Ten Random Facts about our Summer at Keesler AFB:
1. When we moved to Biloxi, I left behind my job as assistant preschool director and teacher. I told everyone that I was going to spend my summer lying on the beach relaxing. I didn't even last a week before I started hunting for a temporary job.
2. It's HUMID in Biloxi, Mississippi. Too sticky to be outside humid. I figured I had two choices -- sit in our air-conditioned apartment all day by myself or find a job.
3. My temporary secretary job had me working at a company trying to secure investors for a potential real estate project and casino on an island just off the shore. Since we had lots of connections with the tourism department and other casinos in the area, there were always lots of dinner coupons around the office.
4. One of the best dinner deals in Biloxi was one of the casinos on the back bay, a bit off the beaten path. They had discounted their buffet to only $5. With some of the coupons from work, Tim and I both could eat for $5.
5. I got pregnant with Addison that summer and was often queasy around strong food smells. I was fine smelling food while I was eating, so the buffet was awesome as long as there wasn't a line to get in.
6. It takes an awful long time to eat enough peel-and-eat shrimp and crab legs to get full. Tim and I often decided that we were tired of eating before we got full. Maybe that's a new diet idea I could market -- the shrimp and crab legs plan?
7. The cheap movie theater in town was only $1.50, but they offered a military discount. Tuesday nights were half-price so we could go to the movies for less than a $1.
8. ConAir was one of the big hits that summer. We lost count of how many times we went to the cheap theater to see it.
"Define irony. Bunch of idiots dancing on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash." ("Sweet Home Alabama" playing in the background)
Note: I'm not recommending that everybody rush out to see ConAir -- just reminiscing about what we were doing years ago.
9. For some reason, the radio station we listened to liked playing Prince's "Raspberry Beret." It wasn't a new song then. In fact, I'm not sure Prince was going by the name Prince that summer; it might've been the summer that he changed his name to the symbol nobody could figure out and therefore he was referred to as "the artist formerly known as Prince."
10. In the days before digital cameras, I didn't take many pictures at all. I remember a really cute picture of my newly pregnant self on the beach, but it must've been taken with someone else's camera. I can't find it (or even the negatives for it) anywhere.
I'm sharing a "years ago" story corresponding to each letter of the alphabet for the Blogging through the Alphabet challenge hosted by Marcy at Ben and Me. I often tell my children stories of things that have happened in our past, and now I'm taking the time to write down those stories.
Fun reading about other bases since you can never tell where Caleb will end up. One of the kids from his brother flight is station at Kessler. About 8 families have stayed active in the Wing Mom group for their flights.
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