Category: Family

The Army and Air Force “Hometown News Network” made it possible for soldiers serving overseas to record holiday greetings videos for the family back home.

Here’s my sister’s, Captain Meister, holiday greetings video.

.. and we have Christmas decorations up.

The Meister Mom leaves to drive herself and the two granddogs down to the brother’s house in Kentucky on Tuesday, and then a few days later, she’ll be leaving to watch over the sister’s house in Texas. Since we won’t see her back here until January, when the sister gets back from serving overseas, it was decided best to get a jump start on holiday decorations.

At least, that’s our excuse.

Oddly enough, we saw two other local houses with decorations up already. Obviously all the retail stores have already replaced their halloween products with christmas supplies. Within weeks the mall should be done over in its usual non-offensive pastel holiday decorations as well.

Another Halloween has come and gone.

This year we had over 150 kids, along with their parents and even grandparents come through our oversized garage. We’ve added many new decorations this year, including over 50 new animated figures to go along with the hundreds we already have lining the tables and walls. Some kids get so into playing with the animated figures that they completely forget to grab their candy.

We have a graveyard outside, complete with a fog machine to fill it with smoke at 15 minute intervals. My personal favorite is the ten foot long inflatable spider crawling down the front of the house.

I’m also pleased with how my “crystal ball effect” turned out, with the video image of a talking head from a television projected onto a ball thanks to a bit of plexiglas angled towards the viewer.

The complete series of photos from the night can be found in our Halloween 2004 gallery.

And now the cleanup begins …

How I spent my friday afternoon:

The Meister Mom and I should be leaving Texas on our way to the brother’s house in Kentucky sometime Monday night. It’s going to be a fun trip, with all the stuff the Mom is bringing home with her, along with two dogs.

Yes, since the sister will be overseas for four months due to the Air Force starting in September, and the brother will be off for several months of training in October, we get to keep their dogs for most of the rest of the year. Add in Lima and Oscar, and you get a house of three wiener dogs and a pug, which should make for chinese-curse-like “interesting times”.

After a few days at the brother’s, we’ll head to Ohio, stopping in the southwest part to see the Meister Mom’s brother near Cincinatti, and then eventually home.

1392 miles in a car total for the whole trip, which should have us in the driveway in Painesville, Ohio sometime around the 18th or so.