Yesterday, President Obama came to the Phoenix area. I went out to the airport to see Air Force One (a Boeing 747-200B) and it is an impressive and beautiful aircraft. Of course I took the camera, and the photos are available by clicking here
Happy New Year everyone! We are back from a visit to NJ and PA for the first time in over a year. We saw family and friends, and had all our favorite east coast foods that we can't find equals to in AZ (bagels, pizza, and cheesesteaks). Now it's time to see what 2012 brings us!
We wish all our Christian friends and family a Merry Christmas!
This story is written by a coworker of mine. He does the same job I do, so it hits home...
Last night, my family and I had gone to church and I was wearing the black Block III [Apache] shirt that had been given to us for the Nov. 1st Block III [Apache] activities. After mass, a stranger tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Do you work for Boeing ?" I told him yes. He then asked, "Do you build the Apache ?" I responded that I was a software engineer and that I worked on the Apache. This man then said, "Thank you! An Apache saved my son''s life. Because of you guys my son is still alive and he has two girls." This gave me goose bumps and brought my wife to tears.
A few minutes later, I saw this man again and decided to ask if his son was a pilot. He broke down crying and told the event that happened back in 2003. His son was Army Airborne when he and 3 others were pinned down taking fire. His son called in for air support but figured nobody would get there in time. His son had already accepted that he was going to die that day. An Apache came in, laid down ground fire, made sure the squad was OK, and stayed until they were safe. His son said the Apache and pilots were his angels. The man, completely in tears, again said, "Thank you". I told him that his son was the one who deserved the thanks for his service. He responded, "No. Thank you guys. And keep building those things".
We hear many times from management how we are making a difference, but when a complete stranger breaks down and thanks you for saving his son''s life, it is very humbling to know that everything we do, no matter how small, makes a difference and we should be proud of what we do. That day we had a part in impacting not only the life of a soldier, but an entire family.
I agree with my coworker; Thanks and God Bless to all of our armed forces.
I know I've been bad about writing here, and a lot has happened since Teri Ann's birthday. But this post is to mention that the website "Addicted to Costco" published my article!
You can read it here: Costco Announces Membership Fee Hike
Here's wishing my lovely wife a happy birthday!!
There haven't been updates in quite a while, and I apologize to the few readers I have. Rest assured, we've been busy though!
If you are seeing this post, then you are now seeing my website being broadcast from its new host. They are Hostgator.com and so far their customer support has blown away the old guys by an immeasurable amount. They even moved all my pictures and databases for me (for free) to save me the effort. This also means that if you have any issues, please e-mail me so I can fix them.
As Teri points out, I am woefully bad at updating this website with events in my life. I guess not needing a blog is a product of the post-Facebook world.
As the subject indicates, we have been keeping busy entertaining friends and family! It's March and already we have had Teri's dad and cousin visit, one night each. Then, my good friend Andy came out for a few days with his girlfriend, and saw us and the Grand Canyon. Teri's aunt is visiting in April, and my cousin may be visiting in May. And I have been told that another good friend Mike is thinking about coming Labor Day Weekend.
It's busy and wonderful to have so many visitors! If you want to add yourself to the list, let me know. Visits to Casa de Pirone include amenities such as ground transportation, free wireless internet, admission to the Stig Cinema (with complimentary refreshments), and access to our outdoor pool with waterfall (April through September).
Greetings from Arizona, everyone! I have not written in so long, I probably lost the interest of the two people who used to visit my site. Well, if you're reading this, then I only lost 50% readership. :-)
Teri and I have been keeping busy traveling! In December, we spent 10 days traveling through Rome, Florence, and Venice. Pictures are up in the photo gallery, and I may add more as I go through them.
After Italy, we were only back a few days, and then it was off to Fabulous Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronic Show (CES)! That was a very cool few days, seeing all the new gadgets (mostly tablets and 'smart appliances') that are being dreamed up.
We are back now, and aren't planning on any more trips for a while. But we have some friends visiting soon, and talk from other friends about more visits! The calendar is filling up for Casa Pirone, except for the summer (imagine that!).
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