Wes, Your private message email notifications are getting bounced back to me as your email address is no longer valid. You can either pm or email me your new address and I will fix it for you or you can go into your profile and do it yourself :)

Karen, thanks..karen...have made the email correction...can u change my log in name to Colonel(Ret)Wes as I retire at the end of the month after 31 1/2 yrs service...r/wes

I can sure try! Congrats on the retirement!

Wes, I couldn't change your name so I changed your title underneath your picture, will that do?

Great news, Wes! I hope you will enjoy retirement as much as I have. What do you and Ida plan to do with your time?

Karen, perfect, thanks for using your web magic again.

Beth..Ida threatened to make me household gardener, bathroom cleaner and chef...so have applied for three senior public affairs jobs within the Army and Dept of Labor...DOL chief of
PA is coming down from DC to interview me (for the South Region psn based in Atlanta) at the end of the month, and have made the final cut for two Army senior PA positions (Alabama) and one here in the command I work in presently. I will take my time and if offered will select the position that makes sense for Ida and my lifestyle.

In terms of leisure time & more importantly (even tho Ida retired after
20 yrs in the Army in 2000, she still plans to work as a civilian counterterrorist analyst for a few more years) we plan to cruise, cruise and cruise some more. We have TURKEY (crossing) in November with Coffecup/her sister, et.al., and then we're on segment two of Ring of Fire in February. We are considering a cruise in Asia & a Christmas market River cruise in 2010. For a post surgery reward/incentive (had brain surgery July 17, to take out a pituitary gland tumor (benign))--all systems green--am close to 100% (running 5-6miles daily) Ida gave me a kitchen pass to join our close friends from OSLO in Munich early in Sept as we drive to the Italian Dolomites for a week of hiking, and gourmet Italian dining...

Bet you're getting excited for your upcoming discovery cruise--what port can't you wait to see?

r/wes

Hi Wes, So glad to hear that your surgery went well. Sounds like you are doing great.

I do hope one of those jobs pan out for you. An opportunity jumped into my lap this past Thursday and I start a new part time job on Monday..... My new boss loves the idea of my 71 night cruise. I am surely blessed to find something like this.

You are so right about retirement and travel/cruising. It sure has been fun so far. Including the 5 Discovery Collection segments (if I can count them as 5 separate cruises), I have 6 cruises within the next 8 months!!! As far as my favorite ports, the top ones are Cairo, Mumbai, GAME and Cape Town, but there are so many more ports that are exciting.

Continue to be in great health and you and Ida have a ball.

Wes, Congrats on the upcoming retirement, finally! We'll make a toast to you from Athens, as that's where we depart the Whisper at the end of the month. We return home on Sept. 1st.

Your plans to stay busy and cruise sound perfect! Hello to Ida! Be sure to give our best regards to the Norweigns next month and have a great time!

Wes, sounds like youi will stay retired about as long as Beth did. Your possibilities sound interesting. Please keep us informed.

I hope to see all of the no-namers again. Right now we have our schedule "set" with Christmas on Voyager this year and Asia on Silversea in April and Africa/Seychelles from Christmas 2009/New Years 2010 on SS. I would switch to Asia on Regent to try to see some people, but I am set on this itinerary on SS if we can swing the 16 days twice in one year.

Debbie, I envy your schedule. The Seychelles on SS is a dream.......some day, sigh

Wes, it sounds like you're married to a wise woman! Congratulations on your upcoming (second) retirement from the Army and best wishes on one of the public affairs jobs being a good fit for you.

Great news on the successful brain surgery and recovery.

Col Wes and Ida

Just wanted to thank you both for your many years of service to our country.

Frances

Frances, Kathy, Debbie, Kim, Beth; thanks for your well wishes..it was my absolute pleasure
to serve...r/wes

Congratulations Wes!! You have more than earned your retirement. Thanks for all you devoted years to the USA.

Wes, Marcie said it best. Ditto!!! Congrats to you and to Ida!

Congrats Wes and Ida,
Enjoy every moment. You absolutely deserve all that the wonderful world of retirement has to offer!

Colonel:

You kind of stunned me with that brain surgery info. So glad to hear that all is well and that you will be taking a well deserved vacation to Italy.

Re employment opportunities, do hope you get what's best for you and Ida.

Cheers!! Ray & Penny

Wes, I know it was! You are the best! I also was a bit stunned with the brain surgery info

Suzie, that one we are on next Christmas and New Year's is a good value. To be able to do that one, we are trying Vista and will probably have to change the Asia one to Vista (at least at payment time next month). I have had these booked for almost a year. That one going to Seychelles also goes to Madagascar, Reunion Island, and Mauritius. I am looking forward to that more than any other trip.

All, again thanks for your too kind well wishes (am thankful for LCT--your comments/kindness juice me up as I start the day)...Debbie, Ray...re: brain surgery--
am 100%--now back to running 6-7miles daily. Before surgery (17 July) gave precise/careful instructions to the neurosurgeon (world renown at Emory) to remove all bathroom cleaning brain cells....SUCCESS--he got them all...I am bathroom cleaning free for the rest of my life!! r/wes

Colonel:

Latrine duty free. Life is good!

Obviously no humor cells were removed.

Cheers! Ray

Wes, some of us were born without those cells.
I'm so glad the good docs at Emory were able to take care of the problem with no long-term ill effects.
And, at the risk of parroting, thank you (and Ida) for your service to this country. It takes very special people to turn their careers over to service, and the two of you are just that.

Hi "neighbor" Wes,

I can only echo all the sentiments expressed above about yours and Ida's service and your return to good health! What an experience!

I am gradually losing those cleaning cells and cooking ones also!! :D

Oh my gosh, how did I ever miss this thread??? Sounds like you have been going through an awful lot lately, Wes - I wish you the very best with your recovery and retirement, and the next phase in life! We appreciate your and Ida's service to our country more than you know!!!

Dear Wes,
Congrats on your retirement and sucessful surgery. I hope the Doc didn't remove any Mercedes brain cells ;)

As General Douglas MacArthur said:

We are not retreating - we are advancing in another direction

Suzie, thanks--nope still have the MB (ML/CLK) cells...and with gas prices rising would hope
MB imports their A class (160 CDI blue efficiency (gets 52 mpg)..we rented this last year in Italian Dolomites and loved this small 5door hatchback (the superb Honda fit is just too small for our tastes)..blog speculation is A Class my arrive by 2011...r/wes

I saw the A & B class in Athens this year and in Capetown in '06.Why aren't they available here now? Personally I prefer an SL ;)

Suzie...concur on the SL but my wallet refuses to open...A/B models require a large amount of
capital upfront to retool production lines (Alabama has space) but w/Euro value to dollar low it's a tough decision..but as the price of oil goes up..believe we will see an A in the U.S...r/wes