While Ron was in EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) School, I stayed with my parents in York, Pennsylvania. At the time, I was pregnant with our first child. Back then, they didn't routinely do sonograms, so we didn't know what we were going to have. Fortunately, Ron was home for the weekend when I went into labor. Our son, Frank, was born in the York Hospital at 6:00 P.M. on Sunday, June 6th, 1971.

    

My family said little Frankie looked just like me. Ron's family said little Frankie looked just like him. Here are pictures of us at about the same age. You decide!

  

After finishing school in Maryland, Ron was assigned to a remote duty tour in Thailand. Frank and I lived in a little apartment in Temple, near many of my friends and old teaching buddies from Riverview Park Elementary School days. Ron got to come home at mid-tour just in time to experience hurricane Agnes. We woke up to a neighbor pounding on our front door and telling us to look outside. The water level had risen to the bottom of our window air conditioner and was about to start in under the apartment hall doorway which was three steps up from ground level. Ron decided to rescue some of our things from the downstairs storage room. Just as he rounded the turn to the storage stairway, water came spewing out and up about 5 feet into the air. In addition to water main brakes, the sewage lines burst too. All of our things were pretty much damaged. We lost all our Christmas decorations, including some special ones from Germany and Italy. Most of the rest in storage was Ron's, since he was in the middle of an overseas tour. We had the insurance man out to view the damage. Fortunately, we were among the few in the area with flood insurance. Ron packed up his soaked and dirty clothes and drove to his family home in Tamaqua, to put them through the laundromat and save what he could. Shortly after, Ron had to return to Thailand to finish his tour. A couple days later, Frankie took a flying leap into a coffee table. I had to holler for a neighbor to drive me to the doctor's, the same doctor who tended me while I was growing up. Frankie ended up with 4 stitches in his eyebrow. I ended up with the shakes!

Ron's next assignment brought him, and us too this time, back to Indian Head, Maryland. Ron was now an instructor for the EOD school he had attended in 1971. By 1973, our second child, Ami, was born. She came into this world on August 25, at Malcolm Grow Hospital, Andrews Air Force Base.

      

In addition to our two children, we also had 2 dogs, long haired dachshunds. Baron, came home with us from Germany. Bridgett was given to us by a family living on base at Indian Head. These 2 dogs presented us with 2 litters of puppies. The puppies were fun to have around, but they had to go to new homes once they were old enough. It was sad to see them go, but also a lot easier to keep the house in order. They did get around a bit! As the children got older, and the dogs did too, It became evident that the older dogs were not appreciating the younger children. So, we decided to find good homes for Baron and Bridgett and keep one of the last puppies. Her name was Schnitzel.