assignments, even though they had made the journey from Alaska, California, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, D.C., Georgia, and Florida. Debbie has had a remarkable impact on many, many people.

In the picture at the above right Debbie is shown speaking with Nina Beatty as Beth looks on. We were so pleased Nina and Jeff's brother, Dave, and his family could attend and support Deb. Mom and Dad were part of the receiving line, and they were so proud and happy. Both of them commented how wonderful Kim's tribute was. By the way, at the end of the ceremony, Debbie announced something that Kim would never have told us, since it was totally supposed to be Debbie's day. Deb said that Kim was being promoted to the rank of 2-star General, and would be assuming the highest ranking position a nurse could attain: head of all the nurses in the entire Air Force. I'd say Debbie keeps pretty good company.

As you can see, Dad's eyes are looking a little less purple, and he called this his "mask of Zorro" look. True to form, he made the best of a tough situation. I think, in spite of the "mask" that this is one of the best recent photos of the two of them.

So, we all chowed down on the goodies, visited with all the out of town guests and Air Force Academy staff who attended, and went home to empty the kleenex wads out of the purse. All in all, a great day.

Grandparents pic

Dad Rower (with black eyes), Nina Beatty, Mom Rower

Pics!

Debbie eating BBQ



The Chantilly Cake from Whole Foods YUM!



Cheyenne Mountain - Tour of a lifetime - see
tomorrow's blog!

Semi-automatic: Locked and loaded!

First things first: Krista Renner Wilson gave birth to Emma Ruth Wilson yesterday. Pictures are up at http://emmaruthwilson.blogspot.com/

I got a text message on July 1 at 12:10 a.m. (that's 2:10 a.m. for most of you). Janice said they were "on the way." The baby was born a little after 7:00 a.m. with minimal time pushing. Whoosh! Automatically Janice and Bob are grandparents! "Grandma" and "Grandpa" Renner were still on the road in South Carolina, and Janice called my cell all excited to share the great news. Now, you do the math... what time was it in Colorado? I figure since I was also pulled out of bed before dawn, that makes me a semi-automatic grandma with all the rights and privileges thereof. Kristi, please draw up a contract... Congratulations to all Renners and Wilsons! I'm honored to have been one of the first to know, really!

Yesterday was a busy day, the culminating event being a nice BBQ - Yes! Dave's BBQ! It was delicious, and many of the out-of-town guests were present. Multiple trips to the airport picking up guests, orthodontia appointment for Jen who just got her braces off (great smile!!), setting up a tent, tables, chairs, decorating, lots of things to do, but well worth it, as the event went off without a hitch. Pics coming as soon as I get a chance.

Today we go to Cheyenne Mountain where NORAD has been housed. Deb says this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity even for her, so we're excited about going. The retirement ceremony is this afternoon. Another busy day.

Until tomorrow,
Kath
the locked and loaded semi-automatic grandma

You should have seen the other guy!

The dog found me out, and hadn't even seen the suitcase yet! He just knew. He's too smart for his own good!

As I was driving to the Tampa airport at dark o'clock, my cell phone rang. Beth said Dad had fallen and they were having trouble stopping the bleeding from his face, nose and arm. The neighbors, Don and Mim, were helping (Mim is a retired nurse) and they finally got him patched up. I don't even want to know how fast Don drove to get them to the airport, but once there, with the help of an awesome and friendly Skycap named Winston, we got to the gate and were the last ones to board. Dad looks like he's been in a prize fight - but you should have seen the other guy, whom Dad claims was George Foreman, all because Dad wouldn't buy his grill! It's good to know he's kept his sense of humor through all of this, as he's got to be hurting and sore. So... we're in our seats on the plane...

Then the stewardess asked us questions about Dad's very obvious condition, as he had started bleeding again a little bit. When they found out he was on Coumadin, they booted us off the plane. The medics checked him out, but airline policy prevented us from reboarding until a doctor certified he was OK to fly. Beth asked if that doctor could be Dad himself. Uh, no. So we drove back to Sun City Center to the emergency room where they began a thorough exam including X-rays and CT scan. They diagnosed a broken nose, patched him up with better (and pricier) bandages that apply pressure to the elbow to help with bleeding. Eventually he left with a doctor's note saying he was cleared to fly.

The airlines was wonderful in accommodating the situation, and got us on the same flight Monday. We even got Winston as our Skycap when we got to the unloading area at the airport. He remembered that Dad has a pacemaker and Mom has 2 bionic knees, and got us through security as efficiently as possible. We arrived in COS as uneventfully as you can traveling with 2 wheelchairs, a worried mom, badly bruised and black-eyed father, a tired and somewhat stressed sister, and a tired me.

Beth and I drove around looking for hotels and places to have the rehearsal dinner for the February wedding, then Deb's in-laws arrived and we headed out for dinner at Biaggi's, a nice Italian restaurant near Deb's house.

Dad has been coming up with great jokes about his black eyes and swollen nose and face: His parachute didn't open, those prizefighters aren't all that great after all, etc. All in all, the one day we missed out here was a day Debbie didn't have anything planned, so all's well that ends well.

Stay tuned for Tuesday!

Packing for Colorado Springs!

I've been packing the suitcase in Kyle's room, so the dog hasn't seen it yet. He moped so badly when I went to Sarasota overnight on Monday that I couldn't bear to let him see me pack again so soon.
Can't wait for cooler weather and seeing Deb and the girls again!

Thanksgiving in Georgia

The usual fun and games with the Van Vleet clan.

Highlights included:

• Aubry Buck - at 6 weeks of age she stole the show! Congrats Brian and Julie!
• Football, football and more football. GO GATORS!
• Chastisement by the local golf cart ranger for walking along the cart paths.
• Daily trips to IGA "I thought we had cheese! I guess we need to go to the grocery store again."