Tuesday, 25 Sep 84

Dear Mom & Dad,

By the time you get this, it will almost be time for us to go to the States. On Saturday morning (6 Oct), we will have to get up about 4 AM and drive to Rome. We are dreading that part.

Our time change occurs this coming Saturday night. I have the ER duty that night. Wouldn't you know that I'd be the lucky one that had to work an extra hour?

So when you are ready for bed at 10 PM on Friday night (5 Oct), you can remember that we will be getting up. We will be up nearly 24 hrs. that day. Surely, the kids will sleep on the plane. I hope we can a little.

Jeannie's parents are supposed to be in their new house by now. We do not know their phone number.

We got a long letter from Richie Poe yesterday. We certainly want to visit with Richie & Becky when we get to Harrison. Actually, Richie's letter was longer than all the letters we have gotten from Alisa combined since we got here. We are considering sending self-addressed, stamped envelopes to the Davidsons.

The weather here is horrible. The temperature isn't bad, but it has rained (poured every day) for 2 weeks. Except for the temperature, it is more like January here than September.

Saturday we got home from Euromercato & found a big puddle of water under our bedroom window & an even bigger puddle in front of Angelique's doors. Her carpet still hasn't dried & her room smells like rotting potatoes. We need to take the carpet out but there is no place to put it. It is drying so slowly because it keeps raining!

We went to a movie (the new Tarzan one) at Pinetamare school tonight. The electricity kept going on & off. But we are all used to that. It really goes off a lot when it rains. It was a pretty good movie. You both would probably like it.

Sunday, there was a couple here passing through from Germany with two visitors from the States. We took the 4 of them to the pizzeria we went to with you. They were from Arkansas and Texas. It was fun to talk to them.

The kids are doing well in school. Steven comes home spelling a new word nearly every day. Angelique seems to be learning a few things, too.

Both kids have learned a lot from the computer. Angelique knows how to LOAD programs and Steven can type RUN.

We are continuing to pick up new programs.

I have just about mastered my genealogy program, but without a printer yet, it is hardly worth spending much time with it.

I keep thinking my printer should get here any day. I have put all my patients in the computer & need a printer to list them for the clinic. (It took the computer an hour to alphabetize the list.)

Angelique is deciding she likes He-Man cartoons after all. We tried to find a He-Man at Euromercato. They had all the characters but that one. Masters of the Universe have been big here for over a year.

I will discuss "tracking" on our VCRs when I get to the States.

Diane has been mailing video tapes to us for over a year. Hundreds of people here get videotapes from the States. I have never heard anyone say it was against the law to mail videotapes. It should be no different than mailing a cassette tape.

The first tape you sent was good & so was this one. Tracking is the problem. But you can do nothing about that, unless you want to buy me a new VCR.

I'm glad Becky sold her house. I did not know that they had paid so much for it. Will she ever get settled?

I'm interested in hearing more about the wreck. That was surely a sickening thing to see.

I have 2 VCRs and you hardly know anyone with 1 VCR.

Jeannie says she already bought Angelique the Care-a-Lot Playset for Christmas. The Christmas toys are out here (on base). Jeannie spent over $200 the first day (her last day, too, I hope). They had a few Care Bear things, & even fewer when Jeannie left.

We will spend LOTS of money in the States. Start looking for boxes to mail things in, especially for clothes. Also, look around for the cheapest place to buy computer diskettes (probably Wal-Mart). It costs a little over $20 for a box of 10 diskettes here.

The Navy finally decided to pay for my trip to Kansas City. That will be most helpful.

We will see you soon.

Lots of love,

Michael, Jeannie,
Angelique, & Steven

Steven turned 3 years old in October.