Proud Daughter Moment (bragging on my dad

I got online and mom and I are chatting.

My dad and Dr. Boone (the guy he works for) have signed up with the VA Relief group and will be heading to New Orleans in November! Why not sooner? Because they have enough for the first team. I guess they will be the relief for the relief.

So I am just so proud of my dad and I think I will donate to their organization as they are actually going to go HELP people and not just use this as another way of getting their politics out on the world. just talking with mom and apparently the VA isn't taking donations, or at least they haven't said anything about it yet... she will find out for me... if not I guess I'll donate to the Southern Baptist relief effort...


Oh yeah and I found some of my favorite photos of my dad, even though they are a few years old, he's my dad and I love him and I miss him.

And hopefully these pictures will bring him luck and he'll get a moose this year!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/tonichelle/IM_A0431.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/tonichelle/IM_A0430.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/tonichelle/IM_A0429.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/tonichelle/IM_A0428.jpg

Apparently he's going to be deployed like if he were really in the military... on air force planes and everything... I am just too proud of my dad lol

Good for him Toni. I am leaving on Sunday, to go down there for two weeks as a nurse. My hospital is great about giving the time off in such short notice, and people who are not going are doing extra shifts to make up for those of us who are. I hope that some of the pain of these events can be settled shortly.

Kasey

Good luck to both Kasey and your dad Toni. stay safe you all. We are all proud of you.

Those pictures seem a bit shocking to me because I am just not used to hunting and to guns. I know that makes me sound like a wimpering city dweller.

Bless everyone who's going down there to help out with the relief efforts! :agree:

Good luck to Toni's dad and to Kasey. Both of you please stay safe! Re: "Bullwinkle" do people eat moose? The front page headline in our local newspaper this morning is....."Mad Deer Disease Hits WV". Those of you who hunt wild game for food please be careful.

Piel said:

Good luck to Toni's dad and to Kasey. Both of you please stay safe! Re: "Bullwinkle" do people eat moose? The front page headline in our local newspaper this morning is....."Mad Deer Disease Hits WV". Those of you who hunt wild game for food please be careful.

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yes we eat moose. in fact that's how dad feeds teh family in the winter. sounds primitive I know but you all think gas prices are high... meat prices in the winter are insane in Kenai, Alaska.

Dad is not a sport hunter (ie just going for the antlers or mounts) but he does keep a brag book anyway my dad the wannabe mountain man....


Kasey good luck and stay safe... I admire any and all who are going down there. I'd go if I could go with my dad... I'm too much of a wimp to go on my own :sheesh:

Not primitive at all Toni. Here is WV it's a toss up between hunting and picket line "camping" as the state's top sport (besides WVU football that officialy starts at 1:30 pm tomorrow in the Orange Dome aginst Syracuse....GOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS! ). A couple of counties dismiss school the first day of hunting season because so many kids skip to go look for Bambi. My brother loves his bow hunting and his venizon.....not my cup of tea but oh well. What is the price of fresh salmon and crab in your area?

Toni, I see hints of you in those pics of your Dad!
And like Gail said, Bless him and Kasey for volunteering to go aid those that need it in the Gulf Coast area!!!

We still have some hunters around here where I live, and they aren't sport hunters. We have some land, which obviously deer live on, and some of my husbands buddy's come hunt. They always give us some of the deer meat as "payment" for use of the land. It took me a looooong time to be able to eat "Bambi", but I'm learning. I know the meat from the store comes from the animals, but gosh I still hate seeing the guys pull in to show off their "kill" to Chip....I always go out and say "sorry you pretty deer" to the poor things.

Piel said:

What is the price of fresh salmon and crab in your area?

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why pay for it when you can go down to the river and get your own fish? (that sounds so much like my dad, what am I saying...)

I don't really know about either as we don't eat Alaskan King Crab often (Duane and I don't eat it, and crab is not the favorite of my parents lol) and we catch our own fish (I don't eat fish though) so we rarely head toward the seafood sections of the stores... I'll find out though!

NJSk8Fan said:

Toni, I see hints of you in those pics of your Dad!

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really????

Toni,
Now you're bragging !

I am so jealous. I live on the river but you don't eat from the Kanawha unless you are like your carp marinated in dioxin.

Toni,

Yes, you should be proud of Dad and the others who are willing (and able) to set aside their lives to help others.

My son, who just got back from Iraq this summer, was trying to volunteer with the Red Cross or the Salvation Army. Despite having all the skills those groups could and do want, neither is able to take individuals who haven't been through their training. Gotta "vet" the individual -- you know, they don't want to make things worse there by sending low-lifes and the unstable. Also, they want to make their teams as effective as possible -- everyone has a specific job and knows how to do it and work together.

Since Ohio State will be starting in a few weeks and he has fought hard to get into the courses he needs to graduate, he felt he had the time to go and the skills probably needed. (except for putting in IVs. He said that training was over a year ago and he wouldn't be comfortable doing it outside of a firefight.) He had just decided that he would explore the training and be available for "the next big disaster."

Or, at least that was what he thought. Yesterday, he got a call from his Army Reserve unit telling him he will probably be activated for at least 45 days. His unit can't do police work and he doesn't do building or medical. He and his "team" would essentially be doing the same work they did in Iraq. Except they won't need Iraqi interpreters. OOps -- forgot to tell y'all -- my son was promoted to the rank of sargeant, so he would be the non-com leader of his team.

I asked whether they would carry side arms (like cops) or rifles. He said they probably would be taking rifles and mimed-out how useful rifles were, as opposed to hand guns. Of course, by the time he gets there, wherever "there" is, he probably won't need the gun. His psychological operations team would be essentially involved in public relations and communications and organization. He does radio and newspapers and posters and other stuff. Of course on active-duty, who knows how long he'll be there. Guess he may have to take easier courses or even sit-out fall quarter. Oh well. While I truly want him to finish his degree and get on with the rest of his life, I know that his military service has prepared him well to help and God knows the people of the Gulf will need all the help they can get now and for a long time to come.

Tell Dad I not only thank him for volunteering, I also want to tell him he should be glad they couldn't make arrangements for him to go right now. It's awfully hot and humid down there! We wouldn't want you hardy Alaskans to have to find out how well you can deal with hot and humid! Of course, hot and humid are not only the cause of hurricanes. They make the after-math so much harder on the people. My son escaped the worst of Iraq's summer weather, but he's young and military, so I expect he'll be fine.

Since I am a person with health problems who has a hard time with hot and humid weather, I can only sympathize with even the healthy people down there. I pray the young and old and sick and the healthy get what they need soon.

And thanks to all who can and do help -- however and how much that will be.

JO... my dad grew up in California... and well we've survived Florida in July so I think he's pretty much ready for it... or at least he thinks so

we get pretty humid in S. Central Alaska granted not up in the 100s like you all down south, but pretty much the equivilent...






and yes, Piel... I know I was bragging. when we have fresh fish, you can be assured it's actually fresh (as in same day!)

Kasey, thank you for volunteering your services as a nurse. It's great that the people at your hospital are all helping - whether by going, or by covering shifts for those who do.

Toni, please pass on thanks to your Dad as well for volunteering. I can understand why you are so proud of him.

This whole situation is such a tragedy and my heart goes out to all of the victims and volunteers alike.

DG

Toni,

Sorry. Poor attempt at a joke. The most important thing for your Dad is, he'll still be needed desperately in November. Personally, I think the crummy hot, humid summer we had here in Cleveland (we had an unusual number of 90+ degree days with high humidity) was only a preview for the Katrina mess. Knowing how hard life was for me and others with a/c and water and all our city infrastructure, including drug stores and grocery stores and libraries and churches and hospitals and police and fire coverage in tact, I can only imagine how hard it has been for what must be millions of people at this point.

Life is hard when you are young or old or poor or sick, and all too many of the people affected by this disaster are more than one of those. Having survived my own personal disasters, I feel strongly that we all need to do whatever we can to help, even if it is only a prayer or a good wish or an encouraging word. At the bottom of any mess, it seems that nothing will ever be any better. The whole task of rebuilding a life seems totally overwhelming. It becomes nearly impossible to even envision a better future. Those who've described the feeling as one of drowning are right. And the thought occurs: what if I just give up and let the water take me? All my troubles will be over then. And suicide is only one example of how a person dies then. People need hope to go on and need to feel it will be safe to "feel" again.

This is a long term disaster and we all need to get ready for that.