I have placed a picture of Army Mom's daughter standing between two young men who belong to mutual friends of Army Mom and me. The young men are Adam Perkins on the left and Alan Perkins on the right. These young men make Rachel seem very, very, very small.
Rachel Vinette is serving our country with the 501st MP Company, 1st Armored Division from Ft. Knox, known as the Old Ironsides company. Rachael's company leave for Iraq in the middle of September. Not sure how long she will be there. Army Mom can tell us.
Rachael was just home for two weeks and her parents, Jane and Rex, brought her to Howard for a few days. We all met, many of us, at Poplar Pizza, to share the evening with Rachael. I think I monopolized this young lady the whole time. I love Rachael very much. She graduated from Washburn University with her degree in criminal justice, so, of course, I am partial to this young lady. One of her papers she wrote was about the Elk County Jail. I believe she said she got an A for that. And why wouldn't she? Look at the subject matter she picked. ;D ;D Talking with Rachael that evening gave me the confidence that she is going to be just fine. She's tough and she will make it through this. Of course, you all know, she got that toughness from me. (Like I had anything to do with that). Actually, I believe that she got that toughness from her parents. Anyway, enough of that. Here is the picture.
Janet, Thank you for posting that picture of Alan, Rachael and Adam. What a beautiful happy picture. It does not seem possible to see tham so grown up. I guess I tend to think of every one in that age group as Grade Schoolers. Now don't tell me I am living in the past...that is a given. Derek was Adam's buddy while they were in Severy school, and Rachael would come in the salon when they were home to visit Helen, she was the cutest little thing, to hear her talk was so much fun. Of course I loved her Grandma and her Daddy and Mama and her Uncle Robert.
Janet, thanks for the post about Rachel and the others. Nice photo. I can tell that you are very proud of them.
And, by the way, we're not hearing enough from you on this forum. It gets boring without those back-and-forth pokes between you and the Queen.
Rudy, you will just have to poke Frawgie once in awhile and Diane can keep you both going. Have we heard from Flo today? Jo has been with us a little bit. Would like to hear more from my contemporaries.
Janet has been busy all day today, but I am sure we will hear from her this evening. Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.
I won't be on here very much today. I got up, went to Mass with the husband, then came home, started lunch, went to Sunday School, went to church, came home, ate lunch, went to Independence, got home in time to help Pat Allen celebrate the last of her two hour birthday party at the Howard Twilight Manor and now I'm on here waiting to go to 5th Sunday Services which are at the United Methodist Church in Grenola. Our own dear emptynest is the preacher tonight. The Howard United Methodist Church Choir, (at least the ones who can make it), will be singing a song to the group from different churches from Elk County and surrounding areas.
Another reason that you don't hear much from me right now is because by the time I get home from work, I'm tired, hot, and sweaty. I take a shower. Get supper. Clean up supper. Get lunches ready for tomorrow and by that time I'm ready to go to bed. I'll be glad when these hot days of summer are gone.
Does that mean we will have to listen to you more on here? ::)
:P
Oh I LOVE the picture of Racheal!
She is such a sweety..and even though Rex and Jane miss her, I know that they are proud that she is the strong woman that she is...and that she is doing what makes her happy.
To add to Janet note, which I will have say was GREAT. Thanks to Jo and Teresa for your comments also.
Rachael was home for 2 weeks after being in Wiesbaden Germany for 13 months. She left to go back to Wiesbaden on July 27th. As far as we know right now she will not be deployed to Iraq until the middle of September, but who knows what the Army will have in store for them.
Yes!! Dad and I are quite proud of her for getting her BA,making it through basic at Ft. Leonard Wood and not really being home sick in Germany. She spent New Years Eve in Paris, so who would be home sick. She has been training all over Germany and says the country side is beautiful.
Will keep you all posted when we know more.
Army Mom and Dad.
My daughter remembers the fellow in the RYLA shirt, Adam Perkins. She was one of the counselors that ran the camp when he attended! The world is smaller than we think.
;D
Army Mom is the one who took the picture. And I can't remember if I said that Alan and Adam Perkins are the sons of our own Gene and Kate Perkins, whom most of us know and love. Alan goes to school in Oklahoma and Adam is getting ready to go to school at WSU.
I'm home for lunch and just browsing through the postings, catching up on things...enjoying the peace and quiet of the house. And I stumble across the picture of Alan and Adam Perkins and Rachel Vinette. I have never met Rachel but wish her well in her travels of the coming months! It has been a few years since I've seen Alan and Adam. HOLY SMOKES! I babysat BOTH those boys a few years BEFORE they started Kindergarten. I think this is the point where I'm supposed to feel old...but, nahhhhhhhhhh I don't. It just amazes me as to where the years have gone. WOW, did they eat their vegetables or what??!!! All three are good-lookin kids!
Oh, yeah. Those boys eat their veggies. Let me tell you what their dad says when I give him a compliment about his boys. Gene says, "Isn't it great that I met and married Katie? She what she has done for me." He always gives Katie the credit. At least when he is talking to me.
Just a quick update on Rachael. She has now left Germany and has landed somewhere close to Iraq but can not tell us where. They will train for about a month and then in to Iraq she will go. She did contact us at 1:00am Sunday morning to let us know what was going on. Will keep those of you that know her posted on what she is doing.
Army Mom
Army Mom
Find out if Rachel's unit has a webpage. If they do then even when she is unable to contact you because of unreliable phone connections and long lines waiting to use the computer you can still get some idea of where the unit has been and what they are doing plus as an added bonus they usually post candid shots of the soldiers doing everyday stuff. My son is not able to tell me where he is but the website shows where they have been a week or so before for example I now know that on his birthday he was "Cruising through the Suez Canal" and that a couple of weeks ago he was in Kuwait. On his last trip to Iraq I saw a couple photos of his promotion ceremony before he was able to get to a computer to send some to me :)
Marine Mom
Tell Rachael I love her. Tell Rachael I miss her. Tell Rachael to take care. Tell Rachael to come home. Ah, heck. Let me tell her. RACHAEL, I LOVE YOU, I MISS YOU, TAKE CARE AND COME HOME.
Janet,
Just wanted to let you know that Rachael thinks the world of you. You took her by the hand when she need to do her college paper and really helped her a lot. I think you are the reason she received her degree in Criminal Justice.
Hope to see you at the festivial
By the way Rachael is in Kuwait doing futher training before going to Iraq. We hope to hear from her this week end.
Army Mom