The VW fiasco

My first week in Dahlgren, Virginia I caught a horrible cold.  I was so sick I ached, my throat was sore, I couldn't stop coughing, and I couldn't sleep through the night.  I felt like a zombie as I sat in class, trying to pay attention but nothing really sinking in.  On Thursday, when my classmates headed out to go to the US Naval Academy for service selection night, when the midshipmen and women pick what ship they are going to, I was supposed to go with, but felt horrible and backed out.  My entire focus was on getting into my car, driving back to my BOQ room, and going to sleep.  The only problem was...my car wouldn't start!  After checking cables, fuses, getting a jump (worked once) and finally getting towed to the Fredricksburg VW dealer, they were able to repair it.  I ended up towing it on Saturday, and renting a car in case they weren't able to fix mine.  I received a call that afternoon, my VW was fixed, the 70,000 mile service was completed, the fuel filter was changed out, and my car was ready to go.  Whew!  Here's a picture of the car I rented (yes, it's the bright green one)...

I'm fortunate to be staying in the BOQ.  The majority of my classmates were called the week before class began to be given non-availability certificates.  I know it's easy to go home for lunch when I'm just a 1/2 mile away, and not having to deal with the gate traffic back-ups in the morning.  The only disadvantage is the room is cold - I'd say it averages 68 degrees in here, but the front desk guy told me the thermostats are actually set to 62 degrees!!  Are they crazy??!!  No wonder I got sick.  Here's pictures of my room.

Driving back across the states

In the early winter, I headed out to school in Dahlgren, Virginia.  For six weeks, I'm to attend Aegis and then Ballistic Missile Defense schools.  Brad drove with me out to Oklahoma, where we stayed for a couple days with Sally and Jerry.  Kaylee's birthday was Thursday, so we brought her presents with (headbands made by me, a DSI XL, and some other things).  Friday we were able to watch Macie's homecoming basketball game (they won), before we went back and Macie headed to the homecoming dance.

Brad stayed in Oklahoma for the weekend while I headed out Saturday morning and drove two days straight (stopping in Tennessee for the night) to Dahlgren to start classes on Monday.  I stopped for books on tape from Cracker Barrel and listened as I drove, making the hours just fly by.  I was lucky and was able to miss any significant weather on this drive also, though big storms came across the east coast both before and after my drive.  

Cookbook

I thought I'd start a blog about our favorite recipes.  Eventually, I may make it into a personal cookbook.  In reality, I just want to be able to find these good recipes quickly and not have to find those little pieces of paper scattered throughout the house!  There's a link in the sidebar or go here: http://nikkiandbradscookbook.blogspot.com/