so its been just over a year...

hi everybody.

i don't even know where to start to catch y'all up, or if you'd even care.
but in a nutshell:

-The Keith got out of the USAF after almost a decade of service.
-moved from West Texas to northeastern PA

it has been a HUGE transition for us to go from military to civilian, moreso for me funny enough. i miss the lifestyle but wouldn't trade our life now to go back to it. no way.

been exploring the music wildlife around here, started working with a band, did a cover band thing, now i'm rockin' my own band. i'm teaching now too, and i love that especially.

LOVE living up here, and most of the reason i've been so absent is because we've been exploring so much. traded my little Mazda3 for a Jeep Wrangler (TJ - Sahara edition '03) and have been hitting the trails hard.
a lot of camping, playing in the rivers, hiking, you name it.
hitting the slopes too this winter - good times!

i love finally having a place to call home and i love that we can enjoy each other as a family now. we all do, we are all so much happier. you don't quite realize the stress of being a military family until you're out of it. it can be pretty brutal. the kids are ecstatic, they are doing so well and its fantastic for them to have their Dad home and know that he can be here for their Birthdays and such. the things we could never do before we can do now, so we've really been enjoying the past year just being a family. it's quite a novelty still.

so that's why i've been so absent, but i'm trying to get better about coming back in here to keep in touch with y'all. because i love my JCF bros and sistas!

hugs,
Emmy

[JacksonDean]

Well, it sounds like things are working out well for y'all.

PA is a nice place, I used to go up there a bit when I was stationed on the East Coast.

[Bengal]

Welcome back! Sounds like things are going well for you. Enjoy the outdoors. The country is very pretty up in your area...

[fett]

Em. All I can say is I met when you first signed up to the board. The Turkfuk was classiic. I am stoked that you are back. And I am particularly glad that things are getiing settled down enough to have you back.

[sonicsamurai]

good to see u back em! glad things are good in your life!!

[Emthrax]

thanks guys!

oh man... the Turkfuk! :ROTF: :ROTF: :ROTF:
i remember that vaguely... Fett you had something going on with a turkey and your family? it was very odd and very entertaining. oh wait... didn't you have a family member that had a pet turk and it was driving you batshit? yeaaaah... i remember now, that lil' turkfuk.

[fett]

The black lab offed the turkfuk.:ROTF: See, you have a life and I am just fett.

[Emthrax]

whoah. check this out, here's a shocker.
we went from living in this landscape (west Texas)



to this (northeast Pennsylvania) :

[Emthrax]

The black lab offed the turkfuk.:ROTF: See, you have a life and I am just fett.

ah! hahahaha! :ROTF: poor widdle fuk.
ah Fett, you have the life with your gear and your trailer, man. kudos.

[Jacksonchick]

Welcome back Em. Hope to hear more from you hun.

[guitarsjb]

Glad you're back sista girl!! But, you missed the last Zombie concert here in OKC..oh wait I did too...:ROTF: See what happens when you aren't around?? Geez.

Glad things are great for you, The Keith, kids and the kitties. Stumpy still has your damn cable tie.
I have missed you much.

[Emthrax]

thanks R.

Jeri!!! Wish you guys could move up here... moshing with you is INSANE!
oh crap... i forgot to look up those pictures. we got snowed in up here today ... i won't forget, gotta get on my other computer and dig around.
do you think y'all will be coming up this way in the summer for a COM tour? is that still the plan?

[Emthrax]

p.s. awww... Stumpy can keep the cable tie. hahahaha! too cute!

hey, we have three kitties now, dunno if i told you about the newest one.
so now its Zorya the Weird, Senor Osiris, and Merlin (aka "shortbread"). Merlin looks like an ewok. NO more cats! we're done. o_O

[dg]

Great to see you back posting, Em! I caught up on some of your new music last night. Great as ever, and it's cool to hear that you've got a band. Your first post in the thread brings up a good point that many of us don't always think about, and that's the sacrifice that the whole family of a serviceman (or servicewoman) makes. Thanks to you, Keith & the kids for that, and enjoy your new life! Looks like a beautiful place to do it.

[guitarsjb]

Aw, don't sweat the pics..but I do want them to have, I think I had them on my last 'puter that died.
You neglected to tell me about Merlin..need a pic of him too. 3 is our limit too. (so I say today..)
No kiddin..how long has it been?? He LOVES that cable tie. Plays with it for days..loses it under something..I clean, give it back, he's in heaven again!