Last Updated as at September 11th, 1999 5:00 p.m. MST Recently the can.military-brats newsgroup (courtesy of Kath) discussed the various ways that Brats celebrate by having fun. The following is a compilation of some of the answers provided. It shows an insight to who these "BRATS" really are and what is important to them.
Kath asked: "To help us get to know one another better.....please, everyone reading, complete the following phrase in the group.... FUN IS:"
1) "listening" to the Pearson sisters... reminds me of home!
2) watching your kid belt a home run over the fence, on a full count, with bases loaded and two outs (or hearing about it afterwards, because you were at work when it happened!)
3) returning to an old posting and finding that it still feels like home
4) having the Wing Chief for a close friend
5) sitting in the cockpit of a CF-18 WITH the power on (see #3 and 4 above)
6) planning the perfect "older-than-dirt" birthday surprise for a younger sister now in the Forces herself... with the help of #4 above
7) finding old friends on the Net
8) visiting the parental units in Kamloops, the one posting they didn't take me along to
...discovering that brats want to talk to *me*?
now who did that.......?
....being on vacation!
....seeing an old friend (my best friend came up from Atlanta and we vacationed together)
....buying land to build a new house on (yep! made the deal yesterday - closes on September 08!)
....planning the new house to build on the land you just bought (guess what's on my mind?)
....family time
.....quiet time
Fun is walking on the beach as the sun sets.
Fun is listening to the sound of the violin
* watching my 14 month old son chasing an ant!
* reading all these posts in the ng and trying to find people that you know!
FUN IS... playing with my daughter after a day at work.
FUN IS... telling my wife that I love her.
FUN IS... having coffee with my folks when they visit from BC or when we visit BC.
FUN IS... a sunny day, a light breeze and a cold bottle of Keith's.
FUN IS... tickling my daughter and to hear her laugh
FUN IS... listening to my daughter discover the word "rain"
FUN IS... talking to old friends and laughing at old stories.
FUN IS... laughing with new friends with new stories.
Fun is: Spending time with family and friends, laughing, sharing working together
Camping with your children (both when they're little and now when they're grown) and teaching them all the old camping songs - watching how uncoordinated they are the first time they sing - "Alice the Camel" and how expert they become quickly
Spending ANY time with your grandchildren
Talking with your partner at the end of the day - especially in the summer when you can sit out on the back porch in the twilight
Spending time laughing, gabbing, and gossiping with your girlfriends
Curling up in front of a fire on a rainy day with an excellent book
Going for long walks - with friends or family (it doesn't matter -really what the weather is like)
Going to church on a sunny Sunday morning - early
The first cup of coffee in the morning in the summer - outside!
*knowing I'm pregnant and enjoying every minute of it, and anticipating all the experiences I will encounter along the way.
*enjoying quality time with my husband
*spending time with my family
*watching my sister's kids play Nintendo (ages 3 & 5) and they can play better than me!
*camping with my husband, sitting around the campfire, not having to say a word, just knowing that we are enjoying each other.
*picking on Tracey here in the NG (Sorry sis)
*meeting up with Jeff and Iona at Tracey's place and having a great time. Brats sure know how to party :o)
*knowing that my family in the NG will always be here to put a smile on my face everyday, with the fun you know how to have in here :o)
Fun is: Taking my dogs for a long walk in the woods for a couple of hours.
Fun is: Taking my dogs and my freinds dogs for long walks off leash....thats 7 dogs running at full tilt having a blast and wearing themselves out. Then going for a swim in a glacier fed stream brrrr.
Fun is: Playing a joke on you big brother. hehhe got ya Jim. i personaly know the Admirals wife, I asked her to give me a tour of her house as a joke on my brother hes in the navy. oh by the way he (my brother) did not know that this was going to happen and he did not no that i knew the Admirals wife. heheh You should have seen the look on his face when she came down the driveway and said comone in and i will take you on a tour of my house. she did not let on that she knew me personaly. ehhehe
fun is reading about what everybody here is up to. You people sure make reading here fun and interesting.
Teasing and spending time with my 16 year old son.
Watching James Bond movies on TV and sipping wine with my husband.
Seeing family I haven't seen in a while.
Spending time with friends sharing drinks, stories, laughter.
Walking and playing with my dog (my 80 lb. baby).
Coming to this ng as often as I can.
Cooking.
Finding that big "bargain".
Heading home from work on a Friday night after work for a pizza with the boss (Toots)
Telling ferocious fabrications to my granddaughters*
A trip to Stradbroke island with an esky full of Fosters and greasy fish and chips from the local shop and a table under the palms overlooking the whitest sandy beaches in the world
Telling (when asked) Australians about Canada
Teasing my mother in law (the madmajor)
Talking to my mates in can.military.brats
* Example:
Have convinced each of my kids and grandkids successively that their belly button is the top of a phillips screw head and that there is a long bolt anchored by a small board at the bottom which holds their arses in place :)
Planning a reunion for overseas brats...hope to meet some of you here!
Still getting genuine hugs from my 12 and 16 year old kids
The Dog's reaction when I come through the door at the end of the day
Sharing old stories and memories with my 82 year old Aunt....and watching her "sneak a smoke", in her own house, even four years after my Uncle's passed on!
Discovering all of your distinct personalities, it even shines thru in print on the ng
LURKING
FUN IS......dancing with your children to AQUA turned up full blast with all of the windows open and singing Dr. Jones at the top of your lungs.
FUN IS.....a campfire....singing.
FUN IS.....cold lake water.
FUN IS.....making sundaes together.
FUN IS.....rice pudding between friends.
FUN IS.....laying out naked in the wilderness.
FUN IS.....reading ng messages from people who are ABLE to kibbitz.
FUN IS.....paper mache.
FUN IS....listening to your son read out loud.
Making plans for vacations in the future with your loved ones.
Consuming a bottle of white wine with the one closest to your heartfinding "magic" in your day every day.
sharing your achievements
setting joint goals
re-uniting lost friends
making memories together
reminiscing about the past
watching plans come together
exploring new places
meeting new people
experiencing new cultures
FUN IS......working with your mom getting the bouquets ready for you wedding (only 38 days now)
FUN IS.....going to the City Fair/Exhibition with your mom, your best friend and her 3 year old son and seeing the wonder of it all through the eyes of a child
FUN IS.....trying to find out what suprises are being planned for your birthday (14th Aug).
FUN IS.....running and dancing in the rain
FUN IS.....singing rowdy songs around the campfire with friends and relatives
FUN IS.....watching a 3 year old watch fireworks for the first time
FUN IS.....being a part of a special ng like this one
FUN IS.....getting an early birthday present: tickets to a concert of your favorite teenage band
FUN IS....spending time with my fiance
...making new brat friends and realizing that *this* time I
...won't leave them and they won't leave me!
...discovering that brats want to talk to *me*?
...watching our grand daughter's eyes light up when she sees us come through the door.
...baking pies to throw at the gang.
...curling up in bed with hot buttered popcorn and a movie we've seen a dozen times and still love.
...having family drop by on Sundays.
...planting seeds and watching them grow.
...encouraging Koi to eat out of your hand and feeding peanuts to the chipmunks.
...figuring out what caused the crash this time!
...watching baby geese follow their mom into the water for the first time.
...formulating answers to Kath's and Tracey's questions.
FUN IS ...actually getting paid to play music, make a fool of myself, go to beach parties, concerts, fairs, food-tasting events, etc.
FUN IS...spoiling my nephews & nieces absolutely rotten then getting to see the reactions of the various parents (I realize all you parents out there hate Uncles like me...but it's still fun)
Going to the barn to be with the horses
Going to auctions and not necessarily buying anything, but getting to see what people and families who stay in one place accumulate.
Playing Scrabble with my friends.
Playing cards with my parents.
Driving around following thunderstorms.
Visiting relatives and listening to stories about my parents and their parents growing up (and the mischief that they got into).
Reading and sharing books with friends.
Sharing the delight of friends and family when they celebrate special holidays.
Discussing silly stuff reasonably with my teenage daughter.
Helping out at Pony Club events when everyone is having fun and working together.
Travelling to Pony Club events and meeting new people who are just as horse crazy as we are.
last revised September 11th,1999 5:00
p.m. MST This is An 
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