First Blog Post

Hi all--

Well a couple of my Army friends have started blogs as a way to keep in touch with family and friends (and their deployed husbands), and I love reading about their day-to-day lives since we aren't stationed together anymore. So I thought I would get in on the act too. So here it is, the first Cherkauskas Family blog post. And John, this is for you if you read it...sadly, I think this will replace my Cherkauskas Family email updates. I think it will be a great way for those of you who are interested to keep up with what's going on with us.

For those who don't know, Bill is stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona now. We have been here nearly a year, after about 9 months at Fort Gordon, GA and 3 years in Schweinfurt, Germany before that. He recently took command of Charlie Company, 86th Signal Battalion (I'll put some pictures up in another post) and is fond of saying something he heard often from some of the 1-4 CAV troop commanders "A bad day in command is better than a good day in a staff job." He's working long hours but is glad to be back with the soldiers as opposed to the desk job he was doing at NETCOM previously.

I am working full time for my former Penn State advisor as a research consultant. I am involved with data analysis, report writing, and the day to day duties of running a project for a statewide police agency. And yes, I'm still working on my dissertation.

Drew is now 2 1/2 and every day is a new adventure with him. Due to my work schedule, Drew attends daycare about 6 hours a day. He loves it! When we drive in he claps his hands and says "Jessica (his teacher) yay!" He has picked up a lot of great things at school--learning his numbers, drinking from a big boy cup, potty training, and a ton of words. We enjoy frequent visits from or to Grandma and Grandpa Calnon (Namma & Pampa), who we feel very fortunate to be so close to (yes, an 8 1/2 hour drive to Las Vegas counts as close in Army life). Drew has also started to enjoy talking on the phone and frequently brings me a phone and tells me he'd like to call Aunt Tatie, Great Namma, Namma Mary and Pop Pop. He even likes to dial with his new number recognition skills.

Anyhow, that's how I'll start. Not sure how often I'll update, but I hope at least once a week. I'll post pictures but also tell you to check out our page at http://cherkauskaspics.snapfish.com/. And hopefully I'll do a little something with the page to make it look more interesting once I get the hang of things. If any of you have blogs or decide to start one, please add a comment with a link to your page so I can check it out.