What a fun evening with OK Sisters, fans, and friends.
​

♥ VIDEOS - in no particular order.  Enjoy! ~nrl

​1973 National Archives Fire
      This photo was found on Wikipedia.  The tag line about this photo, according to Wikipedia, came from Wikimedia Commons.  "The 1973 National Archives Fire, a severe blow to the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States, was a disastrous fire that occurred at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 12, 1973."
The Wikimedia Commons is a freely license media fire repository. You can help.  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Welcome
      Approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) were lost. They included eighty percent of Branch Personnel and Army Personnel discharged between Nov. 1, 1912 and Jan. 1, 1960; and seventy-five percent of Air Force Personnel discharged between Sept. 25, 1947 and Jan. 1, 1964 (with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.). No duplicate or microfilm copies of these records were ever maintained, or produced. No indexes had been created prior to the fire. Millions of documents were on loan to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire so a complete listing of the records lost is also unavailable. However, during the ensuing years, the NPRC has collected numerous Auxiliary Records which were used to reconstruct basic military information.  If you'd like to read more about this fire here is the link where I got the basic information:
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html  

      There's a reason for this article, as you will see by reading the following story, about my father, his service to our country, and my experiences thus far in my attempts to obtain and find his military records. He is gone now, so I can't ask him ... as you might imagine, I was disappointed and disheartened when I received the news that his records were lost, along with 16-18 million others.  My heart goes out to anyone else who has had the same response from the Records Administration in St. Louis. 

Here is ... the rest of the story!
      Since my father's military records were lost in the 1973 National Arhive fire in St. Louis, I decided to search elsewhere to see if I could find at least "some" of his experiences in the Army.
      In my search, I found a document with my father's name on it.  A close friend, whose spouse was in the military, has an awesome military website.   http://www.vetshome.com/  So ... knowing how saavy he is about all things military, I asked some questions this morning (through an online chat with his wife).  I am not a connoisseur of military terms.  He was able to enlighten me about this document as well as more about what it meant, and how it affected my father.  Wow ...  is all I can say, besides thanking him over and over for his knowledge and information.  This is one of those "nuggets" I refer to on my homepage, that is turning into my own personal "pearl" ... yay! I'm hoping I can find more ... perhaps photos, articles, or more military documents with his name.
      The document I found was a Field Order from Merseburg, Germany.  It was dated "Wednesday, 13 September 1944".  It is a Debriefing Report of the 325th Squadron.  Since Bob knows and understands military lingo and such, he shared this:
      My father was in the "Army Air Force".  During that time, we didn’t actually have Air Force like today; during WWII it was referred to as the "Army Air Force".  Bob could tell by his squadron that he was a "gunner" on an airplane.  WG = wing gunner - TG = tail gunner … also that he was on a "bomber" … they are all debriefed after a bombing run.  They had to do that each time, after they went out.  He could also tell how high up they were - 29,000 ft up.  Not exactly front line, but flew over Germany, probably Saalberg.  My father ran a machine gun on the plane, shooting at the plane that had attacked them.  A wing or tail gunner is what they were called.  He was under the belly or on top of plane, depending on what type of plane (in the middle, where the wing is).  They had 3 holes in the plane when they got back (schrapnel), from being shot at... The WG beside Dad's name designated he was a "Wing Gunner".
      Below this article, I have another document, a newspaper article.  It is an article I found in his personal belongings (which were few as he was a very private man, most things were burned before he passed.  I think he knew it was his time to go).  The article is self-explanatory.  He knew the military personnel looked forward to their correspondence from home; he was a mail carrier prior to his military career.
      If there is anyone who has information, articles, documents, or stories they want to share about their loved ones, I would be more than happy to post them here.  And, who knows, perhaps I can connect with people who knew him, or have relatives who may have known him during his tenure in the U.S. Army Air Force!!

Dad knew how important correspondence from was to the soldiers. He made sure, no matter the weather, that the troops got their mail!
Well, my father was an "Iowan" who went to war, but KETV was asking for memories and stories about loved ones in the military. My story, and letter got accepted, was featured, and I received this coin medal, in honor of his military service to our country!

      4th of July this year was spent with Mom Lenz, Grandpa Ike, my daughter, spouse and grand kiddos. It was a full day. I went out about noonish and stayed the night because of threatening weather in the area (near the end of the fireworks).
      Kudos to the pyro captain for the day, Benjamin ... great job! Thanks for sharing your 'sparkling' personality! *smile*
      This compilation 'should' include a few videos. I am going to post before I add comments, but I want to point something out, which I plan to do later.
      There is one video I have a comment about. At one point, when a slight wind came up and nearly blew out Justice's 'sparkler' (long one, standing in the ground), I heard Benj tell him to 'blow on it'. My instinct was 'uh, no, but it was too late'. It works, of course, but his face got too close, the wind blew a spark back into his face (near his eye). He is fine. My point here is, "No, don't blow on any sparkler or other type to 'keep it going'." As an adult, we know not to 'get too close'; he did not.
      When I got there, Benjamin and Autumn were gone, shopping. When they got home, their shopping trip included purchasing some Ninja stuff that was put up for the kids. It's a play time exercise set up that can be expanded to include a variety of physical activities. Benj also brought some flowers for Kama. It is cool.
      Mom Iona came out and enjoyed the fireworks display, too! We had some good laughs, the weather held out and even the bugs were not too overwhelming either. Thanks for the fun day, family! I love you all.
      These photos and videos encapsulate a 4th of July visit with family. Enjoy. ♥ 2 ♥ ~nrl

It's been warm and sunny all day.  Toward late afternoon I was sitting at my computer chatting with a new FB friend.  All the curtains and windows were open today; it was so nice, with a nice cross breeze.  One window is just to the right of my computer.  All of a sudden it was as if all the lights went out, although no lights were on.

I looked out the window and to see a very dark cloudscape.  I took a walk outside, with my camera, walked around the house and took photos of what looked like a somewhat threatening sky.  A light wind arose and a few splatting raindrops hit my face.  I didn't hear any weather warnings either.  By the time I came inside and downloaded these photographs the skies were the same as they'd been all day long.  A few minutes later the skies darkened, again.

Here is a photo slideshow depicting a few short hours of Nebraska weather:

      Most people know I am selling my home.  The one thing I will miss are the awesome photographs I have been able to capture over a mere six months' time.  Today, after the rain, the birds converged in the yard.  One robin, in particular, afforded me the opportunity of a 'photoshoot'.  These are all the same robin.  It was as if it was 'posing' for me.  I was inside the house, using the zoom on my camera.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did capturing this healthy, photogenic robin.  Enjoy!

      Usually once I have my camera in hand it's as if birds can see a shadow or reflection in the window and they scatter.  There is one robin who is much healthier than the others and is not quite as camera shy, or it was eager to forage for food and/or nesting material.  I felt like I was doing a personal photo shoot with this one!

*Done with a Cannon SX610 HS / no editing, cropping or color correction. ~Nancy Larson-Lenz

October 31 of 2017 I purchased an 'as is' property in Nelson, Nebraska.  In the nutshell, I was the sucker they were looking for that day.  I think I turned 70, and lost my brains!  I've been searching for a home for over ten years.  Knowing I was unable to buy a 'castle', I joked with people that I was searching for my 'sandbox'.  Once I knew how much I could be approved for, I couldn't have been more correct.  It's an interesting story, however, I'm going to spare you the gory details.  *smile*

To just see what's out there, I often spent time on Zillow.  This house was listed by the owner, selling it 'as is'.  I had not even heard of Nelson, knew no one, and did not have employment here.  Originally, I was unable to see it as the man was waiting from a decision from someone else who had already look at it.  Unfortunately, for me, there was a hiccup with the person's financing, so I was the next one to be able to come and check it out.  You can see a few pics (above) of the home I was hoping would be my 'forever home' (thinking about retirement).

​I knew it was 'as is' and also knew there would be some renovation later on.  I purchased this home with an unconventional loan.  I was offered, by the eldest son, a 'now or never' offer.  I was the first one of several appointments set up that day.  I chose to accept his offer, although he and his wife watched me cry, wrangling about it.  I left him a check for a small down payment to hold it (not refundable if I changed my mind).  I went home, called my bank and applied for an unconventional, personal loan.  Living in the same community and having worked the same job for over ten years, they granted it to me.

I was so excited about the possibilities with this home.  I would have my loan paid off in only five years, and the place would be mine - free and clear (I thought).  It was my intention to pay off the loan, then delve into what kind of renovations I might want to do; sometimes 'the big guy' has different plans for us, as you will see here.

I had worked for a retail educational business for over ten years. One of the regular part-time employees, who was there when I was hired (a senior, and retired teacher), had lots of health challenges during that time (and before).  In September she went in for a routine colonoscopy. The doctor perforated her bowel.  She never came home; she passed away within weeks.  It was so unexpected.  I was the only full time person and every day I went to work it was like a 'morgue' there.  So I chose to amp up my search for a 'sandbox', feeling I needed a change.  I got one, actually, more than one!

Never look at a house when you're wearing your heart on your sleeve. In my own emotional weakness, with an on-the-spot 'now or never' offer presented to me, I succumbed, leaving a non-refundable down payment. In only six months, I'm now feeling disillusioned and a bit deceived. It began with the discovery of a 'bulging' wall and it's been like a domino theory ever since. 😫​

I'm not one to make things like this public.  Normally, I pull back, hide, and try to handle it on my own, as I did with this purchase.  I told no one.  In this case, this has been something like I've never experienced in my life.  I chose to open my heart, raw and honest.  I feel if I can help, even one person, to not go through what I am, it would be worth being judged, chastised, and criticized ... and WTF were you thinking.  And, my journey continues.

Unusual situation: a family of five children who had put their mother in a nursing home; father already deceased. The children all have their own homes, families (children and grand children).  The elder son is the one who sold it to me.  With the disclosure statement, father was gone, mom doesn't remember things, and elder son marked many things as 'unknown'.  I saw red flags, looking back, but chose to ignore them.  I should always listen to my intuition.  Looking back now, there were questions I asked that were not 'honest'.   I say that because of proof of a few things I've discovered.  I'm not trying to point fingers, just sharing observations.  There are things they 'had to have known', which are the questions I refer to ...

Here, I have collected and copied many FB posts, rather than try and recreate this maddening experience I'm having ... I have made the 'links' clickable, for your convenience if you'd like to see my journey.  I have attempted to put the in somewhat of a chronological order.   So much has happened in six months it's mind boggling!  And, my journey continues, daily.

​https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/545108879202645

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/546083312438535:55

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/10215218129145698:64

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/549135245466675

https://www.facebook.com/ellentv/posts/10156438018592240

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/549316355448564

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/548788525501347:26

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/548788525501347:29

https://www.facebook.com/TheWeLoveEllen/posts/2039679382952374

https://www.facebook.com/TheWeLoveEllen/posts/2039681176285528

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/549358918777641

https://www.facebook.com/TheWeLoveEllen/posts/2039919129595066

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/549590848754448

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554480534932146

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:10

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:15

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/552736691773197:113

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:17

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:18

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554533984926801

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554534561593410

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554535504926649

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554536604926539

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554539681592898

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554540101592856

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554540521592814

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554544671592399

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/552736691773197:120

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/552736691773197:125

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/552736691773197:126

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/552736691773197:127

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554553641591502:4

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554553641591502:5

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554553641591502:7

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:65

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:112

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:113

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555486891498177

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:125

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:126

www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/554320954948104:126
​
​https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555756841471182

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555514384828761:23

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555514384828761:24

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555514384828761:25

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555778921468974

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555826551464211

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555514384828761:71

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/555514384828761:74

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/2050245078550333:32

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/557814027932130

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/557815607931972

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/1695190263878535:64

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/558205161226350

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/558240184556181

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/1764242066930294:46

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/559846894395510

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/559928191054047

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/559949477718585

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/559949784385221

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/559950991051767

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/1764242066930294:79

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/1764242066930294:110

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/1764242066930294:114

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/1764242066930294:122

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/561700767543456

https://www.facebook.com/Nan.Rae.Me/posts/10211373519788983:73

http://montgomeryauction.com/2-bedroom-home-nelson/

♥ That's where I sit, right now ... waiting for the right buyer. ♥

♥ I have a camera that has a feature where I can 'click' once and get several clicks at once.  Because I love these so much, I've uploaded all of them, and will choose the best of the lot (for me), later on. I hope you enjoy!  These were taken over a period of a few hours.  All photos, by me. ~nrl