Well folks....I have excuses, but not sure if they are really going to fly! That is excuses about not posting to my blog for over six months. SHAME ON ME!

My first excuse is that John retired from the military in July. He made the decision in March and the months between March and December were a complete roller coaster filled with job hunting, house hunting, trips back to Georgia, the retirement ceremony, the birth of our first grandchild Thomas, two moves in six weeks in Abu Dhabi, the retirement party, trying to furnish the new house, our
annual Thanksgiving Day blow out (which hosted over 50 people this year!), a vacation to Italy, hiring a new maid, a month back home in Georgia in December for the holidays, and adding two new Volpino puppies to our household, and much more in between.

These were just the highlights! To say it has been an eventful year is an understatement.


Everything I had going on was put aside during the last 9 months! I did no writing to speak of, very little reading (which is my FAVORITE pasttime), very little exercise at the gym, and I totally seemed to have lost my focus personally as I was focusing on housing and retirement.

My second excuse is just plain laziness....having so much going on around me and so many things to do, I put aside something that is really important to me.

We are finally back in Abu Dhabi, trying to get over jet lag and get into a routine again, and trying to get started on our New Year's Resolutions---get more healthy and back into the gym, lose some of the weight we gained over the holidays, get our new doggie additions to the UAE and settled into the house hold, get back to my writing, and MY BLOG!

Sooooo, my solemn promise (and one of my resolutions for the new year) from today is that I will begin posting again and sharing all the interesting things about this country. There is so much to see and do and so many nationalities to mingle with---it is truly a wonderful cultural experience to be here. I have my own transportation now and do not rely on a taxi as before so my daily experiences have changed somewhat. I mean every day in a taxi was a true adventure. You never knew just exactly what was going to happen each day or who you were going to meet. It was quite exhilarating and so much fun. Although I LOVE having my own car, I do miss the experiences of doing all my errands in a taxi each day. That is exactly what this blog is all about......THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE..... You'll see more of this country and my experiences here in the coming blogs!

Back in Abu Dhabi

Today is the first day since May 15th that I have felt human and like myself. I have suffered jet lag as never before on this trip home. I usually get back on schedule within a few days. Not this time!!!! I slept through the night last night for the first time since we got home. Hallelujah! And so did John.

We spent a great month back in the USA at our little house in Georgia visiting with family and friends and contemplating our life's next adventure---RETIREMENT! Yes, John has officially retired from the Air Force and we begin yet again another phase of our life.

Boy has it been an emotional rollercoaster---beginning with the agonizing wait for our next assignment. The announcement for the Colonel assignments was postponed twice. We really were not worried so much about it as we found out that John had been by-named by a Four Star General in the USAFE Command (United States Europe). We felt certain John would get the assignment we so longed to get---another position in Europe. He was the no. 1 select for a job at Kalkar Germany, which is located right at the German, Netherlands, French border. We couldn't have asked for anything better. However, things were not to be! Another Four Star General at the Pacific Command decided he wanted John more and pulled him to Osan, Korea!!!!! To say we were in shock at the assignment is an understatement. It was truly an honor to be asked to serve as a Vice-Commander in Osan and a prestigious job. However, we just didn't feel the time was right in our life to make such a sacrifice on the heels of spending two years in the Middle East. So, the choice was made----retire after 26 years!

So far, the job hunt has been a bit of a bumpy ride. Not bad but a little bumpy. First is the realization that you are going to be unemployed in a few months. PANIC!!!! Then, after that adjustment, you start to think about what you want to do with your life. John and I are not ones who had the "golden plan." We truly thought we were at least four years away from this decision and fully expecting it to end with the assignment of our dreams. So, unprepared is exactly what we have been.

Fortunately, John has already been made a solid job offer right here in the UAE. Yesterday, he turned down this job due to the compensation package. In order for us to make the commitment to stay in the Middle East, the total package has to be just right. We just couldn't get there on this offer. No worries---we have other possibilities in the hopper. He has one more good offer in the UAE that is now under consideration. Still in the proposal stage and seeing if John is the right fit. Other things have come our way as well. He has applied for three different positions at the Pacific Command in Hawaii. I KNOW---back to Hawaii AGAIN!!!! What a thought but not a terrible one. The only drawback for me is that it is so far from my beloved Europe and visits would be few and far between. Easier to get back home to Georgia though! He has also applied for a position with the National Defense University in Norfolk, Virginia.

And the search goes on........searching through job web sites.....making contacts with pilot buddies...and people in the know......talking to contractors at Central Command and ACC.....talking to SIM instructors friends in Europe.....(wouldn't that be a great one!) Trying not to make money the issue but having two kids in college next year is weighing in heavily. However, turning down the job in the UAE is certainly a statement that it's not about money!!!!! So here we go!!!!

John said to me yesterday...."you're just along for the ride, aren't you? You'll go anywhere I go and be happy." I retorted, "just not to Osan, Korea."

Well, IT IS AN ADVENTURE! And I do have a SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE!