Hi all

Hey, we just came back from a quik trip to Florida. Daytona Beach area. We drove straight through each way. I wish I could have seen Diane and all. We didn't plan ahead too well. We decided on a Thursday and left on the following Sunday. We stayed in Blue Spring State Park where a lot of manatees winter. Very nice and there were a lot of manatees! We went canoeing there and Nathan and Benjamin are very sure they saw an alligator eat a bird. We were behind them and really don't think so, but we can't convince them. Sooo, maybe they did. Rachel did see an alligator near the Blue Spring so they are in the area. We took one day trip to the Kennedy Space Center and of all things a tornado warning came on and we had to take cover. A tornado actually did touch down in the area. That evening we rented Apollo 13. John, Sarah and David stayed behind in Lancaster because of college classes. I cooked meals ahead for them and I think they liked being a little independent.

We found out that John will be deployed around the middle of May. He will spend three months training in the Palm Springs CA area first. He got positive feedback from various Marines on his rifle skills at the drill last weekend. That made him feel good. Me too. Also, three fellows in his platoon have been selected to learn some Arabic and John was one of them. He likes languages and is thrilled. They will send him for this somewhere but I do not know any details. I have signed up to be a part of a Key Volunteer Network. That means I am a contact person for about 15 families. It also means I get information about what's going on with his platoon quickly and pass it on to these families. I want to do something to help too.

Love Jeanne